STIAN UNION

GARRISON

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CHRISTIAN UNION:
A HISTORICAL STUDY

By
H. GARRISON, 1,1,. D.,
EJditor Christian-Evangelist.

"Now I beseech you, brethren, through the
name of our L,ord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak
the same thing, and that there be no divisions
among you." — Paul.

CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY
ST. LOUIS, MO.

Copyrighted, 1906, by
CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY.

DEDICATION:
TPO the Memory of Thomas Campbell, the saintly
pioneer, who, in an age of religious strife and
bitterness, breathed the sweet spirit of peace and cath
olicity, and who, moved by the Spirit of Christ, lifted
a banner of unity which is to-day an ensign of hope
to millions of longing souls who are praying for a
united Church.

PREFACE

The author of this little volume has no
higher ambition in these closing years of his
public life than to promote the unity and fel
lowship of all who love our Lord Jesus Christ
in sincerity. If he shall be remembered in
after years by those who shall come after him
as one who sought to remove prejudice and
misunderstanding among the friends of Christ,
and to bring them closer together in fraternal
fellowship and service, and as one who, in his
day, contributed something to the fulfillment
of our Lord's prayer for the oneness of his
followers, he will not have lived and labored
in vain. May He whose beatitude — "Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called
the children of God" — has been an inspiration
in all our labors, crown this humble plea for
the unity of His disciples with His own divine
blessing and benediction!

CONTENTS

Intrc

13

I.

The Apostolic Age . .

. 25

II.

The Post -Apostolic Age

. 79

III.

The Graeco - Roman Period .

. 95

IV.

The Protestant Era . . .

. 103

V.

The Period of Reunion . .

. 129

INTRODUCTION
The greatest task before the Church is
the evangelization and Christianization of
the world. The successful accomplishment
of this task involves the harmonious co
operation of the various parts of the di
vided Church. Hence the supreme problem
before the Church is such a unification of
its sundered parts as will secure the need
ed co-operation. The chief motive to Chris
tian union is that it is an essential condi
tion to the conversion of the world. Jesus
prayed that his disciples might be one,
"that the world may believe that thou hast
sent me." This prayer of our Lord defines
both the reason for Christian union and
the kind of union he desires. The reason
is "that the world may believe," and the
kind of union prayed for is that which will
promote and hasten that end.
At no time in the history of the Church
since its divisions have occurred has there
been so deep and widespread interest on
the subject of Christian union as there
is to-day. At no time, therefore, has there
been so favorable a time for the re-study
of this subject in the light of New Testa-
13

CHRISTIAN UNION
ment teaching and church history. Bitter
ness of party spirit has subsided. Narrow
prejudices have given way before increas
ing light and a larger charity. The will of
Jesus Christ is more potent in molding the
religious thought and life of men to-day
than it has been for many generations and
centuries. If He, our sovereign Lord and
Head of the church, desires his followers
to be one, the Church now is ready to
pause and ask, reverently and thoughtfully,
"In what sense, Master, wouldst thou have
us one, and how may it be accomplished?"
Believing the time, therefore, to be propi
tious for such a re-investigation of the sub
ject, we purpose to contribute- a series of
historical studies on the unity of Christians
with the view of aiding in the solution of
this problem of our time.
As the modern mind has become ac
customed to the historical method of study,
it is believed that the subject of Chris
tian union can be seen in the clearest and
best light when it is looked at through the
perspective of history. It is our plan,
therefore, in conducting this investigation,
to begin with the beginning of Christianity,
and to ascertain, as far as possible, wh»*
14

INTRODUCTION.
kind of Christian union existed and to what
causes it owed its existence in the first
and successive epochs of church history.
We believe that God has been teaching us
through these centuries past by the events
of history, and especially in these modern
times is He speaking to us in the movements
of our age in language which can not be
misunderstood by those who have eyes to
see, ears to hear and hearts to understand.
We feel sure that any discussion of this
great theme that is unillumined and unin
fluenced by the providential movements of
our time would be inadequate. We shall
therefore seek to know the meaning of
what God is doing in our day as well as -of
what He did in days of old.
THE HISTORICAL METHOD.
The student to-day naturally approaches
the study of every subject that roots itself
back in history by the historical method.
This is the well-nigh universal method now
in vogue among scholars in their study of
the sacred books of the Bible, whether they
be classed as conservative or radical. It
has seemed to us that the subject of Chris
tian union, which is as old as the Christian
15

CHRISTIAN UNION
Church, and whose underlying principles
are much older, can be seen in its true light
only as it is seen in the perspective of his
tory, especially of inspired history. Much
of the confusion relating to this question
to-day comes, we are bound to think, from
viewing it too exclusively as a present-day
problem to be solved solely in the light of
present conditions. The range of vision is
not wide enough, and does not extend back
into history far enough, to see the subject in
all its bearings. Certainly we can not ig
nore the present condition of the Church,
and the present phase of thought and feel
ing as relates to Christian union ; but it can
not fail to be vastly helpful to study how
the Church was one in the beginning of its
career, the conditions under which it re
mained one for a period, the causes which
subverted that unity, and the influences
which have been and are now at work for
its restoration. This is what we mean by
the historical method of studying this
subject. For the purpose of this study we may di
vide the whole period of Church History
into five great epochs, as follows :

16

INTRODUCTION.
I. The Apostolic Age.
Strictly speaking, this would be the pe
riod between the birth of the Christian
Church, in about A. D. 30, to the death of
the Apostle John, about the year A. D. 100.
It will be sufficient for our purpose to let
the Apostolic Age embrace the first century.
II. The Post-Apostolic Age.
Again having in mind the purpose of this
investigation, this second epoch of Church
History, beginning with the second century,
may extend to the Council of Nice, in the
year 325. The adoption of the Nicene creed
marks a distinct epoch in the history of the
Church. III. The Graeco-Roman Age.
This period extends from the Nicene
Council to the Protestant Reformation in
the sixteenth century, under Martin Luther.
This age of the Church, which includes the
rise of the papacy, was marked by the first
division of the Church — that between the
Eastern and Western Churches, better
known to modern history as the Roman
Catholic and Greek Churches. This division
occurred in the year 1054.
(2) 17

CHRISTIAN UNION.
IV. The Bra of Protestantism.
This epoch of the Church, beginning, of
course, with the Lutheran Reformation,
continues to the present. But it has under
gone a change in its spirit and method
which justifies a new designation for the
times in which we live.
V. The Period of Reunion.
This era had its beginning in a reaction
against divisive tendencies in the Church,
and the introduction of influences and for
mal movements looking toward unity.
Roughly speaking, this era began with the
nineteenth century, and will end with the
fulfillment of Christ's prayer for the unity
of his followers. This, we believe, will be
followed by another great epoch — that of
the triumph of a united Church over the
forces of evil, when the kingdoms of this
world shall become the kingdom of our
Lord Jesus Christ. But this epoch does not
fall within the scope of the present study,
save as the sublime end toward which all
our efforts for union look, and "toward
which the whole creation moves."
This is a rough outline of the plan we
are to follow in this study. Each of these
18

INTRODUCTION.
epochs of Church History will be studied
in order to find out what lessons it has for
us who, in these last days, are seeking to
solve the problem of Christian union. Some
of these epochs will require more careful
study, and will yield better results, so far
as our present topic is concerned, than oth
ers. But each will tie found to contribute
something in the way of example, warning
or suggestion that will help us to understand
more clearly the supreme problem which
confronts the Church to-day.
"History," some one has said, "is philos
ophy teaching by example." Is it not even
more than that? If there be a guiding
Hand, an overruling Providence, shaping
the course of human events, does it not fol
low that history in the long run is a com
mentary on the divine purpose? History
is a great teacher, but in order to learn the
lessons it can teach us we must divest our
selves, as far as possible, of all prejudices
and preconceived theories that would pre
vent us from accepting its facts or the
meaning of its facts. In this investigation
we plead for an open mind and a love of
truth that transcends all our reverence for
inherited opinions and traditions.
19

CHRISTIAN UNION.
Two motives impel us to this fresh study
of the subject of Christian union. We be
lieve that we who are designated as "Dis
ciples of Christ," or "Christians," and who,
together with our fathers, have stood for
nearly a century as advocates of Christian
union, need to re-study this subject both
in the light of the past and of the present
that we may renew our zeal in its behalf,
and get a clearer grasp of the subject in
its relation to the times in which we live,
and to the principles for which we stand.
Like others, we are not immune from the
party spirit, and there is constant danger
that we may make the plea of Christian
union a mere party slogan, much as a po
litical party sometimes raises a popular cry
to catch votes. On the other hand, there is
danger that some may grow weary of the
slow coming of the desired unity, and may
seek to hasten it in a way that would
compromise important principles and fur
nish a new occasion for division. To pre
vent either of these extremes, it seems to
us a fresh study of this whole question is
desirable. The other motive is a desire to
contribute any light which we may be able
to give for the benefit of our brethren in
20

INTRODUCTION.
other religious bodies who, with us, are
seeking to solve the problem of unity and
to find a closer bond of fellowship that
will enable them to co-operate, as members
of a common family and citizens of a com
mon kingdom, in spreading the reign of
Christ over the earth. Hitherto the ears
of these brethren have not been so open
to hear anything we had to say on the sub
ject as they are at present. We shall have
that larger constituency in view in these
studies, and we shall be grateful for any
help which we may be able to render our
brethren in other religious bodies, who,
equally with us, are interested in this sub
ject. Our earnest desire is, and our earnest
effort will be, to avoid writing as a parti
san, but to write rather as a free member
of the body of Christ, claiming fellowship
with all Christians, and seeking only to
bring them into such relations with Christ
and with each other as that the will of God
may speedily be done on earth as it is done
in heaven.
We are at the dawn of a new era on the
subject of Christian unity. Men may shut
their eyes to the fact if they will, but the
fact exists nevertheless. A new spirit has
21

CHRISTIAN UNION
entered into the hearts of Christian people,
and the Church has caught the sight of a
new vision which will henceforth be a con
trolling factor in its life. Having once seen
this fair vision, it can never live and labor
contentedly under the limitations of its di
vision walls. It is with the view of hasten
ing the realization on earth of this vision
of a united Church, if only in some small
degree, that we undertake this work.
It is with a profound sense of our in
ability to deal adequately with so great and
vital a theme, that we undertake the task
outlined above. We do so, however, relying
confidently upon the gracious aid of that
divine and immanent Spirit an important
part of whose mission in the Church is to
promote its spiritual development and unity.

22

I
THE APOSTOLIC AGE

"Neither for these only do I pray, but for
them also that believe on me through their
word; that they may all be one; even as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also
may be in us; that the world may believe that
thou didst send me." (John 17:20, 21.)
"By -this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples, if ye have love one to another."
(John 13:35-)
"And the multitude of them that believed
were of one heart and soul: and not one of
them said that aught of the things which he
possessed was his own; but they had all things
common." (Acts 4 :,p.)
"Now this I mean, that each one of you
saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollbs; and I of
Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided?
was Paul crucified for you? or were you bap
tized in the name of Paul?" (I. Cor. 1:12, 13.)
"Wherefore let no one glory in men. For
all things are yours; whether Paul, or
Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or
death, or things present, or things to come;
all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ
is God's." (I. Cor. 3:21-23.) 24

I
THE APOSTOLIC AGE
THE BIRTH OE THE CHURCH.
God had a "chosen people" under both
the patriarchal and Jewish dispensations
among whom there were devout souls who
"walked with God" and obeyed His will so
far as it was revealed to them. But the in
stitution known as the Church, the Church
of God, or the Chvirch of Christ, came into
existence on the first Pentecost following
the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
This occurred in the city of Jerusalem in
about the year A. D. 29 or 30. There was a
concurrence of events at this time and place
that marked the introduction of a new age,
or dispensation.
Fifty days before this event Jesus had
been crucified at the time of the Jewish
Passover. On the third day afterwards he
had risen from the dead. Forty days after
his resurrection he remained among his
disciples, appearing to them at different
times and furnishing them many "infalli-
25

CHRISTIAN UNION
ble proofs" of his identity and of the real
ity of his resurrection. He had then as
cended to his Father from the Mount of
Olives, where, under the brilliant light of
the Syrian sun, he was parted from them in
the act of blessing them, and was received
into heaven. One week later, being the
day of Pentecost, he fulfilled his promise
to his disciples by sending upon them "the
promise of the Father." The week be
tween the ascension of Jesus and the advent
of the Holy Spirit seems to have been spent
by the disciples in a prayer meeting. (Acts
1:14.) Being thus gathered together, the Spirit
descended upon them, "and they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit
gave them utterance." Peter, who seems to
have been the chief speaker, explained the
phenomena which they were witnessing as
the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel con
cerning the pouring out of the Spirit in the
last days, and vindicated Jesus as the true
Messiah by announcing his resurrection and
coronation in heaven. As a result of his
preaching and that of the other apostles,
three thousand were convicted of sin, and
26

THE APOSTOLIC AGS
were baptized in the name of Christ on
that day. (Acts 2.)
At that time and in that place came into
being what has since been known in his
tory as the Church. It could not have come
into existence earlier, because (1) Jesus
had not died for our sins according to the
Scriptures; (2) had not risen from the
dead for our justification; (3) had not as
cended into heaven and thus vindicated his
claims to the Messiahship ; nor (4) had the
Holy Spirit been given in his new relation
to men, through whom men were to be con
victed of sin and made alive to Christ. Be
sides, this was the time and place for this
event, according to the Scriptures. Cen
turies before Isaiah had prophesied, saying :
"And it shall come to pass in the latter days,
that the mountain of Jehovah's house shall
be established on the top of the mountains,
and shall be exalted among the hills ; and
all nations shall flow unto it. And many
people shall go and say, Come ye, and let
us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to
the house of the God of Jacob ; and he shall
teach us of his ways, and we shall walk in
his paths ; for out of Zion shall go forth
the law, and the word of Jehovah from Je-
27

CHRISTIAN UNION
rusalem." (See also Micah 4:1, 2.)
Concerning this same event, Jesus had
prophesied more specifically when he said
to two of his disciples on the way to Em-
maus, "Thus it is written, that the Christ
should suffer, and rise again from the dead
the third day ; and that repentance and re
mission of sins should be preached in his
name unto all the nations, beginning from
lerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these things.
And behold, I send forth the promise of my
Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city,
until ye be clothed with power from on
high." (Luke 24:46-49.) This passage
fixes definitely both the time and the place
of the beginning of that great spiritual
movement which we call the Church.
There was a time of necessary prepara
tion going before this in the life and per
sonal ministry of Jesus Christ, and in the
training of his apostles who were to be the
charter members and nucleus of his Church,
and ministers plenipotentiary in the proc
lamation of the Gospel and the terms of
salvation. But even these apostles had a
vague and inadequate conception of the
mission of Jesus and of the nature of his
kingdom until they had received the endue-
28

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
ment of power from on high. How much
less prepared were the others to become
spiritual members of the Church made up
of regenerated persons ! It was not the
work of Jesus during his earthly ministry
to establish his Church and win men to his
spiritual reign by his own personal appeal.
That was to be the work of the apostles
and others who should come after them.
His was a work of preparation — the prep
aration of the Gospel message and of men
who were to declare it. This was why he
could say to his disciples, "And greater
works than this shall he do [who believes
on me] because I go unto my Father."
(John 14:12.) His going to the Father by
the way of the cross, the sepulcher, the res
urrection and the ascension, would complete
a message which, when told by men under
the power of the Spirit, would enable them
to do greater works than any miracle he
had wrought. Jesus always taught his dis
ciples to esteem spiritual blessings far be
yond any material blessings, even the sav
ing of their physical lives. Hence the moral
and spiritual changes to be effected by the
Gospel through the preaching of his dis
ciples were in his thought "greater works"
29

CHRISTIAN UNION
than any physical miracles he haa wrought.
Thus came into existence, through the
preaching by the apostles of Jesus Christ
and him crucified, and through faith in and
obedience to him, that Church whose for
tunes we are to follow, and the secret of
whose unity we are to seek to find. It is
important to note the following facts in
connection with the beginning of the
Church, as they will have an important
bearing in our future investigation of this
subject :
i. The subject matter of the preaching
which produced the faith and conviction of
sin, causing the men who heard it to cry .
out, "Brethren, what shall we do?" was
Jesus Christ, crucified, risen again from the
dead, ascended into heaven, crowned king,
and sending forth his Holy Spirit upon
them, through whom he declared the mes
sage of life and salvation. In other words,
it was the simple facts of the Gospel — a
story which later came to be summarized
in a single phrase, "the Cross of Christ."
There were no theological definitions or
philosophical speculations or far-drawn in
ferences, but the earnest proclamation of
well-attested facts concerning Jesus of Naz
areth. 30

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
2. The power by which these facts were
declared, and which used these facts in con
victing of sin those who had been the mur
derers of Jesus, was the Holy Spirit, with
out whose enduement they were not per
mitted to begin their work.
3. So clear and convincing was the
preaching, and so unmistakable were the
directions given to these men that three
thousand persons on that same day yielded
obedience to the Lord in baptism and were
added to the Church.
4. Notice, further, that this Church was
a spiritual institution, the Gospel having
been preached by men who were "filled with
the Spirit," and each individual member,
having believed, repented and been bap
tized unto the remission of sins, received
the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38.)
It is not strange to read of such a Church
that "The multitude of them that believed
were of one heart and soul ; and no one
of them said that aught of the things which
he possessed was his own ; but they had all
things common, and with great power gave
the apostles their witness of the resurrec
tion of the Lord Jesus; and great grace
was upon them all." (Acts 4:32, 33.)
31

¦ CHRISTIAN UNION
AN UNDIVIDED CHURCH.
The fact that stands out in bold signifi
cance on the pages of the New Testament
is that the Church of the first century was
an undivided Church. It had its local as
semblies or congregations in different
places, as the church at Jerusalem, Antioch,
Philippi, Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, etc., but
these were regarded as component parts of
the one united Church of God in the world.
The term church (ekklesia) was used in
two senses only, the one local, the other
general. "The church of God, which is at
Corinth" (i Cor. i -.2), and the "Church of
the living God, the pillar and ground of
the truth" (i Tim. 3:15), are instances of
the local and general uses of the term. The
latter use of the word Church may mean
either the actual Church, as a whole, or the
ideal Church*

""We may think of the Church as an 'empiric matter
of fact,' i. e., as a collection of individuals, the actual
Church, or we may cease to think of the Church as a
noun of multitude and regard it as a single individual
entity, the ideal Church. The second point of view is
closely related to the first. If we ask what is in the
minds of the writers in this usage we find that ultimately
they are thinking not of a single entity, tmt of a col
lection of individuals. So when St. Paul says the Church
32

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
The important thing to notice is, that
there was no prefix or affix to the term
"Church," except to denote its location.
There was nothing to indicate different
kinds of churches having different creeds
and terms of fellowship, for the simple
reason that no such churches existed. What
ever may have been their differences of
opinion and feeling on many points — and
these were very great, as we shall point out
later — they regarded themselves, and were
so regarded by the apostles, as constituting
one Church, or "one body," having "one
Spirit" and "one hope," with "one Lord,
one faith, and one baptism." (Eph. 4:

is the 'body' or 'bride' of Christ, he is really expressing,
under the figure of a single entity, the Church, the rela
tion in which Christ stands to individual members. There
is, however, a real difference between the conception of
the actual and ideal Church in two respects: (i) The con
ception of the actual Church regards it as it really is,
i. e., a body of individuals of various degrees of imper
fection; while the ideal Church is a body whose members
represent the ideal of membership, i. c, it is a perfect
Church, or at least one free from the negative aspect of
evil. (2) The actual Church is composed of the mem
bers who are still alive and in the world at time of
speaking; while the conception of the ideal Church does
not denote a definite number of members at a definite
time, but implies a membership independent of time. The
latter is in fact an ideal, not an empirical, body." —
Hastings Bible Dictionary, Vol. I., p. 42$.
(3) 33

CHRISTIAN UNION
4, 5.) A member going from any one of
the local churches to another, in the apos
tolic age, would have been welcomed into
its fellowship on giving evidence of his
membership elsewhere. So far as the lo
cation of these churches and the limited
methods of communication and transporta
tion made it possible, they were ready to
co-operate with each other in furthering the
common interests of a common Church. As
we have already seen, the multitude of
disciples at Jerusalem were "of one heart
and one soul," practicing even a commu
nity of goods. The Macedonian churches
made offerings to relieve the poor saints
in Judea.
When one sits down to study the causes
which made possible the marvelous success
of the Gospel in the first century, in the
face of Jewish narrowness and bigotry and
Gentile licentiousness and idolatry, he can
not fail to see that without the unity which
characterized the Church of that age its
victories would have been impossible. The
very fact that the new religion possessed a
unifying power that could bind together in
harmony Jew and Gentile, Greek and bar
barian, bond and free, gave it a tremen-
34

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
dous moral power and momentum which
triumphed over all opposition. Jerusalem,
Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of
the world, felt its quickening touch and
owned its transforming power. Antioch,
Ephesus, Corinth and Rome were in turn
shaken to their foundations by the new
dynamic of a divine evangel preached by
a united Church. Blending hearts in one,
breaking down ancient barriers of hatred
and prejudice, it had one supreme passion —
the extension of Christ's reign over all the
habitable world. Passing through "fires of
persecution undaunted and undismayed,
this Gospel of human brotherhood, under-
the divine Fatherhood, spread throughout
the ."Roman empire and later mounted to
the very throne of the Caesars.
Let it be remembered, too, that thje
Church began its career at a time when
deep-seated prejudices and bitter hostility
divided the different races and classes of
men. The Jew and the Gentile despised
each other, while a feeling of bitter hos
tility existed between the Samaritans and
the Jews. And yet, in spite of all these
racial and class prejudices and religious
feuds, there were gathered together out of
35

