, 1886-04-11


should glory save IN the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ For all that has been ac,,om-
plished. dear brethren. let US humbly aud
revercntly thank God. | make the state
ments to which you now Listen by reqrcv
This Is not my ehoics. You ask me for~n-.
formation and 7 gfre H. you hde- oofn
pehed me 10 say fhese fhfnos
Is to the periodical literature 81 the
Disciples there are in tho "Year Book the
names OF % pepers-a weekly paper. 8
monthly. 8 Semi-monthly and | quarterly.
or Sunday school periodicals there are IL
4 weekly, . monthly, 1 weekly aud quarterly.
2 quarterly and l quarterly and weekly
These are published directly In the interest of
tho Disciples OF Christ in tbs United States
Thus far have spoken OF the Disciples in
America But besides the periodicals here
mentioned we have papcrs in Australia, in
Canada, In Scotland, in England, in Jamaica,
In Denmark and In Frnnce. The aggregate
circulation Of each issue OF the papers pub
iished in this country Is stlmated to be
about 4O5, 900.
As to the educational work OF the Disciples
| find In the Year Book" the names Of forty
two colleges, with 1885 students, mafriculat-
ed In the year 1874. Our mission work be
gan In foreign lands only about ten years ago.
From the very beginning. however, the Dis
ciples have been a missionary people. They
hoIah " hihhl NthIa hto IN AITlth. anu
they established and sustained for n number
of years n mission to the city OF Jerusalem.
ono outcome OF which was the publication by
our missionary, DIR. Tames T.. Barclay, of a
volume entitled ''The City OF the Great King
which Is an authority on the subject Of which
1t treats. But we were premature in enter
ing on these missionary enterprises. as up to
ten years ago we had all we could do to
preach the gospel to the people OF our own
land, to organize churches, to build houses OF
worship, to form schools, and to endow
colleges. But since the Inauguration OF the
foreign mission work God has so opened the
way before US, and has so prospered us at
every step that we now support evangelists,
and teachers and gospel workers, In England,
France, Denmark. Jamaica, Japan. India,
Turkey and Asia Minor. while tho way seems
to be opening for a participation on our part
in the spiritual enlightenment OF the lark
continent Tn number Of missions
aries in the employ OF the FOREIGN Chris
tian Missionary society Is thirty four. The
Christian Woman's Board of missions, organ
lied about the same time, Is a valuable aid in
the prosecution OF this work. They have a
number Of workers in their employ in lands
beyond the seas. Besides the Foreign Chris
tlan Missionary society. and the Christian
Womans Board Of missions, there are organ
~izations in twenty-five states OF the American
Union for Work in the Home Field Then
there Is the General Christian Missionary
convention, which gives Its attention exclu-
sively 10 the home field. It does not, now
ever, establish missions In states which pos
sess a sufficient force 20 maintain efficient
state organizations The new states and ter
ritories OF the rapidly growing west. the
states of the reviving south and the Atlantic
coast are the fields In which the General
Christian Missionary convention Is expected
to establish and support missions.
You ask me, however. to say something o:
the things wherein the Disciples are peculiar.
Have | not spoken of a marked pcculiarityf
Do You know of any Other religious body
which. has this aim or that is seeking to Sc
euro the unity OF all In every place who love
our Lord jesus Christ In this wayi
Thus wrote Thomas Campbell, in what is
known as the Declaration and Address," In
1905, the appeal out OF which, step by step,
has Teen evolved the religious body known as
the Disciples OF Christ. Certainly 1t origin
ated in love to all who profess and call them
selves Christians.
Before I speak OF the peculiarities permit
me to enumsrate, In part, certain points OF
argument They are much more numerous
than arc the POINTS OF difference. We are
one with evangelical Christians In holding to
and advocating the following items Of doc
trine
L The divine inspiration Of the Holy Scrip
lures Of the Old and New Testaments
2. Tho revelation OF God. especially in the
New Testament, In tho tri-personality Of
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
8 The alone-sufficiency and all-suficieney
OF the Bible, as a revelation Of the divine
character and will, and OF the gospel Of grace
by which we are saved; and as a rule Of
faith and practice.
A ~.
Jesus as the Son OF God; His perfect human
ity as the son OF man, and his official
authority and glory as the Christ-the
Amounted Prophet, Priest and King, who Is
to instruct us In the way. OF life. redeem US
nom sin and death, and reign in and over us
as the rightful sovereign or our being and
dispo~er OF our destiny.
8 The personal and perpetual mission Of
the Holy Spirit to convict the world Of sin,
Righteousness and Judgment. and TO dwell in
believers as their comforter, strengthened and
sanctilier.
d The alienation OF the race from God and
their entire dependence on the truth, mercy
and grace OF Con. as manifested in Jesus the
Christ aud revealed and confirmed to US by
the Holy Spirit In the gospel. for regenera-
tion. amortization, adoption and life eternal
T.. The necessity OF faith and rcpentance In
order TO the enjoyment of salvation here,
and OF q life OF obedience In orier L. the at
tainment OF everlasting life
s The pcrpetuity OF baptism and the
Lords supper, as divine ordinances, through
all ages to the end OF time.
o The obligation to observe the first lav Of
the week as tho Lords day in commcmoia u
ton OF the death and resurrection Of Jesus
Christ, by acts OF worship such as the New
Testament teaches, and by spiritual culture
such as belts this memorial dav.
10 The church OF Christ, a divine institu-
ton composed OF such as by iaith and bap-
tism have openly confessed the name OF Christ;
with It's appointed rulers ami ministers and
services for the edihcation OF Christians and
the conversion OF the world.
IL The necessity Of righteousness, benevo-
lence and holiness on the part Of mofcssel
Christians, alike In view OF their own final
salvation and Of their mission to turn the
world 20 God.
- The fuilness and freeness Of the saliva
ton offered in the gospel to u1l who accep, IL
on the terms proposed
10, The final punishment OF the ungodly
by an everlasting destruction from the pres
ence OF the Lord and from the glory Of his
power.
These thirteen items certainly present .
broad basis Of argument and the list is by
no means exhausted.
bhuer de nena OF Pecuhhrites, IN Addition
To what has been said. | viii mention four
things
L The creed. What Is the creed OF the
Church OF the Disciples Of Christi Ii Is
common to say, My creed Is the Bible Is
this o~oriecti What, let me ash, was the
creed Of the church in Jerusalem. In Corinth,
in Rome. in Ephesusi The Bible. as we have
1t, did not exist then, much less the so-called
Apostles creed You arr familiar with the
OF quoted Language Of Chilling worth, =
champion OF Protestantism. The Bibls, /