The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-29
Christian Unity.
To the Editor of the Press:

To the Editor Of the Press:
In your editorial in the PRESS of
April %, on Christian Unity, you have
said the right thing in the right place.
And wish every religious paper in the
world would copy it and give it to their
readers. 1t is good sound logic. There
it is: "The cause of church unity has
not made very encouraging progress in
this vicinity since it was sprung upon
the public a week ago. So far as the
discussion has progressed it seems to
show that church unity can only be
brought about by the surrender of some
thing at least by all churches, and there
are no signs yet that a single one is
ready to abandon itsspeculiar doctrines
or any part of them-quite the opposite.
Yes, and there never will be that unity
hat Christ prayed for, until people
abandon everything that is unscriptural,
and become satisfied to take the work of
God as their only rule of faith and prac-
tice.
We are not divided over the things that
are in the Bible, but over the things that
are not in the Bible. For instance, the
Episcopal creed, containing 80 articles,
Is all addition to the Bible and the Me.
uhodists do not believe it. The Metho-
dist creed. containing % articles is an adj
dition to the Bible, and the Episcopalians
don't believe it. The warfare is not so
much about the Bible as their respective
creeds. Abolish the creed and you abol-
ish the scot. PeTpetuate the creed and
Won peOartuAte the scot
But we all can unite upon the Bible
and the Bible alone. There is one thing
to be preached, there is only one thing
to BIZ believed and there Is only one
thing 60 be obeyed-the gospel OF Jesus
Christ. And the gospel will only make
one kind of people-Christians Chris
tian unity is divine command. "There
shall be one fold and one Shepherd. y
(John, 1915
81 beseeoh you, brethren. by the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that We all
speak the same thing. and that there be
no divisions among you, but that We be
perfectly joined together in the same
mind and in the same Judgment. "-Q.
Cor, 1900 Do all preachers speak the
same thing2" Are they perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the
same judgmentP' 'sThere is one body
and one Spirit even as ye are called in
one hope Of your calling one Lord. one
faith, one baptism, one God and Father
Of all, who is above all, and through
all, and in you all "-(Eph., 4:4-6.)
- Paul says, SIS Christ divided@' l
don't see how any person can thank God
for divisions in the face of that earnest
prayer that Jesus offered for the unity
Of His psople.
/. Neither pray for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe OH Me
through their word; that they all may
be one; as thou, Father, art in me; and
in thee, that they also may be one in
us, that the world may believe that
thou hast sent NE. '-(John, 30, 81
Jesus measures this Christian unity
by the standard of divine, nature one
as we are one. The Father and Son are
one in feeling, action, counsel, name.
Therefore, the prayer means that Chris
tians are to be one in the same sense
that is, one in feeling, action, counsel,
name. Nothing snort OF this will satisfy
the demands of heaven. There is only
one way we can unite, and that is upon
the Bible alone. Nothing short Of zone
body" Zone spirit" Zone hope" Zone
Lord zone faith' Zone baptism"
zone God and Father" and one name
will settle us on the old foundation
w. I. HOUSTON,
Minister of Gospel, city.