Chaistian Union.

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For the Christian Unionist.
CHRISTIAN UNITY.

BY REV. OLNEY PLACE.

All should study to know the gospel of Christ in its theory, spirit, experience and example.

No member of the church, in the presence of so much light as beautifies and baptises this age, should reveal a lack of spiritual knowledge or joy which such knowledge secures to the humble christian.

Theory in religion, like theory in other departments of responsibility, is valuable only as far as it shapes results. Moral and religious excellence is not the sequence of mere knowledge in right theory, but the fruit of an ultimate choice, or the ruling preference of the enlightened mind. This choice of the mind will be evidenced in the life-deeds of every believer in Jesus. Truths seen, adopted and worked out in the relations of life, secure moral happiness to the soul and gives success to the church. "If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them."

"Heaven wills our happiness, allows our doom,
Invites us ardently, but not compells.

If there be any truth in the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of christians, then are we to feel towards, speak of, and live with-in church fellowship-those believers who may very innocently entertain views differing from ours. And let those of the children of God who feel otherwise disposed, study Paul's teachings in Rom. xiv: 1-13; 1 Cor. xii: and xiii: also Eph. iv. Charity or christian toleration is one of the virtues in personal and church character required by Christ and demanded by an enlightened age.

This is admitted in theory by every denomination of christians, but neglected and crushed by the spirit of party. This may not be readily allowed by many in the sects for whose piety we cherish the highest regard. And since I am a minister of the blessed gospel of love and " good will toward men," the reader will allow me to argue this vital proposition for a moment.

Notice, I. What christian charity or tolerance in the church is not. II. What it is. III. Several reasons why we should be ruled by it. I. We proceed to show you what toleration or charity is not.

1. It is not apparent sympathy and fellowship of persons of our views and religions opinions. Could there be convened a local church of persons, all holding the same opinions, there could be no chance for the experience of loving forbearance.

2. It is not the professed liberality of persons who have no well defined views. Such persons are common in every locality, and are

prepared to say yes, yes, yes, to every man's views and to every church creed.

3. It is not the liberality of those who have a theory, but are unable to clearly define and strongly defend it. Persons of this class are poor material òut of which to make reformers. They may be good men, but are not easily tempted to push one who has not adopted their creeds.

4. It is not that charity which seeks to propagate truth by its compromise. Some have supposed christian union is to be realized by the sects merging their different views of divine truth, which is simply a compromise. How can this be reconciled with transparent christian honesty? God says: Buy the truth and sell it not." Hence, for two or more of the religious denominations to shuffle off so much of their belief in truth as would allow of their union in sentiment, would be sin and highly displeasing to God. There can be no charity in such a demand or in such a practice.

5. There can be no Bible tolerance existing between two evangelical denominations in the same locality. Since they mutually recog nize christian character, they are in all that is fundamental agreed, and disagree only on non-fundamental matters.

1. If they are possessed of charitable considerations for each other, wherefore did they divide?

2. Why do they keep divided?

3. Facts and observation show that religious sects show favor only where they are agreed, and that too from policy. I see no tender forbearance in all this.

I pass now to consider,

II. What christian liberality in a church is.

1. It is that feeling and willing of the mind by which persons of different religious opinions fraternize in mutual love and fellowship. Such persons really differ which affords an occasion for strife and division, but they will not enter into strife or divide since they are the recognized children of God, and love mutually. O, how blessed is such love, such a spirit, such union in earth and their hope of united joy in heaven. Of such persons the world is constrained. to say: "Behold how these christians love one another."

2. Church liberality or charity is found in the organization of the church which provides,

1. For all the christians of the place.

2. For them to grow in knowledge.

3. To enjoy liberty of thought, speech and action, not inconsistent with piety and order.

This I believe was the model of the primitive church, and the true ground on which to create visible christian union.

And now, dear reader, what do you think and say about it? If your church is radically unlike this model, will you, in a kind spirit, speak to your Pastor and to the church about it? Please read the prayer of Jesus, John xvii: also the Lord's prayer as it is called, and call the attention of your church to the great doctrine of christian oneness, now and hereafter, in earth and in heaven.

III. Notice several reasons for the exercise of charity and toleration in the church.

1. Men are unlike in their mental confirmation, a fact likely to cause diversity of views while the heart is pure and full of love. Men are to be loved and fellowshipped for what their soul, character, and life, is in our view, and not because their heads just fill our hearts.

2. Men differ in their personal advantages, which would be very likely to make them to differ in views if they started in life with equal natural capacity. We must ever bear in mind that we are to a great extent creatures of education and circumstance. Such differences must not be allowed to do us harm, but be ruled to our advantage by the grace of God.

3. The gospel enjoins toleration among local believers, so that union shall be enjoyed. "Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned." "Receive ye one another, even as Christ also hath received us, to the glory of God."

1. God receives all christians.

2. All christians have errors.

3. Therefore, God, his church and his creed, makes all believers one whom he tolerates and fellowships. Let us conform to God's way of doing spiritual work.

4. The life of Paul and the early church practiced toleration. Phil. i: 15-18; Acts ii: 44--47. No association of men can improve the primitive church polity and practice, since God qualified the Apostles to "set things in order in the churches."

5. Intolerance has ever been an evil, working untold mischief both in the churches and in the world. Paul says: "Whereas there is among you envying, strife and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk

as men ?"

6. We are to adopt such rules for the usage of the church as governs Christ. "God is no respector of persons, but out of every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted by him." Let the church adopt this test of fellowship, and permanent membership and local union is complete.

