Evening journal., 1905-11-27

m ne ndu autlc pdleI Tie pieoSIl CVu-
d.ton of Chrisendom? If he could
scarcely believe what he heard Of the
church al Corinth. what would be his
opinion Of the condition of the church
today?
Then it was a matter of rumor that
there were three or fou- parties; now
we take az the pains in the world to
make It known that we have scores OF
them. In proportion TO the numbe- OF
our contentious is the v'gOr with
which we avow them. We publish jour
mails and magazines. we endOw schools
and colleges. we built churches to pro.
mu gate christianity indeed. but also
to proclaim the sad fact that Christ
is divided.
Denominational Division.
And our modern divisions, like thos-
which astounded Paul, father them
selves, for the most pat, on honorable
lnam,r Denominations ,ook back OF
up. to this o. that man. or set of men
and If they do not ca themselves by
their names, they claim at any rate tt
te the following who hold their views
We have socts who do cal themselves
by the name of some man. living Oh
dead, and others have one man, or
set of men Of whom they profess to be
the orly Legitimate disciples
And these sectarian divisions arc
rea, divisions, The living stones of th'
temple of Christ have been rent asun
der There is much grave talk of
real unity which is said to exist. Blu
true unity implies that the differen
members of a body have each specific
functions for which they are adapted
and to this discharge of which the.
are set apart. the result of al their ac
tivites, being the highes- good Of th'
whole. The nominations at presen
sustain no such relation to each other
Tho sects are completely Independent
or they maintain only the most forma
ard distant intercourse with one an
other.
What True Unity Is?
True unsty implies aso that all tn
members of a body have one center q
intelligence and power, which pei
ceives the need, the adnger, or tn
distress Of every part, and the us
which car be made of any part for tn
good of tha whole. Our denomination
have no such means of communication
no direct knowledge of each other
dangers ard needs, and no means {
combining their resources fo- the con
mon welfare. The Y NJ. c. A.. the v
10. A. temperance societies. the Bibl
and Tract societies ave all of them d
vices for united effort made necessar
by our divisions. The Evangelical o
lance is a feeble attempt of ProtestaT
christians to do what the Protestar
churches have largely incapacitate
themselves from doing. It is a divide
church which makes them a necessit.
OF Recent Date.
Every student of church histor
knows that these divisions aie of con
lparatively recent date. The church q
a visible society appears to have bee
lorganized under the covenant Wit
Abraham 1000 years before Christ. FL
all purposes Of worship instruction, di
cipline and labor the church was OF
Through the whole period of Old Test
lment history. There were differin
J schools of thought and Interpretation
but the modern treatment which e
lcourages scismetics, and teachers
/, real errors, or of nOn-essentiais
organize a separate church,
, be afterwards as a branch of the trl
church of God. was never thought of !
the wisest doctors Of the law. Into tn
p Jewish church the Saviour was bo-
} He did not divide it. He remodeled {
constitUtion. The Jewish organizatiC
] ceased to be the church of God, al