The morning journal-courier., 1908-11-26
A WELCOME PAPER
Mir. Smiths Comment on MT Luckey's Sermon Printed
 Yesterday Morning,

Rev Charles C, Smith, pastor of the Grand Avenue Baptist church, has written an interesting article on "A Workable Unden0minatonal Chris tlanity" for the Journal-Courier and 1t s given below
 To the Editor of the Journal-Courier:
 The report of Mir, Luckcys sermon on the above question, which appear ed in your paper Wednesday morning, was a timely utterance and must dreds of your readers, and will surely be provocative of increasing rehec- ton and hope upon the part of the Christian people of our city, But Mr. Iuckcy is too modest by far, and few who read his sermon--if indeed any will rate it as the rash and egoistc cry of an infant We accept it at
 its true valuation, namely; AS the earnest and deliberate conviction or a 'grOwn-up," 10 use his own phrase, who has record at his back Of over 20 years of public life in this very city, and is entitled to be heard with respect In regard to his illustration 1 from Montansm, | think Mir. Luckey has been caught amid the outside form of things when he makes their break with Catholicism due to per ! fervd temperament. When will hs- ] tory relieve the Montanists of this l distortion of obloquy? ls it not true | that then one prime idea was that l church membership would be limited | to purely rogenerate persons and that church life and discipline should be maintained without any attiliation 1 with the authority of the state? The l leap -froFging and arm swinging was | the peculiar possession of Montanus alone. Certainly, TertulIisn of Garth 1 age was not so built and he was their 1 real leader and was a stern, censorious man The thing that lies behind Montanism is thus described hy Car dnal Newman Its very foundation i is development in discipline and con l duet" and Harnack calls them the old believers, the elder legitimate par ty, that demanded the preservation of the original Christianity, and the re- turn to Apostolcal simplicity and purity"
 lt is more than likely that "a work
 able undenomlnationa Christianity will he built on this simple platform, CD complete separation of church and state, t2) Faith in God, evidenced
 by a true life; and those of us who wish may then call the despised Mon
 tanists our patron saints? Meantime,
 this sermon is clarion call to a
 closer afflliatlon among all Christians
 and to a warmer spirit of inter
 denominationalsm among our church
 es that will express itself not in com
 petition but In cooperation. It is
 matter for sincere thankfulness that
 so much of true church brotherhood
 does actively exist in New Haven to-
 day and in no section of the city ls i,
 more conspicuous than in Fair Haven
 Our six protestant churches are in perfect accord, so much so, that we
 cannot only hold q united Thankseiv.
 inR service, and take united census but we have united Sunday schoo
 teachers meeting under the New Ha.
 ven federation, and we have been
 leaguod together in temperance leg.
 lsative effort With signal success. Tr
 comparison with this a quasi organic
 union, al this moment. wiuld he q
 specious hgment, This is the thins
 that Hes behind and really matters
 the rest is but "the outside form o' . things which will ultimately arise a! surely as the steel filings follow the [ magnet
 CHARLES GEORGE SMITH. CGrand Avenue Baptist Church.