Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-08-04
THE ONLY WAY.

ifrltus w foNitlfIftt NttN H'N ieIif-
sentatyes Of different churches, and in
many Other ways.
A very remarkable appeal for unity
was made not long ago by influential
Protestant dlgnltaries ia England ana
Scotland including two archbishops and
nadlng men among the disseniers IN
the appeal the recommendation was
made that prayers be offered unltcdly
for reunion Of Christeudon. and the
following principles were declared;
That our Lord meant as to be one In
visible fellowship;
That our existing divisions hinder or
even paralyze Ills work;
THAT we all deserve chasitsement
and need penltence for the various
ways in which we have contributed 70
produce or promote division;
THAT we all need open and candid
minds 70 receive llght and yet more
light so that in ways we perhaps as
yet can hardly imagine, We may be
led back toward unity"
This is a remarkable admission Of the
evil Of division and dissenson, which
perhaps marks a new line Of thought
on that subject. Division was at one
time vigorously defended by some the
illogical lights, who maintained that.
as II was impossible, they said, for any
man. or set Of men, 20 comprehend all
truth, Il was necessary that they should
divide in order 70 obtain possession OF
az much truth as possible. by each fac
tion carrying a small part OF H. But
these prominent church men admit the
evil OF dissension and declare that the
intention OF the Lord was that HIS fol-
lowers should be one IN visible fellow
ship. and not only IN spirit. They also
admit their igr orance as 10 the road
back 70 gnity by expressing. Indirect
ly at least. the hope that they may OBJ
tain more light
There can be no doubt that the d.
vision OF the professed followers Of the
Christ II one Of the greatest evils In
sginable. From the history n dissen-
sions IN the churches IL Is perfectly
clear that they are the direct results
Of the warfare Of the powers Of dark.
mess against the dominion Of light and
truth. The Lord impressed upon His
disciples the necessity Of union, a union
as intimate az that between Himself
and His Father. Unity He said. was
the sign by which all men should know
them as His followers, The loss Of
unity was the loss o. the distinctive
Characteristic he had placed upon them,
II marked TO some extent the temper
AIRY victory Of the very forces FOR the
overthrow Of which the Son OF God was
sent into this world.
Divisions and dissensions commenced
very early IN the history Of the Church.
but as long as the divine Spirit was
present and gave revelations Tor the
guidance OF the disciples into all truth.
questions on which different opinions
arose were settled authorltatiNcly and
infalllbly, and thus unity OF faith and
practice and brotherly love were main
tained. But when the Apostles had
been taken away and the light Of divine
revelation for many reasons became
dim. divisions, often accompanied by
bitter strife, multiplied on every hand
Anyone who win study those ancient
dlspuia,lons VIII be astonlshed az the
apparently trihing points OF doctrine
with which gigantic intelects busled
themselves Great councils were re-
peatedly conyoked and the points AZ IS
sue were discussed. .ut at tho end of
tho discussions each neiion generally
retained rs own opinion and blister
ing curses were hurled in every direc-
tlon. II was impossible TO arrive at
unity. without the Spirit % the Lord
directing the deliberations
A great schism occurred iu l0EA
when the Greek church separated s..
self from the Roman church Besides
doctrinal dl0grsements. a rivalry OK.
isted as 10 whether the Patriarch Of
Constantinople or the Bishop Of Rome
was 10 be recognized az tho head u
the Church Il was largely a question
~ secular power and prestige The
crisis which finally severed The rea-
lions between the East and the West
came. when the Patriarch ~ Consan-
tinople revived the ancient feud by
writing letter 10 a Bishop IN which
he repeated The grievances which he
claimed had Tor long time oppressed
the Eastern church. The Bishop u
Rome thereupon accommodated the
Patriarch ~ Coustantluople and the
latter retaliated by eXcommunicaung
the Roman ponin. and the sopara-
tion was thus completed. The histo-
Of this schism furnishes n good illus.
tration ~ how schisms generally oc-
cur. There Is difference OF opinion
and diversity n Interests, absence of q
disposition TO find common ground
upon which 10 unite. and subbornnes,
born Of pride. and thus division be.
comes Inevitable.
In the beginning OF the sixteenth
century another ereat cstyclysm oc'
CURED when the reformation severed
the Teu,on'c and tho Saxon races from
the Roman church. 10 would be d
FniHsks % consider this as only q
religious movement u was essen.
tally a series Of national uprising
against attolutism, temporal as wei
a. spiritual 10 d conceded even by
Catholic historians that n the leader
OF the dominant church az that tint
had perceived The nature of Lutherl
revolt and understood tho aspiration
OF the northern nations the catas