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violations of un ity usually go together — heresy, self-willed choice of private in terp retation in opposition to th e Scrip tu re, and schism, th e following of a party. Few schisms can be named which have not been the resu lt of doc trin al erro r, few leading heresies which have not issued in schisms. Here, how ever, th ere is a distinction. Heresy can never he perpetuated. Apparent schism may be the cure of heresy. Whenever th e Holy Spirit goes out of His way to divide existing churches, He never fails to au then ticate H is own act, as Paul among th e apostles was able to au th en ticate his vocation and work. As to , heresy, or self-willed and needless schism, it is still one of th e works of th e flesh (Gal. 5 :1 9 ), condemned of it self.— Pope. Same care one fo r another. Each member should be growing to his best. He should be a t his best not only for his own life’s sake h u t for Christ and for the body. Talent, faculty, unim proved or only half cultivated, is a sin against th a t law of serviceableness which lies a t th e very root of th e idea of His body, th e church. “S tir up th e g ift th a t is in thee” is not an advice for Timothy only (2 Tim. 1 :6 ).— Horn. Com. v. 26. All suffer w ith it. No mem ber of the body suffers alone, nor does any member of th e church suffer alone. An in ju ry to th e most insignificant member is an in ju ry to the whole body. When one member is honored, all are honored w ith it.— Torrey. When a tho rn enfers th e heel th e whole body feels it and is concerned. The back bends, th e abdomen and thigh contract themselves, th e hands come forward and draw ou t th e thorn, the head stoops, and the eyes regard the affected mem ber w ith intense gaze.— Chrysostom. v. 27. The body of Christ. The Christian church is no t an in e rt mass of mere learners and subjects who are to be au tho ritatively ta u g h t a n d ruled by a small fraction of its members. It is a g rea t co-operative ¡-society in which each is for all and all for each and th e object is to bring Christ into every departm ent of our being and our fellowship’as the life blood nourishes th e body of man.-Sl? Meyer. Not merely “ a body” b u t “ the body” of Christ, organic to Him as m an’s body is organic to him.— Stanley. Members in p articu lar. “ Severally members of it.” Each church is in m in ia tu re w hat the whole aggregate of churches is collectively, th e body of
Christ, and its individual components are members, every one in his assigned place.— J. F. & B. H0 m Subject Illu stration . — A Christian m issionary was asked, “Who is your ‘nearest competitor’ on .th e field?” meaning, who was the nearest Christian m issionary working LESSON in th a t section. He ILLUSTRATION replied, “We are not W. H. P ik e in competition w ith any Christian work, or workers, bu t we are in co-operation” — Col. 4:11, “ These only are my fellow- workers unto th e Kingdom of God.” Bible Illu stration .— There was unity of effort a t th e building of th e Tower, , Babel, Gen. 11:1-9, “And th e Lord said, ‘Behold th e people is one— and now nothing will be restrained from them,, which they have imagined to do’.” This was streng th of unity used for a wrong purpose. In Acts 2:1 th e people were all “ of one accord in one place.” H ere is unity of purpose In a good cause. Unity Means S trength.— One bee, from May to October,' though flying thou sands of miles, will only gath er one spoonful of honey. Yet by combined effort th ere is seldom less th an one hun dred pounds of honey in a hive. If the “weak th ing s” of th e Church were only united and pulling together, how often . they would “ confound th e things th a t are m ighty”— 1 Cor. 1:27. Chauncey Depew once said, “When in Genoa a year ago looking a t th a t splen did statu e of Columbus, which, is his chief monument, I noticed upon the base th is inscription, ‘There was one world. Columbus said, “Let th ere be two,” and th e re were two.’ After four centuries Mr. Field came w ith - his cable, and said, ‘There are two worlds. Let th e re be . one, and th ere was one’.” Oh, th a t we m ight say of the church and make the world to see by her works, th a t there is one tru e church in all ages. Not the
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