This plain talk may not please you, dear brother, but please look it over carefully, and then should you see or think you see mistakes, just write me a letter of correction which will be kindly received. I want you, dear reader, to subscribe for this monthly visitor, and read it carefully for one year, then we shall expect you to subscribe for it next year.

The Lord aid us individually to study his word more and church manuals less, that we may all be sanctified by the truth and saved in glory.

Copenhagan, Lewis Co., N. Y.

If God putteth no greivous cross on you, let your brethren's cross be your cross; which is a true token of brotherly love."-BRADFORD.

CHRISTIAN UNION.

PROPOSITIONS BY REV. DR. BACON,

Submitted to the Christian Union Meeting at New York.

I. Liberty in Christ, and under Christ, is inseparable from true and pure Christianity [2 Cor. iii: 17;] liberty to search the Scriptures; [John v: 39; Acts xvii: 11; 2 Tim. iii: 15, 16;] liberty to accept and hold whatever truth the Scriptures reveal to the individual soul enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit; [1 Thess. v: 21; 1 John iv: 1, 2; 1 Cor. ii: 12;] liberty to worship God in spirit and in truth; [John iv: 23, 24;] liberty to recognize and love as brethren all those who believe in Christ and love him; [Gal. vi: 16, 17; Rom. xiv : 1, 16, 13; 1 John iii: 14; v: 1, 2;] liberty for each individual Christian to employ all his talents in doing good to all men as he has opportunity, and especially to them who are of the household of faith; [Rom. xii: 6, 8; Gal. vi: 10; Luke ix: 49, 50.

II. Diversities of opinion and practice on religious and ecclesiastical questions of much importance existed among Christians even in the age of the Apostles, and are always to be expected, as an inevitable incident of that liberty which the Gospel claims for all men, and of that free and conscientous thinking to which the gospel, holding all men personally responsible to God, awakens earnest souls. [Rom. xiv, xvi; 1 Cor. 1: 10-12; Acts xv. See the New Testament entire, made up largely of views and arguments on points about which Christians at that time differed from each other.]

III. Christian liberty must not be sacrificed for the sake of avoiding the diversities of opinion and of practice, and the other inconvenienoes which are unavoidably incidental to liberty. [Gal. v: 1.]

IV. The suppression or violation of individual liberty in thought and utterance, in worship.and in Christian enterprise, for the sake of an organized and governed church catholic, comprehending and controlling all particular churches, is the characteristic and essence of Popery.

churches as

V. Uniformity is not unity; neither is unity uniformity. VI. The attempt to establish uniformity among essential to unity, or as a condition of fellowship and mutual recognition, naturally results in schism, whether the uniformity attempted be a uniformity of theological opinion, or a uniformity of worship and ritual, or a uniformity of ecclesiastical administration.

VII. The best organization of Christianity, other things being equal, is that which leaves to individual church members, according to their graces and their gifts, the largest liberty consistent with faith in Christ and obedience to the Word of God revealed in the Scriptures.

VIII. The more government there is in the churches or over them, in relation to points on which there is or may be differences of opinion or of practice among those who truly accept the Holy Scrip

tures as the authoritative rule of faith and duty, the more dissent there will be, unless Christian liberty is suppressed by power.

IX. Christ's catholic or universal Church, considered as invisible, includes all who believe in Christ to the saving of their souls; and it is one holy Church, built on the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone.

X. The Church universal, considered as visible and historic, is the present and historic visibility of living Christianity, which makes itself visible in the professed faith and the outward holiness of those who receive Christ and follow him; and thus considered, the Church of Christ, which he has built on an immoveable rock, and against which the gates of hell shall not prevail, is and ever will be one.

XI. If the word "church" be taken to signify an organized and body politic, there is and can be no visible Church catholic, including and governing all particular churches; and the attempt to establish such a catholicity, excluding from it all Christians who do not acknowledge its authority, is itself a schism.

[NOTE. Whether the "particular church" be national, as the Church of England or of Stotland; or diocesan, as the Church of Durham or of Lincoln; or denominational, as the Lutheran Church, or the Presbyterian, or the Reformed; or simply parochial, makes no difference with the truth or the meaning of the proposition.]

XII. The existing disease of organized Christianity, manifesting itself in an ever-increasing number of sects and separations, otherwise called denominations, is not caused by disorganization, nor by want of organization, but by over-organization; and it must be remedied, not homoeopathically, by more organization; even in homoeopathic doses, but by being let alone severely.

XIII. The church unity most to be desired is not ecumenical, nor national, nor any other kind of synodal unity, but parochial unity, so that the Christian people in every local community may co-operate in sustaining the worship of God, and the ministry of his Word, and in the great Christian work of parochial evangelization.

PROGRESS OF CHRISTIAN UNION.

The New York Observer of April 9th, contains the following, which we transfer to our columns as indicative of a long step in the right direction, which we hope will be followed by many more of the

same sort.

Last Thursday evening, an Episcopal church was opened for public worship, in our sister city, Brooklyn, under circumstances of unusual interest. The building was begun by a Presbyterian congregation and sold for $27,000 to the Episcopalians, who have completed it at an expense of $20,000 more, making it second only in the city in point of beauty. A correspondent informs us that under the corner-stone are laid "a copy of the Bible, the Westminster Confession, the Nicene Creed, and the New York Observer.

The church is not yet "consecrated" after the manner of the