Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-01-26
ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE
BAPTISM. y

vile, at close OF week OF prayer, sun
day night, Jan. 18th, 1889, by Rev.
f. l.. Leeper, pastor Presbyterian
Church:
One Lord, one faith one babtism-Ephe'
slams 4 5.
1t may be said that while this text
may have described the church on
earth, as it was in the days of the
Apostles, when Christians did actu-
ally "keep the unity OF the Spirit in
the bond of peace" and walked to-
gether in one organization; or while
it may describe the Church as it
shall be, when the dear Lord himself
shall come, and in the blazing light
of the revealed Lamb, every one shall
see eye to eye and know even as they
are known, it cannot describe that
Church as it now is. AT least it can
not describe the Protestant Church,
torn as it is into various sects and de-
nominations. The Church of Rome
might claim it as descriptive of her
unity, as against the divisions of Pro-
testantism. Yes, and she does. Yet
tonight, | thank God l am one of the
divided Protestants and not of united
Rome. Unity she has, hard iron
bound unity. But what are the fruits
of that unity?
/. \ complete suppression, chok-
ing out into awful silence of Gods
own voice in her midsts, that none
within her fold may hear any voice
of authority save that of the Church.
The suppressed, the sealed Bible, that
lays in her bosom, yet right to read
Il page of which is denied to her peo-
pie, while the church in her own
name tells them what is to be their
faith and duty is one Of the bitter
fruits Of her unity.
While divided Professionalism has
translated and scattered the open
Bible everywhere, until today, the
old miracle of tongues has come to be
an abiding gift in the Church. | sit
down in my own home, and open
my Bible, and the blessed Spirit
speaking out of that Bible tells me
tells me in my own loved English
tongue, the wonderful things Of God
understand the message; | believe
the testimony, and l rejoice in the
Salvation. An Indian in the very
heart of India sits down tonight and
opens this same blessed Bible, and tC
him the Spirit, speaking out Of the
word, tells him in his own language
in the very words he learned at his
mothers knee, the wonderful thing
Of God. He understands the message
he receives the testimony, and he re
joices in the Salvation. And SO to
night the people of every language
and tongue on earth do hear these
Scriptures speak in their own tongues
wherein they were born, the wonder
full words of God.
,. Rome has by her powerOf unity
by the strength of her irOn.bonds
perverted the pure faith of God
bound the people ia chains OF ignor
ance; laid burdens upon their con
sciences grevious to be borne; despoil
ed them of their goods, and crushed
hope out of their lives. You thinl
that too strong a statement. Their
read the current history of Spain anC
Ireland.
Professionalism in her division ha
turned thought loose to be as free a
air; has kept each the other tsue t.
the simple forms Of Gods worship
through the one and only Mediate
between God and man, the mai
Christ Jesus, and by the aid of NJ
dead pictures and images, but by tn
living Spirit in the heart.
I. But sirs, there is in the Protes
tantism, divided as it seems to tn
eye of sense, truer unity than tina
Of Rome. A unity, the bonds G
which are not hard, unyielding iron
but the soft, gently, yet everlasting
cords of love. Not, brethren, of m.
love to you, nor of your love to mt
but of Gods love to you and me tina
love that comes pouring down fror
the bosom of the Father into you
heart and mine, and melts both on
hearts into self-fOrgetfulness, an
binds us together in the one purpo-
to live or to die for the glory Of Goo
What sars, is the Church on earth
Not a wild mob drawn together wi Il
out law or order, but a kingdom
well ordered, an everlasting, a un
versal kingdom, Who in studyin
the political histories Of Carth's bins
dOms, ever sought to find in the one
moss Of Snpcch. or of nOlitical faith. {