acraments, and an 'unbroken historical continuity.' And when we
are unchurched for our lack of these, let us fall back upon St.
Augustine's 'Where Christ is, there the Church is'; and believe that to
us, even to us also, the promise is fulfilled, 'Lo! I am with you
always, even to the end of the world.'

III. Lastly, note the width to which our sympathies should go.

The Apostle sends out his desires and prayers so as to encircle the same
area as the grace of God covers and as His love enfolds. And we are
bound to do the same.

I am not going to talk about organic unity. The age for making new
denominations is, I suppose, about over. I do not think that any sane
man would contemplate starting a new Church nowadays. The rebound from
the iron rigidity of a mechanical unity that took place at the
Reformation naturally led to the multiplication of communities, each of
which laid hold of something that to it seemed important. The folly of
ecclesiastical rulers who insisted upon non-essentials lays the guilt of
the schism at _their_ doors, and not at the doors of the minority who
could not, in conscience, accept that which never should have been
insisted upon as a condition. But whilst we must all feel that power is
lost, and much evil ensues from the isolation, such as it is, of the
various Churches, yet we must remember that re-union is a slow process;
that an atmosphere springs up round each body which is a very subtle,
but none the less a very powerful, force, and that it will take a very,
very long time to overcome the difficulties and to bring about any
reconstruction on a large scale. But why should there be three
Presbyterian Churches in Scotland, with the same creed, confessions of
faith, and ecclesiastical constitution? Why should there be half a dozen
Methodist bodies in England, of whom substantially the same thing may
be said? Will it always pass the wit of man for Congregationalists and
Baptists to be one body, without the sacrifice of conviction upon either
side? Surely no! You young men may see these fair days; men like me can
only hope that they will come and do a little, such as may be possible
in a brief space, to help them on.

Putting aside, then, all these larger questions, I want, in a sentence
or two, to insist with you upon the duty that lies on us all, and which
every one of us may bear a share in discharging. There ought to be a far
deeper consciousness of our fundamental unity. They talk a great