The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-12-29

GROUND on WI h1cn Cnr1St StoOu.
In All Souls Univcrsalist church yes
terday Rev. Thomas II. Payne spoke on
the Forces Making for the Final
Union OF Catholics and Protestnnts." p"
He said:
Taking for my text. today these words
THAT they all may be one''-found in
that wonderful prayer of the Masters,
want to ask, and shall try to answer,
the question, "Arc there any forces at
work in our present civilization having II
tendency to bring the two great wings Of
the Christian church finally together
again?"
1t Is now about -Four hundred years
since Martin Luther began that wonderfi,l
movement in Germany that resulted III
splitting the Roman Catholic church in
twain. For about Il thousand years prior
10 that time, there had been practically,
but one organized body OF Christ in the
earth--the church OF Rome. AS TO the
methods by which the church OF Rome
finally came to that commanding position
the student of history needs no instruG-
tion. They are beyond the range of our
inquiry at this time. l will only say that.
for the first seven hundred years of its
history, there was no more union in tile
Christian church than there is today, ana
some might say. not half as much
Might Be of One Mind.
1t was Jesus desire that all those VINO
should call themselves His disciples might
be Of one mind, orc heart, one spirit, ono
Fellowship. From the very first believers
on His name Kept that ideal before them.
The ideal must forever remain Il grand
one, But the methods adopted BY GER
tain of His followers to secure that desir-
able result make the blood run cold' as
one recalls them. AS it has been in days
gone by, SO it is today. the constant
dream Of Catholic and Protestant that.
the time may come when there shall be
one fold and one shepherd"
a good many intelligent and far seeing
people in both communions do not believe
that day will ever again come. and pro-
fess to believe it undesirable. For myself,
I not only believe the dream beautiful.
but its accomplishment desirable. Some
time in the far distant future there will
be a union of all Christians, a union more
perfect than the old one, more lasting
than tho old one. But that union will
bear no more resemblance to the union
the average Catholic and Protestant pic
lures than the real Messiah did to the one
the Jews expected.
The union the average Catholic dreams
of is union made possible only when all
ProteStantS become Catholics, with the
word Catholic written IN still larger
letters. And the union the average Prot
cstant dreams of is union made possible
by the conversion of all Catholics 10
Professionalism In my humble opinion.
such union is not only undesirable, but
will never como. Such dreams are but
pride-inhated balloons that can never so
very far or high. Time will prove them
what common sense today declares value
less.
The Desirable Union.
The only union OF Christians that is
ctico hIc is a nnICl
formed by both Catholic and Protestant
moving out and away from the artificial
barriers each has erected against the
other, and coming together on some com
mon ground. Such common ground, some
where in Gods Kingdom, there must be.
Indeed. cannot both Catholic and Pro-
tcstant today at least see its edges. / be-
1ieve So. The day will come when it will
he fully revealed to both. OF course, 1t
will come hard to the Catholic to givo
UP his. papal infalibilty, and some other
artiiicialy and artistiCally constructed
theological hedges to the Baptist to give
up his papal infallibility, and some other
prayer book; the Presbyterian his five
points; the Methodist his free will'' and
"sanctiiicntiou"; the Universalist his
universal ,lFatherhood of Cod No; !
guess, the UniverSaliSt must We not all
admit twill have to be allowed to
keep the corner stone of his faith.
Now, such a union, is a beautiful
thing to contemplate, is it not? Why
shouldn't 1t be possible? To realize It, it,
IT is only necessary for each denomination
TO give up the articles in its creed that
Jesus had nothing to say about. Then
all will be found to stand on the things
lie emphasized. What were they? Love
Tor God and love for man; purity, duty,
service sacrifice. Such a union is COM
ing. dear friends. If you believe in God,
Sou must believe 1t is coming.
Forces Are at Work.
Can We see any forces ut work in the
world today that are bringing it nearer
to US? j believe we can. Let me briefly
point them out to you.
The ultimate union OF All Christians is
being surely and steadily promoted today
By the teachings of science. Fifty years
ago, to go no further back, there was
Io science as We understand the term to-
day. Yes, textbooks on Natural Philos-
ophy written ten years ago, We're out of
date several years ago.
When ] first began to study the nat
rral sciences, the text books taught there
We're many forces In this universe. among
which We're light, heat, electricity, mag
netism, for instance. Each was sup
posed 10 be entirely different from the
other Today we know these forces are
all different manifestations of one and the
same eternal energy, filling the whole
universe. 1t is the modern doctrine of
1.-The conservation of energy" Its teach
ings are against division, for that means
antagonism, and that means waste. This
dctum of science has already been eager
ly embraced In the mechanical and COM
mercial world. 1t is working itself out in
our charities and philanthropies. The inn
pact of its silent blows is being felt by
our anita gonistic theolog!es and warning
sects.
The final union of all Christians is being
brought in by modern literature. Tho
poet and philosopher are first of all truth
they are free from the limitations and
prejudices of smaller minds. They sur
Ney III" universe from the mountain top
of The ideal. AS a consequence, their Wis.,
ion is not obstructed by their neighbor's
fence.
Have Never Learned.
Some men never learn what love is
they are so determined to be baptized all
over, Others cannot grasp the infinite
power Of the Almighty save the most
abandoned, so sure are they self could not
save them. Literature, as represented by
u Tcnnyson, II Longfellow, a Lowell, a
Browning a Lowell, brushes aside the
rambric needles men put so close their
eyes that they cannot see Gods noun
tainS OF truth in their naked proportions.
The new theology that Is Enthusiastically
Erecping into lhe churches Is leading men
10 the common ground on which Christ
stood The old theology is dying. friends,
Unmistakubly dying. a better and truer
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