The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-12-19
Not Creed, but Christ.

The Christian Union has an article headed,
"Where is Christs ChurcnT' This was the
question of child in New York, after be-
ing told that this church was DR.. Thomp-
cons, that Mr.. Frothingham's, and that
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Christ 1t Is true that allegiance to
Christ involves certain elements OF simple
creed; it involves faith in historical Christ
ianity, in the facts that Christ was born or
the Virgin Mary. suffered under Pontius
PLATE, was crucified, dead and buried, rose
from the dead and ascended into heaven; II
involves faith in spiritual Christianity, in the
truth that Christ is O personal present Sa-
viour, comforting, strengthening, inspiring,
saving those that put their trust In him; IL
involves faith in prophetic Christianity,
that Christ will como again to judge the
world, and to be victor over sin and deatn ;
it involves perhaps as much OF doctrine as ID
embodied in the Apostles Greed; but 1t Is
very certain that 1t involves no more, Tor IL
is very certain that the Apostles Greed con-
tains all of Christian doctrine that the
Church OF Christ had formulated up to
nearly the close of the fourth century. II
the foundation OF the Church is creed, the
divisions in the Church are eternal. Tho
creed is decree Of divorce, not q marriage
ban. The intellect divides; it does not unite
men. Tho Church Of Christ will come to its
unity and its liberty when it learns that al
legiance to a personal Christ, not to system
of doctrine, Is the bond Of perfectness. no
other is needed. Personal love for per-
sonal Saviour, enthusiasm Of conservation
to, and work for, Him, is o vastly better
common purpose than any furnished by
common creed or catechisn. This Church
Of Christ, this Church Of the future, built on
the foundations OF the Courcn Of the past,
will no longer measure mon by their opln-
ions of creed, but by their allegiance TO
Christ. The man who only immerses adults
and the man who sprinkles infants, he who
reads his devotions cut of prayer book and
he who offers them in silent meditation.
he who holds to the philosophy OF
an Arminius and no who swears by.
the Institutes Of a Calvin, this Church OF
Christ will welcome with heartiest God-speed
into its ministry. 1t will not ask whether
the preacher is in opinion and temperament
Baptisy, or Pgdobaptist, Episcopalian OF
Quaker, Methodist or Calvinist, only whether
he is Christian. And the sooner all sects
adopt this personal allegiance to personal
Christ as the one and only bond Of their
union, and the one and only measure OF
church or ministerial fellowship, the nearer
they will conform to the principles Of Christ
and the pattern of the apostolic churches,
and the nearer they will come 70 answering
the as yet unanswered question, Where is
Christ's Church2