CHRISTIAN UNION
these hostile elements a united Church,
whose members were bound together by
ties which even death could not sever. What
was ' the secret of its unity ? What made
the Church of the. first century, composed
as it was of these diverse elements, a
united Church? Its bond of unity was the
personal allegiance of its members to the
personal Christ as Saviour and Lord. Their
common faith was faith in him. Their
common love was love for him. Their com
mon hope was hope in him. Their com
mon baptism was baptism in his name.
Their unity — the unity of the Spirit — was
in him. Their union with each other was
the direct result of their union with him.
He had communicated to them his Spirit.
In his life and teaching, in his wonderful
works of mercy, in his atoning death and
resurrection from the dead, in his ascen
sion to the right hand of God, and corona
tion as King of kings and Lord of lords,
they found all that was necessary to their
spiritual life and growth, their triumph
over all the forces of evil, and their pledge
of immortality. It was no human formula
tion of doctrines, nor was it any pressure of
external authority, that made them one, but
36

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
the cohesive power of a mutual love for
their divine Lord and for all his disciples.
So close was this personal tie between the
disciples and their Lord that he suffered
with all their sufferings, bore their re
proaches and they shared in his life and in
all his triumphs.
Such was the unity of the Church in the
beginning. We shall see, further on, to what
severe tests this unity was put by ques
tions which arose in the apostolic age, and
which excited warm discussion and wide
differences of opinion.
UNITY OF THE EARLY CHURCH TESTED.
It should be stated that the unity which
prevailed in the Church immediately fol
lowing Pentecost, and for a few years
later, was of that simple, naive kind which
flowed naturally out of their first love for
each other and for their common Master,
and which had not been tried. This divine
impulse was sufficient to overcome, for the
time at least, the ancient differences and
alienations which existed between sects and
races, but would the bond of unity be
strong enough to hold the Church together
37

CHRISTIAN UNION
when there should spring up within the
Church itself serious differences of opinion
touching the very nature and scope of the
new religion? It was not long before the
unity of the Church in the apostolic age
was subjected to such a test.
In less than a score of years, after Chris
tianity had passed beyond Jewish limita
tions, and Gentile converts had been
brought into the Church, a fierce contro
versy arose concerning the reception of
Gentile converts, as to whether they should
not be required to submit to circumcision
and to keep the law of Moses. -Paul, the
missionary to the Gentiles, championed
the cause of Christian liberty, and held firm
ly to the position that to impose circum
cision on these converts was to nullify the
Gospel, while to accept circumcision was to
become a debtor to do the whole law and
to be severed from Christ. (Gal. 5:1-4.)
On the other hand we can well understand
how radical and revolutionary it must have
seemed to certain Jewish brethren to re
ceive on terms of religious equality those
who had never submitted to circumcision
and the Jewish law. To them it seemed like
trampling under feet the religion of their
38

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
fathers, and therefore not to be tolerated.
This man Paul, who was receiving Gentile
converts into the. Church without circum
cision and was teaching them that the law
of Moses was superseded by the Gospel of
Christ, was, in their estimation, an arch
heretic whose mouth should be stopped.
It is a sad fact to which history bears
abundant testimony that at every great
crisis in the Church, when some advance
step is to be taken to adjust the forces of
righteousness to the demands of the new
age, some one whom God has chosen for
the purpose must make himself "of no repu
tation" with a. large section of the Church
in order to voice God's will to that age.
These leaders have had to bear not only
the travail of soul which every honest man
experiences in breaking away from once
cherished opinions, but they have had to
endure the opprobrium of their brethren
who have not been able to see the truth in
its new light and in its wider relations, nor
to acknowledge the equal loyalty of those
who do see it. Paul may be considered
the most conspicuous example of this type
of leader in the early Church, though
Stephen, the proto-martyr, was before him
39

CHRISTIAN UNION
in his apprehension of the spiritual nature
of Christianity and in sealing his testimony
with his blood.
It is easy for us, at this distant age, to
underestimate the gravity of that issue. It
was a question of far-reaching importance,
on the right settlement of which depended
the future triumphs of Christianity in the
world. It was the beginning of that age
long conflict between Christian liberty and
a stolid and narrow conservatism which
clings to ideas and customs long after they
have ceased to meet the needs of men. The
question came to a crisis when "certain
men came down [to Antioch] from Judea
and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye
be circumcised after the custom of Moses
ye can not be saved." Is it too severe to
say that these self-appointed regulators
of their brethren were not half so much
concerned about saving these Antiochians
as they were about saving their traditions ?
We are not surprised to read that "Paul
and Barnabas had no small dissension and
questioning with them." The result was
that "the brethren appointed that Paul and
Barnabas and certain other of them should
go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and
40

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
elders about this question." (Acts 15:
1, 2.) There the matter was amicably
settled, and settled in favor of Paul's posi
tion, with a few concessions to Jewish
prejudice which involved no principle, and
the observance of certain moral require
ments which Paul had not neglected.
Gentile converts need not be circumcised,
but they would be asked to "abstain from
the pollutions of idols, and from forni
cation and from what is strangled and from
blood." This was the settlement which
"seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to
us" — the apostles and elders.
Thus a great crisis in the Church was
safely passed. It was fortunate that the
cause of Christian liberty had such an able
champion as Paul. It would have been
easy to have split the Church in twain on
that subject, if the leaders had been less
guided by the Holy Spirit, and had been
ambitious to be party leaders. It was the
spirit of unity, and loyalty to a common
Lord, on the part of Paul and Barnabas —
the liberal leaders — and Peter and James —
the conservative leaders — that brought
about this happy settlement and averted a
disruption in the Church. It may be ques-
41

CHRISTIAN UNION
tioned whether a single division in the
Church to-day is based on a more important
question of difference than that which this
conference at Jerusalem settled. What were
the principles observed in this settlement?
i. Christian liberty prevailed over the
narrower interpretation of God's will and.
purpose. When has it not done so?
2. But there was no compromise of
truth. The will of Christ, as manifested
in his word and in the events of that day,
was honored and carried out.
3. Love triumphed over partisan feeling,
and catholicity over provincialism.
We have spoken of the question of the
relation of Gentile Christians to the law
as having been settled by the conference
at Jerusalem. It was, indeed, a settlement
of this question among the leaders of the
Church, and probably a majority of the
members. If any one supposes, however,
that the Judaizing party in Jerusalem ac
cepted this official decision as final, and
were silenced by it, he reckons without the
record. When was the spirit of faction, or
of opinionism, ever submissive to the wis
dom and wish of the leaders of the Church,
and the majority of its members ?
42

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
It is clear from the record of this council,
as it has been called, that there was op
position to the decision at the time, and
notwithstanding the agreement reached be
tween the "pillar" apostles at Jerusalem,
Peter, James and John, on the one side,
and the heads of the Gentile mission, Paul
and Barnabas, on the other, this opposi
tion increased in strength and fury until
the party resolved to send out propagan
dists to visit the Gentile churches and per
suade them to be circumcised and to keep
the law of Moses, if they would not imperil
their salvation. Of course this was in di
rect violation of the decision which had
been reached, and of the apostolic rescript
conveying this decision to the churches.
But no doubt these men justified their
course on the ground that it was more im
portant to see that the law of Moses was
obeyed than that they should obey a de
cision issued by men of their own time,
and that, too, against their wishes. Be
sides, did they not have a "Thus saith the
Lord" enjoining circumcision and other
legal observances?
"For years and years these emissaries of
a narrow-minded fanaticism, which believed
43

CHRISTIAN UNION
itself to be the only genuine Christianity,
diffused themselves over all the churches
founded by Paul throughout the Gentile
world. Their work was not to found
churches of their own ; they had none of
the original pioneer ability of their great
rival. Their business was to steal into the
Christian communities he had founded and
win them to their own narrow views. They
haunted Paul's footsteps wherever he went,
and for many years were a cause to him of
unspeakable pain. They whispered to his
converts that his version of the Gospel was
not the true one, and that his authority
was not to be trusted. Was he one of the
twelve apostles? Had he kept company
with Christ? They represented themselves
as having brought the true form of Chris
tianity from Jerusalem, the sacred head
quarters; and they did not scruple to pro
fess that they had been sent from the apos
tles there. They distorted the very noblest
parts of Paul's conduct to their purpose.
For instance, his refusal to accept money
for his services they imputed to a sense of
his own lack of authority ; the real apostles
always received pay. In the same way they
misconstrued his abstinence from marriage.
44

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
They were men not without ability for the
work they had undertaken; they had
smooth, insinuating tongues, they could
assume an air of dignity, and they did not
stick at trifles."* Nor were the efforts of
these men without success. Particularly
were the Galatian and Corinthian churches
affected by them. The Galatian letter is
one of the hot bolts which Paul hurled
against his enemies, who, in time, were si~
lenced, but not without making a severe
test of the bond of unity which held the
early Church together as one body.
Another question soon rose upon the
horizon, which was close akin to the one
whose disturbing influence we have just
seen. Was it right for the Jewish Chris
tians to continue to observe the law of
Moses? It is certain that Paul's view of
Christianity, if rigidly applied, would have
put a stop to all such legal observances.
Besides, it was a logical conclusion from
the decision in reference to Gentile Chris
tians. There could not be two sets of terms
of admission into the Church — one for
Jews and another for Gentiles. Paul, how-
*"The Life of St. Paul," by Rev. James Stalker M. A.,
P»*« H<>. 45

CHRISTIAN UNION
ever, was about the only leader who saw
clearly that the law of Moses was super
seded by Christianity, and that the believer
in Christ was complete in him and needed
not to observe the ceremonials of the law.
It is certain that the main body of the Jew
ish converts to Christianity, including per
haps the apostles at Jerusalem, had not yet
reached this conception of Christianity.
As a matter of fact we know they continued
to observe the law for many years after
their conversion to Christianity, so that
James could say to Paul, on his return from
his third missionary tour, as late perhaps
as the year A. D. 56, or 57, "Thou seest,
brother, how many thousands of Jews there
are who believe ; and they are all jealous
of the law ; and they are informed of thee
that thou teachest all the Jews who are
among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, say
ing that they ought not to circumcise their
children, neither to walk after their cus
toms." For a quarter of a century, there
fore, the Jews who believed on Christ had
continued to be "jealous of the law." There
is no evidence that Paul had ever raised
his voice against the custom. The rumor
that had reached Jerusalem to that effect
46

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
was probably one of the false reports cir
culated by his enemies to injure his influ
ence. "By one huge blow he had cut him
self free from the bigotry of bondage; but
he never fell into the bigotry of liberty."
A very important principle of union
comes to light in the foregoing facts. There
are those, no doubt, who think Paul should
have made an issue with his conservative
brethren and forced them to abandon their
Jewish observances or himself pulled out,
with his party, in order to have a "pure"
Christian Church. But he deemed it wiser
and more in accordance with Christ's spirit
not to interfere with the deep-seated prej
udices and long-established customs of his
Jewish brethren, believing that the growth
of the Christian life within them would ulti
mately remedy the matter. So long as they
held to Christ as Lord and Saviour, he felt
that they should be recognized as Chris
tians, and that Christ himself would reveal
to them the way of the Lord more perfect
ly- Without this spirit of mutual toleration
the Church could not have passed through
the apostolic age an undivided Church.
It is equally true that this same spirit of
conciliation and mutual recognition of each
47

CHRISTIAN UNION
other's right to think for themselves is an
essential condition of union in our day.
The two types of mind represented in the
early Church in these controversies are in
the Church to-day, have always been, and
will always be. If conservative and liberal
brethren, can not dwell together in the unity
of a common faith in spite of differences of
opinion, then the cause of union is hopeless,
and made so by him who constituted us
with different kinds of minds. But he
who broke down the middle wall of parti
tion between Jews and Gentiles has shown
us how to be one in faith and loyalty to him
while differing in our apprehension of truth.
UNITY OE THE EARLY CHURCH IMPERILED.
We have seen what a strain was put upon
the unity of the Church in the apostolic age
by the differences which arose concerning
the relation of Christianity to the law of
Moses. As the Church spread over a larger
territory and included a greater variety of
people, other differences of more or less im
portance developed, of which we can see
the evidences in the apostolic letters to the
churches. We are not to think of the unity
of the Church in that age as consisting of
48

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
perfect uniformity of opinion, of methods
of worship, or forms of organization. We
have but to study the internal history of the
Church of that period to know that such
was far from being its real condition. In
his history of the early Church, Dr. Mo-
sheim says of the Church of the first cen
tury: "The Christian Church was scarcely
formed when in different places there start
ed up certain pretended reformers, who, not
satisfied with the simplicity of that religion
which was taught by the apostles, medi
tated changes of doctrine and worship, and
set up a new religion drawn from their own
licentious imaginations. This we learn from
the writings of the apostles, and particularly
from the' epistles of St. Paul, where we find
that some were inclined to force the doc
trines of Christianity into conformity with
the philosophical systems they had adopted,
while others were as studious to blend with
these doctrines the opinions, customs and
traditions of the Jews. Several of these
are mentioned by the apostles, such as Hy-
meneus, Alexander, Philetus, Hermogenes,
Demas and Diotrephes ; though the four last
are to be considered as apostates from the
(4) 49

CHRISTIAN UNION
truth rather than as corrupters of it."*
Among other false doctrines in the apos
tolic age was Gnosticism, though it devel
oped itself more fully in the post-apostolic
age. Reference to this sect and its false
teachings may be seen in Paul's letters to
the Ephesians and Colossians. Among the
false teachers of this period was Simon
Magus, whom ancient writers describe as
exerting a wide and pernicious influence
after the experience recorded in the Acts
of Apostles. Menander and Cerenthus are
other names mentioned by Mosheim as
teachers of false doctrines during the apos
tolic age- The Pauline epistles have ac
quainted us with certain questions which
arose among the churches in relation to
the eating of meat offered to idols and to
other idolatrous practices. This class of
questions usually arose in churches com
posed of both Jews and Gentiles. Where
no vital principle was involved the Apostle
always advised the application of the law
of love and the principle of mutual forbear
ance, and especially that the strong should
bear the infirmities of the weak.

"Mosheim's Church History, pp. 28, 29.
50

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
DIVISIONS AT CORINTH.
More serious differences, however, arose
in the church at Corinth, where they as
sumed the form of incipient divisions. The
root of these differences seems to have been
personal preferences. Most church histo
rians are agreed in associating the rise of
these differences with the visit of Apollos,
the eloquent Alexandrian Jew, who visited
that city. "The immediate occasion of this
factional development," says Dr. McGiffert,
in his "Apostolic Age," "is not far to seek.
It was evidently due to the presence of
Apollos, who had come to Corinth not long
after Paul's departure from the city, and
had labored there for some time" (Acts
18:27). Concerning the local situation
there, Paul says (1 Cor. 1:12) : "Now this
I mean, that each of you sayeth, I am of
Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas;
and I of Christ." In his "Life of St. Paul"
(p. 130) James Stalker describes this fac
tional movement at Corinth as follows :
"The body of the members was split up into
four theological factions. Some called
themselves after Paul himself. These
treated the scruples of the weaker brethren
51

CHRISTIAN UNION
about meats and other things with scorn.
Others took the name of Apollonians from
Apollos, an eloquent teacher from Alexan
dria, who visited Corinth between Paul's
second and third journeys. These wer.e the
philosophical party ; they denied the doc
trine of the resurrection because it was ab
surd to suppose that the scattered atoms
of the dead body could ever be reunited
again. The third party took the name of
Peter, or Cephas, as in their Hebrew purism
they preferred to call him. These were
narrow-minded Jews, who objected to the
liberality of Paul's views. The fourth
party affected to be above all parties and
called themselves simply Christians. Like
many despisers of the sects since then who
have used the name of Christian in the
same way, these were the most bitterly
sectarian of all and rejected Paul's author
ity with malicious scorn."
We can quite well understand how a
party animated by a purely sectarian spirit
might use the name of Christ to accom
plish its factional purpose. Such a thing
is not unknown in our day. It may well
be questioned, however, whether this state
ment by Dr. Stalker, which we think is
52

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
held by a number of other Bible scholars,
is justified by the facts in the case at Cor
inth. Paul's treatment of the situation
does not seem to favor that view. We are
inclined, on the whole, to agree with Dr.
McGiffert as to the true nature of this
alleged fourth party in Corinth. He doe's
not believe there was any fourth party at
Corinth. "Had there been," he says, "Paul
could hardly have spoken in the unguarded
way he does in his epistle to those who were
Christ's." After mentioning other objec
tions to the view Dr. McGiffert adds:
"But the decisive argument against the
existence of any Christ-party in the Corinth-
¦ ian church is to be found in i Cor. 3 :22, sq.
In that passage, at the close of his discus
sion of the divisions, and at the very climax
of his denunciation of the party spirit, Paul
speaks of three parties, but says nothing
whatever of the fourth, or Christ-party,
which, according to the common theory,
was the worst. and most dangerous of all.
And more than that, he plays directly into
the hands of that party, if it existed, by
exhorting all the Corinthians to range them
selves under the banner of Christ. 'All
things are yours,' he cries, 'whether Paul, or
53

CHRISTIAN UNION
Apollos, or Cephas ; . . . all are yours :
and ye are Christ's.' In view of these con
siderations, it is difficult to suppose that
there was a fourth faction in Corinth, call
ing itself by the name of Christ. And in
deed, when carefully examined, the pas
sage in which the parties are referred to
is seen itself to imply the existence of only
three. The words in verse 13, 'Is Christ
divided ?' indicate that the fault of the Cor
inthians was not that they were rejecting
Christ, and substituting another leader for
him, but that they were dividing him. The
implication is, that they all regarded them
selves as alike under the banner of Christ,
but that some were Pauline Christians ;
some Apollos-Christians ; some Cephas-
Christians.* It seems clear, therefore, that
the fourth term of verse 12 was not, like the
first three terms, a party watchword, but
that it constituted the cry of other Corin
thian disciples who belonged to none of the
three factions, and who, disgusted at the
display of party spirit, declared against all
such divisions and announced their allegi
ance to Christ alone. With such a course

*Much as in our day we have Lutheran Christians, Cal-
vinist Christians, Wesleyan Christians, etc.
54

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
Paul himself must have been in hearty sym
pathy. It was, in fact, just what he ex
horted all the others to do. 'Do not divide
Christ,' he says in effect. 'We, Paul and
Apollos and Cephas, whom ye are making
the leaders of your parties, are only build
ers ; Christ is the one foundation upon
whom we all build ; we are all Christ's, and
ye are all Christ's.' "*
But whatever may have been the cause
and nature of these parties in the Corinth
ian church, there is no evidence that either
Peter, Paul, or Apollos were directly re
sponsible for such division. They were
simply the occasion of the development of
these differences. No doubt they repre
sented different types of mind and each
had his own peculiar way of presenting the
truth, but they were all loyal to a common
Master. These parties never came to an
open rupture, though it was perhaps only
prevented by the timely and vigorous pro
test of Paul. These party cries, "I am of
Paul;" "I am of Cephas;" "I am of Apol
los," however, were prophetic of future
divisions which were destined to mar the
unity of Christ's Church.

•The Apostolic Age, pp. 296, 297.
55

CHRISTIAN UNION
"l AM 0E CHRIST.""
We have already expressed our concur
rence in the opinion of Dr. McGiffert that
the brethren in Corinth who said, "I am of
Christ," did not represent a fourth faction
equally partisan with the others, but were
making a rational protest against the ten
dency to divide up into factions designated
by certain favorite leaders. The rebuke of
Paul — "Is Christ divided? Was Paul cruci
fied for you ? Or were ye baptized into the
name of Paul ?" — is favorable to that view,
as is also the fact that there seems to have
been no ground for a fourth faction either
in doctrinal divergencies or in personal
leadership. Those who claimed Peter as
their leader were probably Jewish Chris
tians of the more conservative class, while
the more liberal, who treated with perhaps
too little respect the scruples of the con
servatives, claimed to be followers of Paul.
There- would be certain to be Greeks, in
Corinth, who would be carried away with
the eloquence of Apollos, of Alexandria,
who, not unnaturally, might have mingled
some of the Alexandrian philosophy with
the Gospel. These were the three leaders
56

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
who, innocently perhaps, or at least, uncon
sciously, had stirred up this factional feel
ing. Is it not probable that there were,
among the wiser heads and more irenic
spirits of the Church, some members who,
possessing the gift of knowledge, were able
to see that all the saving truth preached by
these three leaders came from Christ, and
who would protest against these divisions
based on partial views, and express their
attitude in contrast with that of others by
saying, "I am of Christ" ?*
But, after all, there is a more important
and fundamental question than the above.

*An interesting question emerges at this point: Sup
posing that the incipient division at Corinth had ripened
into open schism, and that Paulinians, Apollonians, and
Cephasites had set up as independent denominations, each
having formulated a creed to express its particular
views, and the protesting .members had stood fast on the
common foundation, owning Christ alone as Leader, what
would have been the status of this part of the Church
occupying the original ground? Of course, the world
would have regarded it as one of the four denominations;
but in its essential characteristics it would certainly
have been different from the three parties mentioned
above. Should any body of Christians to-day put them
selves whol'y upon the original New Testament basis of
faith and fellowship, in order, to clear themselves of the
sin of schism, although they would he popularly regarded
as a denomination, being only a part of the general body
of Christ, yet their chief distinguishing feature would
ke their undenominational, or non-partisan, character.
57

CHRISTIAN UNION
Regardless of the historic question as to
whether or not there were, as a matter of
fact, a part of the Church at Corinth who
occupied the common catholic ground, tak-.
ing Christ alone as their Leader, was not
this the very position that ought to have
been taken by the Church, and is it not
precisely the position which Paul did take
and which he urged the whole Church to
take? That is the real question which
vitally concerns us. Even if it were
granted that those who said, "I am of
Christ," were the worst partisans in the
Church, it would not follow that their posi
tion was wrong, but only that their spirit
was wrong, and we could only regret that
there had not been those in the Church
in Corinth who, in sincere loyalty to Christ,
and with due appreciation of all his faith
ful ministers, whether Paul, or Apollos, or
Cephas, would have planted themselves
upon the "one foundation" other than
which no man can lay, protesting against
parceling out his truth among jealous. and
warring factions.
There seems to be but one possible an
swer to the question we have raised : There
should have been in the Church at Corinth,
58

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
if there were not, just such a class of Chris
tians as we have described — Christians who
were broad-minded enough to accept the
truth no matter by whom spoken, and whose
loyalty to Christ's teaching and Christ's
Spirit would have led them to stand like
a rock against these divisive tendencies.
They could not have done this by occupying
a partisan position themselves. They
could not have said, for instance, "We are
of John," and made a successful protest
against those claiming to be of Paul, or
Peter, or Apollos. They must choose a
non-partisan Leader who embodied in him
self all the truth preached by all his min
isters, and whose name would be honored
and respected by all his followers. They
should not, of course, have said, "I am of
Christ," in any boastful spirit, or in any
tone of personal superiority, but in pro
found humility and gratitude, and with un
feigned sorrow that any of their brethren,
who also were "of Christ," really, should
be willing to allow that fact to be obscured
by placing even an apostle as their leader.
It is not to be supposed for a moment
that those who said, "I am of Paul" ; or "I
am of Apollos" ; or "I am of Cephas" ; in-
59

CHRISTIAN UNION
tended thereby to reject Christ. It was not
the sin of rejecting Christ for which Paul
rebuked them, but for dividing Christ.
They had allowed their zeal for some par
ticular truth, or phase of truth, preached
by their favorite leader, to obscure other
truths, perhaps .no less important, and had
made these partial views of truth their
rallying centers instead of Christ, and so
were torn into factions. They were not
only, by this course, producing divisions in
the body of Christ, but they were impov
erishing their own souls by limiting them
selves to the truths preached by their par
ticular leaders. It was this folly of build
ing on the partial truth in the person of
Christ's ministers instead of on the whole
truth incarnate in Christ, that led Paul to
that magnificent outburst of catholicity:
"Wherefore let no man glory in men. For
all things are yours; whether Paul, or
Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life,
or death, or things present, or things to
come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's;
and Christ is God's."

