The New York herald., 1877-07-05

only 10 Tue Vluuicdtiou OF their o"h a"i'AA
and traditions. With one heart and voice
they rose and sang the Presbyterian version
Of sold Hundred"
All people that on earth do dwell.
The effect was grandly majestic as the
volume of song rose and fell from the lips
of the earnest prayerful thousands.
UNITY AND HUMILITY IN cHnsr.
The Scripture lesson was then read from
Ephesians, fourth chapter, in which the
Apostle Paul urges that Church, which he
had established, to be long suffering and
forbearing to one another and to keep the
unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. be-
cause there is but one Lord, one
faith and one baptism for oil believ-
ers and one God and Father over
all. The Church was further urged
not to walk as other Gentiles walked, in in
tellectual vanity and pride, but now that
they were in Christ, and had put Him on,
they were to walk as new men, possessed of
q new and better spirit than that which
was in the world. All bitterness, anger,
evil speaking and wrath were to be put away,
and they were to be kind and tender
hearted and forgiving toward one another.
THE TIME FOR JOINING HANDS.
intellectual superiority, the apostle de-
clares, is not to be made an occasion for
divisions in the Church of Christ; for what
ever gifts or endowments the ministry pos
sesses they are from God, and are
designed for the perfecting of the saints and
the edifying of the body of Christ until the
entire Church comes in the unity Of the
faith and of the knowledge of Christ as one
man perfect in the measure of the stature
of the fulness of Christ.
This lesson was sermon in itself and
was exceedingly appropriate for such an oc-
casion. 1t very clearly indicated also the
tenor Of the discourse that followed.
ON DELICATE GROUND.
Some anxiety had been expressed con-
cerning the ability of DR.. Flint, Professor OF
Theology in Edinburgh University, to meet
the expectations of this great assembly and
to harmonic the seven spirits or branches
of Presbyterianism in Great Britain and the
Eve in America, but the Doctors discourse
is regarded as eminently successful in this
direction.
HAPPY TEXT.
His text was taken from the seventeenth
chapter Of the Gospel of st. John, verses
twenty and twenty-one, the closing prayer o.
the Lord Jesus Christ for the oneness of His
Church on earth. First for His disciple.
and then for all those who should believe
on Him through their word, that they al
may be one as He and the Father are one
that by this spiritual unity the world nigh
be convinced of His divinity.
Dr. FLrNr's SERMON
The sermon was singularly appropriate
and powerful. 1t set forth the Scripture
basis on which the separate sects and de
nominations, not only of Presbytcrians bu
of Christians generally, could unite ant
have all their claims answered and all thei
differences dissipated.
ONE ON EARTH AND IN HEAVEN.
In its theological aspects the sermon wa
clear and we'll defined. It made stronI
plea for catholicity and unity, on tn
ground that humanity is one, whether OF
earth or in heaven that st. Paul say
the whole family in heaven and eartl
are named after Christ, and that
with one faith, one baptism, on,
hope, one Father, one Redeemer, one Sane
tifier and one heaven and earth as the
present and future residence Of the saints
there is no reason why all differences be.
tween believers should not cease, and it il
the duty of Christians everywhere to live as
brethren, in the unity of the spirit and in
the bonds of peace.
GO FORTH IN PEACE.
Thus united in Christian fellowship o.
labor and purposes the Church could and
would go forth fair as the sun, ye
terrible as an army with bann ers
conquering and to conquer this world
for Christ and transforming it into the
image of the heavenly and the divine. Bu
the different sects of Christendom must frs
conquer themselves, and must drink more
and more deeply into the spirit of the
Saviour's last prayer for his Church.