The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-07
FEDERAr1oY or CHURCHES.


Gilbert at Trinity Nj. Il. Church.
Dr. Levi Gilbert, of the Trinity M. e
church, spoke on Sunday last with great
force and favorably upon the need Of a
f, broader and more effective unity of all
the churches for the welfare of the
kingdom of God He took his text from
2 Kings 1915, the words Of King John
to Jehonadab, us thine heart right, as
My heart is with thy heart; and Jehona-
dab answered, It is. If it be, give Me
thine hand. And ne gave Him his
hand"
He said that there had been for many
years desire and effort to unity the
creeds and polity of churches, SO that
there might be less friction and more
effectiveness secured. He did not be-
| impossible and even undesirable. There
can be federation. We can unite as
the various states of the United States
are banded together, each having its pc
culiar interests, or, as the army, with it's
different forms of service. He spoke of
Jewish rabbi in Cleveland, who on the
same platform with him said, 1--WE meet
not as men of the same faith, but we
can meet even as Jew and Christian,
Protestant and Catholic, to protest
against common evils and uphold civic
nto oil ds4 f1,n 4
Iare for the common welfare" There is
common ground that we should recog-
nize. Christianity sprang out of the
soil of Judaism. Our Saviour was born
of that nation; our songs even are the
same. The Psalms are our inheritance
also. He spoke of DR.. Levi telling him
that some time ago he was in the south
and was brought into pleasant associa
ton with a good Methodist preacher,
who, being somewhat pressed to sup
ply certain church on his circuit.
asked Dr. Levi to preach for him, which
he did and very acceptably. The peo-
pie asked who he was, saying they
knew all the Methodist ministers in the
vicinity, but thought he must be new
conner. The Jews are not Christians;
they do not accept our Saviour; yet in a
broad and reasonable sense they are
Christians; they carry out the desire of
Christ in finding the hungry, clothing
the naked &c, and what part they may
have in His commentator. "Inasmuch
as we did it unto one of the least of
them, yet did it unto Me-" we are not to
say. He was on another platform with
Catholic bishop many years ago, who
followed him in the advocacy of COM
mon question, and began by referring to
the remarks of his good Methodist
brother that preceded him" Is 1t not
true that we are nearer in some respect
to our Catholic brethren than to some of
our ultra Protestant sects. we don't
believe in Mariolity or the confessional,
&c, bu. when we come down to the
great doctrines Of the atonement and
salvation are we not one? we certainly
have part in the early history Of the
church. Their church fathers are ours;
their cathedrals are ours. And are we
not proud of some of their ecclesiastics
among US who have nuited their faith
with American patriotism, such as Car
dinal Gibbons and Archbishop Ireland
/ am glad we are seeing that whatever
differences divide us. we can come to-
gether on great questions, such as tenn
perance and public morality. This is
more manifest in the west than in New
England; there Protestant, Catholic and
Jew are banded together.
We can come together on matters of
sanitary, civil and moral ends He
spoke in commentator of the Parlia-
ment Of Religions as doing. much TO-
wards making the various faiths and
acquainted with each other.
When we know each other better we
have more charity and fellowship with
one another. We too often treat with
men in the lump, but when we come
In contact personally VIC find that in
spite Of differences there are discovered
the same desires, ambitions, ideals, &C.
There are found also excellences in
every denomination.
We see this federation coming in the
drawing together of denominations. In
some respects the Methodists are be-
coming more Congregational, and the
more like Method
lists, and the distinctive characteristics
both of faith and worship among all are
fading out. Then the spirit of the age
is fraternal and cooperative which in |
deed Is the fruit of Christianity The |
Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood |
Of man has got into the churches, and |
has made good deal of milk of human
kindness, The old theological questions
are not the questions of the church to-
day They don't belong to religion but
to the scholar, we have something bet
ter to do. The church to-day is adj
dressing itself to the vital question of
man from sin. The world
Is full of sin and poverty and woe.
What can we do for it? On this basis
Of Christian life, not on Christian dog
ma we can unite. Let men whose hearts
God has touched stand side by side .
lere, Nife! life! is the word. Then we
nave Christ in our midst, more and
111001-e His personality fills our thought.
He is too great, too mighty for our
church. Then there are the scriptures
lot the book for eXegesis, but the plain
.ales of men and women and Gods
dealings with them, man being unified
also on lines of experimental religion.
What we want as John Maley said, is
lot creeds but good men and women.