Nevada County picayune., 1889-08-07
UNITY OF DOCTRINE. No. 9.

to dwell together in unity y"-tfsaims lI3, l.
 One of the chief factors of the success of Christianity in the world is, the brotherly love manifested by it's followers for each other: ''by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, that ye have love one to another" Have all the profess ed disciples of our Master evinced this love for each other; on the con trarv, is it not q lamentable fact, that strifes, sectarian bitterness, and even persecution, and in many in- stances bloody wars, have been the outcome of doctrinal differences by which the church has been divided into so many numerous branches? All of these evils grow out of that want of unity of doctrine and spirit, from which heaven born love alone can proceed. Pride is the fruitful parent of schism and division; a di- sire for place and prcferment has rent the church into factions, and sown broadcast the seeds of discord and disunty. Catholic and Protest ant arrayed against each other; and even the Protestant branch of the church is split up into a hundred fragments, each of which claiming to be true exponent of the humble 1 NaZarine: while the Catholics, who assume to be the universal church, are split into two grand divisions, one styled the Greek and the other the Roman Catholic church. That the progress of Christianity in the world has been greatly retarded by these divisions no intelligent and unbiased person will deny. Unity of doctrine, and it's legitimate corol- lary unity of spirit, would have ef- fectually prevented all of these evils by winch the march of Christianity has been obstructed and to-day, if the principles of Christian unity had prevailed, our eyes would be greet ed with the spectacle of world Ire deemed, regenerated and disenthrall- ed'' by the glorious Gospel of the son of God. But, the question may be asked, how is this unity of doc- Urine and spirit to be effected; how can that union of hands and hearts be accomplished, and the church or ganlzed into one compact solid pha- lanx? In answer to this important question. we reply, that no one per son can achieve such stupendous revolution, but all may contribute to such a consummation by the cultiva- tion of charity, toleration and broth
 erly love. We can agitate the ques
 ton, lay aside our prejudices, and retrench all minor differences of opinion and in process of time, our faithful and earnest efforts will bring all denominations closer together in the bounds of Christian love and fel- lowship, and eventually consolidate the advancing hosts of Christ into one victorious army that would soon make conquest of the world for our glorious Redeemer. The word At onement itself suggests all for which we are contending; at-one-ment, or harmony with God, and fellowship with each other, constitutes its chief designs and crowning excellencies. The church embraces all true beliey- CTS in the Gospel; and all true Chris
 tians are taught of God, and led into 1 the way of all truth; so that there is no need of schism or division in the i body of Christ, but they should be one in spirit and doctrine, as Christ and the Father are one. Can any one for moment believe that the
 Holy Spirit, who is our infallible teacher in doctrine, teaches Calvin l ism to one. and Arminianism to an other; that he teaches Immersion as the only true mode of Baptism to some, while to others he teaches that sprinkling or pouring IS the true mode that He endorses the infalh- bility of the Pope and the confes- sional to the Catholic, while to the Protestant he atiirms the right of private judgment, and the duty of 1 direct confession to God. Such a monstrous absurClity no one can be- lieve; but, as truth is q unit, and no one truth antagonizes any other truth, so the spirit teaches all men the same 1 fundamental doctrines, and the req. son that men have embraced fatal errors in doctrine is, because they refused to be guided by the teachings of the Holy Spirit
 Some persons are naturally inclin- ed to be too credulous, while others are the reverse; the first are the easy