60

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
WAS THE UNITY OF THE EARLY CHURCH
"ORGANIC" ?
Perhaps there is no one term that has
entered into the discussion of Christian
union in modern times that has been more
confusing than this word "organic." Some
of those who labor and pray for the real
ization of Christ's prayer for the unity of
his disciples express themselves as opposed
to "organic unity" ; while others declare
that 'nothing short of "organic unity" meets
the demands of Christ's prayer. It is prob
able that these two classes of unionists do
not differ so much in reality as they do in
the meaning they attach to the term, "or
ganic." This is a good place, therefore, to
raise the question, Was the unity of the
Church in the apostolic age "organic
unity" ?
When we face the facts of the apostolic
age, what we find is a group of local
churches having their origin in a common
faith, which held them in allegiance to one
common Lord. There was no general or
ganization of an external kind of which
these several congregations were compo
nent parts, as is the case with many of our
61

CHRISTIAN UNION
modern ecclesiastical organizations. They
were united to Christ and to each other by
the internal bond of faith in, love for, and
personal allegiance to, a common Master
whom they acknowledged as Savior and
Lord. Their unity was not the result of
external authority, for even the apostles,
whose influence was no doubt very great,
governed not so much by their official au
thority as by their spiritual character and.
their intimate knowledge of Christ. "It was
the permanent indwelling of the Spirit in
the souls of believers, as an illuminating and
sanctifying power, that united them in one
body."* If the term "organic," therefore, be used
to signify one external ecclesiastical organ
ization, with a central power or earthly
head controlling it, it is clear that no
such "organic" union existed in the apos
tolic age. No doubt, if the conditions
had been favorable, the local churches
of that age would have co-operated to a
much larger extent than they did in the
furtherance of the common interests of

"History of the Christian Age, by Professor George P.
Fisher, p. 19. 62

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
the kingdom, but it is not likely that
any organization which might have been
necessary for such co-operation would
have been permitted, during that age, to
exercise any legislative authority over the
local congregations, or to formulate in any
authoritative way a statement of doctrine
that would have been binding upon the
churches. At any rate, we are safe in say
ing that no such organization existed.*
"If we wish to speak correctly of 'the
Church' as it has historically appeared,
with reference to organization, we shall
be obliged to define it in a very catholic
and comprehensive manner, as including
the sum of those organizations which have
been formed to serve as organs of Christ,
for the expression and promotion of his

*"The basis of ecclesiastical organization was the
equality of believers. 'All ye are brethren.' Instead of
a sacerdotal order there was a universal priesthood. * * *
Complaints on the part of one disciple against another
were to be carried to 'the church,' the body of disciples,
with the apostles at their head. His injunctions to the
apostles to superintend the flock, and the rites of bap
tism and the Lord's supper, imply definite association.
The synagogue naturally served as a model in the or
ganization of churches. They are even called by that
name in the Epistle of James (James 2:2). This was
their character at the outset." Professor George P.
Fisher, History of the Christian Church, p. 35.
63

CHRISTIAN UNION
religion. If we accept a definition that ap
plies to some one of these alone, we leave
unincluded much of the organized fruit of
Christ in the world, and thus do injustice
to the facts that we are considering. It
does not appear to have been the providen
tial purpose that all Christians should be
gathered into one great organization, and it
does not seem probable that such a purpose
will hereafter be manifested by the fulfill
ment of it. Organization, helpful as it is,
is a very different thing from that inner
life of the soul in God in which religion
consists, and can not properly be counted
as a part of religion. But it certainly is
the divine will and pleasure that Christians
should be together, united in some practical
order for mutual benefit and common serv
ice to their Lord. Any company of Chris
tians gathered in his name for this purpose,
has the promise of the Master's presence
(Matt. 18:20). Any group of Christians
that offers itself to Christ is an organ of
Christ, through which he may express him
self in his own activities. The Church, re
garded as the sum of all the actual organi
zations, has been a powerful help to the
Christian purpose in the world. No or-
64

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
ganization has promise of perpetuity, apart
from its fitness for the Master's use, and
Christianity may yet express itself in new
forms, if the old prove insufficient or un-
adapted to its growing needs."*
No candid student of the New Testament
will call in question this statement of Dr.
Clarke. The idea of the church organiza
tion, or church government, as it is often
called, assumed a prominence in after years,
and has held it to the present time, which it
nowhere has in the New Testament. What
we find there is a new lif.e, entering into the
world through Christ, and organizing itself
so as to give expression to its real charac
ter, and to extend its principles among men.
Life precedes and creates organization, and
not vice versa. One of the most important
steps that can be taken toward Christian
unity is the frank recognition of the fact
that the New Testament furnishes us no
prescribed form of ecclesiastical organiza
tion, beyond the local church, and this
seems to have been the natural expression
of that divine life in men which drew them
together in common fellowship and serv-

*An Outline of Christian Theology, by Wm. Newton
Clarke, D. D., pp. 381, 382.
(5) 65

CHRISTIAN UNION
ice. When this fact is once clearly grasped
all hope of uniting a divided church on the
basis of an "historic episcopate," or under
the authority of an infallible pope, vanishes
as an idle dream. Even if such a union
were possible it would not be Christian
union ; but it is not possible.
But if there were no organic unity in
the sense of one ecclesiastical organization
embracing all the churches in the apostolic
age, in what sense was the Church one, and
how can we conceive of it as a divine or
ganism ?
The answer to this question is to be found
in the fact that Christ's disciples are bound
to him by a spiritual tie. The union
was spiritual, but manifested itself in
many visible ways. The apostles were
missionaries, rather than rulers, in the
modern sense, and yet their influence
was very great, no doubt, in settling
controversies and in promoting and main
taining unity among the churches. In
spite of the fact, however, that there was
no ecclesiastical system with an author
itative head, it remains true, as we have
before stated, that the Church of the
apostolic age was undivided. It was one
66

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
Church. Its unity consisted in the fact
that each of the churches making up the
one Church of God had the "one Lord,
one faith and one baptism" (Ephesians
4:5). They had each the same founda
tion, the same creed, and the same in
itiatory ordinance. Jesus Christ was
their one Leader alid Lord; faith in him
was the essential, saving faith, and when
this living faith manifested itself in the
one baptism, the believer was admitted
without question into the fellowship of
the saved. The faith which united them
was, in other words, a personal faith,
and not the acceptance of any doctrinal
statement. The evidence of this faith
was the willingness to confess Christ
with the mouth and to surrender to him
in the act of baptism, which symbolized
in its form the same truth which had
been confessed with the mouth. So long
as this state of things lasted there could be
no such thing as rival sects, rival
creeds and rival party leaders. A mem
ber in good standing in any one of the
churches of the apostolic age would
have been readily admitted into any
other church, because they all together
67

CHRISTIAN UNION
made up what Paul called the "body of
Christ." This leads us to the kind of organic
unity which did exist, to some degree at
least, in the apostolic age, and which exists
to a perfect degree in the ideal Church of
which Paul speaks. This conception of
the Church is presented by Paul more fully
in the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians.
The Church is conceived of as the "body
of Christ," while he is its head, and all
Christians are regarded as members of that
body. "For as the body is one, and hath
many members, and all the members of the
body, being many, are one body; so also
is Christ. For in one Spirit were we all
baptized into one body, whether Jews or
Greeks, whether bond or free; and were
all made to drink of one Spirit" (i Cor.
12:13). So completely is Christ identified
with his Church in this passage that the
term "Christ" seems to be used for the
Church in the twelfth verse.
Of course, that is an ideal unity that
has never yet been realized, but it is one
toward which the Church must continue to
approach as it becomes more and more an
organ for the complete expression of the
68

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
mind and will of Christ, and all its individ
ual members, each according to the meas
ure of his ability, shall fulfill his function
in the divine organism. That term organ
ism expresses perhaps just what many of
us mean when we say we believe in or
ganic union. It is sometimes held that an
organism is a divine thing, while organiza
tion is human. The use of the two words,
however, hardly justifies this broad dis
tinction. "The universe is not a machine,
but an organism, with an indwelling princi
ple of life," says Prof. John Fiske, in his
"Idea of God." "Christianity stands in or
ganic connection with the Old Testament
religion, both being parts of a gradually de
veloping system," says Professor Fisher, in
his "Beginnings of Christianity." An or
ganism is defined by the Century Diction
ary as : "A body exhibiting organization
and organic life ; a member of the animal
or vegetable kingdom; an individual com
posed of a number of essential and mutually
dependent parts, all of which partake of a
common life ;" "anything that is organized
or organic." It will be seen from these
statements and definitions that the meanings
of the two terms glide into each other, and
69

CHRISTIAN UNION
to some extent they seem to have a common
meaning. There is this distinction, how
ever: an organism always has life, and all
its component parts share in that common
life; an organization which may have re
sulted from life, may exist after the life
has departed. The Church, as a divine
organism, has manifested its life in a variety
of organizations under different conditions,
but there is no one external organization
that embraces all the component parts of
that divine organism which we call the
Church, all of whose members share in a
common life, even the life of God.
To return, then, to the question with
which we began: Was the unity of the
early Church organic ? we reply :
i. It was not organic in the sense of be
ing one external ecclesiastical organization,
for no such organization existed.
2. It was an organic unity only in the
sense that the various local churches and
individual members were united to Christ
and to each other by a common faith and
a common life. It was a vital, not a me
chanical, union — an organism rather than
an organization.
And yet it was a visible union, in this,
70

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
that all men could see by the faith and the
practice, the life and the fellowship, of
these various churches that they had one
common Master, and -had partaken of his
life and were governed by his will. For
the sake of avoiding confusion, it would
perhaps be better to discard the term
"organic" while we plead for a real, visible
and manifested unity, which will show to
the world our oneness in our divine Lord.
SUMMING UP RESULTS OF OUR STUDY
THUS FAR.
Before we pass on to a brief study of the
Post-Apostolic Age, let us pause long
enough to gather up some of the principal
results of our study of the first century, as
respects the unity of the Church of that
period. I . . The Church of the Apostolic Age was
one and undivided. It existed in numerous
local assemblies or churches, some of them
widely separated, geographically, but all
constituting the one Church of the one liv
ing and true God. There were no denomi
nations, in our modern sense of that word,
the members of which regarded themselves
as belonging to separate and independent
71

CHRISTIAN UNION
bodies, differing from each other in their
bases of fellowship and conditions of mem
bership. A member in good standing in
any one local church was, by virtue of that
fact, eligible to membership in every other
church. 2. The bond of unity in that age was
personal faith in and allegiance to the Lord
Jesus Christ. No other faith than this was
required as a condition of church member
ship and fellowship. "What think ye of
Christ; whose Son is he?" was the great
and decisive question of that age. Who
ever confessed him, as Peter did, as "the
Christ, the Son of the living God," and
was willing to turn away from his sins, was
straightway baptized into the name of
Christ, and numbered with the saved. This
was the simple creed, and this the simple
method of initiation. There were only
two ordinances — baptism and the Lord's
supper — the one commemorating Christ's
death for our sins, and the other his burial
and resurrection from the dead. Baptism
symbolized also the believer's death to sin,
and he was henceforth expected to "walk
in newness of life." It was in view of these
facts that Paul could say, "There is one
72

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
body and one Spirit, even as also ye were
called in one hope of your calling; one
Lord ; one faith ; one baptism ; one God and
Father of all, who is over all, and through
all, and in all" (Eph. 4:4-6).
3. The fruit of this common faith in a
common Lord was the love these disciples
bore to one another. Jesus had taught
them the "new commandment," that they
should love each other even as he had loved
them. This was the great distinguishing
feature of the Christians of that age. "By
this shall all men know that ye are my disci
ples, if ye have love one to another" (John
x3 :35) • The apostles repeated the instruc
tion of Jesus in this respect. "Love is the
fulfilling of the law," said Paul. "We
know that we have passed out of death into
life," saiid John, "because we love the
brethren" (1 John 3:14). Love for one
another was connected with faith in Jesus,
as constituting the divine requirement of
men : "And this is his commandment, that
we should believe in the name of his Son
Jesus Christ and love one another, even as
he gave us commandment" (1 John 3:23).
"Above all things being fervent in your
love among yourselves; for love covereth
73

CHRISTIAN UNION
a multitude of sins," said Peter (i Pet.
4:8). The apostles are frequently spoken
of as preserving unity by their official au
thority; but it is clear that they relied not
upon their authority to promote and per
petuate unity, but upon the bond of allegi
ance to Christ and love for one another.
They did indeed serve to preserve unity
in the Church of the first century, but it was
by refusing to lord it over men's faith and
by their wise emphasis upon the things
which unite.
4. As to organic unity, the Church was
conceived of as a divine organism — the
body of Christ — of which he was the liv
ing head. All who received life through
Christ were regarded as being a part of
that divine organism. That was the ideal
Church of Paul. There was no one ex
ternal ecclesiastical organization with
grades of officials, from lower to higher,
culminating in a supreme earthly head,
whether that head be considered a pope, a
council or an assembly. The self-govern
ing congregations appointed bishops and
deacons to look after their spiritual and
temporal needs, and evangelists to carry
the good news into the regions beyond, and
74

THE APOSTOLIC AGE
that was about all the ecclesiastical machin
ery of that age. And yet, the union of the
Church in that age was a visible union.
Real, vital union among believers, such as
results from vital union with Christ, never
fails to manifest itself. Love can not be
hidden. It does not conceal itself undeF
the form of separation, harsh and unkind
criticism, strife and open opposition, . and
plead an internal, unseen and spiritual love
which does not deign to come to the light!
Real unity unites. It abhors division as
nature does a vacuum. It shows itself in
mutual counsel, sympathy and co-operation.
If one love the Lord with all his heart,
can he hate another one who also loves him
and is seeking to extend his reign? But
if he love his brother, who also loves
Christ, will he not unite with him in honor
ing their common Master by seeking others
to love and serve him? The unity of the
early Church, in spite of its diversity of
Opinions, manifested itself in avoiding di
visions and in holding steadfastly to the
"one Lord, one faith and one baptism." It
showed itself in brotherly love (except in
the case of certain factious spirits who
loved their traditions and personal interests
75

CHRISTIAN UNION
more than their Lord), and in such co-op
eration as was possible at that time. It
triumphed over the personal preferences
and partial views of truth, which said, "I
am of Paul," "I of Apollos," and "I of
Cephas," and brought all at last to "glory
not in men," but in Christ, and to give him
the pre-eminence in all things.
We go back to the Apostolic Age not for
its types of actual Church or individual
Christian life, for except in rare instances
these were infantile and imperfect; but we
do well to go back to that creative period
for its splendid ideals, yet to be realized,
and for those inspired and inspiring truths
and principles, which, applied to our own
times, will give us a united Church and a
nobler Christian civilization.

76

II
THE POST-APOSTOLIC AGE

"According to the grace of God which was
given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid
a foundation; and another buildeth thereon.
But let each man take heed how he buildeth
thereon." (i Cor. 3:10.)
"He saith unto them, But who say ye that
I am? And Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but
my Father who is in heaven. And I also say
unto thee, that thou art Peter [Petros], and
upon this rock [pctra] I will build my church;
and the . gates of Hades shall not prevail
against it." (Matt. 16:15-18.) 78

II
THE POST-APOSTOLIC AGE
CHANGES IN POLITY AND DOCTRINE.
When we cross the boundary line of
the first century we soon become aware of
certain changes which have taken place or
which are in the process of taking place in
the Church. One of these relates to
church government. In the New Testa
ment there are two classes of officers
spoken of in the local church, elders or
bishops and deacons. Now we find that in
each board of elders there is one to whom
the term "bishop" is specially applied. He
is still,, however, only the president of the
board of elders and bishop of the local
church, but there is now a three fold min
istry, instead of a two fold. It is not our
purpose here, however, to deal with the
question of "the historic episcopate" except
in so far as it bears on our general subject
of Christian union.
There is no question but that the oc-
casioin of this increased emphasis upon
79

CHRISTIAN UNION
ecclesiastical authority, which is so notice
able in the second and succeeding centuries,
is the supposed necessity of having such
authority in order to resist the rising here
sies and preserve the unity of the Church.
Jerome, the great scholar of the fourth cen
tury, says: "With the ancients, presbyters
were the same as bishops ; but gradually all
the responsibility was deferred to a single
person, that the thickets of heresy might be
rooted out." Perhaps the persecutions to
which the Church was subjected in the lat
ter part of the first century, and, with vary
ing • degrees of intensity, on down to the
conversion of Constantine, and his eleva
tion to supreme power and his edict of
toleration in the year 312, had the effect of
consolidating the Church and concentrating
its authority. But whatever may have been
the causes producing this increase of ex
ternal authority in the Church and reliance
upon such authority to preserve its unity,
the fact .is unquestionable, and that is our
concern at present.
Along with this gradual change in
church government, in which authority is
concentrated in the hands of bishops, and
later in the hands of metropolitan or city
80

THE GRA1C0-R0MAN PERIOD
bishops, of whom the bishop of Rome was
at first only primus inter pares, or chiet
among equals, because he was bishop of
the chief city, there was another change
going on destined to have a no less lasting
effect on the fortunes of the Church. This
related to doctrine. The philosophic bent
of the Greek mind found congenial em
ployment in seeking to harmonize the sim
ple but sublime facts and truths of the Gos
pel with their philosophy. "For a consid
erable time," as Professor Fisher tells us,
"all Christian writings were in the Greek
language. The services of the Church, even
at Rome, were at first held in that tongue.
So far did the Greek influence prevail that
not until the beginning of the third century
did Latin writings of any importance ap
pear, and even then it is not in Rome, but in
one of the provinces in North Africa, that
theological works are first composed in this
language." The group of writers of this
period, known as the Apostolic Fathers,
because they were supposed to have known
personally some one or more of the apos
tles, were not thinkers of a high grade.
Much of their writings is highly speculative
and allegorical. "The ablest writers of this
(6) 81

CHRISTIAN UNION
period," says Professor Fisher, "were the
Alexandrian teachers. Alexandria was the
seat of a great university, with its large
libraries, its learned professors and its
throng of inquisitive and active-minded
youth. There, in the Jewish philosophy of
Philo, Plato's teaching had been blended
with the doctrine of Moses and the proph
ets, and by means of allegory the Old Tes
tament had been made to re-echo with a
modified sound the teachings of the Greek
schools of thought. In such a community,
as Christians multiplied, the instruction of
catechumens often required doctrinal ex
planations much more advanced than were
requisite in ordinary churches. Thus the
catechetical school developed itself into a
theological seminary, where abstruse points
of divinity were handled and young men
were trained for the clerical office. The
Alexandrian theology was the first serious
attempt, among those who adhered to the
great facts and truths of the Gospel, to ad
just the relations of Christian doctrine to
reason and philosophy. It was the first at
tempt to build a bridge between Christianity
and the wisdom of the Gentiles.""
"History of the Christian Church, by Prof. Geo. P.
Fisher, pp. 71, 72. 82

THE POST-APOSTOLIC AGE
Thus in Alexandria began that philo
sophic handling of "abstruse points of di
vinity" which gave rise to the Arian con
troversy and resulted in the formation of
the Nicene creed at the council of Nice in
the year 325. This adoption of an authori
tative creed, other than the simple one of
the Apostolic Age, had for its object also,
as did the increase of ecclesiastical author
ity, the refutation of heresies and the pre
servation of the unity of the Church. The
two chief heresies of that time were Ebioni-
tism and Gnosticism, both of which had
their beginnings in the Apostolic Age.
The Ebionites were descendants of the
Judaizing Christians of Paul's day, who
continued to hold on to the observances of
the Jewish law. Like all narrow sects, they
had subdivided among themselves. It is
in the very nature of narrowness and big
otry to divide and subdivide, as it is the
nature of catholicity and charity to unite
and cement together. The whole history
of religious thought shows that just as any
religious movement anchors itself to the
past by holding on to that which has passed
away, division sets in, because a part of it,
refusing to be bound by the dead past, and
83

CHRISTIAN UNION
sharing in the living thought and growing
life of those who seek to keep in touch with
the living Christ, move on in the stream of
progress, leaving their fellows behind ; and
this process repeats itself as long as the
sect has vitality enough to beget those who
refuse to be shackled.
The Gnostics denied that Christ had
come in the flesh ; they claimed to be pos
sessed of a gnosis or kind of knowledge
not accorded to ordinary Christians.
With an Oriental dualism they identified
evil with matter, much as our "Christian
Science" of to-day, and held that between
God and man there was a chain of ex
istences called eons, which emanated from
him and filled up the intervening distance.
This sect, too, was divided into several
kinds, the differences between which do not
concern us in this study. They are men
tioned here as showing what the Church
of that period had to contend with, and as
furnishing the occasion for the increase
of ecclesiastical authority and the formation
of a doctrinal creed, both of which were
deemed necessary to preserve the unity of
the Church. But this involves a fundamen
tal change in the very conception of unity,
84

