Waiapu Church Gazette Saturday, April 1st, 1922. REUNION.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XII, Issue 10, 1 April 1922, Page 262

Waiapu Church Gazette Saturday, April Ist, 1922. REUNION.

The question which lies at the root of all discussions on " Reunion is really "What is the Church?" All branches of the Catholic Church, Roman, Eastern and Anglican agree that Our Lord founded a Kingdom, an Organism. The Church has its analogy m the human body— -it is m fact the Body of Christ, his Mystical Body. It has its several parts each with its OAvn function. As the body is built up of cells, each a separate entity but dependent for its life upon the rest; as these cells are grouped m nerves, muscles, bones, etc., each group having its. own functions to fulfil, so the Body of Christ, the Christian Church, is, a composite thing, no. part of it can exist by itself, miich less can the individual member (or cell) maintain its spiritual life except as a part of the whole. 7 As the .body depends fpr its life upon being attached to the person whoT> dwells m it so the. Church canriot maintain: its life apart from the Holy; Spirit and from Jesus /Christ, who inspires., it: with that- Spirit. An organism has its organs—its 'centres of "authority, its limbs with which, it, works,. and. so on. The Apostolic ministry which has j received its authority by. direct sue-; :• cession : from the Apostles, (to ; whbrriour Lordi:.first gave, it), is ., essential , .tb::.both the unity ; and continuity of : rthe Church. The ; Sacraments : are not merely huriiari^ceremonies, they were . appointed by; Christ Himself, they are m fa.ct-npw, as. when .they were first . given,, channels through which thegrape .of r the Holy Spirit and .the strength of Christ's life, are . cbmr muhicated to us. .. They are as essential to our unity with the rest of the

.body and to .Our coritiiiuancie,. as living parts of it asthe blopd inessential to the life of every part of! a human body. ; ■ , ' ' ■'■'.- . „ ,.;.,! The theories; of the ! Church; held by .the various non-Catholic bodies vary from that of the Plymouthist who believes *m. no organisation, no ministry, no authority at all : to that of the Established Kirk of Scotland which. Claims a successipn for its ministry;, through prjesbyterial ordination instead of through 'episcopacy. . The various .nonconformist bodies,. are by no means homogeneous, they differ among themselves as iinuch as, often more than, they; differ^frorn us. Most, of them have rio conception of our.. idea of Unity. Many' of them believe m Individualisiri; that is that each man is united directly to Christ by an act of faith; Se' needs no church, no minister/ no sacrament His connection Avith other Christians, consists simply m the fact that all are equally (or fbiequally) T attached to Christ as the one Centre. The ultra Protestant theory is that the Bible arid the Bible only as 'iriterpreted byhimself is the rule of faith of each man. : ' As a matter of fact, however, no man ever yet depended '/entirely upon his own intelligence for his understanding of the (Scriptures. The ordinary Christian is c.oinpelled to accept the instruction of some one or more of the many different preachers! or writers he follows. Of course fhis ends m absolute chaps and confusion. It is bound to do so, for the writers of the. various books m the Scriptures had no intention of providing reasoned arid systematic: explanations of Christian doctrines. The things that we're most' important and unquestioned, the; fundamental beliefs of Christians, Avefe hardly referred to. Only such doctrines as Avere matters of dispute, of such as happened to bear on the particular circumstances of the particular congregations for whom, they wrote, . are referred to iii their Avritings. The observance of Sunday, the doctine ■ and customs of the Holy Eucharist, Corifiririation and the authority of the ministry are either . hardly inentibried: or are dealt with only as regards special phases. It was unnecessary to teach. these doctrines m Epistles ; that were : written on special occasions for the : commendation or correction of individuals and congregations. They had been . taught these things .and practised them already. . . The Apostolic ministry and the fundamentals of Apostolic .doctrines are therefore referred toonly- incidentally m the New Testament. Even the Gospels contain very irieagre accounts of bur : Lord's teaching and work, though they are . d eliberately written Avith instruction \ as the eiid m. view. ' . „ . .. Hoav: are we r then, to ..talk about Reunion' tb : people who do ' riot under-

stand:Twhat- ; Unity is f JTO7 most of thefin'it is merely ati agr&mient among individual Christians to observe certain rites, , called ; Sacramerits, .&nd to unite m ; cbngregatipns '"'"' under the same teachers. To many of the noncpriformist bodies, for example the I?aptists, Unity with people who baptize, infants or. who, contradict., some ifiindariiental (though '"often ■J'unimpprtant) doctrine of their particular belief is quite unthinkable.' A L great many of tjiem openly say , that , ! there is, a great advantage in .the ./existence of many \ denominations, because, m this, way, a healthy ' rivalry is created and there is a congregation more or less fitted, for each sort Of -Wliever. . They can /see no iadvantag;e at all m Unity of belief, or m Unity of organs isation. We Avrite „these.' things mer^ ly!to shoAv:.the enPrmpu^ ;'disculties with which we are corifrbhted when we. plead,, with ..the r Lambetlir Conference, for a riibre -complete realisation of the need of Unity.