The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-10-31
UNITY OF TIE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

The Rev. John r. Riley, of Adger
College, preached most practical SER
mon in the Presbyterian Church in this
place recently on the subject of the unity
Of the Christian Church, taken from Eph.
4 Sc.
The discourse was heard by a very
large congregation, representing the va
rious denominations in the community,
and as there was sentiment of universal
and unqualified approval of the manner
in which the theme was handled, it is
deemed not amiss to publi.h sketch Of
the most salient points advanced.
At the outset the preacher made srv-
eral beautiful comparisons, forcibly illrs-
trative Of the indivisible unity of Christ's
Church, and dwelt at considerable length
upon the generous views of many profess
sing Christians rs TO what constitutes the
true Church. Many who have already
united to some particular denomination
never inquire into the nature of the
Church; they do not know in what its
unity consists; they defenU with warmth
and zeal religious dogmas nn no other
ground than that this or that has been
the practice or doctrine in the sect which
they call the Church. In their minds
their Church is infalible. They never
question any Of its usages or doctrines.
They regard their denomination az
kind of Divine Oracle. The question
with them is not What is in the Bible7
What saith the Lord? but, What says
the Church? They hold that the one
true Church Of Christ is restricted to the
denomination to which they belong. In
saying this the speaker took particular
pains TO impress upon his hearers that he
had not in mind any one sect or dcnomi-
nation more than another; that he was
only speaking Of certain religious type
"A:ch :s &c &c found IL q greater oT less
degree in all Christian congregations.
Far be it from him, in the pulpit or any
where, to say anything to the prejudice
of any branch OF Christ's Church us such.
There are those in every denomination
who hold wrong views of the Church. 1t
is common error to regard their own
denomination as the Church. Those
who are not connected with the Church
have wrong notions as to its unity; they
have been taught that there is only one
true Church, and because there can be
but one they reach the erroneous conclu-
sion that only one of the many denomi-
nations can be the true Church of Christ
They think that their getting into the
Church depends on the choice OF dcnom-
iuation, which is n common and lamen-
table mistake.
Nothing is more prejudicial TO that
Christian unity for which the soE of God
prayed when he said that they may all
be one, as thou, Father, art in me and I
in thee, that they also may be one in us,
&c, than wrong notions as to what the
Church of Christ is, and in what it's unity
concists. All who are united to Christ
by faith belong to his Church, and this
Church ia one. Difference Of denomina-
tion does not destroy this unity, ''for as
the body is one and hath many members,
pad all tho members of that one body
being many ara one body" 30 also is
Christ. Every organized body supposcs
two things, diversity and unity. There
must be different paris and these parts 80
united as to constitute ono livips BODY.
Diversity Is essential to unity. tn unless
the body had many members tiieTe oo;iiidd
i.a E.a r1::;::: ::9 =.=::z 30 II . make o.:s
organized whc!e. I. :s TO. necessary TIN.
all believers should belong TO the same
denomination in order to make them one
Church. They have wrong notions of
Christian unity who think that deuomi-
national distinction must be obliterated
before the prayer of the Saviour can be
answered when He prayed that all be.
levers might be one. The very greatest
unity may be realized and Christians re-
main as they are in distinct and different
denominations. Tho Apostle says, "As
We have many membera in one body, and
all members hare not the same office, so
ge being many are one body In Christ,
and every one members one Of another"
So we being many denominations, are
nevertheless one body, of which Jesus
Christ is the head. There are four things
which constitute Christian unity: one
Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God
and Father. "One Lord" means that all
believers are under one governor or ruler.
Christians, however different the forms
of government Of the particular denomi-
nations to which they belong, are all
subjects of the Same God, of which the
Lord .Iesna ia head and king. There are
differences of administration, but the
same Lord, Il Cor. 12:15.) There is a
sense in which Jesus is Lord of the uni
verse, none stay his hand, but it is not
in this sense that Christ is mentioned by
the Apostle as the Lord OF believers. It
is as King in Zion that he is called the
one Lord. He Is the head of that king
dom for whose advancement we ore
taught to pray. Every believer is will
ing subject of this kingdom. It is a
ssfl fH:-s..el ks:,s,s;::.; ;.. th~cne i n The
hearts of believers its laws are to be
found in the gospel. All those beautiful
and benevolent precepts and doctrines
are the principles and laws by which
Christ govern his people. These laws
are not merely placed before them in the
Bible, but they are indelibly inscribed
on their hearts by the fingers of God.
All Christians are not only under one
government, they not only have one Lord,
but they have one faith. BY one faith
doubtless is meant the objective creed of
Christians All evangelical Christians
substantially believe the same things.
The cardinal objects of their faith are
the eame. They may, for convenience
and other reasons, have formulas of doc
trine, such rs the confession of faith, the
book of churcll order and discipline, aud
other standards, and each denomination
4 may have its own book Rith the doctrines
arranged in q certain logical order, but
in 20 far as they are all Christian, and
! taken from the Bible, they are all viTtu-
ally the same. Not only have they one
Lord, ono faith, but there Is but one
baptism for all. What is meant by one
baptisn? Evidently not baptism with
water, but the real baptism of the spirit,
OF which the baptism with water IS the
external sign. The a A;sosttie 3 making,
mention of the things that constitute be-
lievers one body. The application of