The herald., 1896-11-23
lessons FROM 1HEPULP|T.
Rev. Mr.Themson at Unity
Church
THE true CHURCH Of CHRIST
The Subject Of a Scholarly
Discourse
THE SERVICES AT ST. JOHNS
The-Pastor Pays a High Tribute to
Deceased Vestryman
Rev. Mr.. Day breaches on solving and
Growing
Hva reIist~ Ric]xford at the East Side
THE SERVICES AT ST. JOHNS
The Pastor Pays q High Tribute to a
Deceased Vestryman
Rev. Mr.. Day breaches on "0iving snd
Growing
Evangelist- Bicl1ford at the East Sloe
Baptist Church-Services at the
YIN, G. A.-The Rev. Mr..
Rices Sermon.

At Unity church yesterday morning,
the pastor, Rev. ]. S. Thomson, preacheo
a. sermon on the question, Whlch Is tiie
True Church of Christ According 10 the
Four Gospels? taking the text, re re-
iect the commandment of God that ye
NAV keen YOUR own traditions. MARX
vii:9.
Christ kept a school of the prophets.
ue trained men to preach the gospel to
tho whole world. He founded no chufch
in our modern sense OF churcii' a.
tor his death the necessity for CHRIST
ION orpanizations forced itself upon the
attention of the apostles. Christ lett no
directions about the formation Oh
churches. The early churches were or
ganized to preach his gospel, put 'liele
was nothing in their organization IN coil-
flict with his plain teaching. me ques
cording to the doctrines of the Master
Peter is not reported to have foundeo
any churches AS he was the apostle "
the circumcision, he likely used the
synagogues for preaching the gospel.
His two epistles are not olrecteu ~
churches. but to the Jews in various
parts of the Roman empire. Petsr IDS
not transmitted to us plans about church
building. -
Paul was the great organizer OF
churches among the Gentiles. SeNerai ol
his epistles were directed to partlcuial
churches Paul was the real foundeI
of the Christian church. Christ revealed
the gospel, but Paul organized the gos
mel In the twentieth and twenty -tnlrd
chapters of Matthew Christ PLAINLY
teaches that there should be no oruefs
among his followers, like the secular
governments of Gentiles, that there
should be no lordly titles conferred upon
them, and that they should call no man
master and no man their father upon
earth, because God was their father ana
Christ their only spiritual master ana
they were brethren. But in spite OF tnis
command against orders and titles, the
Catholic church was organized after the
form of the government of Imperial
Rome; the pope and the priests are call
ed fathers The other Episcopal churcn-
es have orders like the Catholic sect
and they rejoice in such high sounding
titles as most reverend father in Goa.
The Congregational form of church gov
ernment is simple and like that of the
er<ly church. Baptist, Universalists.
Unitarian Congregationalists and 9th
odox Congregationalists have the sim
plicity Of the synagogue and not the
wearisome formalities of the temple.
Neither Christ nor his apostles bowed
to images, wore crosses, used candles IN
N1aylight nor scattered incense in tenn
lie. He was rabbi and not priest.
Ills apostles were not priests. They
officiated at no altar. They discharged
no priestly functions No reader of the
gospels could find authority for all the
rites ceremonies and forms of the Cath
olic and Episcopal sects. In spite of the
fact that Christ said his Kingdom was
not of this world" and that he was not
"judge nor divider" in secular affairs.
the churches in England. France, Spain
and Russia are political churches, be-
cause they are connected with the state.
The popes offered England, Ireland and
America to their favorites. The Anglican
church controls vast revenues. Trinity
church in New York owns millions The
Catholic church in Montreal owns un-
taxed property worth nearly $4,000, 900.
The pope lives in a splendid palace. 1t
may be said that all these vast estates
are managed well, but did Christ ever
tell his ministers to be trustees of i'm
mense sums? California is wise in tax
ing church property and wherever the
church property is not taxed the church
is a pauper on the bounties of the state.
A decent church is never a pauper
church. There is more Christianity in
church that pays all it's honest debts.
Christ rebuked his disciples for asking
permission to call down fire from
Heaven to consume the unbelieving Sa-
maritans, and said that he had come
to save, and not to destroy, the lives of
men, but the Catholic, Episcopal, Puri
tan and presbyterian SectS nave muir
dered millions for their beliefs. They
imprisoned and tortured men, women
and children and their blood is crying
for vengeance. These sects will never
be the future church. for, like David,
who was not allowed to build the tenn
pie on account of blood on his hands.
these churches are polluted with human
blood and will not be allowed to build
the universal temple of religions in
Christ's name Baptists Methodists,
Unitarians Universalists have no blood
on their hands. They have imprisoned,
tortured, murdered no one. no de-
nomination will grow into the future
church of Christ. They all have faults.
Christ does not satisfy any of them.
They must have their traditions. They
reject the commandment of God. These
traditions will die away slowly, and then
the Two Great Commandments, the
Ten Commandments and the Sermon on
the Mount will take their place to the
honor of Christ, the glory of God and the
salvation of man. Each sect is making
some contributions to the future church,
but Catholicism, Professionalism, the
eastern churches and the Greek church
will pass away and Christ will be all In
all. There will be lone body, one Spirit.
one Lord, one faith, one baptism. one
God and Father of ALL"
The choir under the direction of Prof.
Hamilton sang the anthem, Bless the
Lord. and the offertory, Oh, Lord, Call
to Thee, arranged by Prof. Hamilton