Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-05-03
FIRST EDITION.
First Unitarian Church

| IL NOT.
lev. Thos. +. Hicks preached yesterday at
tue First Unitarian Church, from John, XVII
Il "Ihat they aIlway be Que" lie said the
Saviors prayer il to be fultlled-it il fulfilled.
The true disciples are already one not IN ex.
| teinalH not in form but in spirit. / shall
| show, iirst, i'll what respects the disciples are
not to be one. and, second, in what respect they
are to be one.
| First, then, the disciples arc not to be one in
business there will probably always be a di-
vision of labor more and better work can be
done by each man doing one thing well, than
| by each attempting to do everything. Divers-
| ties OF trades and callings will continue.
2. The disciples are not to be in social
custom; living in different ages, and OF different
| nations, social uniformity would be impossible.
3. Nor are the disciples to be one in language
Called from every nation, people and tongue,
each man will speak his own language.
| 4. Nor are the disciples to be one in church
name; 4 diversity Of names may consist with
| the spirit of love.
o. The disciples not to be one in church
government The apostolic churches, as it ap-
pears from the New Testament history, were
| congregational. There was the church at Cor
inth; the church at Ephesns, the church at Col
osse; and these arc spoken of as individual
churches, and not AZ body of churches
There were no consolidated bodies or denomi-
nations AZ there are to-day,
Notwithstanding this intimation from the apos-
tolic practice, no one system of church govern
ment is. In the New Testament prescribed for
all time.
A poty which might be best for one people,
in one age, might not be best for another peo-
ple,in another age So the question OF govern
ment is left for the determination OF individual
churches in each place or period.
q. Tho disciples are not to be one in church
service. Each church has right to the form Of
service most helpful to its own members. Each
individual has right to that form of service
most helpful to himself. The only essential
point is that they all worship the Father, in
spirit and in truth.
Z. The disciples not to be one in church
work. diyersties of gifts flt them for diversity
of work. Some are apostles some prophets /;
some evangelists. Every man should use his
own gifts.
g. The disciples are not to be one in opinion
No two persons have exactly the same view of
truth.--From differences of education, talent,
and knowledge, uniformity Of opinion wonld be
impossible
But the speaker insisted in the second
place, that all the true disciples are one in the
faith of Christ All may not equally compre-
hend Christ in His character or mission, but all
have faith in Him as teacher, and Savior In
this they are one.
g. All true disciples are one in christian ex-
perience. Not that all have the same expert
ence but all have experience which comes
by faith in Christ all are, in some measure,
growing up unto Him growing up unto His
of the true vine = from him they draw noursh-
ment and life.
8. All true disciples are one in the spirit of
loye-Christs mission WAS one OF love. About
this there is no dispute. Through love, God sent
His son. In love the came ''In this the
love of God is manifested that while We were
yet sinners, Christ died Tor us. Christ came
to seek and to save the lost. All true disciples
partaie in some degree of this spirit Of love.
A. All true disciples arc in the spirit of
obedience Not that they all do the same
thipgs :-fromTdifference in knowledge some
may do with a good conscience, what others
could not do without ain. But all have repented
of sin all real disciples Of the Lord, abandon
the sin they see they turn from what they
know to be sin they enquire for the command
ments Of God, with an earnest purpose to do
them. In this spirit of obedience, then, they
agree.
9. All true disciples are one in the spirit of
service This is implied in the spirit of love
and obedience. Christ took upon Him the form
OF n servant, and was made in the likeness OF
men. He came to serve-He came, not to be
mnistered unto; but to minister, and to give His
life ransom for many" All true disciples en-
ter into His mind and spiritiin this respect, and
are willing to serve.
They are willing to serve, not only the strong
and rich, but the weak and poor. They are
willing to serve those who need help.
Tho speaker remarked, by way Of application,
that the only practical christian union, is a
union in the spirit of love, and that this union
can be secured without conformity in church
name, in church polity, or in form OF service.
He remarked I'd. that the dream of those who
hope to zee all existing denominations consoli-
dated into one great overshadowing body, is in
vain such a change would be neither practica-
BILE, nor desirable, because (d) what helps one
hinders another. One person is aided in his ap-
proach to God by written liturgy others are
hindered by anything OF the kind. There ID need
of variety of church usage, to suit and help all.
(J). Some are members of existing denomina-
ions hn npt nj i'm
Baptists, who would not Join any church II there
was no Baptist church. Some are Methodists,
who would not join any church if there was no
Methodist church.
The same may be said of othera 30 that in an
important sense it il true, that the more sects
the more christian workers.
Externals attract or repel, according to one d
education, taste, or habit of thought, and each
finds in his own peculiar church, that which al
fords him most help in worshipiDg God, and in
doing good.
(G) The criticism OF one church by another,
tends to keep each pure. There is, to be sure
some criticism which is unfair and bitter, but
this is not 10 much the necessary result OF the
existence of sects, as the result of the self
ishness Of human nature. When the spirit Of
love dwells in the hearts of all church members,
the criticism of disciple by disciple and of
church BY church, will be tender and odifying.
8. There is still good deal of sect idolatry
but this it may be said, is an outgrowth of hu-
man sel6shness. Those who are but half con-
verted to Christ very readily become sect build
ers they regard the sect as an end, and not as
means !; but those who are really converted to
the spirit of love, as ii is in Christ Jesus not
sect builders, to them the scot is an instrument,
means only-tbey value the sect only as it is a
means of saving men, and glorifying God.
| 4. We are better employed then, in cultiva-
| ting the spirit of love than in urging any exter-
nal union of sects.
| The spirit of love does not say 'take our
name, and We will fellowship You but it says
| Hif you are worsing for Him, use your own
methods, choose your own tools, and wear yonr
own harness."
| 8. The churches should cultivate towards each
| other, the spirit OF confidence. There is less of
division, and more OF love- than there used to
| be, and the time will come when the spirit Of
Christ shall 40 pervade all, that they shall be as
| one fold with one Shepherd.
| 6. The churches should learn from each 9TH
| or that the good points Of leach may become
| the property Of ALL That each may
| drop its clogs and hindrances, and retain only
| the essential, and useful.
z. All Churches, and all disciples, need more
| faith.
| Unbelief is hindrance and a Hnare-faith
opens the heart to receive, what God waits to
| give. 1 beseech you to cultivate faith toward
Christ, and toward God.
| g. All disciples and all churches should cul-
tivate likewise the spirit of love. "Loye is the
fulfilling Of the law. Love is the one great life