St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-10
A NEEDED REFORM.
Rev. W. j. LhamOn Talks of the
Different Religious Denomina-
finrnS

rev. w. u. L0amOn talks Oh Cue
Different Religious DenOmina-
tionS.
At the Church of Christ yesterday
morning Rev. w. j. Lhamon spoke from
/. Corinthians, l., 10: A hundred years
ago, said he, there was born in the
North of Ireland a man who has in
f1uenced for good the whole religious
life of this Western world. AS divine
revelation Christianity is complete; but
the human conception of it must vary
with varying states and times. The
heroic TefOrmerS of the sixteenth cen
fury, of whom Luther was chief,
did what they could, and
their work was the work OF
giants. They cast from them the
yoke of spiritual tyranny, and with 1t
much of the dogmatism, bigotry and
theological pugnacity that had for 1000
years been the bane of religious society.
But the refOrmers were human, and the
work took the cast of their age. While
Luther aimed at reforming the church,
his work resulted in a multiplicity of
creedS and sects, many of which split
from others for what would now seem
to us the mereSt trifleS. An unfinished
work. Is Christianity to remain for
ever a religious cOnglOmerate of Earring
SectS? Is not this whole system foreign
to the New Testament and unlike the
apostolic church? Are there forty
folds and one shepherd? Are the
creeds that in warlike age
usurped the place of the Bible to hold
the place of their usurpatiOn through
ages of peace and light? What right
has human dOgmatism to speak where
the divine word is silent? Ii the age OF
the Roman soldier and the feudal lord
and the cavalier is yet bold to speak
through Luther and Calvin, and AugS-
burg and Westminster, shall we not be
bold to stop our ears if we like? Was
Calvin crucified for US, or were we
baptized in the name of Luther? Is
Christ divided?
Such a reformation, great though it
was, needed to be reformed. God will
not let His people rest forever in such
state. In due time Professionalism must
do something more than merely protest,
and denominatiOnalfSm being abnormal,
must give place to normal unity. In
1907 there landed a man at Philadelphia
who, in the providence of God, was to
take a new stand and play new role
in modern religious history. His posi-
ton was this, that where the Scriptures
speak, we speak, and where the Scrip
lures are silent, we are silent. That
position was itself almost a revelation.
1t grew out of the conviction that while
creeds were intended to unite they were
in reality deluSive and diviSive, and that
in order to unite they must be dropped,
and in their place Gods word must be
made supreme to every man, and every
man must be his own Interpreter there
nf Tho .,ffn an6 tho anOnntanfp
of these words was the beginning of the
nineteenth century reform of the six
teenth century reformation. In the
further history of this man and his CO.
workers, it was proposed to come fairly
and firmly to the original ground to take
up things where the apostles left them,
and thus, diSentangled from the accru-
ing embarraSSments of the intervening
ages, to stand on the same ground
OH which the church stood Eat
the beginning. 1t is now in round
numbers three-quarterS of century
since these events, and in that short
time well nigh million souls have
been rallied to the ancient standard OF
the Apostolic church, in other words,
to Christ as our Saviour and the head
of the church; ChriSt'S word as our law,
ChriSt's name as our name, ChrlStS
revelation as the extent of our faith, land
His silence as the signal to lay our
fingers on our lips. But the whole
story is not told in figures. Creeds are
no longer the actors, but only
the figureheads in Sectarian tragedy
that is, let us hope, playing its last role.
At last people has arisen, not with the
presumption of presenting to the world
a new religious platform, but humbly
desiring to return to Him who said, ~
am the way. the truth and the life"
Deploring the divisions of the Lords
people, they believe that all Christians
can unite in Christ, but in no other
name. and on no other basis.
Is Christ divided? Was Calvin cruel
fed for us, or were we baptized i'll the
name Of Wesley?