THE SIN OF SCHISM 91 



it} r , "sweeps onward," and governments 

 and creeds which once were the best pos- 



Vsible expression of divine faith t^ecome 

 outworn and u gcflfllfc hi EKe advance, one 

 division of the faithful will be the first to 

 spy out a new truth, another will do equal 

 good by tenaciously holding on to some 

 rubric which the rest were too ready to 

 dismiss. Each will of coarse be strenuous 

 for the aspects of truth which most separate 

 it from the rest, but not one will have any 

 right to call itself pre-eminently the Church 

 of God, whether in polity or in doctrine. 

 If any does so, if any excludes its neighbor, 

 saying : You neglect tins or that important 

 item of belief, therefore you are not of the 

 Church; if any in any way claims the 

 power of the keys, we shall look upon such 

 assumption precisely as we do upon that of 

 the Pope, as insufferable arrogance, proof 

 that the perfect vision of Christ's mind has 

 not yet come to all. 



The renunciation of sectarianism is, then, 

 the first and great duty of the Church in 

 view of its dividedness. A correct idea and 

 feeling must be built up touching the 

 meaning of " church." If this cannot be 

 effected, all effort will be vain. So long 



