The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-29
UNION OF CHURCHES.


The Seattle 4heater was filed 10 its ut
most capacity yesterday morning by the
conversation gathered 10 listen 20 Rev.
". f. Taylor. pastor OF the First Baptist
church. who preached on Church Union
and What Is Essential Thereto" also to
listen 10 the exquisite voice OF Mrs. Gil
bert = Mann, of Portland. Or. who sang
d solo. The Ninety and Nine" IN feel
ing manner, that almost prompted the aG-
dience TO forget the anomaly OF being at
church in a theater and give the singer
a rousing applause ana make lively DC
mand for an encore.
Rev. DIR. Taylors plan OF holding serv-
ices in the theater. instead OF the little
church on Fourth street, has been
crowned with success, and many now at
tend divine services there who would
never cross the threshold OF a church. on
the ground that a man like DR.. Taylor,
who is broad minded and liberal enough
TO occupy the stage of theater for a
pulpit Is wortj listening 10 and sure to
find the right spot iii mans nature.
Yesterday he took his text from John
xvii:u-''That they may be one he
said:
A minister's conference held recently
in one OF our Coast cities broke up in
something like a quarrel. That is not
surprising. Ministers are not angels;
they are men, at least most of them are.
One in that conference. remarking upon
the divisions and sects in the Christian
church. concluded by saying: God viii
curse your divided Christianity" The
implied charge was strongly resented
And. though l also resent the charge, all
must confess that the church OF Christ
is rent asunder, and that these divisions
are hurtful in the extreme.
But let no man say that Christ or His
teaching create these divisions. Listen
rather to the prayer THAT they may be
one as we are" and let us do our part in
making the church as Christ established
A. That we may do this we must irst
ascertain the cause OF this disunion. Con-
trast the church If Christ with other re-
ligious bodies. Buddhism, for instance,
never was and never can become sEs-
tam IN which all men Will agree. The
disciples OF Buddha never could agree IN
recalling what the dead Master said, nor
agree in interpreting what the dead Mas
ter meant. TO His church Christ sent
the living Holy Spirit. He took OF the
teachings not OF dead but OF risen
Savior. and showed them unto men. by
this same Spirit the many elements OF
the church were united. The divisions
which afterwards arose resulted from
want Of submission 10 His guidance u
Is not necessary 70 ask whether the
hlarne OF division rests upon the church
or the body Withdrawing from the
church. the fact remains that the sepafa-
ZION was always the result or spiritual
K,owinr the cause of divisions. what
can he done 10 heal themf Let the
church aim 70 become one great organic
bodv. say come But you cannot unite
,he church of Christ unless IL is one IN
,a,th and srarit The church would split
nm again we're this wanting. This exper-
tr,ent Rome has been trying for centu-
,sas II would succeed were our churches
fashioned after the Roman Empire. Dis
sent could then be crushed by force
Others advise that we form a creed SO
con,nrehensiye or broad that all men can
subscribe TO g. The church would then
be one in faith they say. This expert
mont was also tried or a vast scale The
GnostIc creed was a mixture OF heathen-
ism and Christianity. But one result or
this very attempt al union OF all reli-
elons was 20 drive a vas; host out Of
the communion OF the dominant church
into ths, purer faith or rival sects-
Would Christ care for n union secured
by either OF the means indicated? Not
FOR such union did He pray make my
-eoula one" Another method OF union
IL urged. I may call 1t the Biblical meth
- --4,s~s Il a rattarn q church organ
eaton given IN the ocr.0. res it - said
Let us fashion our church IN SIS orf!n-
ance and its doctrine after this. Yes.
that wou1d result In unity X all ala IL
Alright But Just there We would fan
Imitation requires love for the thing
which W., initiate We cannot initiate II
We ara mechanical IN the work Nor can
Christians unite ~ mere outward irnita-
ti9n Of The vsattern given IN the Word Of
God. We need the distinguishing feature
OF the church % the Apostles We can
become one I'm Christ only as We ara
hnea with the spirit OF Christ. When all
who worship before ihe Lord have re-
cslved the holy spirit. then the barriers
viii be burned away. Then can we cor
rectlv copy the church OF Christ. Then
Will there be one lord, ore faith and one
! har.lsm.