84 CIIURCn UNITY 



or European circle, on the other hand, in 

 the first age of Christianity, all the churches 

 are independent of one another, like Bap- 

 tist and Congregational churches to-day ; 

 and the dogmata issued at Jerusalem, though 

 exactly fitting difficulties that arose in the 

 church at Corinth, are unknown or ignored 

 by the apostle when treating of those 

 difficulties. 



There is no ground whatever in Scrip- 

 tural precept or example for asserting any 

 form of polity as particularly legitimate. 

 The Romanist is correct in alleging that 

 authority has been lodged in the Church 

 to work out its own polity ; but he has no 

 right to say that his one department of the 

 Church is a law, or can give law, to all 

 Christendom. His church constitution 

 is good for him, no doubt ; it is good, 

 and any form of polity is good, so far as it 

 works well. The note of church legiti- 

 macy is doing church work. Any organi- 

 zation bearing this mark, however imperfect 

 its means, however humble its aspect, is 

 a legitimate part of the one Church, and 

 must not be despised. 



The great demand of religion in the 

 Protestant world to-day is that the Chris- 



