The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-02-12
CARDINAL MANNING ON CHRISTIAN
Unity

UNITY.
The death of Cardinal Manning and the
oldest son of the Prince of Wales the
same day recently, has called public at
tention to these men to greater extent
than otherwise might have happened.
An exchange well says that the verdict
of history will reverse the treatment the
English press have given to these events,
referring to the fact that leading Lon
| don paper devoted nine columns to the
secular Prince and one to the Cardinal.
II Ii Eight Of this prediction Tha: Car
dinal thought of Christian unity is in.
teresting. In letter to DR.. Lunn, edi-
tor of the ReuietD of the Churches, on the
subject of the "ReuniOn of CHRISTIAN
DOM" he said: "In May, I848, saw and
spoke for the first time with Plus TX.
He questioned me at length about the
Christianity of England, and about the
multiplicity of good and charitable
works done by Anglicans and Dis
senters, ending with the Quakers and the
great prison reformation of Mrs. Fry.
He then leaned back in his chair and
said, as if to himself, The English do a
multitude of good works; and when men
do good works God always pours out
His grace. My poor prayers are offered
day by day for England Since that
time every year has multiplied all kinds
of good works in England. There can
be no,doubt that an especial power of
the Holy Ghost has breathed and is still
breathing over our people. gladly re-
peat the words of Plus TX, for | rejoice
oyer the good works which cover the
face of our country. My daily prayer is
for England, and so far as it has been in
my power have shared your good works
and united with your peaceful and Denef-
icent aims. In the words which open
your first number heartily agree. You
say, The tendency of religion in our day
is towards union There has grown up
in the last fifty years vivid sense or in
stinct that division is evil, and the source
of evils. The desire and prayers for the
reunion of Christendom have created
movements and organizations both in
the Anglican and in the Dissenting
is the latest and most resolute manifes-
tation.
''When held back from writing as
one of your contributors it was not from
any slackness in desiring that all our
hearts may be drawn into unity, but
from unwillingness to strike a note out
of harmony with you. Yon have many
ways of seeking union. We have but one.
Union in good works has indeed con-
straining moral influence in bringing the
most remote men together, and charity
is way to truth; If any man will do
His will he shall know of the doctrine
whether it be of God This is safe
course for those who are divided from
each other. Controversy repels, but
Charity unites. Your present action can
not fail to bring many into closer union
of goodwill.
But this is neither our need nor our
method. Union is not witty. And unity
is not the creation of human wills, but of
the Divine. 1t does not spring us from
the earth; it descends from heaven. st.
Cyprian truly describes it as the raiment
of Our Lord, without seam, woven from
the top throughout by heavenly sacra-
ments. 1t is truth that generates unity,
and it can be recovered only by the same
principle and from the same source from
which it descended in the beginning.
1.-THE soul of the Church is DIS old as
Abel, and as wide as the race of man.
kind. 1t embraces every soul of man
who has lived, or at least has died, IN
union with God by the indwelling of the
Holy Ghost. We believe that the Holy
Ghost breathes throughout the world,
and gathers into union with God, and to
eternal life, all those who faithfully CO.
operate with His light and grace. None
are responsible for dying inculpably out
of the visible Body of the Church. They
only are culpable who knowingly and
wilfully reject its divine voice when suf-
ticiently known to them. But must not |
go on, for you are seeking un ion in
and have no will to strike |
a discordant note. You say truly the
controversies to which most OF our
churches owe their rise have lost much |
of their interest for us; some of them
are hardly intelligible.'
II have two great advantages. can
hope and embrace you all in the Soul of
the Church, and can rejoice in all, and
gladly share in many of your good |
works"