88 CI1URCII UNITY 



in absolutely fundamental matters of faith. 

 All peculiarities of belief, of practice, and 

 of polity would then have been free 

 to work themselves out. After a time, 

 hardly two congregations would have 

 agreed in all things. National and local 

 churches would have had their dissi- 

 dencies of view, just as they have had. 

 There would have been parties and tend- 

 encies of all sorts. Calvinism when it 

 came would have had its champions and 

 its opponents, each side free to say its 

 last word. When diversities of belief 

 and practice grew too tense in any local 

 church some would freely withdraw to 

 cast in their lot elsewhere. Here would 

 be a congregation of ritualists, yonder 

 one worshipping like Quakers or the Ply- 

 mouth Brethren. Every biblical truth, 

 every extreme, every folly, every error, 

 even, would be represented somewhere. 

 Yet nowhere would there be exclusion. 

 Extremes of view and of organization 

 would shade off gradually, and you would 

 seek in vain for any of that crisp cleavage 

 of party from party which characterizes 

 sects. No section or tendency would 

 claim to be the Church. No man would 



