Article March 10, 1906 Issue

From our Exchanges

Robert S. MacArthur

The tendency to unite, now manifest in many religious bodies, is wholesome; but it will not reach the highest order of spiritual progress so long as anything but essential truth is the centre of attraction. Let all come together in one religious body who believe in immersion or in congregational government or in the rule of the Episcopacy or in Apostolic succession or in certain historic creeds. This tendency carried out will give us larger and more influential religious bodies which then will, if progress is to continue, feel some nobler form of attraction pulling upon their larger masses and making a lesser attraction seem insignificant. The strongest pull is not some mode of worship or form of government or tradition of words, but the truths which infuse life, hope, and courage into human beings, and give society its true ends of action. Give them free play, then religious union will mean something worth while.

The Christian Register.

The gift of the Spirit to Jesus Christ was unique, in degree if not in quality. "God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him," for, as Paul puts it, it pleased the Father that in Him the whole fulness of divinity should have its permanent abode. Jesus Christ is singular both in person and powers. Yet in a lesser degree the humble believer may partake of the gift of "this same Spirit." There are diversities of gifts, but the one Source of grace. God was well pleased with His Son who welcomed His Spirit, and He will be well pleased with men only in the degree in which they receive the same gracious Spiritual Presence. The soul of Jesus was fully capacious to the Holy Ghost — it is the privilege and duty of men constantly to enlarge their capacity for the spiritual blessing.—New York Observer.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

From our Exchanges

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access