one worship, one Judge, and one heaven. This, then, is the only basis for the union of believers, the only constitution for the Christian church.

"There is a document extant in the world, in this enlightened age and nation, too, separate and apart from the Bible, having printed upon its title page, 'The Constitution of the ... Church.' Now of all documents and things called constitutions there are three of which God Himself is the author and finisher. He has neither given to man nor angels the liberty of making a constitution for the universe-a constitution for the human body, nor a constitution for the Church of God. Good and valid reasons can be given why man should not have been entrusted to draft a constitution for the universe, and why he should not have been permitted to form a constitution for his own body. All will find in his utter incapacity good reasons why he should not have been entrusted with such an undertaking. He is just as incompetent to form the last as either of the others. Had any individual a tolerably distinct and accurate view of the body of Christ, the Church of the living God, he would feel himself as wholly inadequate to the task of forming for it a constitution as he physically, intellectually, and morally is for his own body or the universe of God.

The church, the true church of the true Redeemer, is a glorious institution, and hence it was decreed before the Christian age began. Foretold by Isaiah, one of Israel's sweetest and most seraphic bards: "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and

...

the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end."a He is then the Founder of the Gospel Institution, "the everlasting kingdom." The noblest and most august titles in the universe surround His miter and His crown. Among these there is one to us of ineffable interest—“the author and finisher of our faith." Can man then draft a constitution for the Church of Jesus Christ? He could as easily make one for the hierarchies of heaven or for the universe of God. . . . To make for the Christian church a constitution, what a task. Had a council of the heavens been called, had Michael, Gabrael, Raphael, and all the elder sons of creation been convened to deliberate for an age they could not have made a constitution for Christ's church; they could not have sketched a system, even had it been adopted, that could have united, cemented, and harmonized in everlasting peace and unity the redeemed of the Lord. Hence, the Lord Himself was made the covenant and the leader, the law-giver, the author and founder of the Christian institution. On this and on this alone can the church be built. This constitution—this basis alone is the only basis for the Christian church. Let the Christ and the Christ alone be the basis of union, then all Christians of all nations, ages, and conditions can form one grand, holy, and happy family." a Isa. ix. 6, 7.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

NATURE OF DIVISION

Causes of Division. Creeds. Are they Necessary for Discipline? Why They are Objectionable.

IN the third place we shall notice the causes of division. And here we would state that divisions have been caused by departure from Christ's church. All must return to the primitive faith and primitive practice. There are two things that are now bound on the conscience of man that are not embraced in the word of the apostles, and those are human creeds and party names. Christ in His prayer specifies the word of the apostles as the basis, and, consequently, exIcludes all other bonds of union.

"A human creed or confession of faith is an ecclesiastical document, the mind and will of some synod or council possessing authority, written out as a form of union by which persons and things are to be tested, approved, or disapproved. They are called human, not merely because they are the productions of human effort, but because they are also the offspring of human authority. No one can in reason and in truth assign to them divine authority, because no man can produce a divine precept or warrant for their manufacture. No apostle, prophet, or evangelist gave

any authority to any church, community, or council to furnish such a document. In order to give them any authority other than human four things are necessary: First, a divine precept commanding them to be made. Second, a selection of persons to make them. Third, a time fixed or extended during which the work is to be accomplished. And, fourth, a command to Christian congregations to receive and use them for the ends for which they were made. In the absence of such divine arrangement and enactment, they must be considered as a presumptive interference in the affairs of Zion's Law Giver and King, as an attempt to subvert His office, who has all authority in heaven and in earth. It is offering strange fire on God's altar and burning incense not commanded by Him whose right it is to ordain His own worship. It is, in fact, a reproach and an indignity offered to His living oracles and to the competency and fidelity of His ambassadors. . . . Had the Lord thought that a miniature of the Bible, an image of the whole revelation, a proper basis for church union and communion, Paul was the man, or Peter, or James or John, or all of the apostles together to give the sum of the matter and command all men to regard it as the covenant or constitution of Christ's church in general and of the congregations in particular, and then we would have had an authoritative creed-a divine rule of faith, by which to receive and reject all. His not having done this is the best evidence in the world why it should not be attempted by mortal and fallible men." Suppose the Lord himself had given a summary of His

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doctrine, as possibly He could have done, on a single page of the New Testament, what would have been the effect on His people? Certainly most injurious. It would have left us without any sufficient motive to study any other part of revelation. Many no doubt would have committed to memory the summary and been content to remain in profound ignorance of other divine truth. Is not this precisely the effect of human creeds? Do they not cause a great neglect of the Holy Scriptures by pretending to exhibit that which is necessary to be learned in the Bible?

Creeds retard the increase of spiritual growth and scriptural knowledge. If any gain new light there is danger that they may be regarded as heretics and treated accordingly. They are the fruits of unauthorized legislation. That creeds are legislative enactments of uninspired men no one can doubt. They are made the laws of the church. And is it not rebellion to leave the divine constitution of the Church and make a human fabrication the platform? The union of Christians can never be effected while creeds hold their place. They stand directly in the way of such union. Their unauthorized terms of fellowship can never be complied with by all. They conflict with each other, do not accord with the teachings of Christ, and, consequently they must be discarded, or the union of believers can never be effected.

It is said that creeds should be used because they are plainer than the Bible. If this be true, then man is either wiser than God or more benevolent. If God could have made the Bible plainer, and would not,