Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-02-27
er they love. honor and obey and trust
Him, and if they do they are entitled to
your love, sympathy and prayers.
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH.

We are called in one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God
and Father Of all, who is above all, and
through all, and in you all:'
He said when God created man he inn
pressed upon the race the marks Of unity,
but that unity was destroyed by some po-
tent principle Of mutual repulsion, which
first manifested itself i'll the fratricide of
Cain. and originated in the sin of Adam,
which separated man from God. When
the Saviour appeared the first check to this
principle, the first opportunity for again
reconciling man to his Maker and to his
fellow men, came, eff | be lifted up [ will
draw all men unto me-" Thus allmen were
invited to God through him and in him
and in his church, which is body COM
posed of all true believers in him. There
is thus perfect unity of those who be-
lieve in Christ, an unity depending ON
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and
therefore, nothing can be considered as es-
sential to unity which does not have its
origin in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Prelacy therefore, for example, not being
a fruit of the Spirit, it cannot be essential
to the unity of the church. The Church
is one in Faith, Communion, Worship and
Service Of the same God whose authority
is everywhere acknowledged. Christian
churches exhibit great diversity in their
creeds but they are one in all matters es-
sential to salvation taught i'll the Bible
There are various sects in Buddhism and
Mahommedanism but no man would be at
loss to determine who is Buddhist OF d
Mahommedan notwithstanding the many
divisions among their followers. All Prot
estants deem essential doctrines to be
those without which piety cannot exist,
and wherever, therefore, these doctrines
are professed and believed there is the
UNITY OF FAITH IN THE CHURCH.
The indwelling spirit which dwells in
all believers, and which teaches these doc
trines, is also spirit of love, and therefore
AL Whom he dwelis in are united in affec-
ton, and this gives rise to tae unity Of
communion and congeniality They are
congenial, because they have the same OBJ
jects of faith, and the same truths appear
to all alike true and excellent, and because
they have the same hope based on the same
promises. They believe that believers are
"taught of God to love one another" The
want of this congeniality and feeling of
brotherhood is always repre- sented in the
Bible as decisive evidence of the absence
of the spirit, Thereby know we that we
have passed from death unto life because
we love the brethren" This inward com
munion shows itself in external visible OBJ
jective communicable recognition Of all
Christians as Christians, to receive all
whom Christ has received, no matter how
weak, ignorant or erroneous they may be.
If one possesses faith in Christ and he
evinces the sincerity Of his profession we are
bound to recognize him us a brother wheth-
Ell he walk with rs in other matters or
not.
NO EXTERNAL RITE WHICH is NOT ESSEN
TIAL TO COMMUNION
with God is essential to Christian commun-
ion and fellowship. If the Scriptures make
submission to the Pope OF connection with
a society governed by Prelates,o OF one gov
erned by Presbyters, necessary to salvation,
then we are forbidden to regard any as
Christians who do not comply with these
conditions. But if these things are not es-
sential to communion with God, they are
not essential to the communion Of Saints.
The same may be said with regard to Bap-
tisIn If that rite is essential to salvation .,
We cannot receive any but a baptized per-
son as a Christian; but if it has only the ne
cessity Of precept- not of a means, W icha
man through ignorance, prejudice or misin-
depreciation ofScriptures may neglect, and
yet be humble, penitent and believing then,
as such neglect is no barrier to his admis-
sion to heaven, it cannot consistently with
the word Of God be made
A BARRIER TO CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
On this point Christians have grieyously
erred in arrogating the right to make
things necessary to communion with them,
which are not necessary to communion
with God. They pronounce those unfit to
enter their society who, they admit, are
prepared to enter heaven. The greater
surely must include the less.
This internal union manifests itself i'll
the joint participation Of the Lords sup
per Many will unite in other acts of
worsh ip and in various ways express their
sympathy with others, as Christian breth-
rem, and yet will not sit with them at the
Lords table, This is an obvious incon-
sistency. No Church, or body of Chris
tians has any Scriptural authority for MAX
ing any terms Of communion not enjoined
in the Scripture, and it is presumptuous to
debar any believer from her communion.
No Church has right to require that the
Sacrament shall be received under one of
the elements on penalty Of exclusion, nor
that it shall be received kneeling if that
position is objected to conscientiously.-
If none but PrelateS can give authority to
Pgesbyters to administer he sacraments,
then we can receive the Lord IS supper on
ly at the hands Of Episcopally ordained
ministers but if these and similar assump-
lions are unscriptural, then to make them
barriers to communion is violation of the
unity Of the Saints. BY acts of commun-
ion with other Christians we do not sane
ton all the doctrines Of those with whom
we unite, it is only SO far as essential
doctrines are concerned, If Calvinist
commune with an Arminian, a Baptist
with Presbyterian, OF a Presbyterian with
All Episcopalian, the only legitimate in
ference from the act is that they regard