St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-06
CHURCH UNIVERSAL
Is What Rev. Smith Means by
The Holy Catholic
Church.
No Church Has the Right to
Claim ALI the Holt
ness.
Second Anniversary Of the
Peoples Church Or
ganization.
The Rev. Sam Predicts Great
Things for His ChuPeh's
Future.

Yesterday was the second anniver-
sary of the organization of the Peoples
Church society, and in commemoration
of this event the church was packed at
the morning services. The announce
ment of the sermon on "The Holy
Catholic Church" with ''local and per
sonal illusions, twas somewhat mislead
ing. The church referred to was the
church universal, and the illusions
were in relation to the anniversary.
Rev. S. G. Smith took for his text Gal,
H., 8:
"And when they perceived the grace
that was given unto me, James and
Cephas and John, they who were re-
puted to be pillars, gave TO me and
Barnabas the right hand of fellowship,
that we should go to the Gentiles and
they unto the circumcision"
In our creed which we repeat every
Sunday we have learned to say, Il be-
lieve in the holy Catholic church. the
communion of saints" The substance
of the creed flows on with logical resist
lessness. if we believe in the Father
we are also compelled to believe in the
ceSsitateS q Sonship, through which
fathers love can be made manifest. If
we believe in Father and Son,
we are also compelled to believe in
the abiding and spiritual presence with
His people. But if we believe in God
who Is Father, or life; who is the Son,
or love; and who is the Spirit, or pres
ent and active. we must also believe in
the church, which is His body. Tie
faith of Christendom solemnly proclaims
this morning, 81 believe in the holy
Catholic church," He who does not be-
lieve in God as working force in the
world, and who consequently does not
believe in the church, will inquire;
where is this holy Catholic Church?
To which of the bodies of Christian be-
levers does this title belong?" | reply
there is not now in the world
any visible corporate body which
can claim this title. When the larg-
er part IF the Western church assumed
for itself the name 'Holy Roman
church." or Roman Catholic church,"
it distinctly abdicated any claim to this
! more primitive title" THE Holy Catholic
Church" But as no visible corporation
can now claim to be universal. that is.
Catholic. to the exclusion of every other
religious corporation, so no one of the
existing Institutions Of religion can
claim to deserve the the title holy; for
there is no church corporation that
would dare set up for each of its men,
bers and all Of It's activities the claim Of
sinleSSneSS; and, if in any way, whether
in theory or practice, church does set
up for itself this claim. the genius of
history ScOurgeS her out of her cpnceit.
There is
NO CHURCH EXTANT,
therefore,in the world. (which may right
| fully claim for itself the title of the
primitive creed. But as there is no
corporation now which may rightfully
claim this title, so there was not in the
earliest generation of the Christian
| faith. The earliest picture which we
| can make from the New Testament and
| from early records presents us with no
| single corporate church with set officers
| and services demanding the worlds al
| leglance; but we see scattered COM
panies of believers in various towns and
cities, with DO other union than that
| expressed in Zone faith, one Lord, and
one baptism" The imperial con-
ception of the church came in
| century, and was never dreamed of
| by the early disciples Of the Gallilean
| peasant. As the external organization
| of the early church was not in this sense
| Catholic, neither was it in any proper
sense holy. From the days of the
Corinthians down through all the early
organizations of primitive Christians,
we find the saintlinesS of some, in con-
trast with the sinfulness of others. And
| yet the apostle teaches US that Christ
| did His work in the world s'that He
| might present to Himself a glorious
| church, not having spot or wrinkle or
Gnah thinn fNnf SI,af CHI l.
holy and without blemish.n This
ideal of Holy Catholic church,
which was undoubtedly fundamental
| to the literature OF the New
| Testament, is none other than
| the dream of all SageS and the aspifa-
ton of all human society. You have
been reminded before that the Apostles
| creed was growth. And it was long
after the church had BENIN the habit
| of saying the substance of this formula
of faith that the explanatory clause was
added, 1.-The communion ;of saints"
| This comment shows us the early I'M
| derstandiug which the fathers had of
! the profession, Il believe in the Holy
| Catholic church." Lest men should too
readily believe in the perfect incarna-
ton of the work of Jesus in human in
| situations, they introduced a statement
which should forever mark its spirit
ual character, IS that they ex-
tended the formula. II believe in
the Holy Catholic church," that is to
say, ''the communion of saints" In
this sense there is now, and there has
been in every age since the cross, holy
universal church. Wherever men come
to a knowledge of goodness, and in
whatever degree, there also they come
to the communion of knowledge.
! WhereSOeYer men come to the achieve
| ment of goodness, however imperfect.
| there also do they come to fellowship,
which is the communion of saints.
| Wherever men cherish heart of love,
there also are they bound together in
one body; for love, triumphant, all
| conquering love,
| SCALES THE BARRIERS
of all differences of opinion, forms of
worship, diverSitieS of training. in
| CAPABILITIES of culture. and binds to-
gether Catholic and Protestant, Evan
| gelical and Unitarian, in one body, and
| reverently they are able to repeat to-
| gether: 81 believe in the holy Catholic
| church, the communion of saints"
We have in the text which have read
YOU picture of the form of fellowship
In the primitive church. There were
no such perfect unities in apostolic
times as some people would have YOU
believe. Paul had been many years in
the Christian ministry when ne went up
to Jerusalem to meet the brethren
| there; and when Peter and James and
| John, the pillars i'll the church at ,Jeru-
salem, heard the story of PauPs sue
| cesses, and knew that men had been
turned from their idols to serve the liv-
| ing God through him, they perceived
| the grace that was given lfnto him r.