The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-11-10


we may be, if we do not speak the truth
In love, we misrepresent ourselves and
the cause which is dearest to our hearts.
But amidst all the seeming discordance
OF Protestant churches, true Christian
unity does exist, and always has existed
and ever must exist, because of the very
constitution which God has given to His
Church. What is the Church? l answer
1T is an organization composed of those
who bear certain relations to each other
because of the relations they bear to
Christ. The vital bond between believ-
ers and their Lord is faith By faith they
are made one with Him as the branch
es are one with the vine. Or, to change
the figure, Christ is the head, and all the
members of His body deriving their life
from him, from one corporate whole, or
as the apostle expresses it, eve being
many are one body, and every one mem
bers one Of another" This is the prin-
ciple which gives existence, conference
and perpetuity to the Church. Men
may make other conditions of member
ship, may surround themselves with de-
nominational walls, and strive to exclude
none who do not hold their views of
church order and government, but the
true, invisible, indivisible, universal
Church of Christ is composed of those
who "hold the Head" and who by vir-
tue of that union constitute the Sacra-
mental host over which Christ reigns,
and who shall ultimately reign with Him
in His consummated Kingdom in heaven.
The surface of the sea when swept by
storms is wild with upleaping waves, but
a few fathoms down there are great deeps
of untroubled waters whose perfect calm
no external agency can disturb Men
by natural or artificial boundaries may
partition the earth into States and King
doms, and these may be subdivided by
county lines, and enclosures marking the
limits of personal possessions but men
cannot thus divide the atmosphere or the
blue skies or the radiant heavens beyond.
Neither can they exclusively appropriate
Gods richest gifts to His Church.
There is something animating in the
thought that the things which are most
precious to the believers heart are the
common inheritance of all the redeemed,
and cannot become the monopoly of any
sect or party. The confession of every
the Spirit that quickeneth." "I live, yet
not [, but Christ liveth in me-" To every
true convert sin is a grief and burden,
and the anticipation of final deliverance
from it cause Of Joy. God speaks by
His word to every adopted child, and
each one has an equal right to hear and
to appropriate the exceeding great and
precious promises of that word
No one denomination of Christians can
claim as its own peculiar possession the
dear, sad Gross, lifted high in it's mourn
full and unutterable glory, or deny to an
other participation in the redemption
purchased by the tremendous sacrifice on
Calvary.
No one denomination can assert an ex-
elusive interest in the divine attributes of
wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness
and truth which rise up and encircle the
whole Church for its protection, as the
mountains stood round about Jerusalem.
Now that the sun of righteousness has
assembled to its zenith no one portion of
the vineyard can concentrate It's beams
upon its own soil, or so defect them that
another portion of the vineyard shall be
left in the bleak, cold shade. A church
may be feeble in numbers, may be with
out wealth, learning, and patronage, but
it cannot on that account be deprived of
the impartial rays which shine alike on
the cedar of Lebanon and the lily of the
valley, on the stately palm and the lowly
violet.
All the treasures of the past enrich the
whole heritage of God. The old confes-
sors witnessed their good confession for
the encouragement Of all generations ;
the holy martyrs shed their blood that
the faith of all who profess and call them
selves Christians might be fortified to the
end of time. The splendid literature of
other ages refnes and instructs the whole
family of the redeemed. Ohrysostom
Massillon, Jeremy Taylor, Baxter, White
field, Wesley, Robert Hall, and Chalmers
what single communion can circum-
scribe the influence of these princes Of the
pulpit Does not Bunyan guide all pill
grims who inquire the way to the cetes
tial city? Does not Milton sing in the
ear of all who sigh because of Paradise
Lost and who hope for name and place
in the Paradise Regained?
There is probably no city in the land
where there is more kindly feeling among
the different denominations than in Rich
mond. 1t had very early manifestation.
At the beginning of the centurv the PROG