A Phase of the Church Question. [pp. 566-586]

is TO.] T1~c C1t?6~~C/t Q'U~81i()n. 555
tIie~~ euI)fou~14s liis O~TI4 private jndgnient ei'eed ~vitl~ tlie " old
and i~istorica1 sense of tiie creed."
The church qnestioa fit~ds no solntion in tlie speenlative
notion advai~ccd by Dr. Nevin. lIe bas lab~~red J~ard to de~biid liis so-called c/ttirc7(y theology; all his eflbrts innst fall
to the ground. A principle l~eiiig false, tlie supcrstrt~ctnre
is ~vjrtlilcss. This scheme is lil&e I'~~n~a~iisii~, it ~nakcs fori~~al
b(i~ti5!fl the CO?~(1i~iOfl of salvation. Reflection n~ust convince
every profound n~ind that groni~d and coiidition beii~g correlative terms, it niust fol1o~v that both tlie ground and tlie
co~idition are in Christ, and can be i~o~v1~erc else.
Let CI~ristians conic to re~lize, as they should, tite c;~ 51)Cl
n~eaning ot' tlie cross, and at once every priestly "idea or
tl~eo~Y" ~vill be s~vept into ohlivioii; and Christ ~`ill reign
supreme i1~ evei'y heart. Personal activity iii tlie spii'it of tlie
cross ~`ill become, as it should, tl}e ~vatch-'vord of tlie Christian Church. ~Iinisters of tlie Qw'osi~el will arouse themselves
to a niore earnest sense of self-consecration to Cliiist. Dr.
Nevin ought to see that liis notioii of a mediated lifb is
positive pintlicism; aiid as such, n~ust lead, Jike Roiii~iiisrn,
to a sort of sel~~lorification. Priestly conceit will take tlie
place of apostolic devotion to Cl~rist. Tlic Saviour speaks to
persons, not tl~ rongli priests, and niucli less through a linj~~ai'
"` idea or tl~cory" of sacra iieiital grace. Tlie Iloly ~j'h()5t~
wlio is a person, works in the sphere of self-conscionsi~css.
This priest~v ahstractioii virtually dei~ies tlic personal l)resenee of tlie Spirit. All is n~ade to turn upoi~ tlie paJ)tlieistic
notion of a life n~ediatcd through priests. This lifb, it is s~id,
is eoinmui~ieated in tlie for~n of a ~crp~. Now tlic seic'~tifle
scli~~lar knows that a germ is not a tree. ~~Witbont tlie correlative condition tile ground or germ can never bcc~~nie a
tree. ~y analogy it is tlie tree, ai~d not a gert~, that f~~r~iis
tlic vital point in tlie parallel. Tlie tree qi~ow~; the germ
passes away iii the organic unity between gronud and coiidition.
Christian unity centres in no priestly order; it is dependent
upon no hnn~an "idea or tl~eomy" ot' tlic so-called Apostles'
Ci~eed~-it is tiie power of that ~4iich is diviiie: " Tlic love of
Gl~rist constrainetli us." Tlie cross is tlic inanitbstation of