Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-06-16
CHURCH UNITY.
HOW AND WHY IT Is THE GLORY OF
CHRISTIANITY.
"a Simple Greed and All the Same
Spirit the Basis of Unity
A Sunday Sermon.

| text: "And the glory which Thou gavest
me have given them, that they may be
one, even as we are one."-John xvii, %.
Two leading ideas of church unity, he
said, have been advocated from time to
| time-one, that there should be sameness
Of form; the other, identity of spirit.
Many persons have commended for the same
forms of expression in church worship as
the true ground for unity. These have
fancied an ideal time for Christ's church
when the same liturgy shall be used
throughout the world when every church
shall open and close with the same service,
when the ministry shall all dress in siml-
lar garments as to color and make, when
there shall be the same hour tor toliing
the church bell for services and the same
hour for worship, when even the architec
ture on church buildings, outside and in.
side. shall be just alike. Thus these per-
sons can think OF no uuer unity than a
| church so regulated that the same prayers
with the very same words, at the very
same time, shall be ascending to the ear of
| God.
Then others regard these ideas as some.
what fanciful and imaginary, and have
ceased to hope that this may come to pass
| think, indeed, it would be matter of
regret if it should ever be realized They
| see how greatly the minds of men differ,
! that their modes of thought are various
their abilities and associations diverse, and
thus they have ceased to look and hope for
| any other oneness for the church of Christ
than sameness of spirit. They, after the
desire of Paul, want to see one mind per-
yading and ruling the whole church.
We live in an age of change. Every
where are movements that are sweeping
away the old and bringing in the new.
Many old land marks are being removed.
1t is trenspositlon crave are between
| two worlds, one dead and the other wait
| ing to be born. There are many changes
and the stream which is working these is
| made up of different influences. They are
| at work out OF the church and in it. Some
work for destruction, others for consolida-
/! ton and unity.
OF the latter we may mention spiritual
| unity as necessary to church unity. The
latter cannot be without the former. There
| may be many forms of the same spirit
Feelings that are identical have many
forms of expression. The man Of the
East expresses his sorrows by loud lamenta-
| tons and wailiDgs, throwing dust upon his
head, while the man of the Western world
rules his grief and bears it quietly Per-
sons of the same family are not alike.
| One sister will give vent to her feelings by
dwelling on the noble traits in the char
acter of the departed friend or brother; the
other regards her sorrow TOO sacred for
utterance, and her lips remain sealed. But
still in both of these is true sorrow.
| Again, we know that the Eastern man
removes his sandals when coming into the
| sanctuary; the Western removes his hat
| The Eastern reverently bows low down in
the dust, the Western scarcely bows bis
head; but who will say which is the
| proper form of reverence? Is it not proper
| to say that both have true reverence, modi.
| fed by temperament. Then in forms we
see one and the same spirit
| All living unity is spiritual and complex.
| You may see unity in the grains of sand,
but it is one of form, and is dead In liv-
ing things the form is complex there is no
uniformity. Plants are not alike neither
are trees, nor flowers, nor leaves, nor faces,
| nor men. 1t is the spirit which makes
men one. Wereach perfection by working
out the life which God implants within us.
And this will make united church More
and more there will be one church in
which the single spirit, the life of COD,
pervades each separate soul, and Just as
| this life is exalted will the life of the indi-
| vidual shine forth Is the stars of heaven.
| There is somewhat of this Spiritual unity
| IN the church to-day. 1t acts as a benefi-
cent atmosphere, and all feel its invig-
Grating influence. 1T is one of the strik-
ing symptoms of this age; all responsive
souls feel its invisible magnetism" The
soil of to day contains seeds of spiritual
unity that Will tomorrow blossom into liv-
ing unity. Time harmonizes all. Over
the fiercest sectarian storms of these event.
! ful years the eye of faith can see the rain
| bow OF united church and the reunion of
| christiandom.
Another help to unity is the recognition
| OF the various forms of church organize
ton. The opinion that the episcopacy is
the only form Of church government neces-
sary to church is barrier in the way of
union. One is not inclined to fall in love
with system which denies the validity of
his ordination and the regularity of the
| ministry of his church. One saws: Union
on such basis seems far down the ages.
when one Of the good Bishops out in the
| West, after accepting the hospitality of
other denominations, makes his report
| read: Held services in the Methodist
house, baptized two children in the Pres
byterlan house. OF course, these were not
churches" These things do not tend TO
hasten The coming of the better time for
| which we are telling.
The divine rights of Bishops was not
claimed in the carly years of the Reforma-
| ton. Only at the close of the age of
Elizabeth do we learn that Bishops were
necessary to church. The ordination of
ministers in foreign churches was first
impugned in the time of Laud and Charles
| l., so that any historical order reaching
back through the centuries may well be
questioned.
A simple comprehensive creed is helpful
to church unity. There is a demand for a
confession which will state the vital truths
| OF Christianity. Leave out of it philoso-
| ply and metaphysics. Orthodox creeds do
not differ in religious statements, but in
| theological secondary. We are one in vital
truths. We all believe the Holy Scriptures
of the Old and the New Testaments as the
only rule of faith and practice. All
Protestants believe that men are justified
by faith in Jesus Christ. and that salvation
is OF the divine grace through Jesus Christ,
the only Mediator and Redeemer. Nom
essentials must not be emphasized. The
actual belief of the Christian churches to-
day is not realized. Prejudice and pride
| emphasize points of divergence more than
| points OF agreement. We feel the discord,
but fail to appreciate the concords. There
is divine power springing from our COM
mon opinions that is silently and surely
drawing 20 closer relationship the branches
| of Christendom." Calvin, Luther, Melanc.
thon and Cranmer favored simple creed.
We may learn from them. None are so
| simple as the Apostles" the "Nicene'' and
the "Athanasian" creeds. The Nicene
creed will stand forever as a matchless
statement of the fundamental truths of
Christianity.
Thus, long time ago, true unity was
expressed: Il am companion of all them
that fear the Lord and keep his com.
mands." True unity of spirit will express
itself in unity of purpose to declare the
glad tidings. The church is advancing.
Sixty years ago DR.. Kingdom, close COM
munionist, was asked if he did not expect
to meet DR.. Watts and DR.. Doddridge in
heaven. he said that while with God all
things were possible, he could hardly ex-
pect it. Such an expression would hardly
be thinkable in our day. Toplady and
Charles Wesley engaged in one of the
most bitter controversies of history-that
between the followers of James Afminius
and John Calvin. They called each other
names and wrote bitter things. But one
of these men wrote Rock of Ages Cleft
for Me-, and at the same time the other
wrote: Jesus, Lover of My Soul"
i The true spirit which makes men and
| oh v-as in,