National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-01-05
THE PROCESSION AND EXPOSITION.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN.
DIR. sUNDERLAND's REPLY TO DIR

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN.
DR.. sUNDERLAND's REPLY TO DIR
II LEWIS. ~
The subiect of the discourse was 1.-THE Unity Q
the Church, and the speaker selected his tex
, from Cor. xii:eo: "But now are they many mem
beers, yet but one body"
: THE FIRST SABBATH.
, God has spared us to behold this light. We &c
| out toge her on the journey Of another year. W.
have taken leave of the past; we put our faces &
the future How shall We, rs Christians, com
mence the march? When an army moves tn
| bugle is sounded the drums beat, the banners ar
nying. So mus. II be with the sacramental hos
| of God That was grand Christian idea which
came out of the heart Of heather India ffteer
years ago, that every year: throughout Christen
dom should be begun by week OF prayer rolling
IKE 2 reyeille up to heaven around the whois
Every ear that hears IL, every soul that know,
IL, every mind that comprehends its meaning and
responds to its appeal every human ,S being that
joining the august procession, must be numbered
In tho host-for that host is one-there one body
Father or 0 All one christ. pns Holy Iyt Spirit an%
drawing together, and the bond. Of the Church are
all may be one as their Father art in me and in
| them; that they all may be one in us, that tho
world may believe that MssYsn hast sent me" Is
have to-day for our contemplation ssThe Unity Of
the Christian Church; the seriousness of all be-
lievere; the hindrances and motives to Christian
union; the blessings promised to united prayer"
This Ia the grand, inspiring theme which will vi
brate through the heart Of all Chrstendom to-
day! The members are many but the body is one
The head is one, the life is enc. I submit to you
some briefobservations upon this grant tcric.
| THE IDEAL OF THIS CHRISTIAN UNION.
It is the design Of a new kingdom, new family,
| new society among mcn-a realm CT iove-Iove
| tnG fNl and oxn IN he fat hprh uf ft.I
| the brotherhood Of man: the unity Of a common
interest and o common fate, and fortune for the
and peace and concord. Il is the contamination
Of all the highest aspirations Of the highest minds
in all ages; the reality Of the golden age of the
| Something had made scfrism and separation
among men, had scattered them and alienated
| them and madlened them. filled them with pre-
juticc and jealousy aud rancor, made them enc
mics; set them 20 warning upon each other. per-
| scouting and devcuring one another. The Chris
| tian knows what that something is; the scientist
| Talk as he will, he will End no reason in the
whole sphere of his Investigation. The rcascn is
finding it in his sphere. No man can lind it there
am not now going into the philosophy OF this;
| the fact that there has been en- earth a moral
been thrown apars. The ideal Of Christ's pilios-
back inso harmony y tho agency i truth "A
whole movement the thought which siirs all
heaven and agitatcs all earth: the thought
which makes hell itself boil with Satanic malice
society lie the spiritual oneness Of belieyers. What
is unity, but Of tra;h and love; thele !. nc other
Uniformity is ouiwork, 1t is Tie she'll not the
the garment, the badge only OF that unity which
| is essential. Such uniformity is only essential
Just SO far as it expresses or manifests unity.
From its very nature IL can be changed; II Is, 1t
must be often changed. Uniformity is only con-
venient for order and regularity, and when that
object is accomplished the valne OF uniformity
clog. But there is no change in the principle of
spiritual unity the principle Of life. the force of
spirit Of the Lord. This IS abiding it cannot be
changed. 1t is the substance Of the kingdom. So
far as it IS impaired the kingdom is destroyed.
the essential principle Of unity can live and act
under many outward forms, in many diverse con-
ditions 50 that there shall be- as the apostle says
shall be unity in variety. The whole host shall
march all together, each member Of it under one
captain sId each S ssarg rs
Cross floats over all.
We hare then comparatively little anxiety about
the diversity Of sests as they are s,Hsd The
spirit? Their forms and modes and metaphysics
are simply matters Of convenience-the faculties
q; soms in another tho High ChureS
symbolism; Il these help him on to God; If they
q better citizen, father, son, brother, husband;
better believer in Gcd; . nobler being every way;
II the name q all Christian charity let him have
cling to catechism; to the logic Of Calvin; to
the eosmogony Of Noses; to the justification Of
s1 IF as si sss nss ass
growing 10 grace and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? And, SO I
say 1
however twisted and distorted in many
things, yet IT, on the whole, he has Christ formed
iindied in his heart; il he knows the Joy Of par;
doned sin and habitnsl fellowship with God, what
right have to put my clamps upon him and
communion Of saints because he does not or can
not see all subjects through my partieu-
lar pair Of spectacle.? The truth is, We have all
in more or less respects, jumped into barrel, and
are looking out at the bung-hole. We cannot fell
lowship this, that and the other because we think
shall pc some PortSn s 81 sI1e
to speak Of the hindrSnces to Christian union, and
this the r Jint Of special difficulty with honest
minds. r - '~'-'
THE HINDRAHcEs TO UNION.
The Rev. DR.. ]. Vaughan Lewis one Of our
geiieai Alliance, preached. q sermon the other
day, copy of which his vestry requested iof pub-
LEGATION In II he speaks of 1.-THE Athenian sccts
around Us, who spend their time in nothing else
but either to tell or to hear new thing:- and
yet before he is halfthrough he bitterly complains
Of that cQnssyvSftsm In his cnuren wnlch Will not
tolerate IN an Episcopal minister amy show Of
genius or originality ID devisng means r. reach
the masses 2, He looks down upon the Lutherans,
Methodists Baptists CalvinIsts, 1entrenchcd,"
as he calls It behind their little antiquities with
q yery supercilious air. as though he were igno-
rant Of or had forgotten the tale Of history; and
vet in his own church be shows before he finishes
that there are Violent strifes and divisions which
make the heart ache 10 think upon, II 10 the old
(yorinthisn battle over again.
This wise and penetratlnQ Epieeopal rector con-
descepds to inform us that he has "no quarrel
with the Evangelical Alliance, that It II an
smiabie effort AFTER unity which oil DESIRE !" and
that he hopes Il may rot blessing for its anna
biiity Which IL does not deserve for its wisdom'
He saws he does "not mind its weekday discus
eions, Although he cannot understand Its Sunday
icommunions,' when an Anglican dignitary reads
the creed md q Baptist cousecratee the bread
and Moravian the Wine, while none Of the three
could recognise the other q hts own altar" Very
Of ioaic thou hast. to be sure! and atScu h,st no
time fo eDend MOL such trsdes."
n ft not q thinR 10 BE- noted that 4 minister Of
Christ IN our dsy can ZEE thruuG;h .ithe yearly
dJscnss,ons rhiek IoStes i,y les Il s.the Snnday
commnnions and ffnm thaf an ID, minisfry cf
The aitsr !" md vet cannot re what hinder Inc
isst stsnthe fuii felioWship Of the fshrstisn min
istrvS The nneonie Ar Gettfno Ti9St fssfer thar
tHaS m,nistsyf The sniyit ~ thc TIord n uoioo
heSore them A faw more EvsnSelicai Ailisnces
viii shsSter down msny Of the Nttie fencee Which
he eccscsissfica haye 6.fit mn 10 hesiSs them.
seivsS ros1nd Shont ont of the ola timSsrs th.t
sss.S 49, 4. -. g.. ~. r..-.. $500