The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-06-09

will be able to say with absolute conf
dence whether Methodist minister is
preaching in his own pulpit to-day, or
whether the excellent sermon just finish
ed, in which John Wesley and John Cal
vim sit together cheek by jowi, or are
alike conspicuous ior their absence, WAS
delivered dy Congregational neigilbOr
with whom the minister is exchanging.
And We shal! hanliy ttGer in or ejC,-
mate of the relative Ydtue VI d)ctrlIe
and rite. Yet that which separates the
COngfegationaliSJ frJm the Epi+copaiitn
is primarily question as to whether
certain rite was or was not administered
once upon a time by certain man, or
group of men, and in certain way.
And even so the question is Of the hypO-
theticaI value Of the rite, and not OF the
fact of its administration, for the fact
itself the one man cannot prove, and the
other does not care to deny, And the
difference between the Baptist and some
CongregatiOnalists is difference neither
in doctrine nor in Christian experience,
either prior or subsequent to conversion,
but an external difference which lasted,
by liberal estimate, not more than
half an hour. Weare all agreed, | think,
that, however important these matter:
seem to us, the watersheds between us
are chiefly Of secondary altitude. Lake
Michigan once flowed through the Hi
lois River to the Gulf, and the great ca
nal will easily turn the waters that wa!
again. Lake Erie once emptied, ant
might again be caused to empty, int
the Ohio. 1t is no impossible mountain
that divides. 1t is the drift from al
ancient descent of ice.
We have. indeed other differences thai
those pertaining to church government
and the administration Of church Ordi
nances. / make no effort to belittl
them. do not even mention them.
merely remark that the great, brOa'
lines of demarcatiOn which have divided
ChristenA0m are chiefly of this nature
ana thai tile doctrines which separate u
into denominations relate, not wholly
bat in large proportion, TO matters
which even those who hold them dea
must count of less than prime impOr
tance.
Again, We mutually affirm Om unread
iness TO affirm, u denominations, Ou
views Of certain doctrines. There is n
one doctrine Of inspiration that cal
claim to be either the orthodox or tn
hetrOdOx doctrine. When the Briggs tria
comes to be studied as church history
the salient point Of the trial, as the hic
torian will affirm, will be seen to b
that the main question assumed to hav
been at issue was never raised; and upO
that there was entire agreement. Tha
is to say, the Westminster COnfessiO
aflirms that the Old and New TestameI
Scriptures, "being Immediately inspire
by God, and by his singular care an
Providence kept pure in all ages, al
therefore authentical." Neither sid
in that trial rested its claim for the au
! thenticity of the Scriptures on the pres
ent purity Of the text. Both sides at
q mitted the presence Of errors in the pre-
! ent text: both sides departed RADICAL
from the Confession, and at the san
4 point. And the sole question was whic
Of two hypothesis, both foreign to Il
Confession; might be accepted as a
counting for those mutually acknOw
[ edged errors, and, being so accepts
might declare the other view unauthO
9 lied. 1t is a pity that the two sid
should now be understood to have Gis
+; greed: in reality, there was impOrtal
4 fundamental agreement in declining
r adhere to the teaching Of the Confession
/. and thus to make for the Scriptures
It Claim winch they do not make for theI
d selves. In lihe manner there is no OF
IS view OF the atouement which has rig
It to claim the authority OF any one denOT
ID inatiOn among us. Our lines Of clea
r age On these great doctrines are perpe
rs dicular to our lines OF denomination