The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-31
Conference Addresses.
CHRIRTIAN UNION CONSISTENT
WITH SEPARATE DENOMIN-
ATIONAL LIFE.
Rev. e. L. Rexford. d. D.. Columbus, O.

DIR. Rexford's address was given ex.
temporaneously and we can give but an
abstract. He began by saying that any
general Christian union in the presence
of current developments seemed but a
dream whose realization must be remote
at best. The English church has re-
Gently made virtual overtures to Rome,
seeking the papal Endorsement of
Episcopal ordination, but the reply
has been an emphatic repudiation. of
the very existence of the English
church as Christian body. There is
no validity of ordination except the
Roman Catholic ordination, accordi ing
to the highest authority ~ of Chris
tendon. And so it comes to pass that
these two great religious orga 1izations
fall asunder and part with, probably,
mutual disgust. 1t is probable that the
English or Episcopal church balances
it's experiences in this rejection against
its own urgency few years ago that
all the Protestant clergy of the country
ought to be willing to be re-ordained at
the hands of recognized constituted au-
thorities those of the Episcopal church)
in behalf of Christian unity. One of its
bishops, recently gone to his grave. was
unwearied both with tongue and pen in
his effort to urge this conciliatory meas
sure to the front, but the effort proved
utterly fruitless. 1t was an ambition
fated to failure in the very nature of
things, while the opposition to the
measure urged by the great hearted and
great minded Phillips Brooks, was evi
dence that even in the Episcopal church
the scheme was very far from general
approval.
The International Evangelical Alli-
ance is an association simply of like
minded people and furnishes a slight
test or exhibition of genuine catholi-
city of spirit. 1t excludes number of
religious denominations calling them
selves Christians on the ground of un-
orthodox or unevangelical opinions The
Young Mems Christian Association, and
the Young Women's Christian Associa-
tion, both exclude Universalists and
Unitarians from their fellowship, while
these very denominations alone embrace
in their philosophy Of religion and re-
ligious Interpretation the legitimate
grounds of substantial and consistent
union. One evangelical body proposes
the acceptance of certain doctrines as
the only basis Of union; another pro.
poses yet another, while there are those
who further insist on the acceptance of
certain ceremonies and forms. An
immersionist will find great difficulty in
uniting with sprinkler and the various
groups of Calvinistic theologians will
experience equal embarrassment in
uniting with the groups of Arminians
who proclaim the "free grace" of God.
1t hardly becomes the minority parties
in religion to speak of Christian union
while yet the greater bodies stand
apart, and utterly ignore the so-called
liberal churches. And yet it may be
we'll to recall the fact that those re-
jected liberal bodies alone hold the es.
sential basis and spirit even of an en-
during union. The religious world will
never unite on the basis of speculative
creeds and doctrines. nor yet on the
basis Of any custom. form or ceremony
The foundation of a real union lies