The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-11-27
INTER CHURCH CONFERENCE
FEATURES OF THE RECENT I1T-
 PORTAET CONVENTION

As Reviewed by Rev. Dr. McLane in a
 Discourse Yesterday at Plymouth
 Church-The Conventions Aim the
 Cessation of the TranspIanting and
 Perpetuation of Church Differences
 Unity of Churches.
 A highly interesting and timely ad- dress was given at the Plymouth Con gregational church yesterday forenoon by the pastor, Rev. Dr. w W. Mo- Lane. His subject, ''The Work of the Recent Interchurch Conference, to which Dr. McLane was a elegate. In opening he gave a lucid and compre- hensive account of the calling of the conference, and the reasons therefor. He then gave a brief and scholarly history of the causes of divisions in the church, and then took up fir dis cussion the present movements to- wards unity, and gave some account of the action and work of the conference.
 '"The persons composing the confer ence, which represented 1S,OOO,OOO of communicants, or about one-fourth of the population of this country, were bishops of episcopally governed churches, moderators of national con- ferences of democratic churches presi- dents of colleges and seminaries, secre- taries of missionary societies, editors of religious periodicals, and pastors Never, perhaps, in any religious body in Ntyyy tot and able a body of men represented"
 In speaging of the divisions of the modern non-episcopal churches of this country he noted that the hurches in their different denominations of Chris tians, of which there are no less than 14O, divided on polfty like the. Congre- gational and Presbyterian churches, on the mode of sacrament, like the Baptists and so. on.. By division liber- ty of thought and expression were se- cured and more vigorous spiritual life than where uniformity has been secur- ed by conformity to one type, as in Russia or by obedience to one will, as in Spain. But waste and weakness followed in the attemtp to support so many churches where only one is need ed, and in the effort to evangelize the world by the feeble efforts of compet- itive divisions of the hosts of the Lord, who are unable to present a united front. The call of the present, there fore, is no longer division in order to secure liberty, but to union in order to increase life"
 The. second fact to which the confer ference called attention is the unity of spirit, the sameness of faith and the fellowship in worship and in work which obtains in the several denomin- ations of Protestant Christians
 Among the many things which have amde such union possible and neces- sary ar the following: (a) Intellec- tual humanity. The time was when theologians insisted on the accuracy of their knowledge to the extent of their ability to frame a religion of doc Urine complete in it's coinprehensions of all truth, concerning the nature, pur- pose, will and ways of God from his eternal decrees to the utmost fulfill Illeht thereof. We now confess the Limitations of our Knowledge. They are to us truths which are cleaf, truths which lie in twilight, and some things yet, genveloped ins darkness. a ...
 Cb) The ability ito distinguish between fact and philosophy, by which the fact is explained. We see that the man who trusts Christ as his Saviour, and obeys him as the Lord, is made sav- ed and good man, whether the philoso- phy Of the particular ways in which Christ fulfllls all the conditions of our salvation seems to true or not.
 Co We have come to know that Christianity is not so much opinion as love. "A new commandment I give unto you" This is Jesus law of Chris