The Portland daily press., 1896-04-20

within the United States Very like this
Is the attitude of the historic church
towards other religious bodies. 1t ao-
knowledges every baptized person a MEM
Der OF the church catholic, but it denies
the right of these members to exist under
various different ecclesiastical names and
organizations within the limits Of q sir
gle nationality. There can be but one
church Catholic. Two or more, like two
infnities is mathematical absurdity.
Therefore anybodywhioh exists separately
from the national branch of the church
catholic. in any and, does grievous
wrong to catholioity In the United
States there are 143 scattered and more or
less antagonistio Christian bodies. If we
would have unity we must find a COM
mon rallying point. Chemistry teaches
US that If we hive minerals in solution
we may produce crystal by suspending
bit Of metal in the liquid. 10 this the
minute atoms. passing out of solution,
will attach themselves. The result is
beautiful symmetrical crystal-its points
and angles mathematicaliy exact. Even
so when social institution has been
thrown into state of disintegration, if
we would recognize it We must have
firm nucleus to begin with. What shall
he the rallyinQ point for the United
church of the United States9 l believe
1t shall be what is called the Episcopal
small-but we have the key to the situa-
ton. We offer the simplest solution to
the problem, What better platform can
be devised than than of the famous Lam
beth onference-larRely the work of
American bishops. What other basis an
tagonizes so little all, Christian bodies
and yet sacrifices no essential of apostolic
oatholioityP We are all familiar with
the Lambeth Quadrilateral. Like the
City of God, which st. John saw in the
Apocalypse, this foundation for restored
Catholicity lies four-square. To unite
upon.it Christians of all kinds need
pledge themselves to but four articles, viz:
: First-The Holy Scriptures as the Word
of God.
Seoond-The Primitive Creeds as the
Rule of Faith.
Third-The two Saoraments ordain ed
by Christ.
Foutrh-The Historic Episcopate as the
keystone of oatholioity
Let us notice for moment the singular
fitness of this platform as basis tor
church unity. 1t defines the Bible as the
| word Of God. But 1t offers no doematic
theory of inspiration. Half the ''heresy
trials'' of the past few years have been
possible only because some denomina ton
has insisted, not simply upon inspiration
but upon some express theory of inspira-
ton. Then some thinking man, accept
ing inspiration, has deniad the partiou-
lar theory Of inspiration-and 10 he has
been sent forth with Cain like brand of
"heretic.o
The Lambeth platform has no theory of
inspiration. The Bible is Gods word to
1nan. That is enough for the true Catho-
lilo. But we know that the early Chris
tians not only had the Bible, but also GER
tain oreeds, lie. the Apostles" and the
"Nicene" The average man given the
lvuh 10 md told To ant y 10
salvation would make bad work of 1t.
Now these oreeds are for convenience and
clearness They constitute a digest of
the essentials of our religion-easily re-
membered-and giving us grasp of the
faith as it was before the continental re-
formers reformed the church to pieces.
They are not Episcopalian, but catho-
lilo oreeds-tbe Universal symbols of the
falkland SO are offered as common
bonds of peace, union and truth. They
are brief, clear, definite. No theories.
but simple statements Of fact
They are the emblems of Christianity
in its earliest, purest and simplest days;
before the passion for endless dogmatio
definition had taken hold of men, and left
such ponderous documents as the De-
crees of Trent, the Augsburg, Heidelberg
and Westminster Confessions, and the
Thirty Nine Articles. The exigencies of
the XVI century may have seemed to
demand such completely, but the XIX.
century demands simplicity. Just the
difference there Is between an old fash
toned frigate, three decked hundred
gunned, porderous, complex; and one of
our modern steel battle ships with it's two
or three immense guns The doctrionnl
need of the age is "heavy guns and few"
Such are the two great Catholic oreeds.
Concerning the two sacraments, Baptism
and the Lords supper. little need be said.
No Christian body ever denied them.
They have the express authority of the
Christ. His religion is contained in his
two sayings: "Coms unto me-" and
"Abide in me-" Baptism Is coming unto
Him. The Holy communion Is abiding
in Him. Thus three out of the four notes
of the Lambeth Quadrilateral, lie, the
Bi BILE, the creeds, the sacramento, are al
ready accepted by all Christian demon
strations. controversy arises largely over
the keystone of Catholioity. Headship is
Gods law of life. 1t lies at the founda-
ton of family, state and church. The
Episcopate is the visible headship of the
visible church. 1t has always been So
Even Gibbon says in the Decline and
Fall: "After we have passed the first
century we find Episcopal government
was in the first century the Acts of the
Apostles are explicit And SO it continued
rsfifteen centuries. Since the days of
Luther and Calvin it has been the gov
| eminent of the best majority of Chris
! tians-and is today. DR.. Shem says there
are 10, 000 900 Christians in the world.
| or these Is, 900. COO are under the rule of
bishops, and 49, 900, 900 are not
| Therefore we who believe in the ellis
toric Episcopate, with a majority of
90, 900, 900 appeal to our dissenting breth-
rem of the minority to return to the Catho-
lie headship as it was and is.
Such are the four propositions which
the Episcopal church offers "a a basis
for church union-and whioh are hold
ing the attention of the whole religious
world. Oh, that we American church
men might fully Taken to the glorious
possibilities before US. Let us not, in
self sufficient Pharseeism, thank God
| that we are not as others are.
| Let US not become the church of the
alienation, but the church of the recon-
ciliation.
| Let US think lovingly of the tothel
sheep" notsof the fold of catholicity and
| try to make them hear our voice. Let
us remember that unless we bring these
with us our oatholioity will be a mutt.
lated thing. We are our brothers. keepers,
| And first let US be at peace within oar.
selves Let us bury thousand fathoms
deep in the ocean Of oblivion those bate