At the same time, it ought to be clearly understood, that we have no certain warrant of Holy Scripture for more than this. For, as there is no example in the Bible of any one professing faith in Christ, and yet holding back from being baptized into the Name of the Trinity, it is not possible to describe the position of the unbaptized with any certainty of assurance. The offer of salvation through Jesus Christ is thus briefly stated, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (S. Mark xvi. 16); that is, he will be placed in a state of present salvation by being admitted into “The Kingdom of Heaven.” But the case of any one believing and not being baptized is not contemplated.
In the next place, still confining our thoughts to our own country, we shall do well to consider that the greater number of those who have separated themselves from us have done so with the hope of thereby doing God service; or else under the idea that the separation is of small importance, being more a matter of personal choice than of principle. They have forgotten or have been ignorant of the prayer of the Lord Jesus—“That they all may be one; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” (S. John xvii. 21)—forewarning us that the result of divisions would be the spoiling of His work for the saving of the world. And, at the same time, it is right that we should also call to mind that in many instances in the past history of the Church in this land, those who have professed to hold the position of loyal subjects of “The Kingdom of Heaven” have seemed to be equally careless of this inevitable loss through the separation of their brethren.
With these considerations in our minds, if we now go on to test our opinions by the sure warrant of Holy Scripture, fearlessly taking our stand upon its distinct teaching, we shall see how important it is that both so-called Church-people and so-called Dissenters should be induced to study carefully what is recorded therein about “The Kingdom of Heaven,” or Church of Christ. For, on the one hand, we shall find that Holy Scripture clearly teaches that the Church is a spiritual Kingdom, and that the only way to receive the benefits of membership is by being led and sanctified by the Holy Ghost. And, on the other hand, we shall see that Holy Scripture makes it equally clear that our Lord described His Church as being a real Kingdom, though a spiritual one; and that this Kingdom was established with distinct laws and ordinances, by His directions, and under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. And consequently, if, on the one hand, any are content with the name of Church-people without seeking to advance in the spiritual life, they are clearly acting as the Jews, who trusted to being able to say, “We have Abraham to our father” (S. Matt. iii. 9). Similarly, on the other hand, if men carelessly weaken “The Kingdom of Heaven” by forming factions, or so-called denominations, under different leaders, and known by the names of their founders, they are clearly bringing themselves under the rebuke of S. Paul, “While one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal[19]?” (1 Cor. iii. 4); or if they propose to themselves to form a holier society, by expelling the tares from the wheat in the Lord’s field, they are disregarding the teaching of His parable (S. Matt. xiii. 24-30), the meaning of which cannot be doubtful. And, at the same time, all who will take pains to study Holy Scripture will find that to be a member of “The Kingdom of Heaven,” or Church of Christ, is no mere matter of choice, but of vital importance; because no other way has been revealed whereby we may be saved, but by accepting the Gospel of the Kingdom, and by being admitted into it, as those first converts were, to whom S. Peter said, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts ii. 40, 41).
We are now in a position to sum up what has been gathered from Holy Scripture about the essential unity of “The Kingdom of Heaven.”
The idea of a Kingdom implies the necessity of unity. And it was provided that the essential unity of “The Kingdom of Heaven” should be maintained through the Headship of the one King over all. The King commissioned His Apostles to make all the nations of the world His subjects, and assured them of the authority to do this by promising to be with them and their successors to the end of the world. And wherever the Church spread, however defective and imperfect it might be, it was still part of one and the same Kingdom, owning the Lord Jesus Christ as King. Besides this bond of union, one Holy Spirit was working with more or less success upon all the subjects, wherever they might be; one Hope was held out before all, of salvation; one Faith in the ever-blessed Trinity was taught to all, and professed by all; one Baptism enrolled all; one God was the object of the worship of all.
But the unity of a Kingdom depends not only upon the King and the laws and ordinances of the Kingdom, but also upon the loyal obedience of the subjects. And the subjects of “The Kingdom of Heaven” have, in past times, so far forgotten this duty, that it has come to pass that for centuries the great branches of the Church of Christ have had little, if any, outward communion or fellowship with one another. And in our own country the professed members of Christ are divided into many bodies, not only independent of one another, but oftentimes opposing, rather than helping forward, the extension and well-being of the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And the result has been that we have learned by sad experience the reason of the foreboding tone of our Lord’s last prayer, “That they all may be one; ... that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” (S. John xvii. 21). The multitudes of men, practically heathen, in the midst of this professedly Christian land, and the still greater multitudes of men in other lands whom the good news of the Kingdom has not reached, are proofs of the weakness of the Church of Christ. Christians are not “one;” and consequently “the world” does not “believe” in Him whom the Father of His great love sent to be its Saviour.
During the first few centuries the Church spread rapidly, not only throughout the more civilised parts of the Roman Empire, but also amongst the rough Celts of Britain and the fierce Teutons of Germany. We may well ask, why did it cease to spread, and why are so many lands still lying in darkness? Since Christ came to be the Saviour of the world, how is it that there are so many millions of Buddhists and Hindoos in Asia, that to this day it is said that not one-third of the inhabitants of the world are; Christians? The answer is, alas! clear. The unity of the One Universal Church of Christ has not been maintained in the full and perfect manner described in our Lord’s Prayer, “That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us” (S. John xvii. 21). Christians have lost the sense of brotherhood, which should bind them all together in Christ, of whatsoever nation or language they may be. The Church has ceased to move with the irresistible power of one mighty army, acting with one mind for the glory of God.
All thoughtful subjects of “The Kingdom of Heaven” must lament this state of disunion and weakness. And men are striving in different, and in some cases opposite ways, to bring about re-union. But when we begin to ask, What is the remedy? we find that we are facing a mighty problem. God’s loving purpose for the salvation of the world has been marred by man’s wilfulness. His Kingdom, which might have been irresistible and have won the whole world for Christ, has been split up into many portions, which have been opposing and weakening one another, instead of fighting His enemies. How can these portions, after centuries of disunion, be reunited into one? How can the mischief be undone?
It is beyond the power of man.
Yet at the same time we can see that there are certain things which all can do to advance the object in view, and to promote re-union at least in our own National Church at home, if not also between the different branches of Christ’s Holy Church[20] throughout the world. But to do so, two things are clearly necessary. One thing is to have a clear grasp of the principle which runs through the whole teaching of the Bible,—that Christ came to found a Kingdom. And the other is to desire unity. If all desired unity, the desired result would certainly be accomplished.