SERMON XXXII.
THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE. II.

ZEPH. iii. 9.

"For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent."

OF all disappointments, there is none perhaps more trying to a really good and dutiful mind than that which is occasioned by the sad difference between the promises and prophecies of Holy Scripture and the actual state of the Christian world, as we see it with our eyes. The Scripture says, "All shall know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them:" and we see too many, of whom it may be truly said, that they neither know nor care about God. The Scripture says, "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more:" yet wars and fightings have been going on these many ages among Christians, as if they were heathens. The Scripture says, "The idols He shall utterly abolish:" yet we have too much reason to fear that a very large proportion of Christ's people every where put a kind of idolatrous trust in one or other of God's creatures, instead of depending on the great Creator only.

And to come at once to the example which we already began to consider: the Scripture says that as there is One Lord, so His Name should be One; and that God would restore to all nations a pure language, to serve the Lord with one consent: but we see that some Christian nations are sadly separated from others; some teaching as sacred truth what others seem to reject, as heretical; and that, instead of gladly remembering one another in their prayers, they shut out on purpose all thoughts of mutual communion, the one sort fearing to be entangled in the heresy and error which they suppose prevails among the other. And this, as matter of fact, is equally certain, whether we blame all parties or none, whether we blame these or those, still the fact that we are divided and separated, remains, and seems at first sight contrary to the other fact, that God has promised all should be one.

This is most reasonably matter of great sorrow, self-abasement, and disappointment, to all who love God and His Church: but it need not be matter of doubt and perplexity, because, if we look a little further, we shall find that these same comfortable prophecies are all of them uttered with a condition. They are made to men as true children of the Church, true members of the Body of Christ: and therefore if persons, by wilful sin and unbelief, separate themselves inwardly and spiritually from that Body, the blessing is so far forfeited: they must not expect still to partake of all the glories of their Christian inheritance, any more than Israel might depend upon the finest wheat-flour and the honey out of the rock, without hearkening to God and walking in His ways.

As far as we can trace the reasons, looking back to former times, how the Church came to be so divided as she is, it is but too plain that it was the just judgement of Almighty God on Christians for abusing their privileges. For instance: near eight hundred years ago, there was a grievous separation between the Churches here in the West, and those of Asia and the East: which those who have looked into history say may be found clearly owing to the rash censures and selfish ways of certain great persons of those times, contending for the first place, and casting one another out of the Church. And again: we have all heard of the sad division which took place among the Western Churches about three hundred years ago, by which it has come to pass, that we in England and the greater part of our brethren in other countries are entirely separated from each other, as far as visible fellowship goes: still, we hope, being one in Christ Jesus, since we all hold the Faith of the Apostles and the Baptism and Communion of our only Saviour, yet cut off from the great privilege of sharing in one another's worship and Sacraments: possessed, we hope, of the Communion of Saints, but deprived of the outward exercise of that Communion.

Now whichever way we look, there can be no doubt of their having been grievous sin in all parties, both in the Church of Rome itself, and among ourselves who have been ever since separated from her: sin and irreverence, more than enough to account for so heavy a judgement on both sides. And the way to heal the mischief, and bring back the lost unity of the Church, without falling away from what is right in doctrine and worship, must surely be to repent of our sin and irreverence, and win back by earnest prayer and self-denial the forfeited blessing of one pure language, wherein we may all once more join in calling on the Name of the Lord, and serve Him with one consent.

Were we to look at all the points in which Christian Churches are divided one from another in doctrine and worship, I suppose we might easily perceive in every one, how sin and practical irreligion led in the first instance to the error and division. Take the example which the services of this time particularly remind us of. One of our great objections to the Church-services of many Christians abroad is that they are offered in a language unknown to most of the worshippers. We justly think that this appears contrary to the directions of the Holy Spirit by S. Paul: that a "person speaking in an unknown tongue should keep silence in the Church, except there be some one to interpret." But it is worth considering how it first began. The Latin language, in which the services are commonly performed in the Churches abroad, was the regular language of the several countries when they were first converted to be Christian. In course of time the language altered, while the services continued the same: and thus, almost before people were aware of it, the custom was established of worshipping in an unknown tongue. Now if care had been taken to teach all children the meaning of the several words and parts of the service, that service would not have been in a tongue unknown to them, although on other occasions the same language might not be known. And then, it may be, true reverence might have continued to use it in church, as putting the greater difference between a church and a house, the service of God and ordinary employments. But because those whose care it was, neglected to teach people the meaning of their prayers, the language came to be unknown, and much scandal and irreverence followed; which we in England, trying to amend, have seemed to separate from them, and no longer to be serving the Lord in the same language and with the same consent. Here is a plain instance, of the unity of the Church suffering, in consequence of the profane carelessness of those, who were intrusted to bring up the youth of those times.

The same kind of remark may be made on other matters, in which we are come to differ from our brethren abroad.

Well then, if sin have so divided and scattered Christians, is it not manifest that holiness must be the one only secret for bringing them together again: real holiness of heart and life, which will both set men, by some good instinct, against false doctrine, and will also give that virtue and prevailing force to their united intercessions and prayers for unity, which God (if one may so speak) shall hardly be able to resist? Some persons say, "never mind the divisions among Christians; there have always been such, and they cannot be helped: it is well enough, if in spite of them men go on holding a few, the very chiefest truths of the Christian religion." But the Bible holds out unity, we see, as one of the greatest prophecies: and the Prayer-book again and again most solemnly enjoins us to pray for it. Let us do so with all our hearts: being quite sure that there must be some deep and mysterious blessing, more than we know of, in the full unity of the Church. Otherwise we should not in so many ways have been invited and urged to make it the matter of our prayers. And surely, when we do feel a little of the blessing of Church unity, as He permits us to do now and then, in Church services especially, the joy and consolation is so great, that we may well believe it would be quite overpowering, too much almost for this world. When it is but one family dwelling together in unity, but one congregation joining heartily and rightly in the heavenly hymns and prayers of the Church; how keenly sometimes do we feel the blessing! It is like a cup running over. How much more, if we suppose it carried over the whole earth, and continued on in perfection, through eternity.

Surely strict lives are worth living, true self-denial is worth practising; surely in them, not after them only, is great reward, if they keep us so joined to Christ, that He will hear our prayers for unity, and do something, how faint and secret soever, at our supplications, for healing the wounds of His Church, and restoring her pure language.

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