THE POST-APOSTOLIC AGE
which no longer consists in allegiance to a
common Savior and Lord, but in doctrinal
uniformity, or the acceptance of a common
creed, and submission to ecclesiastical au
thority, instead of submission to Christ
through faith and to each other through
love. The bond of union has become, or is
becoming, external instead of internal.
The change which we have just men
tioned involved the substitution of an au
thoritative human creed for the personal
Christ as the center of unity, and the
Church became credo-centric instead of
Christo-centric. The faith of the heart in
a personal Savior was subordinated to, if
not replaced by, the assent of the intellect
to certain doctrinal speculations, in the
matter of unity. This change was revo
lutionary in its effects which unfortunately
remain with us to this day. To return to
the Christo-centric view of Christianity
which prevailed in the Apostolic Age is the
task of our time.
RISE OF THE "CATHOLIC" CHURCH.
We have spoken of the change in doc
trine and polity which occurred during the
second century. But there was another
85

CHRISTIAN UNION
change, which, in its far-reaching conse
quences, was not less important than that
which pertained to the government of the
Church. It was the introduction of the
idea and function of the priesthood into
the Christian ministry. This idea, (sug
gested it may be by the custom of heathen
religions, was supported by examples from
the Jewish religion with which Christianity
was supposed to have a close affinity. This
idea naturally tended to exalt the ministry,
and to introduce for the first time the dis
tinction between the "clergy" and the
"laity." -The idea spread rapidly, increased
the power of the bishops and prepared the
way for the rise of the "Catholic" church.
Professor Fisher says: "The Church
stood forth after the middle of the second
century as a distinct body. It claimed to
be, in opposition to heretical and schismat-
ical parties, the 'Catholic' church. Mem
bership in this visible church was believed
to be necessary to salvation. Within the
Church, and not beyond it, the Holy Spirit
had his abode. The unity of the Church
was secured and cemented by the episco
pate — by the bishops viewed as the succes
sors to the apostles. The episcopate, like
86

THE POST-APOSTOLIC AGE
the apostolate, in which Peter was the cen
ter of unity, was a unit. This idea is de
veloped and insisted on by Cyprian, who
was involved in hard contests with dis
senting sects."*
It is pertinent to remark, in this connec
tion, that the overture of union based on
the "historic episcopate," which was re
ceived from the Protestant Episcopal
Church, a few years ago, presented a theory
of union which does not reach any fur
ther back in the history of the church than
the second century. It is clear that the'
union which existed in the apostolic age
was not "secured and cemented by the
episcopate," but, as we have found in these
studies, was secured by faith in, and alle
giance to, the Lord Jesus, and was ce
mented by the mutual love of the members.
Being united to Christ by their mutual faith,
they found themselves united by a common
life and the bond of mutual love. In that
age there was "one faith," but there was
no attempt at uniformity of opinions and
theological deductions, through the forma
tion of an authoritative doctrinal creed.
The authority of Christ had not yielded to

"History of the Christian Church, p. 57.
87

CHRISTIAN UNION
ecclesiastical authority, and the freedom
which these early disciples had in Christ
had not been surrendered for the sake of
conformity to doctrinal standards and for
the enhancement of the power of the bish
ops. Any union, therefore, based on the
authority of bishops, considered as suc
cessors to the apostles, who have had no
successors, and could not have, in their
apostolic office, does not go back far
enough, and does not rest upon the founda
tion on which Jesus said he would build
his Church. It is, therefore, an impossible
basis of union which our Episcopal breth
ren present, and, while we honor their zeal
for the unity of Christ's Church, we never
expect to see it accomplished on the basis
which they propose, nor on any basis of
ecclesiastical authority.
But there are sincere friends of Chris
tian union, who long to see the divisions in
the Church of Christ healed and who, while
repudiating the idea of effecting such a
union on the basis of ecclesiastical author
ity, cling to the view that there must be
the acceptance of a common doctrinal
creed in order to a real Christian union.
Perhaps no one would venture to say that
88

THE POST-APOSTOLIC AGE
any such creed now in existence would
serve as a basis on which all Christians
could unite, but they are not without hope
that such a creed can be formed. Nor
can they see how we are going to keep
heretics out of the Church without such
a doctrinal statement. We might ask
whether such statements have served the
purpose of keeping heresies and heretics
out of the Church — or whether they have
not rather had the effect of exciting un
profitable speculations, and producing
schisms in the body of Christ. On this
point what lesson does the post-apostolic
age of the Church teach us?
Does not the student of church history
recall the great doctrinal controversies
which raged in that period ? There was the
Arian controversy, relating to the divinity
of Christ, to settle which the Council of
Nice was called; and following that there
was the discussion about the numerical
unity, or the identity of the three persons
of the Trinity as to substance; the rela
tion of the divine to the human nature of
Jesus, concerning which one party was
condemned as heretics; whether Christ
really had two natures or only one, as the
89

CHRISTIAN UNION
Monophysites contended; then there was
the "Homoousian" and the "Homoiousian"
views, the former that the Son is of the
same essence as the Father, the latter that
he is of like essence, etc., etc., to the end
of the long and weary chapter. While the
Greeks were thus philosophizing about the
doctrine of the person of Christ, the Ro
mans were equally busy speculating about
the doctrine of sin. As one follows these
heated discussions, notes the bitter feel
ings, the excommunications, the exiles and
the schisms growing out of such contro
versies over purely speculative questions
which do not belong to the substance of
the faith, he can but marvel that those
who professed to be followers of Jesus
could have departed so far from the sim
plicity of his teaching and the meekness
and gentleness of his spirit in so short a
period of time.
Such was the result of an effort to se
cure uniformity of theological opinions,
by the formulation of doctrinal statements
which were to be binding on the consciences
of all within the Church. "Now, these
things were our examples to the intent we
should not lust after evil things, as they
90

THE POST-APOSTOLIC AGE
also lusted" — "evil," not in intention but
in their results.
So far from being a means of union and
fellowship among Christians, the formula
tion of authoritative doctrinal creeds, as
bases of union and communion, has been
the one prolific source of division and strife
in the Church of God. The formation of
such a creed was never left to human wis
dom. When the only authoritative creed
was confessed by Simon Peter, Jesus said,
"Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father who is in heaven."*
Having such a divinely revealed creed on
which the Church was originally one, why
should we assume to formulate another to
serve as the basis of union? Against the
publication of doctrinal statements for edu
cational purposes, we say nothing, but
against the introduction of new and unau
thorized tests of fellowship.
We leave the study of the post-apostolic
age, which we "have looked into only for its
lessons on the subject of Christian union,
with these conclusions :
I. Distinguishing, as we must, between
that natural and legitimate development in
*Matt. 16:17. 91

CHRISTIAN UNION
thought and adaptation to existing condi
tions, and a departure from essential and
abiding principles, the Church of the post-
apostolic age made a grievous mistake in
forsaking the simplicity of the Gospel, both
as relates to doctrine and to polity.
2. The plan of maintaining unity in the
Church by increase of ecclesiastical au
thority, or the effort to compel doctrinal
uniformity by the formulation of doctrinal
creeds, was a departure from Christ's
method and proved a failure.

92

III.
THE GR^ECO-ROMAN PERIOD.

"For the time will come when they will
not endure the sound doctrine; but, having
itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers
after their own lusts; and will turn away their
ears from the truth, and turn aside unto
fables." (II. Tim. 4:3, 4.)
"Now we b'eseech you, brethren, touching
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our
gathering together unto him; to the end that
ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor
yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or
by epistle as from us, as that the day of the
Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you
in any wise: for it will not be, except the fall
ing away come first, and the man of sin be re
vealed, the son of perdition, he that opposeth
and exalteth himself against all that is called
God or that is worshiped; so that he sitteth
in the temple of God, setting himself forth as
God." (II. Thess. 2:1-4.) 94

III.
THE GR^CO-ROMAN PERIOD.
There is little in this period that bears
upon the subject of our study, except in a
negative way, and it may be dismissed very
briefly. The tendencies toward doctrinal
refinement and concentration of ecclesias
tical authority reached their culmination in
this age of the church. The union which
existed was not so much the result of unity
as of ecclesiastical despotism. The author
itative doctrinal creed, which men must
hold under pain of excommunication from
the Church and from heaven, and the de
cisions of the papal authority in the form
of decrees and anathemas, were now relied
upon to prevent heresies and schisms. It
was all very simple. As long as the
Church had one supreme earthly head,
whose decision on every question of dif
ference was final, submission to that su
preme authority was the sole condition of
union. It was as simple as the union of
the Apostolic Age, but the difference was
the pope had usurped the place of Jesus
95

CHRISTIAN UNION
«¦
Christ, and differences of opinion had been
made uniform by authority, instead of be
ing left free to work themselves out in
liberty under the law of love.
The first great division in the Church
occurred in this period, namely, that be
tween the Eastern and Western, or Greek
and Roman Catholic Churches, as they are
now known. Differences in doctrine, and
rivalry between the sees of Rome and Con
stantinople, had existed for a long time,
but these reached their culmination in the
middle of the eleventh century, when
the pope of Rome and the patriarch of
Constantinople issued bulls excommunica
ting each other ! The line of cleavage was
then clearly drawn and remains until this
day. Each of these ecclesiastics assumed
that he had the authority to excommuni
cate the other, and their assumptions were
about equally well-grounded. The theory
of union by authority vested in an earthly
head, and uniformity of doctrine by an au
thoritative creed, had failed, even in an age
when religious liberty and the sacred rights
of conscience did not receive the emphasis
which they have in our clay. How idle,
then, is the dream of certain advocates of
96

THE GRJECO-ROMAN PERIOD
union who hope to see it realized by sub
mission to ecclesiastical authority, or by
conformity to a certain theory of Episcopal
ordination! Not less vain is the hope of
others that some formulation of doctrines
may be made that will serve as a basis of
union, on which all believers may unite.
History has repeated, over and over, the
apostolic statement: "Other foundation can
no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ." Will this historic division in the Church
ever be healed? Will the long conflict
between the Roman Pope and the Greek
Patriarch end in peace? With God all
things are possible. Again, will the broad
chasm which separates both the Greek
and Roman Churches from Protestant
Christendom be bridged over, so that there
shall be "one flock and one Shepherd?"
Impossible as this may seem to men, it is
not beyond the possibilities of divine wis
dom and power. Indeed it is not possible
to see how Christ's prayer for the unity of
all who believe on Him can be fulfilled until
all true believers within the bosom of these
ancient ecclesiasticisms shall be delivered
from their bondage to human authority and
(7) 97

CHRISTIAN UNION
false teaching, and shall find in submission
to Christ alone both the unity and the free
dom which He alone can give to His en
slaved and divided followers. This is the
ideal which must be kept before us even
while our immediate efforts be the union
of Protestants.
Superstition and gross ignorance of the
Scriptures prevailed largely in this period.
Legalism had so infected the Church that it
became a burden to conscience as was man
ifested in frequent self-imposed austerities
in the way of penance. "In the devotional
system of the middle ages the celestial
hierarchy of angels had an important place.
Apparitions of angels were believed to be
not infrequent. They were protectors
against the demoniacal spirits with which
the air was peopled. 'The swarming, busy,
indefatigable malignant spirits' claimed the
world of man as their own. They assumed
grotesque and repulsive forms. Satan was
figured as having horns, a tail, and the
cloven foot. Connected with this ever-
present superstition, the torment of the
young and the old, was the belief in magic
spells and the efficacy of talismans. The
potent reliance of the timid, tempted, and
98

THE GR2EC0-R0MAN PERIOD
persecuted soul was in the help and inter
cession of the saints. These multiplied in
number as time advanced. Every church,
every village, had its tutelary spirits. The
miracles which they were believed to have
wrought were numberless."* These things
are pertinent here only as showing the bane
ful results which followed a false theory of
unity, which relied on external authority
more than on faith, and enlightenment
through the knowledge of the Scriptures,
and on personal love for and devotion to
Christ. But let no one make the mistake of sup
posing that there were no true faith in
Christ, and no sincere piety and devotion,
even in that age of superstition and au
thority. Even some of the Popes, and many
of the bishops, gave wise Christian instruc
tion and admonition to the Church. The
Ten Commandments, the Lord's prayer,
and the Apostles' Creed were at least made
familiar to the people. Some of the purest
and noblest examples of a serene faith and
deep devotion to God, existed in that period
of the Church. Christianity, though cor
rupted, flowed on like a subterranean

*Prof. Geo. P. Fisher. 99

CHRISTIAN UNION *
stream, hidden from the world by its out
ward excrescences, but nevertheless sweet
ening many a life and keeping alive in the
world the testimony of God concerning
Christ, human sin and the need of salva
tion through His name. Not a few en
lightened minds taught of God, protested
against the evils of the times. The Church
of God was not extinct in the world. The
gates of hades had not prevailed against it.
It was a corrupt Church, indeed, and an
apostate Church, but it was the only Church
God had in the world to bear witness to
his name and to promulgate his Gospel.
If it had been wholly dead, and wholly cor
rupt, entirely destitute of truth and spir
itual life, there could not have issued from
it a reformation to bless the world. That
reformation we are now to study more par
ticularly to see what lessons it can teach us
on the subject of Christian union.

100

IV.
THE PROTESTANT ERA.

"If ye abide in my word, then are ye my
disciples; and ye shall know the truth and the
truth shall make you free. * * * If there
fore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be
free indeed." (John 8:31-36.)
"For freedom did Christ set us free: stand
fast therefore, and be not entangled again in
a yoke of bondage.'7 (Gal. 5:1.)
"Then came the disciples and said unto
him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees
were offended when they heard this saying?
But he answered and said, Every plant which
my heavenly Father planted not shall be
rooted up." (Matt. 15:12, 13.)
"One is your Master, and all ye are breth
ren." (Matt. 23:8.) 102

IV.
THE PROTESTANT ERA.
FROM ECCLESIASTICAL DESPOTISM TO RE
LIGIOUS LIBERTY.
As the darkest hour is said to be just
before day, so it proved in this case. In
the darkest hour of an apostate church
there dawned the morning of a brighter
day. There had been intimations of the
approaching day for a long time. Here and
there a morning star shone out in the
darkness and heralded the coming dawn.
It is a part of the divine philosophy of
things that falsehood and error, reaching
a climax of badness, hasten their own
downfall. There is an inherent weakness
and source of decay in all false and cor
rupt systems. The moral sentiment of the
best men of the world had been rising in
revolt against the abuses of. the Roman
Catholic hierarchy and its corrupt teach
ing. The spirit of protest was in the air.
It needed only a strong personality, im
bued with the spirit of reform, to focalize
103

THE PROTESTANT ERA
the best religious sentiment of the times,
rally about it the elements of reform which
had long been in preparation, to introduce
the new era. Then came Luther, who
proved to be the virile and inspiring per
sonality needed to concentrate the forces
of reform and hurl them with tremendous
energy against the abuses and errors, both
in doctrine and life, of the corrupt church.
His coming was no accident. The reform
of which he was the leader was inevitable.
It was not born out of due time. Like
all God's great movements it came "in the
fulness of time" — came because it had to
come if God's purposes were to be fulfilled
in the world.
Protestantism, under Luther's titanic
blows, was the dawn of religious liberty
after the long night of ecclesiastical despot
ism. While the iron-hearted reformer re
futed many errors in doctrine and de
nounced with great boldness the moral
corruptions which had disgraced the church,
his most important contribution to religious
reformation was his vigorous assertion of
the rights of conscience and the liberty of
each believer to think for himself and to
act in harmony with his own convictions
104

THE PROTESTANT ERA
of duty, holding himself directly account
able to God, and not to priest, bishop, or
pope. True, Luther was not always con
sistent with this principle of individual lib
erty in allowing to others the same right
which he claimed for himself, but when he
had succeeded in breaking off the shackles
of Rome and in sowing the seeds of re
ligious liberty in the minds and hearts of
the people, no inconsistent act of his could
prevent the exercise of the sovereign right
of freedom of thought and action of an
emancipated people. As often happens,
this newly-found liberty was abused. In
dividualism ran to an extreme. On the
sacred altar of liberty unity was sacrificed.
Better, a thousand times, religious liberty,
with its resulting divisions, than the unity
of despotism in which human thought was
bound in fetters, and in which corruption
prevailed. But one can but regret that Luther
saw no way by which liberty and unity
could both be conserved. It is not given
to any one man, however, be he ever so
great, to compass with his finite mind the
whole truth as it is revealed in Jesus
Christ. "We know in part, and we proph-
105

CHRISTIAN UNION
esy in part." Luther never escaped the
prevalent idea of the time concerning the
union of Church and State. He did not
hesitate to use force in carrying forward
his reformation. He practiced the shrewd
est diplomacy in winning the adhesion of
kings and potentates to his cause. He did
not object to the Romish creed on the prin
ciple that it was a usurpation of authority
in binding men where God had left them
free, but only on the ground that it con
tained errors which he believed should be
eliminated. He felt it, therefore, perfectly
consistent with his reformation to assist in
formulating a new creed which in its turn
should become a bond of union and a test
of fellowship. If only he had been tall
enough to see clear over the heads of popes
and councils and all the bloody pages of
ecclesiastical history, back to the apostolic
age, and to urge the kind of union that
prevailed in that period, how many con
fusing chapters of denominational strifes
and divisions might have been avoided!
But perhaps the world was not ready at
that time to return to New Testament
Christianity. Other reformers and refor
mations must come after Luther to prepare
106

THE PROTESTANT ERA
even the lovers of Christ to return to the
simplicity and unity of the early Church.
But let us not fail to give Luther credit
for the great and heroic work which has
left its impress upon all subsequent ages.
His aim, let us not doubt, was to build
the Church- in conformity with the Scrip
tures, to which he constantly made his ap
peal. It is easy for us, living in the light
of a brighter and better day, to see imper
fections in the work of the great reformers
whom God has used as instruments for the
accomplishment of needed reformations in
their day. But we do well to remember
that we are the "heirs of all the ages,"
heirs of the religious light and liberty which
have come through the self-sacrificing la
bors and toils of these mighty men of God.
Once the banner of religious liberty was
lifted to the breeze and men felt that they
could express their convictions without fear
of incarceration in prison, or death, all
kinds of men began to give expression to
all kinds of opinions concerning subjects
religious and ecclesiastical, and, strange
to say, to urge these opinions and specula
tions with all the dogmatism and air of in
fallibility that had marked the utterances
107

CHRISTIAN UNION
of the popes themselves ! The student of
ecclesiastical history will recall the vari
ous types of anabaptists and anti-pedobap-
tists which promulgated their peculiar doc
trines, and made converts, and the differ
ences which arose between Luther and
many of his coadjutors, and a host of theo
logical champions who arose in that time
to advocate their respective theories which
they regarded as of primary importance.
All this, and much else that followed in
later years, was the inevitable result of
placing the emphasis on the intellectual
side of Christianity, and the failure to
make the proper distinction between faith
and theology. It was all a vain effort to
make men think alike on speculative ques
tions which had nothing to do with the life
or character of men. With all of Luther's
intellectual power, he never saw this dis
tinction, so vital to the unity and welfare
of the Church. Nor did he ever see clearly
that the State had one realm and the
Church another, and that these were to be
kept distinct and separate ; and that force
had no legitimate place in the religion of
Him who was "meek and lowly in heart,"
and whose life and doctrine were directly
108

THE PROTESTANT ERA
opposed to any such method of extending
his kingdom.
But, again, we must remind ourselves
that it was not given to Luther, nor to the
men of his time, to bring the Church all the
way from its Babylonish captivity to its
ancient and apostolic heritage of freedom
and unity. Enough for him and his co
adjutors that, with clear vision and heroic
courage, they were able to unchain the
Bible, reassert the principle of Christian
liberty, and inaugurate a movement which
others, in after years, should take up and
carry forward to a goal that is not even yet
realized. Jesus tells us that the same law
prevails in the spiritual realm that we see
in operation in the physical world — "First
the blade, then the ear, then the full grain
in the ear."* OTHER REFORMATIONS.
Following the reformation of Luther,
and partly contemporaneous with it, were
the reformatory movements of Zwingli, in
Switzerland, and of Calvin, in Geneva.
These later reformers profited, of course,
*Mark 4:28. 109

CHRISTIAN UNION
by the labors of Luther, and made a still
further advance in several respects toward
evangelical doctrine as it is held by the
best thought of to-day. They escaped some
of the evils and false conceptions which
continued to cleave to Luther after his
break with the Roman church, but they
were both more or less enslaved by the idea
that the fagot and the sword were legiti
mate weapons with which to advance that
kingdom of which it was declared by its
Founder that it is "not of this world," else
would his subjects fight for him. Zwingli
apprehended more clearly than Luther the
meaning and place of the two ordinances in
Christianity, and Was more influenced than
his great contemporary by the humanistic
element growing out of the Renaissance.
Calvin was undoubtedly one of the great
thinkers of the Church and left an indelible
impress both upon its doctrine and polity.
His teaching proved to be the most virile
and persistent form of Protestant thought
springing out of that century. It spread
throughout France, was transplanted
thence to Scotland through the labors of
John Knox, exerted a strong influence in
the Reformation in England, took its place
110

THE PROTESTANT ERA
beside Lutheranism even in Germany, was
puissant in the redemption of the Nether
lands from the persecuting power of Roman
Catholicism, and, being transplanted to the
New World, has exerfed* a widespread and
commanding influence in the religious
thought- and life of America. And yet it
was not given to John Calvin and his
brave coadjutors to grapple successfully
with the problem of Christian union. The
authoritative doctrinal creed has always
held a high place in the religious scheme
of the Reformed churches, whether in the
Old or the New World, and while the spirit
of the times and the growth of reljgious
liberty have made impossible the use of the
fagot, the sword, - and the prison, to en
force- theological uniformity, the creed of
Calvin, modified somewhat by the broader
and sweeter spirit which now pervades the
Church, is still regarded by its adherents
as an essential test of doctrinal soundness,
and an adequate basis of ecclesiastical life.
The religious movement known in the
Old World as Independency, may be con
sidered as a divergence from the Presby
terian movement or that of the Reformed
churches under the leadership of John
111

