Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-04-15
The Trend Toward Church Union

One of the manifest tendencies or the
time Is toward church unity, and re-
ligious papers of all ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
devoting much space to the subject.
While the proposed union of the Pres
byterlan church north and the Cum
berland Presbyterian church is the sub
ject Of immediate interest and affords
the most striking example of the tend
ency mentioned, many other note
worthy illustrations Of the same trend
may be recalled. Discussing this theme
the Christian Observer presbyterian
of Louisville, KY, says:
In Britain all the nonconformist churches
have formed free church union" In the
interest of their common cause over
against the Established Episcopal church.
In Scotland the United Presbyterian
church and the Free Church came to-
gether after years Of negotiation to form
the United Free Church of Scotland. In
Canada good many years ago the Meth
odists and the Presbyterians, both of
whom had several branches in the Domin-
ion united, so that there is only one Pres
byterian and one Methodist church in the
wide domain north Of u.s. In Australia
the Presbyterians have got together, and
now the Congregationalists and Presby-
terians are talking of some sort of federal
union. For some time there has been talk
of union between the United Presbyterian
and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian
bodies in this country. And most of our
readers are aware that union between our
church and the Reformed Dutch) church
has been moote1 more than once.
For many years United Brethren,
Methodist Protestants and Congrega-
tionalists have been celebrating with
view to ultimate organic union, a
contamination which, in the opinion of
the Boston Congregationalist is "prac-
ticable and desirable" In Massachu-
sets prominent Congregational and
Unitarian pastors have been recently
exchanging pulpts, and Washington's
birthday was celebrated by the ortho-
dOx Congregational club and the Chan
ming club Unitarian of Boston, with
| the Rev. E. A. Horton, Unitarian, and
the Rev. DR.. Lyman Abbott, Congrega-
| tionalist, as speakers. Only few days
ago body of representative men of
| the Methodist, Congregationalist and
| Presbyterian churches of Canada met
In Toronto and discussed the question
of organic union. In view of all these
facts the Boston Waterman Baptist
Is led to comment
| The movements for church union now
| appear to he proceeding on the right lines.
| Formerly the advocates of union were ac-
| customed to represent the Baptists or the
Episcopalians as the principal obstacles
to Christian harmony, overlooking the
fact that there are about thirteen differ
| ent kinds Of Presbyterians and that the
| Methodists and Lutherans are almost as
much subdivided, and on points In which
religious belief is not involved. 1t al
| ways seemed needless for denominations
| which widely differ in doctrine and prac-
| tice to take up the question of church I'M
| ion when there were so many bodies in
| existence differing only in minute and
| unessential points. This has come to be
| recognized, and the churches which are
nearest together are now moving toward
| union. - 7" These movements are In the
| direction of harmony and greater effec-
tiveness in advancing the kingdom of God
| and should go on. Certainly all church
| divisions not founded on questions Of con-
scient!ous religious belief should disap-
pear