The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-05-15
rLDER ERRErr.s LECrURE.

The Christian church was filled AGAIN
last Friday with 9 very large audience
which was we'll repaid for their attend
ance by the able and edifying lecture OF
Elder Errett, editor of the Christian
Standard published at Cincinnati. The
subject was "The Present and Past OF
Christianity as indicating the Reforma-
ton Now Needed" and 1t involved a
range of discussion that brought out the
scholarly attachments Of The speaker in
a very generous MEASURE The central
idea pursued was that the church from
the time of Christ, it's he I'D and founder,
up to the present had been passing
through disciplinary processes which,
though attended by sore trials, had added
to her strength and bought her nesrer to
the standard Of perfection to which she
will ultimately attain. The
speaker proceeded TO show that this
condition of development was in bar
mony with all the prophecies contained
in Gods word in connection with the
church, and that 1t was according 10 the
divine purpose that her final triumph as
foreioId in the Ap, calypso should not be
realized save as the growth of that ele-
ment OF power which inheres in the sys
tenn which Christ gave to the world.
The speaker then proceeded to review
the various great retormstory move
meBts IN the history of the church, and
showed that in these, as in the laws gov
erning the material universe God had
moved in the line of gradual processes
rather than by the means
of abrupt and violent tran
sitlons aud changes. There was
much IN all OF the great religious and
moral revolutions OF the world which,
as viewed from the stand point
of our present advanced civilization,
was imperfect, but the divine plan was
apparent IN them all, and they had filled
the need of the several ages which had
gwen them birth, and were IN harmony
With The peculiar forces out of which
they grew. Each successive step in the
great work of reform had brought the
church nearer 10 the great ideal OF its
founder, and out of all the apparent con-
fusion which had resulted from those
violent rec ctlons which are the inc yItable
sequence Of a sense of great abuse
and wrong. symmetry of purpose
bad been evolved and stood manifest in
the latter day tTumphs OF the tr1e faith.
The speaker paid eloquent tributes TO
the names of Luther, Calvin. Wesley,
Fox and other moral heroes who had
braved the fires of prosecution for
righteousness sake, and said that lie
could join hands with them all so Tar as
they had CoJe, bat that he wanted 10
step over the line at which they had
halted, and, to penetrate further INTO
these reaches which led to a still better
and higher conception of God and
Christ
The speaker then alluded TO the
great growth Of Christian toll rance
which 1t had been his privilege
to observe even during the history OF
his own life, emf declared his belief in
the unfolding of spirit of unity which
would in the tuliness of time cement all
believers into one great Christian body
which would be the grand coosumma-
ton of the work which began with the
Disciples when they were commissioned
to 90 forth and preach the word to every
creature.
The lecture thoroughly absorbed the
attention OF tie audience which gave
every evidence of their entire apprecia-
ton of the great int :llectual treat furn-
nished them by the speaker Tonight
the same line OF thought will be pur.
sued in the discussion of the subject
"The True Basis of Christian Union :"