CHRISTIAN UNION
Calvin, in the matter of church government.
It strongly emphasized the independence of
the local congregation and the movement
has come to be known, especially in this
country, as Congregationalism. It had its
origin in the Reformation age, and in doc
trine it was in the beginning identical with
the Reformed churches, that is to say, Cal-
vinistic. In its subsequent development,
however, it has greatly modified the doc
trine of Calvin, and does not acknowledge
the authority of any general creed, holding
to the right of each congregation to for
mulate its* own creed. It has laid great
emphasis upon education, and the institu
tions of learning which it has planted are
among the foremost in this country, and
through these it has exerted a widespread
influence, not only upon the thought of the
Church, but upon the life of the Nation.
While its leading representatives in mod
ern times are favorable to the cause of
Christian unity, the movement as such, has
never devoted itself to the solution of the
problem of unity, though it has been an
important factor in preparing the way for
such unification.
Before the middle of the eighteenth cen-
112

THE PROTESTANT ERA
tury the Reformation in England sadly
needed reforming. When the spirit of
formalism, religious apathy and worldli-
ness prevailed to an alarming extent, and
the Church was losing its witnessing power
to the truth of Christianity, John Wesley,
who graduated from Oxford College in the
year 1726, soon afterward, in connection
with his brother Charles, began those re
ligious associations from which sprang the
great, widespread movement known as
Methodism. This movement, like that of
Luther and Calvin, was an effort to bring
the Church into closer conformity with the
Scriptures, and to make it more like the
Church which the Master had established.
It laid especial emphasis upon the spiritual
power of Christianity, as an internal force,
the direct witness of the Spirit, and holi
ness of life. It was an emphasis, too, that
was greatly needed in those days of spir
itual coldness and formality, and the neces
sity for it has not ceased in our own day.
It, too, was transplanted into the New
World and has been a mighty factor in the
religious life of this country. But great
and important as was the work of Wesley,
and of the movement to which his labors
(8) 113

fe

CHRISTIAN UNION
gave birth, it was not given to him to closely
grapple with the problem of Christian
unity. His mission lay in another field,
but it was performing an important prepar
atory work in its promotion of vital godli
ness. John Wesley was less a theological
genius than he was a great practical or
ganizer and Christian statesman, dealing
with practical problems of administration
and the utilization of religious forces. His
deep religious experience, and the empha
sis he gave to the truth that Christianity
must bear witness to itself in the individual
heart and life, bearing the fruit of the Spirit,
together with the other qualities mentioned,
made him a mighty factor in the religious
life of the world, since his time.
We need not enter here into the mooted
question of the origin of that splendid body
of Christian people known as Baptists,
whose American origin, at least, dates back
to the days of Roger Williams. We have
already seen that back in the days of
Luther, and no doubt long before his day,
there were those who stood for believers'
baptism, for liberty of conscience, and
against the usurpations of authority over
individual liberty by either the Church or
114

THE PROTESTANT ERA
State. No doubt these views were firmly
held, and quietly spread among the people,
though they had little opportunity of flour
ishing under the rule of the State Church
in the Old World, when dissenters were
regarded as traitors. No one man stands
for this movement, but it has had a suc
cession of great leaders, both in Europe
and America, and has been a mighty bul
wark through the centuries for religious
liberty, for a regenerated church member
ship, for believers' baptism, and for con
gregational autonomy.
It is unnecessary to deal with the sub
divisions, which unfortunately have broken
up these several Protestant bodies into sep
arate parties and denominations, between
which there has existed often a more bit
ter feeling than between more remotely sep
arated bodies. Enough has been said to
show that the era of Protestantism has
unfortunately been an era of division and
subdivision. It should be borne in mind,
however, that the leading Protestant move
ments came into existence as protests
against the tyranny and corruptions of an
apostate Church and are the results of
sincere and earnest efforts to establish a
115

CHRISTIAN UNION
purer faith and doctrine, and to correct ex
isting abuses. This fact is sometimes over
looked when these movements for religious
reform are characterized as the "daughters
of the Mother of Harlots." This charac
terization of the great, Protestant bodies of
our time ignores history and fact in the
interest of partisan zeal. Men and women
of heroic faith and courage went to the
stake, to the guillotine and to the flames
because of their loyalty to Jesus Christ,
and their zeal in behalf of religious reform.
Heroes like Wickliffe, Huss, Luther, Mel-
ancthon, Zwingli, Calvin, Wesley and a
great host whose names are less known to
fame, but whose faith and devotion to God
were not less true, have lived, and wrought,
and suffered persecution, and many of
them death, in behalf of religious freedom
and a truer faith, and we to-day have en
tered into the inheritance which they have
left us. It is a species of ingratitude, of
which no Christian ought to be guilty, to
disregard the labors and sacrifices of these
heroes of faith whose names are recorded
in the Book of Life. It is to be false to his
tory and to fact to speak of these great
Protestant movements, born, out of the
116

THE PROTESTANT ERA
travail of soul of mighty men of God, seek
ing to purify the Church in doctrine and
life, as "daughters of the Mother of Har
lots." Had there been no Luther there prob
ably would have been no Calvin, and had
there been no Luther and Calvin there
would have been no John Knox or John
Wesley. And had it not been for this illus
trious line of reformers, consecrating their
genius, their talent, their lives, to the cause
of religious reformation, there had been no
reformation of the nineteenth century, led
by such rnen as the Campbells, and Stone,
and followed by a long and saintly line of
heroes and heroines willing to sacrifice all
for the sake of Christ and his truth. We
shall never recognize our own religious
movement in its true relation to others
which have preceded it until we see these
others in their true historic setting, and are
able to recognize our infinite indebtedness
to them for what they accomplished in be
half of religious freedom and truth. It
will mark a distinct gain in historical
knowledge and in Christian spirit and hu
mility, when we shall cease to speak of our
fellow-laborers in behalf of Christian re-
117

CHRISTIAN UNION
form as mere "sects" with all the oppro
brium attaching to the New Testament use
of the term, as some do, while we claim
for ourselves the right and title of
Churches of Christ. This manifestation of
high churchism does not look any better
when it crops out among us than it does
when it is set forth by the older and more
aristocratic bodies which claim a direct
succession from the apostles. Such exclu
siveness is not only contrary to the free
spirit of our time, but it is out of harmony
with the spirit and teaching of him whose
disciples we claim to be. One of the ob
jects of this series of studies will have been
accomplished if it shall help us all to a
point of view that will enable us to see our
true relation to other religious movements,
and to have in consequence a better appre
ciation of the great work to which God has
called us.
Not one of these movements, however,
as we have seen, confronted the problem
of a divided Church, nor did one of them
set itself the task of seeking a basis of
unity upon which all could stand together
in a common fellowship, even as our Mas
ter prayed. Each of them saw evils to be
118

THE PROTESTANT ERA
remedied and errors to be corrected, and
set itself to the work of reformation, and
each of them, let it be said in truth and
justice, has made a distinct contribution
to the return of the Church from its Romish
captivity to its original purity and con
formity to Scriptural rule. There were
other problems to be solved before that of
Christian unity could be taken up,and with
these the Lutheran, Calvinian and Wesleyan
Reformations concerned themselves.
POST-REFORMATION ADVOCATES OF UNION.
It must not be supposed that, in the spirit
of controversy and contention which fol
lowed the Reformation of the sixteenth cen
tury and other later reformatory move
ments, there' were no voices lifted in behalf
of unity. The wonder is that, Christian
unity being so imbedded in the very spirit
and aim of Christianity, these voices were
not more numerous and did not meet with
a readier response from the Church. Our
space will permit us to mention only a few
of the most prominent and pronounced ad
vocates of union in post-reformation times,
and for most of the facts herein stated we
1J9

CHRISTIAN UNION
are indebted to a lecture by the Rev. John
F. Hurst, D. D., LL. D., Bishop of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, on "The
Irenic Movements Since the Reformation,"
which forms a chapter in a book entitled
"Church Unity."*
Melanchthon, who was the one irenic
spirit of the Reformation, seems to have
transmitted some of his spirit as well as his
theology to George Calixtus, professor in
the University of Halmstadt, who became
the earliest apostle of Christian union.
Himself a Lutheran, by his travels and
mingling with other Protestants, he at
tained to a breadth of view not shared by
many religious teachers of his time. His
aim was to bring about union between the
Lutheran and Reformed Churches. He
contended that the points on which they
differed were insignificant as compared
with the great fundamentals on which they
were agreed. Of course he was denounced
and ridiculed by the sectarians of his time,
some of whom identified him with the num
ber of the beast in the Apocalypse. As our
historian remarks, "It was a militant age,

*Scribners Sons, New York. 1Z0

THE PROTESTANT ERA
and the peacemaker's role was not popular."
The theological school of Frankfort-on-
the-Oder, was a center of a movement in
behalf of peace and unity. We are indebted
to this Frankfort group of peace advo
cates for giving publicity as to the now
familiar statement of Rupertus Meldenius:
"In necessary things unity, in things in
different liberty, in all charity." Rich
ard Baxter, himself an advocate of Chris
tian union in his time, had also quoted this
sentence in his work on Christian union.
Bishop Hurst says that "John Durie was
the greatest peacemaker of the seventeenth
century." Durie devoted himself with sin
gleness of aim to bringing about the union
of Christians. He interceded with kings
and parliaments, receiving aid from them
and from many of the leading spirits of his
time, in his work. Some of the principles
which he advocated, as given in the lecture
referred to, are as follows:
"(i) A full body of practical divinity,
which, instead of the ordinary philosophical
jangling school divinity, might be proposed to
all those who seeke the truth which is after
godlin«sse. ,
"(2) To abolish the names of parties, as
121

CHRISTIAN UNION
presbyterial, prelatical, congregational, etc.,
and to be called Reformed Christians of Erfg-
land, Scotland, France, Germany, etc.
"(3) To discountenance controversial writ
ings by private persons.
"(4) It is the mind of Christ that his serv
ants in all matters merely circumstantiall by
him not determined should be left free to
follow their own light, as it may be offered,
or arise unto them, from the general rules of
edification and not constrained by an implicit
faith to follow the dictates of other men."
It is interesting to notice the striking
similarity of some of these statements with
the principles enunciated in "The Declara
tion and Address" of Thomas Campbell,
early in the nineteenth century. It was
too early, however, for these principles to
meet with any general acceptance, and this
earnest advocate of Christian union died
in 1680 without seeing his hopes realized.
Hugo Grotius, a contemporary of Calix-
tus, was also an advocate of union, but his
aim especially was to reconcile Protestants
to the mother Church, and he probably
would have sacrificed truth for the sake of
unity. John Owen who has been called "the
122

THE PROTESTANT ERA
greatest of the Puritan divines, the Nestor
of the Congregationalists," gave his voice
for union and laid down a liberal platform.
Among some of the noble sentences are the
following: "Wherever there is a man, or
a body of men, who are united to him by a
living faith and are keeping his command
ments, he or they are in communion with
the Church of God." "He belongs to the
Church catholic who is united to Christ
by the spirit, and none other." As to the
method of union he stated this truth which
is, perhaps, more obvious now after the
experience of centuries than when he ut
tered it: "But I verily believe that when
God shall accomplish it (union), it will be
the effect of love and not the cause of love."
We have already referred to Baxter as
an advocate of Christian union. We can
not refrain from quoting here his noble ap
peal to the Christians of his day in behalf
of union:
"Why, sirs, have not Independents, Pres
byterians, Episcopal, etc., one God, one Christ,
one Spirit, one Creed, one Scripture, one hope
of everlasting life? Are our disagreements so
great that we may not live together in love,
and close in fraternal union and unity? Are
123

CHRISTIAN UNION
we not of one religion? Do we differ in fun
damentals or substantiate? Will our con
science worry us? Will not posterity curse us
if by our divisions we betray the gospel into
the hands of the enemies? And if by our
mutual envyings and jealousies and perverse
zeal for our several conceits, we should keep
open the breach for all heresies and wicked
ness to enter, and make a prey for our own
poor people's souls; Brethren, you see other
bonds are loosed; Satan will make his advan
tage of these daises of licentiousness. Let us
straighten the bond of Christian unity and love,
and help each other against the powers of hell,
and join our forces against one common
enemy." In 1836 Abraham Van Dyke, Esq., pub
lished a book entitled, Christian Union; or
an Argument for the Abolition of Sects,"
which provoked opposition from leaders in
the Episcopal Church, and also in the Pres
byterian Church. The book and the dis
cussion it provoked was a contribution to
the cause of Christian unity.
We need only refer to the local union
movements within certain denominational
families which are recent enough to be fa
miliar to our readers. The union effected
124

THE PROTESTANT ERA
in Scotland and among the Methodist
Churches of Canada and Presbyterian
Churches of this country and other move
ments of the same character which are
now in process of being accomplished, are
sufficient to show us that a new spirit has
entered into the Church, and that the cen
tripetal forces are overcoming the centri
fugal. The movement of Abner Jones in
New England and of John O'Kelly in the
South, about the beginning of the last cen
tury, seeking to promote a closer union
among Christians, together with the move
ments of Stone and the Campbells to be
hereafter noticed more fully, and of which
Bishop Hurst does not seem to have heard,.
were but parts of a wide-spread cosmic
movement toward union which we can not
doubt is the product of the Spirit of God
within the hearts of His people. All of
these movements contributed something to
the end they sought to accomplish and
helped to prepare the way for the fuller
realization of the ideal which they had be
fore them. But they were in the main in
dividual movements, and partly because of
the times in which these men lived, and the
conditions under which they wrought, and,

CHRISTIAN UNION
partly because of the impracticable char
acter of their respective platforms of unity,
they affected but slightly the religious
thought and life of their day. We are now
to consider a movement in behalf of union
whose growth has been one of the most
striking phenomena in modern religious his
tory, and whose plea for unity has pro
foundly affected the thought and feeling
of the present time.

126

V.
THE PERIOD OF REUNION.

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32.)
"For other foundation can no man lay than
that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
(I. Cor. 3:11.)
"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord be
seech you to walk worthily of the calling
wherewith ye were called, with all lowliness
and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing
one another in love; giving diligence to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as
also ye were called in one hope of your call
ing; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
God and Father of all, who is over all, and
through all, and in all." (Eph. 4:1-6.)
"Till we all attain unto the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ." (Eph. 4:13.)
"For as the body is one, and hath many
members, and all the members of the body,
being many, are one body; so also is Christ.
For in one Spirit were we all baptized into
one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether
bond or free; and were all made to drink of
one Spirit." (I. Cor. 12:12, 13.)
128

V.
THE PERIOD OF REUNION.
A SEED-TRUTH TAKING ROOT.
With the dawning of the nineteenth cen
tury there began to appear evidences of a
reaction against the spirit of division, and
of the incoming of a period of reunion in
the Protestant era. It was within the first
decade of that century that, for the first
time in the history of the world, there was
a distinct, organized movement, having for
its aim the unity of the Church. Prophetic
voices had, indeed, been heard here and
there, for centuries, decrying the evils of
division, and sounding some true note of
catholicity, but these were drowned in the
discord of contending factions. Such a
voice was that of Rupertus Meldenius,
who, during the fierce dogmatic contro
versies and the horrors of the Thirty Years'
War, "whispered to future generations the
watchword of Christian peacemakers,
which was unheard in a century of intol
erance, forgotten in a century of indiffer
ence, but resounds with increased force in
129

CHRISTIAN UNION
a century of revival and reunion: 'In es
sentials, unity ; in non-essentials, liberty ; in
all things, charity.' "* The tract containing
this remarkable statement is believed to
have appeared in the year 1627 or 1628.
Fifty years later, Richard Baxter quoted
it from another author in the preface to
his work on "The True and Only Way of
Concord of all the Christian Churches."
"Here, then, is an admirable illustration
of the indestructible vitality of. an impor
tant truth, which not only persists in liv-"
ing through centuries of opposition and
neglect, but which manifests increased pow
er over each succeeding generation. How
few there were to recognize in this state
ment the germ of a great religious ref
ormation, when it was first formulated and
uttered by Meldenius ! In Baxter's day it
attracted more attention as offering relief
from the interminable strifes and divisions
with which all pious, truth-loving souls
were weary. But it was not until more
than a century later that it gained practical
recognition in an organized movement hav
ing for its end the unity and peace of the
church.

"Philip Schaff, Ecclesiastical History, Vol. vi., p. 650.
130

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
"Indeed, it is quite certain that neither
Meldenius nor Baxter perceived all that
was involved in this memorable motto.
What they did see, evidently, was an utter
lack of discrimination, in the popular mind,
between the things which are vital and
those which are incidental, and the conse
quent effort to enforce uniformity at the
expense of unity. As a remedy for this
state of things they proposed the foregoing
statement which had in it the seed of a
reformation yet to be. But the seed must
wait for genial soil and favorable surround
ings. If either of the men named, or any
of the theologians of that period who ac
cepted this motto, had been asked to state
more specifically what were the 'things
essential,' and what the 'things non-essen
tial,' their answer, doubtless, would have
borne the marks and the limitations of the
religious thought of their times. It was
for another age to develop, more clearly
than was possible at that time, the right
application of this principle to the religious
problems upon which Christendom had di
vided into hostile camps."*

^Introduction by J. H. Garrison to "Origin of the
Disciples of Christ," by G. W. Longan, p. 6.
131

CHRISTIAN UNION
Early in the beginning of the last cen
tury there were heard at different places in
the United States, voices crying in the wil
derness of our denominationalism, protest
ing against the evils of divisions, and call
ing upon the Church to close up its divided
ranks in harmony with the prayer of our
Lord. One of these was Barton W. Stone,
who, in a great revival at Cane Ridge, Ky.,
in the year 1803, raised the cry for Chris
tian union by forsaking all creeds and party
names, discarding all ecclesiastical author
ity, and taking the Bible, and the Bible
alone, as the only rule of faith and prac
tice. The movement spread with great
rapidity throughout that state, and in some
of the western states. Mr. Stone was a
man of commanding ability, of profound
piety, and of deep moral earnestness. Un
der the influence of a great spiritual re
vival in which all hearts flowed together it
seemed utterly inconsistent to pertetuate
party names, or to acknowledge the au
thority of human creeds, and these parti
tion walls went down with a crash before
the invincible earnestness of these men of
God who had been awakened to a new
consciousness of unity and of fellowship in
132

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
Christ. In a "Last Will and Testament,"
which Stone and his colaborers made out
and formally signed, they bequeathed their
party names, their creeds, and their eccle
siastical associations to those who valued
such trifles, and, disencumbered, they set
out in quest of that long lost unity for which
many earnest souls had been yearning.
In the year 1809 there was issued a
"Declaration and Address" by Thomas
and Alexander Campbell, father and son,
in western Pennsylvania, whither they had
but recently migrated from North Ireland,
in which they set forth the evils of a di
vided Church, and pointed out the way to
union through a return to the simplicity
and catholicity of New Testament Chris
tianity. Thomas Campbell was a member
of the seceders' branch of the Presbyterian
Church, an able and educated minister and
a deeply religious man. His son had been
reared in the same Church, but developed
an independence of thought, a wide knowl
edge of and reverence for the Scriptures,
which, with his extraordinary ability as a
preacher and writer, fitted him in an emi
nent degree for the work of a religious
reformer. Looking upon the same evils
133

CHRISTIAN UNION
which Meldenius, Baxter, and others had
seen and deplored, Thomas Campbell ut
tered a not less remarkable saying in the
memorable words which he made the bat
tle cry of reform: "Where the Scriptures
speak we speak, and where the Scriptures
are silent we are silent." The clear im
port of this striking motto was, What is
enjoined upon men by divine authority we
shall insist upon being observed; and
where the Word of God has left men free,
we shall not bind them. The phrase,
"things essential," had now been inter
preted to mean the things required by the
Scriptures, and the "things non-essential"
were those where the silence of the Scrip
tures left men free to follow their best
judgment. In both these mottoes there is a
clear recognition of divine authority and an
equally distinct rejection of human author
ity in matters of religious faith and prac
tice. In each of them there is a solemn
emphasis of loyalty to God, on the one
hand, and of freedom from the tyranny of
opinion, on the other."*'
Like the movement of Stone, that of the

•Introduction, to "Origin of Disciples of Christ," by
J. H. Garrison. 134

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
Campbells, discarded the authority of hu
man creeds, abandoned the use of all party
or denominational names, and urged a re
turn to the faith and practice of the apos
tolic Church, as approved by the New Tes
tament. It went further than the move
ment of Stone in the re-discovery of what
was the creed of the apostolic Church,
namely, the Messiahship and divinity of
Jesus of Nazareth, upon which Christ de
clared he would build his Church. To be
lieve on Christ as the Son of God, and the
world's Redeemer, and to obey him as the
supreme authority in all matters religious
— that, it asserted, is the way to unity. It
is not strange that after the lapse of a few
years these two movements — that of Stone
and the Campbells — met and coalesced,
forming a Christian union movement that
has mightily affected the religious thought
of our times.
THE PROBLEM OF HARMONIZING UNION
AND LIBERTY.
What was the distinctive task which this
Christian movement set for itself? It un
dertook the solution of that problem of all
the Christian centuries, namely: the har-
135

CHRISTIAN UNION
monization of Christian liberty and Chris
tian union. How can we stand fast in the
"liberty wherewith 'Christ hath made us
free, while standing fast also in the unity
wherewith Christ hath made us one? Ro
man Catholicism secured union, of a kind,
but it sacrificed liberty. Protestantism se
cured liberty, but at the sacrifice of union.
Are these two principles, then, essentially
antagonistic, the one to the other? Are
they mutually exclusive terms, so that
those who enjoy one must do so at the sac
rifice of the other? This can not be, for
Christ not only taught both union and lib
erty as principles of his kingdom, but he
enjoined them upon his followers. How can
they be reconciled?
In a stormy period of our national his
tory, when the different sections of the
American Union seemed likely to fall part
on the subject of slavery, there were some
political leaders who were in favor of sac
rificing the Union to save liberty, and there
were others who believed in perpetuating
the Union, even at the expense of liberty.
In that critical period of our national life
there stood up in the United States Senate
that great constitutional statesman, Daniel
136

