Year: 1873




Gospel! Is sectarain prejudice so
}, binding in its influence? Or is the
! doctrine of Christian Union a myth,
or mere hobby with which to as
sist in building up another new
party claiming public patronagef
What are the objects that are urg-
ed against union among all true
(, christians? Let us see if they will
i bear examination.
II Oh. /. divisions are necessary
to keep the Church pure; hence a
Z union would be unwise." To
strengthen this argument we are
told that in religion as in politics,
'lparties are necessary to preserve
1.-The purity of the body. The objec-
Itor forgets that the political parties
Tive under the same government,
and if the argument has any force,
the religious parties ought to be in
| the same church under the same
government. But the promises are
a mere assumption, and contrary to
matter of fact. Corrections both
doctrinal and governmental, do ex-
list in most, if not all of the churches,
and are pointed to by every sect in
Vvindication of it's own course. Cor
ruptions of some sort are the cause
Of the divisions. And certainly it
is not reasonable to expect that the
effect will destroy the cause. God
in his all wise providence may and
often does, bring good out of evil,
but that the evil can thereby be
justifiedi is very incorrect.


Oh. 2. "Sectarian divisions gen.
der and foster zeal; therefore a
general union would be injuri-
Gus.


The teal gendered and fostered
by secthrian divisions is not chris
ton bht sectarian. Like always
begets its like; and the stream can
not rise higher than the fountain.
Christian zeal springs from love to
God and love to man, and is the
natural off spring of sympathy with
the Savior in his great work of re-
deeming grace. But this is merely
a zeal for numbers, zeal for party.
II would, and does crown the
church with unconverted men. 1t
converts the pulpit into a partisan
rostrum; and hides Christ behind
party trappings. This is the
strange fire which men would offer
on Gods altar; this is the base me-
tai with which men would counter
fit heavens currency. If divisions
are the cause of this vile, forbidden
thing,every honest man ought to de-
cry them until these counterfeiting
abodes have no more an existence
and the genuine, legalized currency
of heaven with Gods own impress
is the only circulating medium in
the church.


Oh. 3. "The present divided
state of the church is better adapt
ed to the various and conflicting
views of the masses, and is better.
calculated to win them to the SER
vice of God" If this be correct,
then as the Christian Union seems
so well adapted to the masses, the
objector ought to give up all oppo-
sition, lest he be found to fight
against God. Men can be reached
by it who cannot otherwise be
reached, therefore let no man who
fears God dare to oppose the move
ment.


But is the objector sincerep
Would he not himself do the very
thing to which he objects? Yes! in
his inmost soul he desires a union
of all Christians; only he wants it
on his own sectarian platform.


He wishes all to unite with his
own party, Away with such can't
ing Hypocrisy


Oh. 4. "But if all were united
now, man with half brain can
see that they would soon be divi-
ded again"


And what then? must we not
build Gods beautiful and heaven
ordained temple after the pattern
given us in his own word; but erect,
after our own foolish fancy, will
derness of religious wigwams, least
the devil through the agency of
wicked or misguided men should
mar its symetry or deface its glory?
Because the enemy may sow tares
in the gospel field, must we stay our
hand and act the part of obsequiu-
GUS slaves2 On the same principle
man ought never to have been Gre
ated; and no efforts should be made
to save sinners. The authors Of
such divisions, when they do occur,
Al