, 1880-10-17

Christ Tor my Lord and Master, and all who ara
His disciples shall be nay friends" He learns, Ia
come u Roman Catholic, he finds he must regard
all Protesnants as herettcs- IL he join the
Church OF Ensland: he will be deemed a hereto
BY. the Church OF Rome, and viii be re-
quired TO lock- Upon all d, outside tho
churoh Of his choice as schistnatics~ II no
,a attach himself to the Wesleyan, The Presbgte-
will be taught tna1 Konnn Catholicism ts anti
Christ. and he will be ~debarred from all real
communion with the Church of Engiand. r., Il be
pect him to believe that only those who have
been Immersed are certain Of regeneration, and
no pr priest @ Of Home nor ciesxyman % Of 4 The Church
OF England will yield It the customary rites OF
sepulture IN what they term "consecrated
will expose himself to the same disabilities. and
because Of bis snou-observance Of tho ordinance
ct the Lords Supper he will be practically ostra-
seek refuge with the Plymouth Brethren, he
will be expected consider ali :. serts 81 as cor
rapt forms Of Christianity, and uniess be exer.
himself cut oil FROM his own LITTLE band, because
he has ~ sat down - In some kindred meeting
where hcterodox views are held on the abstruse
II he cast in his lot with the Untarans, all those
who claim to be Christians indeed will unite In
chorus and n pronounce him to be Anathema
Probably. many who read this article have
passed beyond this barriers, and hare some
esotes!e eric knowleige ot what Is within the
churches- Some have been mufe or less fnff-
mhtely connected with the "nndiscipltned
Churches" etaa as they are Technically terlned-
fhese which Jesus carsts parable Of the
the Church would be; in which the good and the
btid are both caught and kept, until on the
baskets and the bad ure lung out to destruc-
uon. In them they have encountered hier-
afchfes, pr!esth0ods, rituals, ceremonies, which
they have found it impossible TO accept because
f6AF EN3IG1tIF alien "a NJ Thrf4-
tianlty ns taught by It's illussrtous founder.
some some have been , connected with tho .disci-
public profession claims to be 4regeuerated" -
20 be new orea1ure,'' to be 'hlled with the
Spirit" In them they have probably seen how
poor and mean life can be sheltered behind
these solemn and sonorous phrases. They have
been forced to know that the vulgarest anabi-
don, the pettiest spite, the most maievolent un-
held to be consistent with ayewed dlsc,pieship
to Him who was meek and lowly in heart,''
who was patient to Samaritan Villagers who de-
MED Him hospitality, who would not condemn
an adnlteress caught in the act, and who prayed
for His mnroerers. They have found that
p1es os bat
thortty often only aff0rding an ampler margin
fort for the ~ sagastes Of :. assumed supremacy. They
in the = Chronicles Of Caringforl, is not Carl
catnre, but sober fact They have come out,
and now stand outside, not because they feel
logic Of facts to believe that, all tha
profession notwithstanding, a great many With
in in the "Church - are no better, and NOT q
few are morally worse. than a great many
without in the IS World For themselves, they
know they are but mortals with the frtAlties Of
mortality. which they refuse TO hide under the
ciOak OF q professional 'saintship. They have
learned. too, how egottstfc and hardhearted all
creeds, whether written or unwtitten, are prone
to make those VITO accept them
It Is now time to make an end Two questions
may be asked, and lew suggestions offered.
The first question is TINT Of Hunsen's: - How
far Is orthodox Christianity possible for those
who are not behind their ago in scholarship and
science?' the secoud, SHOULD not all sectarfan-
ism DC abandoned that the Church Of the future
may be reared, broad, helpful and eleyatingT"
The suggestions are q that All WHO are con-
nected with existing organizations be ut
terly Loyal to truth snd Conscience; g that no
understand and sincerely admit, nor claim
he Is; t3) that all creeds which have
been spun out Of single texts and wrought into
patterns BY the ingenuity Of theotogians be
abolished US standards and tests; ~ that asso-
citation with religious community be UNDER
stood to mean only Q Sfugfe-handed desire to
discover the TRUTH to do right, to be kind, to live
we'll; (5} that any fail fn realizing bis ideal
aspirations 1t be held to be the common duty of
all, BY Kentleuess, by sympathy, BY helpfulness,
to make failure in the future less likely and suc-
cess easier Ut attainment
Possibly, II the Church" adopt the spirit OF
these suggestions, the world will begin to
believe In the ''Church," ana in the end the
"Church'' may win the - World