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
Webster, who propounded a nobler motto:
"Liberty and union, now and forever, one
and inseparable!" That was the slogan
that carried us through the struggles of
the civil war and brought us out a free
and united nation. Liberty to the several
states and individuals within the well de
fined limits of the constitution; union
through unswerving loyalty to one flag
and one constitution — that was, is and
forever must be, the basis of the Amer
ican Union, whose starry banner is the
ensign of hope to all the struggling na
tionalities of earth.
Liberty in Christ and union through loy
alty to Christ — that is the harmonization
of these two principles of the Gospel. Loy
alty to all that Christ has clearly command
ed — that gives us unity. Loyalty to Christ
only and a rejection of all human authority
in religion — that gives us liberty. So far
from there being any conflict between these
two principles, each is essential to the oth
er; for just as there can be no Christian
union without liberty, there can not be real
Christian liberty, in its widest and best
meaning, without union. The vital relation
of liberty to union is seen in the fact that
137

CHRISTIAN UNION
all attempts to bind men's thought and con
science where Christ has left them free
have resulted in division and strife, and that
all steps in the direction of a reunion of
Christendom involve the concession of lib
erty in matters of opinion, and the rejection
of all authority that interposes between
Christ and the liberty which the emanci
pated soul finds in him. But why should we
say that union is essential to liberty in its
widest and truest sense? Because Chris
tian union means the breaking down of all
artificial barriers which separate Christians
from each other, and the removal of those
prejudices and arbitrary limitations of fel
lowship which enslave the mind and hinder
the soul's true and normal development.
May we not say, therefore, in religion as
in patriotism "Liberty and union, now and
forever, one and inseparable."
Here, at last, in the free atmosphere of
America, with the full guarantee of civil
and religious liberty, there was born, for
the first time in history, a religious move
ment which faced squarely the problem
of a divided Christendom, and set for itself
the task of promoting the union of Chris
tians in harmony with the prayer of our
138

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
divine Lord. It would be strange, indeed,
if, coming long after the previous reforma
tory movements which we have mentioned,
profiting by all the truth which they had
elicited and emphasized, as well as by their
mistakes and shortcomings and directing its
aim specifically to healing the divisions of
the church, this religious movement of the
nineteenth century had not made some im
portant contribution to the problem of uni
fying the church, and to the work of bring
ing it more into harmony with the divine
pattern shown us in the mount of divine
revelation. In his history of the Protestant
revolution, Dr. A. H. Newman says, con
cerning the work of the Genevan reformer :
"Calvin, beginning his work at Geneva
(1536), had the benefit of nearly twenty
years of Protestant experience and prestige.
Had his ability been no greater than that of
Zwingli and Luther, he might yet have been
expected to improve upon their reformatory
efforts."* How much more, therefore,
might it have been expected that a religious
movement, starting nearly three centuries
after that of Luther, and almost a

* (Manual of Church History, by A. H. Newman,
D. D., LL. D., p. 20.) 139

CHRISTIAN UNION
century after the Wesleyan reformation in
England, should have "improved upon pre
vious reformatory efforts." But especially
— and this is more directly to our point —
might it have been expected that such a
movement having for its specific aim the
promotion of unity among Christians, and
seeking to find the basis for such unity,
would have made a distinct advance toward
the solution of this vexed problem. That
it did make such advance, we can not doubt
will be the verdict of that future history
which is to sum up the movements and in
fluences which have brought about a united
church. FEATURES OE CATHOLICITY IN THE
MOVEMENT.
The following features of catholicity
which this Reformation emphasized, and
continues to emphasize, must, we believe,
enter into any practicable scheme of Chris
tian union :
I. The rejection of all human creeds or
formulations of doctrine as binding upon
the conscience, or as bases of communion,
or Christian fellowship, and the acceptance
of the Bible, and the Bible alone, as the
140

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
only authoritative rule of faith and practice.
2. The distinction between the Old and
New Testaments, the latter being the will
of Christ, and especially applicable to the
Christian Church and to Christian life.
3. The abandonment of all doctrines and
practices in the Church, as having any bind
ing force, which are not clearly authorized
in the New Testament. This was expressed
in the motto, "Where the Scriptures speak,
we speak; where the Scriptures are silent,
we are silent."
4. The disuse of all party names, and the
use of such names alone as express the com
mon relationship of all true believers to
Christ. 5. The return to the ancient and apos
tolic creed on which Christ said he would
build his church, and which is the only true
object of saving faith — the Lord Jesus
Christ himself. To believe on him with the
whole heart is to possess the true, evangel
ical, saving faith. He, himself, in other
words, and not a set of doctrines about him,
or about the Church, is the object of faith.
6. Obedience to Christ, in his command
ments and ordinances, as interpreted by the
best scholarship of the ages, is the condition
141

CHRISTIAN UNION
of admission into his Church and of con
tinued fellowship with the whole body of
believers. 7. Liberty of opinion in all matters in
different, or non-essential, or which are not
inconsistent with Christian faith or con
duct. This, it will be seen, was an effort to
attain to catholicity of faith, of teaching,
and of practice. It involved the surrender
of names, doctrines and practices, which
had been very dear to those who committed
themselves to this program of union, and
it was a severe test of their sincerity and
and earnest desire for union. It wrought a
revolution in the doctrinal beliefs and prac
tices of the very men who were leaders in
the movement. But they were "not dis
obedient to the heavenly vision."*

*This fact is frequently overlooked by writers on this
subject, who are wholly ignorant of the history of the
Reformation of which we are speaking. In a recent
work on "The Gospel of Love," the author, referring to
the evils of - divisions, says: "There is a wide-spread
cry for the reunion of Christendom. But no church
seems willing to make any real concessions of its own
peculiar tenets, though all are ready to welcome all
others who will abandon their own distinctive opinions
in their favor." — "Gospel of Love," p. 66. The original
leaders in this movement were Presbyterians first, later
they became Baptists, and later still, put aside all de
nominational titles and creeds and became simply Chris
tians or Disciples of Christ with the distinct motive of
promoting Christian union. All religious bodies have
contributed their quota of men who were willing to sac
rifice denominationalism on tl-.e altar of unity.
142

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
It is a pertinent question to raise at this
point, Are the features above mentioned
truly catholic in their nature, that is, such
as are believed everywhere and by all Chris
tians ? At first thought, it might seem that
some of them are not, but we believe a fur
ther and maturer reflection will show that
they express what all Protestants, at least,
either explicitly or implicitly admit to be
true. For instance, it may be asked, wheth
er this rejection of all human creeds as bind
ing upon the conscience is not contrary to
the belief and practice of those Protestant
bodies which have doctrinal creeds and C0117
fessions other than the Bible. To this it
may be replied that it is the cardinal doc
trine of Protestantism, expressed in the very
creeds themselves, that the Scriptures of the
Old and New Testaments constitute the
only infallible rule of faith and practice.
In rejecting the binding authority of human
creeds, therefore, we are in perfect har
mony with the Protestant principle and are
only carrying it out to its legitimate re
sults. No religious body in Christendom would
claim for a moment that its own creed of
fers an adequate basis for Christian union.
143

CHRISTIAN UNION
These creeds were never intended for any
thing more than the basis of denominational
union and fellowship. The only creed
which all Christians believe, and on which
they can unite, is the old creed confessed
by Simon Peter on the coast of Caesarea
Philippi— "Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God." To believe on him, and
to wear his name — that is common ground
which all can occupy without any sacrifice
of truth and conscience. Of course, obedi
ence to Christ in his commandments and or
dinances is involved in our acceptance of
him as Saviour and Lord. Whatever he
commands, the faith which accepts him as
Lord will obey. In all else there must be
liberty for difference of opinion without in
terfering with Christian fellowship. There
can never be any Christian union without
the recognition of this principle of indi
vidual liberty in all matters not directly
enjoined upon us by the authority of Christ.
The meaning of what he has enjoined di
rectly, or through his apostles, is to be in
terpreted by the consensus of scholarship in
the church. If anything be of doubtful
meaning according to the world's best
scholarship, this should be made a matter of
144

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
liberty concerning which every man is to
be fully persuaded in his own opinion. This
assumes that every believer in Christ desires
to do what Christ has commanded him to
do. Nothing short of this is faith in its
New Testament meaning.
" This, it would seem, is Christianity re
duced to its least common denominator. In
other words, it is the "irreducible mini
mum" without which you can not have a
church, or Christianity in any visible or
practicable form. On this foundation of
faith in Christ, and of loyal obedience to
him, has been built the Church of the Lord
Jesus, and on that foundation it rests to
day. There are a thousand things which
may enter into the enrichment of Christian
life when we have once built upon this
foundation, but these things are not to be
added to the foundation and made a part of
the conditions of entrance upon the Chris
tian life. If this were done, the basis of
fellowship would cease to be catholic and
many would become Christians without be
ing able to accept this basis of fellowship.
This has been the source of our divisions
and subdivisions in the religious world.
We have not sufficiently distinguished be-
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CHRISTIAN UNION
tween the things that are vital and essential,
which belong to the faith, and the things
which are incidental and inferential, which
are matters of subsequent knowledge and
investigation. HAVE THE DISCIPLES OE CHRIST BEEN LOYAL
TO THEIR IDEAL?
It is one thing to have a great ideal, and
quite another thing to be always loyal to
and consistent with that ideal. If this be
true of the individual, how much more true
is it of a religious movement, with its thou
sands and tens of thousands of advocates
and adherents, having different tempera
ments, varying degrees of culture and wide
ly differing religious antecedents and en
vironment? It must be confessed, at once,
that while the greatest leaders of the move
ment throughout its history have kept stead
ily in view its catholic spirit and principles,
and in their teaching and practice have ad
hered to the same with as great fidelity as is
given to mortals, large sections of the broth
erhood have, at different times, and in dif
ferent places, been swayed in their spirit
and teaching by ideals and motives which,
to the extent they have prevailed, have been
146

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
subversive of the chief aim of the move
ment. This has been true of every religious
reformation in history, and the Disciples of
Christ had no right to expect immunity
from such divisive tendencies. We would
gladly drop the curtain over these pages of
history, were it not for the useful les
sons they may teach us in avoiding similar
errors in the future.
The most distinguishing feature of the
movement, and one which entitles it to rank
as a Christian union movement, is the dis
tinction it has always drawn between faith,
which is personal confidence and trust in a
personal Saviour, and matters of opinion
or inference, as we have already pointed
out. But, strange to say, it has been just at
this point where there have been most fre
quent failures to live up to the high ideal.
Instances of this failure are to be seen in
the fierce opposition that was at one time
waged against the use of instrumental mu
sic in public worship. This custom was
held by some good brethren to be a violation
of the principle that "Where the Scriptures
speak, we speak; and where the Scriptures
are silent, we are silent." This was of
course to confound mere matters of method,
147

CHRISTIAN UNION
or of expediency, with matters of faith and
loyalty to Jesus Christ. To conceive of the
New Testament as a Christian law book,
entering into the minutiae of worship and
of service, is to misconceive the very spirit
and genius of Christianity, and to ignore
the wide gulf which separates it from Ju
daism; and yet one of the strong points
of the movement has been to emphasize the
dispensational lines, and to bring every item
of Christian faith and practice to the test of
the Christian dispensation ! It is an illustra
tion of how people sometimes fail to follow
out their own premises to their legitimate
conclusions. The same erroneous method of reasoning
has been applied to the Sunday-school, to
missionary organizations, to certain meth
ods of observing the Lord's Supper, to the
Christian Endeavor Society, to postures in
prayer, to church architecture, and many
other incidental things relating to mere
methods of work and of worship. In some
instances local churches have been rent
asunder over the organ question, and sister
congregations have been alienated from
each other because of the different ways of
doing missionary work. It is easy to see,
148

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
of course, how utterly inconsistent with any
claim of catholicity of position or spirit, for
the movement, have been these divisive
ideas and practices. And yet there are well-
meaning people devoted to these doctrines
and practices with a zeal that is in inverse
proportion to their knowledge of church
history and of the meaning and breadth of
the religious movement with which they are
identified. But there are other ways in which some
have been disloyal to this high ideal. This
ideal implies that Christianity consists, as
it does, of faith in and devotion to Christ,
and is pre-eminently a spiritual religion;
that it is a life, rather than a system of doc
trine, although it involves sound doctrine.
And yet it has often happened that in their
preaching and teaching the chief emphasis
has been laid by these men on things that
are external, rather than on things which
are internal and vital. Obedience to an ex
ternal command, like baptism or the Lord's
Supper, has sometimes been taken more as
a test of loyalty to Christ than general con
formity to his teaching as relates to conduct
and character. They have not always given
first place to things of first importance,
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CHRISTIAN UNION
and godliness and prayer, with purity of
heart and life, have often received less em
phasis than doctrinal accuracy and a cor
rect pronunciation of the shibboleths. Some
times the spirit of humility and of teach
ableness is not exemplified to as great a
degree as might be expected of those who
claim to be simply learners of Christ. It
must be admitted, too, that sometimes the
zeal of party success has apparently been
greater than the desire for the unity of
God's people.
These departures, here and there, from
the divine ideal which the Disciples set out
to realize are the natural results of defective
education and training, of imperfect spirit
ual development, and, more even, of divisive
teaching and preaching by false leaders,
who have done much to prevent unity
among themselves, and hence to hamper the
work of commending Christian unity to
others. But it has never been otherwise in
history. Every great cause has had to win
its way to success and final victory not only
through the opposition of its enemies, but
over the mistakes of its friends. Perhaps
this opposition and these mistakes of short
sighted friends, may be the very means of
150

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
developing more clearly the strength of the
righteous cause. But whatever the causes,
and whatever the sad results of such fail
ures, it is comforting and reassuring to
know that these faults are seen and recog
nized more clearly to-day than ever before,
and that the great body of both ministers
and members are moving in the direction of
greater loyalty to their divine ideal, and are
giving a more practical illustration of what
is involved in their plea for Christian union.
The fact that the spirit and most char
acteristic principles of the movement have
been misconceived and misrepresented by
many of its professed advocates accounts,
in part at least, for its misconception and
misrepresentation by those without, and
for much of the prejudice against it. The
rest must be set down to the weakness of
our poor human nature which so readily
dissents from what does not agree with its
own preconceived ideas, and which so
easily believes evil reports concerning it.
Our own. shortcomings, however, should
teach us charity in judging others for
faults of which we ourselves may not be
wholly innocent. No doubt much mutual
misunderstanding of each others' position
151

CHRISTIAN UNION
and aims prevails among Christians, the
removal of which should be the aim of all
lovers of peace, good will and unity among
Christians.
CHANGE OE. ATTITUDE TOWARD THE MOVE
MENT ON THE PART OF THE RELIGIOUS
• WORLD.
The attitude of the religious world, gen
erally, toward this movement for Christian
union, in its beginning and for many years
afterwards, was that of hostility. Protest
antism in the main seemed to have settled
down in the conviction that denomination-
alism was the normal and permanent con
dition of the Church, to disturb which by
any plea for union was to disturb the di
vine order of things. The plea of the
Campbells and of Stone for a return to the
unity of the apostolic church by a return to
New Testament Christianity in its simplicity
and catholicity, seemed to the religious lead
ers of that age as an idle dream — a Utopian
scheme which was neither practicable nor
desirable. The leaders of this movement
were denounced as schismatic and the build
ers of a new sect. It is not easy to see why
152

. THE PERIOD OF REUNION
they should have been denounced on this
account. If denominationalism be, indeed,
the divine order of things, why, then, should
not these men have been hailed as true fel
low-workers in bringing to birth a new de
nomination? But, strange to say, this in
consistency has always marked the course
of those who have defended the present de
nominational status quo.
But, after all, it is not strange that this
movement, in its origin, met with bitter op
position and that its advocates were looked
upon as disturbers of the peace of Israel.
To that age, at least, it seemed a most revo
lutionary program that was proposed by
the Reformers. It involved the abandon
ment of all existing human creeds as bonds
of union or communion ; of all party names
as promoting and perpetuating divisions,
and the acceptance, instead thereof, of the
common rule of faith and practice, the com
mon faith and the common religious names,
which all God's people would be willing to
accept. At the present time, when the
power of creeds has waned, when denom
inational names are held subordinate to the
name that is above every name, and when
the common faith in Christ is exalted far
153

CHRISTIAN UNION
above theological systems and dogmas, the
position assumed by these Reformers does
not seem so revolutionary as in the former
days. The opposition was no greater, per
haps, than has been experienced by every
new movement in the world that has inter
fered seriously with prevailing customs,
opinions and traditions. Moreover, there
was one good service which this opposition
rendered to the Cause it sought to destroy :
it served to keep out of the new movement
all who were not actuated by the deepest
and most conscientious convictions of truth,
and made its advocates realize that they
were suffering for truth's sake, and thus in
tensified the bond of unity and of brotherly
love. It is very obvious that a great change
has come over the religious world in its
attitude, both toward Christian unity and
to the people who were its original advo
cates. Everywhere, except perhaps in the
most benighted regions, the ministers and
churches of the Disciples of Christ are wel
comed into all the councils and co-operative
movements of the evangelical churches,
and the plea for Christian union is heard in
nearly all the pulpits of Christendom. Far
154

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
and wide, in the foreign field as well as in
the home field, and even more strongly in
foreign lands than in our own coun
try, the tide of Christian union sentiment is
sweeping onward, swelling in volume and
momentum. The single voice of Thomas
Campbell, crying in the wilderness of sec
tarian factions and strifes, "One is our
Master, and all we be brethren; let us love
and serve one another, in a united . broth
erhood of believers," has swelled into a
mighty chorus of voices heard around the
world pleading for the union of a divided
church in order to the conversion of the
world !
Out of the growing spirit of unity came,
first of all, the Evangelical Alliance, which
Alexander Campbell hailed with joy as one
of the signs of promise and to which he
pledged his co-operation to the fullest extent
of his ability. It was an attempt to give
some sort of expression to the fact that
these great Protestant bodies held some
vital truths in common, and were allies in a
common Cause rather than mutual foes.
Not knowing how else to manifest their
unity at that time, they drew up a creedal
statement which was supposed to contain
155

CHRISTIAN UNION
what was most fundamental in the common
Christian faith as the basis of their co-oper
ation. In many places, it will be remem
bered, our ministers were ruled out of these
local alliances because they were not con
sidered evangelical.* It will be remem
bered, too, with what righteous indignation
we protested against this injustice at the
hands of our brethren of the various de
nominations, who denied to us a place in
the household of faith. While this Alliance
has never realized the expectation which its
friends entertained for it, it deserves hon
orable recognition as the first attempt to
present something to the world better than
warring or competing denominations.
The Young Men's Christian Association
has also served the purpose of furnishing
a broader platform than that afforded by
any existing denomination for interdenom
inational co-operation in efforts to save

*It is easy to imagine with what unanimous voice the
Inter-Church Conference would have been condemned
for its narrowness, by all who oppose federation, as
well as by those favoring it, had the Disciples been ex
cluded from such federation on the ground that they
were not evangelical! But why so, if the other Protest
ant bodies are not sufficiently Christian to make our co
operation with them consistent with our plea for Christian
union? To such complainers, our religious neighbors
might apply the' words of Jesus to the Jews: "We piped
unto you and ye did not dance; we wailed and ye did not
weep." Luke 7:32. 156

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
young men. Based on the great funda
mentals of Christian faith, and ignoring de
nominational distinctions, it has made its
beneficent influence felt around the globe.
The great interdenominational movement
in Sunday-school work furnishes another
instance of the desire of the various reli
gious bodies to work together, as far as pos
sible, for common ends, as regards this
great interest of the church. Its series of
uniform lesssons for the Sundayschools of
all religious bodies has been a mighty force
working for unity.
Perhaps the most remarkable of all these
interdenominational movements, in some re
spects, is the Young People's Society of
Christian Endeavor, which, in a quarter of
a century, has girdled the globe and has
brought together the young people of all
the churches in union services, where they
are learning to love and respect each other.
Its great conventions have brought togeth
er representative men out of various re
ligious bodies who have spoken from the
same platform, and given testimony to their
common faith and life. It has been a
mighty influence, under God, for breaking
down barriers of prejudice and provincial-
157

CHRISTIAN UNION
ism and of making the various Protestant
bodies realize how great are the matters
they hold in common as compared with the
things in which they differ.
Along with this growing spirit of unity
there has come a kindlier feeling toward
the movement of the Disciples of Christ.
Prejudice and suspicion have given way in
enlightened communities to fraternity and
hearty appreciation. It is no longer a
question as to the evangelical character of
the movement, but only as to how far its
plea for Christian union is practicable.
FORCES MAKING FOR UNION.
What influences have been at work to
bring about this remarkable change in sen
timent in the religious world on the sub
ject of Christian union? Effects are not
produced without causes, and an intelligent
knowledge of these causes helps us to un
derstand the nature of the effects and to
forecast with considerable certainty other
results of a similar character.
i. First of all, we can not doubt that
the religious movement inaugurated by the
Campbells and Barton W. Stone in the first
decade of the last century, which had for
158

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
its specific aim the promotion of Christian
union, has been one of the most important
factors in producing the change to which
we have referred. It would, indeed, be
very strange if this were not the case.
Here were men of learning, of piety, of pre
eminent ability, and of commanding influ
ence, devoting their lives to this holy cause.
They have had a line of noble successors,
who, for nearly a century, in pulpit and
periodical, through books and pamphlets,
have advocated, without wavering, the ne
cessity of Christian union in order to the
conversion of the world. They have em
phasized the evils of division among the
people of God, and have pointed out what
seemed to them a practicable basis of union
by a return to the original foundation on
which the Church was built and by loyal
adherence to the simple teaching of Christ
and his apostles in relation to church mem
bership and Christian life. Whatever may
be thought about the influence which this
plea has exerted, there can be no question
in any candid, thoughtful mind, that the
changes which have come about in religious
sentiment have been in the direction of this
plea, not only as regards the evils of di-
159

