Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-06-27
DR.. Clifford on Mechanical Unity"

really mean by their demand for chris
tan union" is that their church shall
swallow up all other churches. In effect
they claim infallibility for themselves
and universal fallibility for everybody
else. They are as generous as the hui
injurious Hibernian who said to his wife
with whom he had a disagreement,
Faith, Biddy. since we can not live in
pace togither, we shall be afther dividing
the house. And sure I'll trate We fair.
Biddy We will divide 'alf and 'alf; and
sure, IN take the inside and give We the
outside. Unity on such basis may
bring peace and power to some, but 1t
Will surely not promote the piety and
purity OF others.
Dr. Clifford is right again when he
says formal and mechanical unity is not
1.-The unity that increases spiritual eff
ficiency, augments Righteousness, or adj
vances the kingdom of Cod. 1t really
impairs all these good and important
things. If all the christians of the world
were organized into one huge, overshad-
owing ecclesiastical body, they would not
thereby be made more religious On the
contrary, they would be made less relig-1
ious by it. They would defy their world
wide organization, and trust it in place
of relying upon God. Indeed, the senu-
mental aspiration of some for sHch an
organization discloses an over-estimate of
the power of visible body and an under
estimate OF the invisible power Of the
Holy Spirit; 1t Is carnal in all its origin
and aim.
Moreover, where is there a man or a
set of men competent to govern and d.
rect such an organization? 1t would be-
come ambitious and oppressive at its head
and servile and supine at its extremities.
God has never allowed any human being,
or organization, to grasp after universal
dominion without stretching forth his
hand to defeat and overwhelm every such
ambitious effort. Thus He pulled down
the arrogant kingdoms of ancient Egypt
and Assyria. In like manner He over
threw Alexander and Napoleon, when
they began to dream of universal empire.
Christ reserves for Himself alone the
throne of the world, and He does not toll
crate any attempt to usurp 1t, whether
the usurpation be undertaken by political
or ecclesiastic powers. He is King of
kings and Lord of lords, and He en-
dures no rival. II He tolerated rival.
He would suffer thereby the corruption
of the spirituality of His kingdom and
invite the pollution of the world.
He particularly condemned, when He
was in the flesh, the disposition to mag
Nifty the visible and minify the invisible
kingdom. THE kingdom of God cometh
not with observation. Neither shall they
say, Lo herel or 10 therei for behold
the kingdom of God is within you.
duke xvii:20 and 2D. We may be sure,
it will not come by the diplomatic nego-
| tiations of ecclesiastical delegates and
commissions: nor by the compromising OF
dogmatic platforms: nor by the parade
of imposing assemblies and professions.
One man has vainly imagined that he
could promate it by money. and he has.
created a monetary foundation to serve.
perhaps. as. the basis of an ecclesiastical
syndicate or trust. He may understand
| finance, but, like most rich men. he fails
to comprehend the nature of the divine
kingdom. Money can do absolutely MOTH
| ing in such a matter beyond printing
some books and pamphlets and paying
| the travelling expenses of junketing COM
missioners to meetings in the interest of
/ impossible schemes for '|he reunion of
| christendom."
/ The spiritual movements OF John Yves
ley in the eighteenth century and Dwight
| L. Moody In the nineteenth century set
| forward the unity for which Christ
prayed far more than have all the am
bilious schemes for mechanical union
which have been put forth since the
days or the Apostles.
] If among the various ecclesiastical bod
!
unity they could not preserve organic
union If they had it, and when they at
tain spiritual unity, mere organic union
will seem too small and worthless a
thing to be desired Nay, when they
shall have attained to spiritual unity,
they will doubtless look upon any pro-
posal for organic union as a scheme
| for 1.-The reunion of christendom", and
fall more earnestly to doing the work
which Christ has given them to do. The
discussion misleads and confuses men of
the world, who by 1t are led to magnify
above measure the incidental and super
fetal divisions of christendom and to
minify the profound and ever widening
| spiritual unity of the Church of God
throughout the world. Moreover 1t de-
presses and discourages christian men
and women by inducing them to believe
that nothing can be done to promote the
kingdom of God until all the churches
are melted and moulded into one visible
body, which thing they see Is impossi-
bic.
The discussion is doing no good I'M
less it may be that 1t promotes a certain
mildness of manner and moderation of
speech when men are engaged in dis
cussing the subject. II 1t conduces to
ecclesiastical amiability and tolerance, 1t
may be worth the time and thought ex-
pended on 1t; but all parties to 1t may
be assured that there Is never coming a
time when all christians throughout the
whole world viii be organized into one
corpulent and apoplectic ecclesiasticism
Neither God nor man could endure such
an organization. 1t is time for every
christian man to learn how to respect
the churches Of other christians as well
as to love the christians of other
churches. No man and no church can
promote christian charity, or advance the
kingdom of heaven, by undertaking to abb
sorb into his own church the churches of