The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-05-16

nances, John Barton Toomay, B. A., lOtterbein university. Westerville, o.
 Johns Teachings as a Point of De- lparture for Theological Reflection Hi
 nam Van Kirk, B. A., Hiram college,
 Washington c. H., o.
 Christ's Solution of the Problem of Christian Union, William Hiram Wag-
 goner, B. A., Eureka college, Buffalo, IN. Y.
 The Messianic Hope of the Prophet
 Isaiah; Origin, Development and Sig
 nificance, Farley Paul Womer, Ohio
 Wesleyan university, ReynoldsvilIe, Pa.
 The farewell address of Professor Cur tis to the students of the seminary was
 then delivered. A eollation was served
 at o'clock in the Lowell Mason library
 in West Divinity hall at which time a large number of alumni were present.
 This was followed by meeting in Mar
 quand chapel, at which the subject of discussion was "The Lambeth Proposal
 Respecting Christian Union." Rev p.
 s. Lines of St. Paul's church opened
 the discussion. The address in full is as follows:
 THE LAMBETH PROPOSALS ON
 CHURCH UNION, BY REV. ED-
 WIN s. LINES.
 If one might from the outside, without
 prejudice look upon divided Christen- dom, it would surely astonish him that bodies of believers in one Lord and
 Master, confessing one faith in sub
 stance, could not get together. The ob-
 server would be impressed with the Efact that the doctrines and practices in which the separated bodies of Chris tian people are agreed, count for much more than those upon which they disa- Egree. It would seem that when the doc Urine of the Trinity, the divinity of l Christ the incarnation, atonement and resurrection, the inspiration of Holy EScriptures, the office of the Holy Spirit
 in the church, are commonly accepted, ] ito name no more fundamental truths of our religion, ,-serious obstacles to lunion among Christians would be re- moved. The observer from the outside would conclude that there is substan-
 tiaI agreement in what is essential and fundamental and of supreme impor- tance. It would be hard for him to
 understand how discord and division
 could exist among Christian people who
 hold so much in common. The points
 of agreement seem vital and fundamen- tai, and still the fact which forces itself upon the attention of memis that Chris tianity is represented by great num-
 Der of warning jealous churches and
 sects, working at cross purposes, spend ing much of their strength in contro-
 versy.
 r1.o +o soly
 that if the present condition is not ideal, it is wholesome and favorable to the development of zeal and re- sources. They appear to think that the ETivalries of churches make ill some way for the Christian religion. Refuge is found in the theory of an invisible church, for which theory not much can be said As the faith cure doctor tells his patients that they must be- tieve they are well, and they will be well, so these doctors say that Chris tian unity is a fact already, that agree ment in all that is essential now exists making a spiritual union which is all that is to be looked for It is very superficial judgment, not making ac- count of the facts, not truly recog- nizing existing evils. I am well aware that schism and division in the church are not the only sins and ill which may come to us. Because the reforma- ton has left us an inheritance of divi- sion and controversy which are to be deplored, we will not forget that it stirred western Europe from spiritual deadness and unutterable corruption and made something better in the way of religious life possible. Better spirit ual freedom under law, with something of irregularity, than spiritual deadness and stagnation with uniformity. The treatment of non-conformists by the authorities of the Anglican church in England three hundred years ago and the treatment of non-confornists by the Puritan authorities of Massachu- setts Bay fifty years later teach us that however important unity and uni | formity are, they are not to be main- | tained by force and persecution. The | sins of the fathers who had not learned | to be tolerant are visited upon the chil- l dren who see a divided church the | scorn of her enemies.
 My contention, as against ml Metho- | dist brother who has all the church union that he wants, and is satisfied from the last statistics of Methodist growth, that all is going well with religion, and against my Anglican brother who thinks all good must come from reunion with Rome,-is that the present dis tracted state of ChrIstendom is not to be accepted as tolerable, by right mind ed Christians, but that there are other sins as we'll as schism, of which to make account. I do not think any de- fence can be made of the present com dition of the Christian church as filling out the Lords conception of what His church should be or as an answer to His prayer for her. At home in sav- Ing men to religion, and in heather ands in making known Jesus Christ as the only Saviour, the church is grievously hindered and crippled by her divisions. The one prevailing argu- nent named by Christ is wanting. Our trength goes to controversy among our selves before we present our case. Riv- dries, jealousies, i'll will, controversy, most inconsistent with our religion, md most injurious to religion abound n every village. There is a terrible waste of men and resources everywhere t is hardly less than "a denial of the ( office of the Spirit of God, to accept the