CHRISTIAN UNION
vision and the necessity of union, but also
in respect to the method of union, which
is not to be on any authorized state
ment of doctrine, no matter how irenic, but
on Jesus Christ himself, with large liberal
ity and charity for all differences in theo
logical opinions and doctrinal inferences.
The exaltation of Christ as the center of
unity and a corresponding decrease of au
thority- in doctrinal creeds, has kept pace
steadily with the growth of Christian union
sentiment, and is one of the most marked
characteristics of the religious thinking of
our time. It is a matter of small concern
to us, as reformers, whether proper credit
be given to the movement we represent for
its influence in behalf of Christian union if
only the principles for which we have con
tended find their way to acceptance and
Christ's prayer for the unity of his follow
ers be fulfilled.
2. The revival of Bible study in connec-
tin with the subject of historical criticism,
and the better knowledge of the Scriptures
which has resulted from this agitation, we
can not doubt, must be set down as one of
the contributing causes to the growing
sentiment in favor of Christian union. In
160

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
any such study of the Bible, in the light of
its proper divisions and of its dispensational
lines, and with a clear recognition of the
progressive character of revelation, ad
vancing from the twilight of patriarchal
times to the glorious sunlight of the Chris
tian age, Jesus Christ is seen in his true
perspective, and his divine personality looms
up far above patriarchs, prophets and apos
tles, as the supreme and sole object of
Christian faith, and the only center around
which can be rallied the scattered forces of
a divided church.
3. Another mighty influence making for
union has been that spiritual development
within the church which inevitably leads
away from narrowness and bigotry toward
larger and more catholic views. Our di
visions, as Paul tells us, have their origin
in our carnality, and just as the Church
grows more spiritual will it become more
united. Union among Christians can only
follow a close and vital union with Jesus
Christ; that is one reason why we can not
force Christian union ; it must grow. We
can not get closer to Christ without getting
closer to each other. The unity for which
Christ prayed is the unity of the Spirit, and
(11) 161

CHRISTIAN UNION
it is only as that Spirit dominates the lives
of Christians that they can be one. There
fore all movements looking toward deepen
ing the spiritual life of the Church are
movements in behalf of Christian union.
4. Through a better knowledge of the
condition of the world and the mission of
the Church, Christian people are coming to
a clearer apprehension of the great tasks
which lie before the Church in the evangel
ization and Christianization of the world.
Three-fifths of all the people which live
upon the globe are yet in pagan darkness.
To them the Gospel must be sent. And
then there is the cleansing of our own
Christian civilization of its abominations
and the lifting up of a higher standard of
morals in our social, political and industrial
life. As the Church has gained a clearer
vision of these great tasks before it, it has
realized more and more the necessity of
united effort and the sinfulness of wasting
our strength, time and resources in building-
up denominational walls and quibbling over
our theological differences, while so large a
part of the world is yet without God and
without hope, knowing nothing of Christ
and his great salvation. 162

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
5. The world is becoming more and more
united. Nations are forming alliances in
the interests of peace and civilization. The
whole world is coming to feel the sense of a
common brotherhood. The poet's dream of
the "Parliament of Man" approaches real
ization. This spirit of unity is affecting
the Church. A united world demands a
united Church.
6. The various interdenominational or
ganizations, to which reference has already
been made, are not only expressions of a
union sentiment already existing, but they
are mighty factors in deepening that senti
ment and in removing obstacles out of the
way of union. There is no greater foe to
union than isolation, and there is no more
important method of promoting union than
the free intermingling of religious people,
and especially in the working together for
common ends and aims. To know each
other, and to give each other credit for
honesty of purpose, sincerity of faith, and
the reality of Christian character, is to go
far in the direction of realizing the oneness
for which the Master prayed.
These are some of the various factors
which, under God, have wrought this
163

CHRISTIAN UNION
change in sentiment in the Church as re
spects the unity of Christians, and which
are still working for the more perfect re
alization of that divine ideal.
THE LATEST STEP TOWARD CHRISTIAN UNION.
We come now to the consideration of the
very latest of these efforts to give visible
and tangible expression to the growing
unity of the Church, for the double purpose
of utilizing this unity in the service of our
common Master, and of promoting a still
closer unification of the religious forces of
Christendom. It is evident from what has already been
said concerning the growing consciousness
of unity and the growing sense of the evils
of division, in our Protestant Christendom,
that some further step must be taken. The
feeling is general that, while all the pre
vious interdenominational movements had
served, and are serving, an excellent pur
pose in promoting a better understanding
among Christians, they were nevertheless
inadequate expressions of the unity of the
Church itself, and that something better
must be undertaken. This feeling had been
164

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
manifesting itself for several years in va
rious tentative co-operative movements, at
•first locally, and then growing wider in
their scope until a national organization
was effected. The name given to this form
of co-operation among the different reli
gious bodies was termed Federation, to dis
tinguish it from former and less orderly and
systematic methods of co-operation. The
latter term had long been in use to indicate
the working together of the local congrega
tions of any one religious body. Now that
a wider movement was to be attempted, in
volving the co-operation, under certain
rules and conditions, and for certain pur
poses, of the different religious bodies, it
was felt that a new term would be necessary
to distinguish this new and wider movement
from other forms of co-operation, and so
the term Federation was adopted. Perhaps
something in the analogy of the movement
with our Federal Union had something to
do in suggesting the term. The several
states are free and independent within the
limitations of their constitutional rights, and
yet all owe allegiance to a supreme national
constitution. The states stand on the basis
of equality of rights, each recognizing the
165

CHRISTIAN UNION
other as a state, and entitled to the same
rights and liberties which itself enjoys. It
was believed that Christian union sentiment
had reached a degree of development which
made it possible for such a union to be
formed among the evangelical Protestant
bodies. This very fact has been made an
objection to federation by some, on the
ground that it involves an indorsement of
the errors, in faith and practice, of the re
ligious bodies entering into the federation
movement. But let it be noticed that in the
Federal Union the states are not equal in
wealth, in general intelligence, in their
laws, in the enforcement of these laws, in
their" political sentiments, in population, and
in their influence upon the national life.
They stand on the plane of equality, how
ever, as to their rights and privileges as
free, autonomous states. No more does fed
eration imply that the various co-operating
bodies are equal in their intelligent under
standing of the Scriptures, in their con
formity to the New Testament ideal of the
Church, or in their spiritual development.
They may, and do, vary greatly in these
respects; but since they are one in holding
to Christ as their living Head, and in their
166

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
earnest desire to do his will and promote
his glory in the salvation of men, they can
agree to recognize each other as Christians
— not as perfect Christians ; as Christian
bodies, not as perfect Scriptural bodies, hav
ing equal rights under the law of God, to
be true to their convictions in the worship
of God and in efforts to advance his king
dom. In some of these tentative federation
movements in the different states and cities
some rules were adopted which were found
to be impracticable, and some mistakes have
been made, as will always be the case
among fallible men, even whey they are
seeking to carry out what they believe to
be the will of God. These fragmentary
movements, while of value in preparing the
way for something better, were not satis
factory. It was believed that something
better was practicable, and the great Inter-
Church Conference in New York City in
November, 1905, was called, in this con
viction. It was believed that the time had
come when the evangelical Protestant
bodies of Christendom should, through rep
resentative men chosen for this purpose,
deal with this problem of a closer co-opera-
167

CHRISTIAN UNION
tion. In such a gathering, composed of
leading men out of the various religious
bodies, it was felt there would be such a
consensus of judgment as would be able to
form a basis of co-operation that would be
just to all, that would give perfect freedom
to all, and would yet secure such a measure
of co-operation as would give a far better
expression to the unity which exists to-day
than had yet been given by any existing or
ganization or form of co-operation. The
delegates in this conference represented, it
is estimated, about eighteen million Chris
tians, and its utterances could not fail to
profoundly influence the religious thought
and life of the times. The addresses deliv
ered revealed a strength of sentiment in fa
vor of Christian union and against the con
tinuation of our extreme denominational-
ism that surpassed anything which the most
ardent friends of Christian union had an
ticipated. The great theme of the confer
ence was the fulfillment of Christ's prayer
for the unity of his followers. This senti
ment made itself felt in every speech, in
every prayer and in every song.
The critical point, however, as all felt
from the beginning, was to form a basis of
168

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
co-operation that would be acceptable to all
the religious bodies represented. It was
clear that some things would have to be
avoided that had marred the usefulness of
other plans of co-operation. In the first
place, there must be no attempt to form a
doctrinal creed which all would accept. It
was evident that our union must be in Christ
alone, and that no other creed but him
should be suggested. Then, it was clearly
self-evident that each of the co-operating
bodies must be allowed the fullest liberty
to carry out what it believes to be its provi
dential mission. Federation, in other words,
must not be interpreted as an interference
with the free life and development of the
co-operating bodies. Any provision of that
kind would have been rejected instantly as
interfering with the rights of conscience
and with the liberty which we have in
Christ. Again, it was perfectly manifest
that any Council formed under this basis
of federation must have no authority, other
than purely advisory influence, over the co
operating churches, and that, in the last
analysis, each local church, or each religious
body through its representatives, must de
cide whether any given measure recom-
169

CHRISTIAN UNION
mended by .the Council should be carried
out. It was believed that if these points
were carefully guarded and a simple plan
devised for a representative gathering,
quadrennially, to consider the interests of
the Church universal, to give utterance to
its convictions upon the great moral reforms
of the day, and to provide for local federa
tions to carry on the work in their respec
tive communities, it would accomplish the
end which all had in view. A committee
of forty representing all the religious
bodies named was appointed to prepare and
submit such a basis, and the plan they sub
mitted was adopted with the most remarka
ble unanimity and enthusiasm.
Following is the "Basis of Federation"
adopted by the Inter-Church Conference :
BASIS OF FEDERATION.
PREAMBLE.
Whereas, In the providence of God, the time
has come when it seems fitting more fully to
manifest the essential oneness of the Christian
churches of America in Jesus Christ as their
divine Lord and .Savior, and to promote the
spirit of fellowship, service and co-operation
among them, the delegates to the Inter-
Church Conference on Federation assembled in
170

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
New York City, do hereby recommend the fol
lowing Plan of Federation to the Christian
bodies represented in this Conference for their
approval : PLAN OP FEDERATION.
I. For the prosecution of work that can be
better done in union than in separation a
Council is hereby established whose name shall
be the Federal Council of the Churches of
Christ of America.
2. The following Christian bodies shall be
entitled to representation in this Federal
Council on their approval of the purpose and
plan of the organization:
[Here follow the names of thirty Protes
tant bodies represented in the Conference.]
3. The object of this Federal Council
shall be —
(1) To express the fellowship and catholic
unity of the Christian Church.
(2-) To bring the Christian bodies of
America into united service for Christ and the
world. (3) To encourage devotional fellowship
and mutual counsel concerning the spiritual
life and religious activities of the churches.
(4) To secure a larger combined influence
for the churches of Christ in all matters
affecting the moral and social condition of the
people, so as to promote the application of
the law of Christ in every relation of human
life. 171

CHRISTIAN UNION
(5) To assist in the organization of local
branches of the Federal Council to promote
its aims in their communities.
4. This Federal Council shall have no
authority over the constituent bodies adher
ing to it; but its province shall be limited to
the expression of its counsel and the recom
mending of a course of action in matters of
common interest to the churches, local coun
cils and individual Christians.
It has no authority to draw up a common
creed, or form of government, or of worship,
or in any way to limit the full autonomy of the
Christian bodies adhering to it.
5. Members of this Federal Council shall
be appointed as follows:
Each of tlie Christian bodies adhering
to this Federal Council shall be entitled to
four members, and shall be further entitled
to one member for every 50,000 of its com
municants or major fraction thereof. The
question of representation of local councils
shall be referred to the several constituent
bodies, and to the first meeting of the Federal
Council. 6. Any action to be taken by this Federal
Council shall be by the general vote of its
members. But in case one-third of the
members present and voting request it, the
vote shall be by the bodies represented, the
members of each body voting separately; and
action shall require the vote, not only of a
.172

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
majority of the members voting, but also of
the bodies represented.
7. Other Christian bodies may be admitted
into membership of this Federal Council on
their request if approved by a vote of two-
thirds of the members voting at a session of
this council, and of two-thirds of the bodies
represented, the representatives of each body"
voting separately.
8. The Federal Council shall meet in Decem
ber, 1908, and thereafter once in every four
years. 9. The officers of this Federal Council shall
be a president, one vice-president from each
of its constituent bodies, a corresponding
secretary, a recording secretary, a treasurer,
and an executive committee, who shall per
form the duties usually assigned to such
officers. The corresponding secretary shall aid in
organizing and assisting local councils, and
shall represent the Federal Council in its
work, under the' direction of the executive
committee. The executive committee shall consist of
seven ministers and seven laymen, together
with the president, all ex-presidents, the corre
sponding secretary, the recording secretary
and the treasurer. The executive committee
shall have authority to attend to all business
of the Federal Council in the intervals of its
meetings and to fill any vacancies.
All officers shall be chosen at the quad-
173

CHRISTIAN UNION
rennial meetings of the council, and shall hold
their office until their successors take office.
The president, vice-presidents, the corre
sponding secretary, the recording secretary
and the treasurer shall be elected by the,
Federal Council on nomination by the execu
tive committee.
The executive committee shall be elected by
ballot after nomination by a nominating com
mittee. io. This plan of federation may be altered
or amended by a majority vote of the mem
bers, followed by a majority vote of the rep
resentatives of the several constituent bodies,
each body voting separately.
n. The expenses of the Federal Council
shall be provided for by the several constituent
bodies. This plan of federation shall become opera
tive when it shall have been approved by two-
thirds of the above bodies to which it shall be
presented. It shall be the duty of each delegation to
this conference to present this plan of federa
tion to its national body, and ask its consid
eration and proper action.
In case this plan of federation is approved
by two-thirds of the proposed constituent
bodies the executive committee of the Na
tional Federation of Churches and Christian
Workers, which has called this conference,
is requested to call the Federal Council to
meet at a fitting place in December, 1908.
174

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
EEDERATION THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP.
It is very instructive to study the evolu
tion of Christian union sentiment. There
was a time when the different religious
bodies seemed to think they were doing
God service in waging warfare against each
other, and in strengthening their own de
nominational position at the expense of an
other. In this state of mutual warfare no
respect was paid to each other in planning
for the extension of God's kingdom on .
earth. It was a step forward when religi
ous comity took the place of open war
fare, and when the different churches were
able to say to each other, as Abraham said
to Dot, "Let there be no strife, I pray thee,
between me and thee. * * * If thou wilt
take the left hand, then I will go to the
right; or if you will take the right hand,
then I will go to the left." That is, they
agreed to let each other alone, and not
trespass upon each other's territory.
This soon gave place to something still
better. The religious bodies holding Christ
as their common Head, came to feel that
they did not wish to let each other alone ;
that they had too much in common, and
175

CHRISTIAN UNION
that they should meet together on stated
occasions and manifest their brotherliness
of spirit. This was the period of platform
unity. Representatives of different eccle
siastical bodies met and exchanged cour
tesies, and compliments, and showed that
they really did recognize each other as
brethren. Occasionally they held Union
meetings, or united in some crusade against
certain public evils that were a menace to
the moral welfare of the community ; but
these efforts were irregular and spasmodic,
and passed away with the exigency which
called them forth. But all this was a
preparatory step to something better. It
was during this period that most all our
great interdenominational movements had
their origin, furnishing an opportunity for
brotherly intermingling and co-operation.
But the time came — inevitably came — when
leaders in the various religious bodies be
gan to feel that something better than oc
casional platform meetings, and occasional
union meetings, was required to meet the
demand of our Lord's prayer for the
unity of his followers, and what they
finally decided upon as an advance step
toward this consummation was Church
176

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
Federation — an agreement to co-operate
together on the simple basis of the accept
ance of Christ as Saviour and Lord, in all
things which represented common aims and
which could be better accomplished by unit
ed than by separate action. The inevitable
sequence of this movement, as following
those which had gone before, and its essen
tial relation to the realization of the age
long desire for unity, may be seen in the
light of the following facts :
i. There has been marked progress
within the past quarter of a century in the
SPIRIT of unity among the churches of
this country. Not only so, but there is a
much greater unity of BELIEF and of
TEACHING and PRACTICE, than there
was a half or a quarter 'of a century ago.
We have passed out of what has been called
the centrifugal period of the Church, when
religious bodies were dying off from the
center, into the centripetal period, in which
the religious bodies are being drawn closer
toward the center, which is Chirst.
2. Nevertheless, each of these religious
bodies believes, conscientiously, that it
stands for certain vital, or at least impor
tant, truths, and that it is its duty to give
(12) 177

CHRISTIAN UNION
continuous emphasis to these truths. Let
us take our own religious movement for
example: We believe that we stand for cer
tain great and important truths which
need emphasis in our day, and we would
not agree to any union that involved the
surrender of any of these vital truths or
principles. We must alloiv that other re
ligious bodies are just as conscientious as
we are, and hold with as great tenacity to
certain principles in policy or doctrine,
which they regard as important, if not vital,
to the welfare of the church.
j. We have never advocated a union that
involved the sacrifice of any man's con
science, for no sort of union would be worth
. anything to a man if he has purchased it
at the expense -of his conscience. Con
science is not something that can be modi-
tied on demand; it requires a process of ed
ucation and enlightenment in which truth
is seen in different proportion and in proper
relation to effect a change in conscience.
4. This means that we can not IMMEDI
ATELY have Christian union on what WE
"believe to be the New Testament basis, since
some of the beliefs and practices conscien
tiously adhered to by many we believe to be
178

THE PERIOD OF ,REUNION
at variance with New Testament leaching
and practice. We can not ask others to do
what we ourselves refuse to do, namely,
surrender honest convictions of truth for
the sake of unity. When zve have made
due allowance for liberty in matters of doc
trine and polity which do not affect Chris
tian faith or character there still remain
obstacles to an immediate union of the ideal
type taught in the New Testament.
5. Meanwhile, in spite of their imper
fections, God has blessed, and is blessing,
these various religious bodies just in pro
portion as they have been, and are, faith
ful to him, and give themselves to the ad
vancement of his kingdom. To deny that
these churches have the marks of divine
favor upon them, zvould be to shut our e\es
to the most patent facts. The truth forces
itself upon us that God has no perfect in
strumentalities in this world, and that he
is using the best instruments he has for
the accomplishment of his purposes.
6. Since the period of most rapid growth
in Christian union sentiment has been the
period of the greatest interdenominational
co-operation, it is clear that- it is not by the
policy of ISOLATION, but by that -of
179

CHRISTIAN UNION
CLOSER CO-OPERATION, that this
process of unification is to be carried on
toward perfection. Not to see this is to be
blind to the present-day movements of God
among his people.
TO WHAT CONCLUSION?
To what conclusion do the foregoing-
facts point as to the duty of the various
religious bodies toward the federation
movement? If the ideal toward which the
Church must move is the unity among
Christ's followers for which he prayed — a
unity that by its self-evidencing power and
by the co-operative effectiveness of its sev
eral parts, will convince the world of
Christ's divine nature and mission ; and if
that unity, which is yet in the future, can
only be realized as the various members
of the one body come into vital touch with
its living Head ; if conscience is not to be
sacrificed for the sake of a forced unity,
and conscience can best be enlightened,
both as to the need and method of union,
by free intermingling and co-operation of
believers, as shown by the experience of
the past; if the ideal unity is not to be
180

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
reached by "a single bound," any more
than heaven is so reached, but its glorious
heights attained "round by round," the con
clusion is as inevitable as the logic of facts
can make it, that it is the duty of the vari
ous groups of Christians designated as
churches, or denominations, to co-operate
as far as they can see their way clear to do
so, for the manifestation of the common
life and the common faith which they have,
and for the better accomplishment of those
ends and aims which require united action.
We have said that this is the plain duty
of Christian bodies, but we feel justified in
putting it even stronger than that : it is the
inevitable trend of the Christian thought
and life of our times. By this we mean
that every living thing unfolds and develops
acording to the law of its life. The acorn
is predestined by the law of life embodied
in its germ to develop into an oak. It can
not grow any other way. A grain of wheat
is predestined by the law of its life to a
certain process of development culminating
in a stalk of ripened wheat. It can not
grow or develop otherwise. The Church,
in so far as it is an embodiment of divine
181

CHRISTIAN UNION
life, must develop according to the law of
that life — "the law of the spirit of life in
Christ Jesus." The vital germ of this law
of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus is love,
and love is essentially unifying. There is,
therefore, absolutely no other line of de
velopment for the Church of the future, if
it be true to Christ, except in the direction
of unity. This is why any prophet of God to
day may know that the present movement
toward unity is to increase until it reaches
the sublime culmination of a united church.
What we have said concerning the in-
evitableness of this trend toward unity ap
plies only to those bodies which actually
hold to Christ as their supreme authority,
sharing in his life and moving in obedience,
more or less perfect, to his divine will. It
follows, of course, that the more fully any
given religious body is under the control
of Christ's will, and the more fully its mem
bers have become partakers of the divine
life which is in Christ, the more swiftly
will such a body move toward the fulfill
ment of Christ's prayer for the unity of his
followers. This is a test which no religious
body can evade. It is not an arbitrary
one, but one that grows out of the very
182

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
nature of things. No surer is it that Christ
is the source of our life and of our unity,
than that we approach toward that unity
which he desired, for which he prayed, and
which his Spirit inspires, just in proportion
as we are brought under the spell of his
divine personality, and are obedient to the
leadership of his Spirit. This implies what
we presume no one will deny, that no reli
gious body is living wholly under the au
thority of Christ, and is in perfect conform
ity to his will, thereby perfectly jexemplify-
ing the unity and accomplishing the work
which he desired. The assumption of per
fection on the part of any religious body
would be the surest proof of its estrange
ment from the Spirit of Christ, and of its
unpreparedness for unity with others of his
followers. Indeed, there is no need of any
proclamation on that point whatever, since
there is an old-fashioned test which Christ
gave io the world long ago, by which men
and movements are measured — "By their
fruits shall ye know them." The fruit of
unity, therefore, among ourselves and with
other folllowers of Christ, is the best pos
sible proof that we are united with him.
What is the meaning of these facts if it
183

