In drawing this discourse to a close I may remark that what I have said is sufficient to disprove the allegations of my anti-creedist friends of whatever school, and to show the importance of a definite platform of essential moral and religious doctrines, principles, and ideas, upon which the Christian church must stand in order to do its divinely-commissioned work in the world; a platform substantially like that framed in my last. In my next I shall enter upon the exposition, verification, and defence of that platform in its several distinguishing features and characteristics.

DISCOURSE IX.

EXPOSITION AND DEFENCE OF CARDINAL OBJECTS.

"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.". 2 Tim. i. 13.

"Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you."

I Pet. iii. 13.

Having shown in my last discourse that a creed or platform of distinctive principles and objects is necessary to the proper organization and efficient administration of a Christian church, indicating some of the characteristics and limitations to be observed in framing one, it is now incumbent on me to explain, verify, and defend my own, as already presented to my readers, which I assume to be founded on reason and the fundamental truth of the New Testament, differing though it does in more or less important respects from all those that have been tenaciously held and honestly believed by the varying sections of Christendom. The devotees of long established systems of faith, strenuous in maintaining and perpetuating their own ancient confessions, will, of course, disallow and denounce mine as erroneous and misleading in whatever par

ticular it differs from theirs, whether by addition, omission, or contradiction. I must therefore meet them in advance fairly and openly upon every point at issue between us. I commence my exposition with what I term the Cardinal Objects of a Christian church.

Whether there has ever been or now is any formal statement in regard to this feature of my platform, corresponding to what I have placed under this name, in any other ecclesiastical formularies, I am not certain. Probably not; though that fact does not render its value less obvious to the

thoughtful mind. Yet, no doubt, all religious bodies have put forth declarations, more or less explicit, setting forth the purposes and aims which they were instituted to promote and secure. Be this as it may, it is my duty to explain, verify, and defend my own position in this matter, and hence I proceed to do so.

OBJECT I. "To train its members and dependents, and all who voluntarily place themselves under its guardianship and tutelage, by wisely chosen and applied instruction and discipline, to habitual, per. manent Christlikeness of faith, hope, and love; of spirit, conduct, and character." In this definite statement I have included all those persons, old and young, who may be properly regarded as in any way related to the church, whether by positive formal admission to its membership or otherwise, and to whom the church is under special obligations to watch over, care for, and qualify for useful and honorable service of God and man. Wisely

chosen and applied instruction and discipline include all justifiable Christian methods of teaching; of informing the mind and developing the native capacities of a human being, of regulating and controlling the conduct, of correcting faults and errors of whatever sort, and of ennobling and perfecting the character and life. Habitual and permanent Christlikeness of faith, hope, and love-of spirit, conduct, and character, is the being conformed to Christ's teaching and example in respect to essen. tial truths believed, in respect to the ruling motive, disposition, temper, in respect to personal righteousness of every kind, and in respect to all that constitutes moral excellence and worth; not including official dignity, authority, power, and glory. To train its subjects into the likeness of such a model is to render them true Christians, theoretically and practically, nominally and really, employing all the agencies, instrumentalities, and co-operative influences of the church faithfully to the accom. plishment of that great end.

It is hardly possible to conceive that any company of intelligent persons assuming the name and the prerogatives of a church of Christ should deny or seriously question what I have stated to be one of the Cardinal Objects of the true church — an absolutely essential principle of the Christian faith. Yet some persons claiming to be followers of the Nazarene might question the form in which I have put the matter; others might doubt the need or desirability of formulating it at all; while others still and indeed many might deny altogether the

truth of my proposition. There are those today who say, as there have been multitudes in the past who have said, that it was not a cardinal object of the church as it was not a cardinal object of Christ's mission, to make men like Christ, to renew and transform human character and bring it into accord with the character of Jesus, to make men pure, loving, true, holy, but rather to impart to them what is termed saving faith, a true knowledge of God and of the way of salvation by a crucified Redeemer; to induce them to repent, to come to Jesus, to accept the conditions of salvation; to prepare them for death and fit them for heaven. Of how many an exhortation, sermon, magazine article, volume, has that been the burden, the main thing insisted upon, the one thing needful, the most important of all possible concerns, upon which hinged incalculable destinies of good or ill, of happiness or misery, of beatific joy or despairing agony for a never-ending eternity. Not that Christlikeness was not a good and desirable thing in the estimation of the authors of such application of the divine word; not that holiness. of heart and life, excellence of character, personal righteousness, etc., were not important acquirements. in their proper places, but that they were not the chief thing, the essential thing, the crowning object of human concern and pursuit, the great end of life. That was to be reconciled to God, to believe certain dogmas, to accept certain terms of salvation, to make the calling and election sure, to escape endless tortures, to secure endless bliss.