The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1904-03-04


at all on the subject, and each one who
occupies these pews has as much right
as I have, should their fancy lead them
to do so, to stand at this altar and
minister to you in holy things. There
is, therefore, no middle ground in this
matter. But we believe that our Lord
did not thus abandon the precious
Truth He came to communicate to be,
through all the following ages, swept
about upon the surging, changing sea
of popular will, or as St Paul says,
tossed to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of doctrine" But He
formed also the casket and left it to
contain and guard the precious treas
ure until His coming again" Was
the Christian Church and faith to have
no form Of polity whatsoever, no res
trictions? Our reason, and common
T sense even, would dictate to us that
this cannot be, and the New Tesla
ment scriptures assert most plainly
that this was not so. Divisions GER
ta1nly were not regarded by the apos-
ties as matters of no Importance, or
but of little moment. The declaration
of St Paul proved this,1 Cor. 12,t
''That there should be no schism in
the Body, "(the Church); and when the
Corinthian converts, in their dissen-
sions within the Church, began to ar
range themselves into the party
names of Paul and Apollos and Co.
phas, (Peter), they were sternly re-
buked by the great apostle to the
Gentiles: His.indignant inquiry was,
us Christ divided? Was Paul cruel
fed for you, or were ye baptized in the
name OF Paul?" And if Christ is not
divided neither is His Body, the
Church. And the exhortation which
he wrote them was, "Now, I beseech
thee, brethren, by the name of our
Lord, Jesus Christ, that ye all speak
the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you, but that ye be
perfectly Joined together in the same
mind and in the same judgment,"
Il Cor. y. Then he gave further in
StructiOnS against this sin of schiSm in
Romans 16, and many other places. Is
1t not, then, a matter of Importance
after such strong and convincing
words as to diligently seek out that
church which our Lord founded, and
IT you are now numbered with her
members should you not understand
the ground of your belief? If correct.
~ reported, we are being told nova
days that religion can exist without
the-church and the sacraments," and
the Quaker is held up to US as an ex-
ample. The rector then gave brief
outline of the Society Of Friends"
and that they had adopted the erron-
eous idea that purer dispensation of
the gospel was committed by George
Fox, who founded their religion, which
superseded, in some respects, the direc-
tions OF Apostolic Rule, and hence
that they had no order of the ministry,
no baptism by water, no administra-
ton OF tho Holy Communion. Their
women are allowed to preach in public
equally with their men, notwithstand-
ing the Apostolic Injunction that
women should not do So; and they are
strong opponents in all these points of
the:Church established by Christ and
His apostles. Shall we admit, then,
that the Quaker, who is held up to us
as an example of the Christian religion,
Is on an equality with those, who, be-
ing equally sincere, have retained
the whole system of the
Christian religion, with those who |
have continued in the apostles doc
Urine and fellowship, and in the break
ing of bread?" While we may observe
the Quaker with all benoveIence of
feeling, and willingly praise every
thing in his faith and practice which
accords with the Word Of God, we
hesitate not to declare, plainly and un-
equ1vocally, that he has fallen into
error on the points specified, and that
IN This error we cannot take any part.
Tor can we give it either allowance or
Now we may apply
ibis view to the whole subject of
;he different denominations. The
question is not "can a person be saved
Without the church," but ''has Christ
established any church with particu-
ar organization which is still in exis-
If He has, as we believe He
las, then it is clearly our bounden
iuty to be included within the zone
FOLD, '(see Eph. ~. Schism as sin is
lot considered with sufficient care by
The lafty. Its open surface evils are
acknowledged. The hindrance to the
'ause of Christianity is freely admit
ed. The bitterness it engenders is
appreciated on all sides. And yet every
chismatical body hugs it's own schism ,
II the closer. Christ certainly did not
each this sort of thiag. His beautiful
rayer to His Father and our Father
7as "that they may be one, as He was
ne with the Father" And surely
hat was a vital union. Unity, there
ore, He left as a part Of the Church's I
institution. And just as clearly s
nifty in the Apostolic office. Why, q
t Johns and st Paul's arguments