CHURCH UNION.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13740, 23 May 1910, Page 8

CHURCH UNION.

THE ANGLICAN POSITION

DEFINED

Preaching at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Phillipstown, last night, from 11. Timothy, 1 and 13, and Jude 1 and I) (revised version) tho You. Archdeacon Ensor referred to an article appearing in the lending columns of 'The Press' , on Saturday last, commenting: on tho Mgnificanre of leaders <>i all tho Protestant Churches meeting on a common platform in the face of a common grief, and asking why, if they could all mourn together.. it should ho impossible for "them to work together. It was difficult, tho writer said, to think that union would not come some day and h< , 'the writer) regarded Frid iv's memorial service as ;i step in that "direction. "The question is often asked," the preacher said, "why cannot we, referred to as tho Protestant Churches, all worjliip together?" It would bo very much easier for him to take for his text tho sort of sentiments they heard constantly nowadays, "One religion is as good as another," or "It does not 'n.itter much what we believe so long as wo livo tip to it." If ho did that they would have a full church, and ho would ho tho most unfortunate of all creatures —a popular preacher. But In had the habit of investigating for lu'mself. Let them then investigate the theories so often mit forward, and eeo how far they held water. Tho first tiling that made him feel a difficulty on tho question was that they, as Church people, had novor altered their standard of belief sinco tho nation embraced Christianity. In tho year 325 tho Bishops embraced tho Nicene Creed, and they said it to-day. They had just commemorated Whitsuntide, and they were reminded in tho second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles that tho Apostles were called together as a corporate body of men, entrance to which baptism was made a condition. That body was bound together by eomo.,very definite marks by which tho members wore identified. St. Poter, speaking in a sermon, gave some very definite instructions to enquirers who asked "What must we do to be saved?" He told them to repent and bo baptised. Tho first mark, then, of tho corporate body.was baptism. Then they had a definite belief, and a definite ministry. Tho Holy Communion was their chief • and only service. They had a set form of common orayer. as tho Church of England to-day had. Their duty was to baptise, and to give/ a definite form of belief—a creed. So definite, indeed, was their duty that Jude urged tho Apostles to cleave to the faith once and for all delivered to tho eaints. Paul urged the young Bishop Timothy to "hold fast to tho pattern of sound words you have received from mc." That definite form of belief had come down to them in their creeds. That faith did not como to them without a groat deal of struggle against persecution. The Reformation resulted in the throwing aside of tho accretion from Rome, hut after that thero was persecution again for the Church of England. There was Presbyterianism and the Indepondentism of Cromwell's time.. Thsir creed was not allowed to be recited in public. A clergyman who used the prayer-book in public not only had his goods bus ho was imprisoned as well. Macaulay ./ wrote of that period that it was said to bo a crime in England for a child to. read from the Prayer Book. Tho foundation of missionary enterprise was the exhortation "Go ye into the whole world making disciples and baptising m the name of the Father, tho Son , , ana .tho Holy Ghost." At Melanesia missionary work had gone on satis- ' rS^ y, bufc lfc **& becoming more dimculton account of those going to! tho islands preaching different faiths ' ,fS!- ,cated hoa then .was inclined to « say i*Vst.agree among yourselves bei°*Tt *)? a 6mo to e ivo U P ™y definite : faith. A very earnest man in once wrote to tho Popo asking for perto preach Protestantism. lho Pope replied if he. would say exactly which one ■of the 1M pbades of Protestantism he Purposed preaching ho wojild consider. The Nonconformist divisions lacked a creed. Not ono held the same position doctrinally that it held even fifty years ago. lfc was the absence of a. de&iute rattled faith that caused a Jot of very earnest peonle to drift about from one., new. thing" to another, STi.™ 11 !.? ,1 ! adders. It was the jterw-est thing.that trapped them. The Presbyterian had a form of definite creed, but there tvas an absence of public repetition of it. Where was it? It' Wa « locked away in the Church books , and .Mused only at the ordiSion % members and elders, and then hidden ftivay again. Tako tho Independents .or. Congregationalists, who had splendid business men their ranks, and had done.splendid work. Their representative .on, Friday had said that earth ffiif'TV nd aven , richer • v the ■ «■«. Xl «c Edward. But what would Cromwell have done if he had heard such : a statement? It was bocauso orkinesjup and the prelacy that thi Independents split from the Church. /• Why .could they not come SfSi lfc i° WP ! And the Methodists, who Were doing such noole workin the cause of temperance-—why did they not recite Wesley's belief. He liad very definite ideas as to sacrameutol orders, communion and baptism. But what did they find? Scores and hundreds of young people adherents of Methodism, who were not oapfcised; the Sacrament was infrequently administered. They had dropped the iiuno of Wosleyans and taken that of Methodists. But that .was Wesley's belief wae Methodism because of his method. Hβ fasted on Wednesdays and *nday s and took tho Sacrament of the Lord s-_ Supper every saint's day and every Sunday. As..one holding orders in tho old Church of England, tho speaker thought if right, when theY were asked to break down her fences and let in all who had departed from her. to say that when tho latter were' ready, the overtures should come from them. They would find the old Mother Chnrchi ready to,receive them, but it wonid Dβ with all her fences standing.