The Message of the Disciples for the Union of the Church; Including Their Origin & History

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1913 edition. Excerpt: ... THE HISTORY OF THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST jfr jjk jft LECTURE THREE The History of the Disciples of Christ HISTORY is one of God's books through which He speaks to living multitudes. Fichte called it "a constant inflowing of God into human affairs," and Farrar said: "History is like a battle. It sways to and fro, and it is full of shocks and flank movements, retreats and advances, rout and resistance, utterly confusing to those who take part in it; nevertheless we know in the evening which side has lost or won." The whole history of Christianity presents one series of baffling problems. There are at times in its history such grave departures from the standard of Christ and, in His name, such unspeakable things are done, that if one lingers on the details of those transactions of the night of our common faith, he might turn away in disgust from the only light in the world, and say with the Frenchman, who cried in despair: "Christ has come, but whence cometh salvation?" But, if he looks with wide-visioned eye, until above all retreats and advances he sees God, he will understand that beyond to-day lies an untrodden domain of human life, whose westward horizon waits for the peace of toil and the triumph of truth. The history of movements in Christianity is similar to the history oi Christianity at large, only their channels are not so deep, nor their horizons so wide. It is only when movements lose themselves in the bosom of Christianity that their influences strike the deeps and leave their pulse beats on all shores. The history of the people known as the Disciples of Christ craves to touch the Christianity of the whole world and to be lost in the deathless love of God. It seeks no preferment for itself, but its desire is only to serve for...