The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

"24 THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.their word shall believe in Me;that they all may beone, as Thcu, Father, in Me and I in Thee, that theyalso may be one in Us that the world; may believe1that Thou hast sent Me." Here Jesus prayed thatHis followers may be united in the bond of a common faith, as He and His Father are united in essence, and certainly the prayer of Jesus is alwaysheard.St. Paul ranks schism and heresy with the crimesof murder and idolatry, and he declares that theauthors of sects shall not possess the kingdom ofGod. 2 In his epistleto the Ephesians, he insistsupon unity of faith in the following emphatic lan"guage Be careful to keep the unity of the Spirit:in the bond of peace one ; body and one Spirit, as youare called in one hope of your calling one Lord,;one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,3who is above all, and through all, and in us all."As you all, he says, worship one God, and not manyGods; as you acknowledge the same divine Mediator of redemption, and not many mediators; asyou are sanctified by the same divine Spirit, andnot by many spirits as you all hope for the same;heaven, and not different heavens, so must you allthe same faith.professUnity of isgovernment not less essential to theChurch of Christ than unity of doctrine. OardivineSaviour never speaks of His Churches, butof His Church. He does not say:Uponthis rock1John xvii. 20, 21. 2 Gal. v. 20, 21. 3Ephes. iv. 3-6.