CHRISTIAN UNION
be not that God is calling us to ultimate
unity through the method of co-operation
in all things wherein we are agreed? Can
any religious body justify its holding aloof
from this step toward unity on the ground
that it has received special light on the
subject of union and occupies more ad
vanced ground than others ? Does not that
very fact, if it be a fact, furnish an addi
tional reason why such a body should lend
its strength to the weakness of the others
in bringing about a closer unity? If such
a body of Christians, because of its special
advocacy of Christian union and its his
toric devotion to that cause, has gained
some coign of vantage, does it not owe it
to the religious world, and to Him who has
called it with this holy calling, to bring this
light to bear in the most effective way on
other religious people in order to hasten the
end which we all desire? Indeed, does not
such a body owe it to itself, unless it has
attained to perfection, both in knowledge
and practice, in faith and in character, to
come into such close touch with other
Christians that it may receive from them
whatever they may have to confer ?
To refuse assent to, and co-operation
184

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
with, this movement toward unity on the
plea that it is not the ideal unity of the
New Testament, would be to ignore the
whole law of progressive development in
the kingdom of God. We lay this down as
an axiomatic truth : It is as much our duty
to manifest and put to some practical use
the unity which already exists, as it is to
labor and pray for an ideal unity that is
yet far in the future. Indeed the way to
hasten the ideal unity is to put to practical
use the unity which we already have. "To
him that hath shall be given, and to him
that hath not shall be taken away even
that which he hath," is a universal, law in
the kingdom of grace.
This is the method of unity prescribed
by Paul for the Philippians: "Let us,
therefore, as many as are perfect, [full
grown] be thus minded : and if in anything
ye are otherwise minded this also shall God
reveal unto you: only whereunto we have
attained, by that same rule let us walk."*
That is, as far as you do see alike walk
together, and in so doing God will reveal

•Phil. 3:15,16- 185

CHRISTIAN UNION
to you the additional truth that will make
your unity complete.
We are bound, therefore, by every con
sideration of loyalty to Jesus Christ, and
by every regard for our future growth and
development, to co-operate to the fullest
extent possible, — which would be in dif
ferent degrees, no doubt, in different
places — with all who love and serve our
Lord Jesus Christ for the advancement of
his kingdom among men. This is what
the federation movement means, and as
such, it is the next logi.cal step — the next
inevitable step — toward the complete unity
of Christians. EXTERNAL MOTIVES TO UNION.
We have spoken of the inevitableness of
fthe tendency toward unity in the Church,
by reason of the internal law of its life
unfolding without, according to the divine
order of progressive development. It re
mains to be said that this tendency of the
internal law of life is mightily reinforced
by external conditions in the world to which
the Church is called to minister. The needs
of humanity make a powerful appeal to this,
186

THE PERIOD OP REUNION
inward law of life, which is the law of
love. Love is always stimulated, to make
its greatest sacrifices and put forth its high
est efforts to relieve from suffering, or pro
tect from peril, the object of its affections.
"God so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believ-
eth in him might not perish, but have ever
lasting life." When will it be written that
the Church "so loved the world" that it
gave up its sectarian spirit, aims, ambitions,
names, creeds, its half-hearted consecra
tion, and whatever else hinders its unity
and co-operation, that the world "might not
perish, but have everlasting life"? Some
time that fact must be written if the world
is ever to be redeemed by Christ. The
infinite love of God, which found expres
sion in Christ, must also find expression in
his Church, which is to be the mediim'"^
conveying that love to a perishing woVid.
In the past, it must be confcJLed, the
Church has been so much absorbed in de
fining and defending its theological posi
tion, so occupied with questions of organi
zation and government, so exhausted by its
efforts at denominational propaganda, that
it has not caught a clear vision of the
187

CHRISTIAN UNION
world's needs and of its own obligation to
minister to these needs.
It is only recently that it seems to have
become conscious of the stupendous tasks
which Christ has laid upon it, and of its
need of unity in order to the accomplish
ment of these tasks. What the Church of
to-day needs, more than anything else, per
haps, to fill it with the spirit of consecra
tion, unification, and co-operation, is to
catch a clear and distinct vision of this
world's needs as seen through the eyes of
Jesus Christ. Such a vision would hum
ble it, put it upon its knees in prayer, and
cause it to cry to God for a fresh anoint
ing of the Holy Spirit, to fit it to accom
plish these great tasks. Let us look for
a moment at some of these needs which ap
peal to the Church for united action.
T^ee men out of every five, of all the
millions that dwell upon the globe, abide
even yfci_Jn pagan darkness. So far as
these three-fifths of the human race are
concerned, God's love manifested in the
sending of his Son, and Christ's death for
the sins of men, in manifestation of that
same love, were in vain. They have not
yet heard the good news, and are "with-
188

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
out God and without hope in the world."
Christ has called out his Church from the
world to carry to these hopeless millions the
good news of salvation, and he prayed for
its unity to the end that this sublime pur
pose might be accomplished. Oh, if we only
had ears to hear the plaintive and inarticu
late cry that comes from the heart of the
heathen world — its deep moan of anguish
because its knows not God nor the mean
ing and mystery of life! If we only had
eyes to see the moral desolation that pre
vails even yet in so-called Christian lands,
and the gigantic evils which threaten our
civilization and all that is dearest and most
sacred in life! If we only had hearts to
appreciate the religious indifference that
lies like a blight upon so large a part of our
population, and could realize that these
great tasks remain unaccomplished, and
these gigantic evils unremedied, because
there has not been, and is not even yet, a
united Church, how rapidly would our lit
tle differences and prejudices give way be
fore these mighty motives for united action !
The Church has lost its moral leadership
in the great reforms of the age because of
its divisions and internal strifes. That
1S9

CHRISTIAN UNION
leadership can only be regained by closing
up its divided ranks and undertaking seri
ously the overthrow of these great moral
evils which oppose the progress of the king
dom of God. Every cry that comes from
the desolate heart of orphanage; every
moan of anguish that comes from neglected
widowhood and poverty; every ruined life
and wrecked home which may attribute its
downfall to the open saloon and the gam
bling hell, is a challenge to the Church to
vindicate its divine character and mission
by rising to the needs of the hour. Every
form of unbelief and of practical atheism
which defies the law of God and tramples
under its unhallowed -feet the sacred rights
of men, and all false "isms," philosophies
and cults, that draw men away from the
feet of Christ, are so many calls to the
Church to rise to the height of its great
opportunity and obligation. All this wide
spread corruption that has tarnished the
fair fame of our nation and. people, this
mammon worship and public and private
graft, is an awful impeachment of the
fidelity of the Church in molding the lives
and characters of men.
These are only a few of the external mo-
190

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
fives, in the great world without, which ap
peal with convincing power to the life
within the Church to organize, mobilize
and unify its forces to meet these needs.
Once the Church comes to realize the mag
nitude of its responsibilities for the per
formance' of these great tasks, how gladly
would we all join hands with our brothers
who differ with us in some things,, but who
agree with us in many more things, in or
der that we may work together, as far as
possible, for the overthrow of Satan's king
dom and for bringing in the triumphant
reign of the kingdom of God !
Just before the great naval conflict in
which England was to measure the strength
of her navy against that of another nation,
Lord Nelson said to two of his high offi
cers who were at enmity with each other,
as he placed their hands together, "Be
friends ; yonder is your enemy !" Is not
Jesus Christ to-day seeking to put the
hands of his divided Church into his own
wounded palm, and saying to all his follow
ers, "Be ye friends : yonder are your ene
mies ?"
Lift us, lift all thy Church, oh Lord, to
this Mount of Vision, that we may see the
191

CHRISTIAN UNION
world and its needs, as thou seest them, and
send it forth, a united and consecrated
force, to minister to human need, and sub
due this whole earth to thy glorious and
beneficent reign !
HOW SHALL THE UNION OE CHRISTIANS
COME ABOUT?
If our premises have been true in the
preceding articles, and the unity of Chris
tians is rendered certain by the operation
of the law of life within the Church, and
by the mighty motives from without which
appeal to the inner law of life, the question
still obtrudes itself, how is it to come
about? Indeed, there are those who lay so
much stress upon the how of Christian
union that they become skeptical about the
fact, because they do not understand all the
process. When certain Christians of Paul's
day asked, "How are the dead raised and
with what manner of body do they come?"
the apostle replied, with a little sharpness,
"Thou foolish one, that which thou thyself
sowest is not quickened except it die : and
that which thou sowest, thou sowest not
the body that sb^l be, but the bare grain,
192

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
it may chance of wheat, or of some other
kind ; but God giveth it a body even as it
pleased him, and to each seed a body of its
own." There is an implication in this reply of
the apostle that it is a very foolish thing
for a Christian to doubt the possibility of
God's carrying out his promises to us, or
his purposes concerning us, because we -can
not see just how he will do it, or just what
we shall be when he has done it. Would
not the same great Christian philosopher, if
he were on earth to-day, reply to the ques
tion which is so often raised, "How will
Christian union come about, and what will
the united Church be like?" in very much
the same way? We, of course, know more
about the process of Christian union than
that of the resurrection, because the latter
is wholly God's work, while in the matter
of Christian union we are to co-operate
with God. The things revealed to us, how
ever, relate to what manner of Christians
we are to be, how we may cultivate the
spirit of unity, and in what essential ele
ments Christian unity consists. There re
mains much left for faith, as to what
changes God is going to lead his people
(13; 193

CHRISTIAN UNION
through in order to their unification, and
the exact nature of the form which that
union shall take. If, however, there be the
unity of the Spirit, God will give it a body
as it pleaseth him. But there can be no
unity of body, or outward organization
worth the having that does not result from
unity of Spirit. The latter, therefore, is the
matter of chief concern.
There are some things, however, that are
reasonably sure concerning the nature of
that union that shall be. We call attention
to a few of these characteristics :
i. The union must be vital, not mechan
ical. It must grow ; it can not be manu
factured. There can be no union among
Christ's followers except as they are united
with him and share in his life and enter
into fellowship with his plans and purposes.
We may promote its growth by deepening
the spiritual life and by removing obstacles
out of the way; but we may not force it,
or seek to hasten it ' beyond the law of
spiritual development.
2. It must be Christian union. That is
to say, Christ must be the center of it and
the circumference of it. He must be su
preme, and no man must divide authority
194

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
with him. A division in authority is cer
tain to perpetuate existing divisions and
may result in new ones. It is only by fol
lowing a common master that we can have
unity ; and it is only by following Christ
as that Master that we can have Christian
unity. "Other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid which is Jesus Christ."
3. The union which Christ prayed for
and which is essential to the world's con
version, is not the union of denominations,
having differing creeds, tests of fellowship,
party names and party ambitions. Fed
eration is not Christian union, though we
believe it is an important step in that direc
tion. We owe it to the Christ who prayed
for the unity of his followers, that in so far
as we have attained to unity in faith and
purpose and doctrine, we seek to manifest
it to the world in such co-operation as that
unity makes possible ; but we must not mis
take the co-operation of distinct denomina
tional bodies for Christian union, as Jesus
prayed for it.
4. It is safe to say that Christian union is
not to come about by any one religious body
absorbing all other religious bodies. No
doubt that hope . is cherished by many in
195

CHRISTIAN UNION
almost all the religious bodies of Chris
tendom, but it is a hope destined never to
be realized. Such a union would be both
impracticable and undesirable. No re
ligious body in Christendom is organized
on a basis to adequately utilize and direct
the religious forces of Christendom and
administer wisely its vast interests. If his
tory teaches anything, it teaches that this
is not God's method of bringing about
Christian union. No doubt he has a more
excellent way which in time will commend
itself to the approval of all his real follow
ers. If we may judge from the history of
the past what the divine plan of bringing
about that unity of Christians is to be, it is
their gradual approximation to a common
divine standard, in which, as they come
nearer to that standard, they necessarily
come nearer to each other. That is the
process which we see going on before our
eyes and we have no right to suppose that
any different plan is to be adopted. There
will be a growing consciousness of the
evils of division, which is only partially re
alized as yet; a growing sense of the need
of unity, together with a clearer recogni
tion among various religious bodies of the
.196

THE PERIOD OF REUNION
truths they already hold in common. With
the growth in Christian knowledge and in
spiritual discernment there will come new
estimates of spiritual values, and a read
justment of doctrinal conceptions more in
harmony with the mind of Christ, which
will open the way for continuous progress
toward unity. Denominational peculiarities
will shrink to their proper dimensions,
while the great fundamentals of Christian
faith and character will rise to their true
places, and this will bring the whole body
of believers into closer fellowship and co
operation. This process is to be mightily
stimulated by the free intermingling of
Christians and their working together for
common ends.
5. Christian union, when it comes, will
not be uniformity. There will be room in
it for differences of opinion, different
methods of work and worship, different
forms of organization and different degrees
of emphasis. No other sort of union is
possible among a free people, nor would it
be desirable. Life everywhere takes on a
variety of forms, and it must be so in the
kingdom of God. Nature furnishes us
infinite variety, and yet underlying it all is
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a wonderful unity. But we must get rid of
the notion that this variety of opinions and
freedom of action within the limitations of
the spirit and teaching of Christ involves
separate and distinct religious denomina
tions. That idea belongs to the childhood
period of the Church. We are coming
more and more to understand that if we
have the common faith that unites us to
Christ, that makes us obedient to him, we
may hold differences of opinion, and work
and worship in different ways, without in
terfering with our oneness in Christ or our
fellowship with each other. How far de
nominational lines will be obliterated, and
present forms of organization modified, in
order to the realization of New Testament
unity, is a question which would be an
swered differently by persons occupying
different points of view ; but one thing, we
think, may be said with assurance, and
that is that, in so far as our existing denom-
inationalism interferes with the freest and
fullest fellowship between Christians, and
with their hearty co-operation in advanc
ing the kingdom . of God by the diversion
of resources for purely sectarian purposes,
or by confusing the minds of those without
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THE PERIOD OF REUNION
by our differing names and creeds, it must
give way to that unity of faith and purpose,
of spirit and life that subordinates every
thing else to the triumph of the kingdom of
God on earth.
WHEN CHRIST'S PRAYER FOR UNITY IS FUL
FILLED.
It is not given to mortals to know with
certainty the results of events which lie yet
in the future. And yet in the light of rea
son and of revelation we may forecast,
with reasonable certainty, some of the re
sults which would follow the fulfillment of
our Lord's prayer for the oneness of his
followers. We shall undertake, in these
concluding paragraphs, to state some of the
probable results which would follow the
realization of this much-to-be-desired con
summation. i. It would enrich every part of the now
divided church by bringing all into the pos
session of a common inheritance of truth
and of historic experience, which belongs
to the several parts. • No longer would men
say, "I am of Luther," or "I am of Cal
vin," or "I am of Wesley," or "I am of
Campbell," but all of us would realize that
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CHRISTIAN UNION
"all things" are ours, whether Paul or Apol
los or Cephas or Luther or Calvin or Wes
ley or Campbell — all are ours and that we
are Christ's and Christ is God's. It is
scarcely possible to exaggerate the value
of this larger and better equipment which
would come from each part of the Church
sharing in the truth and experience of the
whole Church. It would round out, and
render more symmetrical, our uneven de
velopment, remedy, to a good degree at
least, our religious lopsidedness, bring into
use a great many neglected texts of Scrip
ture, and give us a feeling of catholicity
and breadth of fellowship which would
mightily strengthen and quicken the zeal
of the entire Church.
2. It would enrich every part of the
Church in the wider circle of Christian fel
lowship and acquaintanceship. How our
denominational barriers separate us from
each other and make us strangers one to
another! How many noble spirits there
are in the religious bodies all about us, to
come in contact with whom, in Christian
fellowship and service, would be an inspira
tion to our lives ! How comforting and
strengthening would be the thought that
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THE PERIOD OF REUNION
these pure and noble men and women are
our brothers and sisters, fighting under the
same banner -with us and following the same
Leader ! How sectarianism has impover
ished the Church- by erecting unauthorized
barriers between its members, and thus
robbing each part of the intellectual and
spiritual wealth which belongs to the entire
body! 3. It would give a mighty and irresist
ible impulse to all the missionary move
ments of the Church. Freed from the task
of building up denominational walls and
carrying on a denominational propaganda,
the united Church could devote itself, with
singleness of aim and with concentrated
power and resources, to the evangeliza
tion of the world. How our missionaries
in foreign lands, and even in the outposts
of our own country, would rejoice to know
that the Church had healed its divisions
and that they were all representatives of
a united Church, and could work together
as brothers without any sense of competi
tion or denominational jealousy! How
much more effective would their message
be to the heathen world, if the foreign mis
sionaries could say to pagan peoples, "We
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CHRISTIAN UNION.
all represent the one Church of Jesus Christ
on earth, and all we ask of you is to become
followers of the meek and lowly Nazarene."
No longer would these heathen converts be
confused by our denominational titles and
tenets, nor discouraged by divisions among
Christians the meaning of which they can
not understand. A zeal for world-wide
evangelization would sweep over the
Church, and men and means would be
furnished in abundance to supply the needs
of pagan lands. How the heart of Christ
would rejoice to see his Church rising at
last to *a conception of the magnitude and
urgency of the great task he has laid upon
it! Upon the Church thus awakened and
thus undertaking in earnest at last the work
which he has committed to it, he would
pour out the fullness of his blessing and
fulfill his ancient promise in a measure that
we now little dream of — "Lo I am with you
alway, even to the end of the world."
4. The influence of such a moral miracle
as the reunion of a divided Church would
be incalculable. It would stop the mouths
of infidels and gainsayers. It would set
at naught the wisdom of the agnostic. It
would silence the scoffer and the religious
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THE PERIOD OF REUNION
pessimist. It would remove the chief stum
bling-block that is keeping thousands of
thoughtful men and women out of the
Church. It would prevent that pitiable and
pathetic spectacle of divided families — hus
bands and wives, parents and children, be
longing to different churches and separated
from each other in the highest and most
sacred things of life. It would unite thou
sands of weak churches, in small towns,
now competing with each other, fill the
prayer-meeting room with earnest and en
thusiastic workers, where now only a few
discouraged ones meet to lament the spirit
ual leanness of the Church, and all depart
ments of the Church work would feel the
thrill of a new life and new strength.
5. In the new strength, and enthusiasm
born of union, the Church would resume
its lost leadership in the great moral and
social reforms of the times, and undertake,
as it has never undertaken before, to heal
many of our social ills, care more sys
tematically and wisely for the poor and the
needy, devote its attention to the rescue
of the submerged part of the population of
our great cities, concentrate its forces
against the legalized saloon, gambling
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CHRISTIAN UNION.
houses and other demoralizing agencies,
lend its influence to the settlement of dis
putes between labor and capital, put a check
upon inordinate greed, and inculcate ra
tional methods of living, safe forms of
amusement, wiser methods of punishment,
and whatever else relates to the moral and
material welfare of the people. No more
would it be said to the scandal of the
Church that it is so engrossed with its theo
logical dogmas and its ecclesiastical millin
ery and ritualism, as to be oblivious to the
practical needs of suffering and toiling men
and women all about them.
6. Engaged in the practical work of help
ing humanity, the Church would get closer
to its Master, formalism would give place
to real personal piety, and devotion to hu
man good would absorb the energies erst
while devoted to theological disputes and
denominational strifes. Under this sort of
regime the Church would recruit its ranks
from a class of people who now stand aloof
from its fellowship, and would receive from
them ' the very kind of service which it
would need to fit it for its new vocation.
7. The daily press of the world, together
with all other forms of literature, would
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THE PERIOD OF REUNION
give vastly more attention to religious sub
jects and to the great enterprises of the
Church when once the Church has become
a united body, working for the redemption
of humanity. Every one knows that it is
the spirit of jealousy among different de
nominations that keeps the press from giv
ing as great publicity to religious gatherings
and their actions as to other kinds of meet
ings in which all the people are interested.
This aid of the press would be a powerful
adjunct in carrying forward the interests of '
the kingdom.
8. Finally, who can doubt for a moment
that there would be joy in the presence of
God and among the angels of heaven and
all celestial intelligences, over the blessed
consummation of a united Church? The
father-heart of God would thrill with joy
to see all his children loving one another
and working unitedly together to lift the
world to a higher moral and spiritual level.
The angels, who, we are told, rejoice "over
one sinner that repenteth," so deeply are
they interested in human affairs, would
sing a new hallelujah chorus over a united
Church, making possible the repentance of
the whole world. That part of the Church
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CHRISTIAN UNION
which has "crossed the flood" and is glori
fied, would join in the general jubilation.
How deep and pure would be the joy of
these redeemed saints, to see the Church
militant close its divided ranks for a con
certed movement to bring in the reign of
the Church triumphant! We know what
joy would thrill the hearts of tens of thou
sands of devout souls on earth who are
praying, with their Master, that our sec
tarian divisions may be healed, and the
Church become one in spirit, faith and
obedience, if this splendid victory were-
achieved. A new note of triumph and op
timism would enter into all our sermons,
our songs, and our prayers, and we should
begin to have here on earth a blessed fore
taste of the fellowship of heaven. Surely
an achievement that would bring joy to
the heart of God, to the angels, and to all
the good of .earth, is worthy of our labors,
our prayers, our sacrifices- and our tears.
That it will one day be realized, no more
admits of doubt, as it seems to us, than the
ultimate success of the divine purpose of
God in sending Christ into the world. In
deed, these are not separate things, but
parts of the same great purpose. He who
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THE PERIOD OF REUNION
said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto me," will ful
fill his mission.. He is being "lifted up"
to-day in sermon, in song, in art, in litera
ture, in government, and in an advancing
civilization, as never before. He is draw
ing all men unto himself as never before.
He will yet draw his followers into unity,
and the kingdoms of this world shall lay
their honors at his feet !

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