THE CHALLENGE OF THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT

By Sam W. Price Attorney, Johnson City, Tenn. USA

THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT

The Restoration movement is not an attempt to reform an old church or to create a new one. It is not a protestant body, and is catholic only in the sense that it is universal. Its aim is the restoration of the church of Christ as it came from the hands of the apostles, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in name, doctrine, ordinance, spirit and life. It does not contemplate the reproduction of the weaknesses, the schisms, or dogmas that at an early date wormed their way into some congregations from Judaism, heathen practices, or pagan ideology. Such departures from the true faith the apostles denounced and corrected (Revelation 2; 3; 1 Corinthians 1: 10-17; Acts15:1-33).

THE ONE CHURCH

This movement occupies common ground. It accepts and practices openly what all followers of Christ privately believe; but fail correctly to value. The one church is an example. It is agreed that the New Testament presents only one church. The Lord and His apostles insist upon the union of all Christians in such terms and in such connections as make Christian union and church unity identical! Jesus Christ is a world-wide Savior, and His church is a universal church. It is for every nation, race, tongue, and tribe, and for all time. He speaks of it in the singular number as "my church," and with full assurance of its continued existence as such. The plural is used only of local congregations of the same great church (Matthew 16:18).
He gives its ministers and ambassadors universal and permanent authority and direction to make disciples of all who believe and are baptized (Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 16:16).

In every example of conversion in the New Testament one pattern is followed, to wit: Faith, repentance, confession, baptism, pardon, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. These steps are expressed or necessarily implied. This Restoration movement seeks their universal recognition.

In respect of fellowship, he indicates clearly that they are not His disciples who will not "hear" this one church.(Matthew 18:17, 18). All of His scattered disciples must be brought together into the one church. For there is one Shepherd and one fold(John 10:16). The absolute unity of Christ's followers in Him and with each other in the one church is beautifully set forth under the similitude of the vine and the branches (John 16:16).

On the eve of His crucifixion, the thought uppermost in the mind of Christ was the unity of His followers throughout all the ages to come. Standing within the shadow of the cross and before His open grave, the entire burden of His prayer is for His apostles and for all them that shall believe on Him through their teaching (John17:1-26).

Briefly outlined, the Lord prays: (1) For Himself;(2) for His apostles; and (3) for us. His prayer for Himself is incidental. He asks to be glorified in order that He may glorify His Father. And He reveals the Father, because to know Him and his Father's life eternal (John 17:1-6).

He prayed for His apostles. He loved them. He had two reasons for not taking them out of the world. He had yet a great work to do on them and after that He had a still greater work to do through them. He had yet to pour out the Holy Spirit upon them and, then through them to set up His long-promised church (John 17:6-19; Acts 2).

Then He gathered up all the strength of His soul in petition, thrice repeated, for the everlasting unity of all of them that should believe on Him through their teaching. This covers all space and all time and shall endure until time shall be no more. This is no truce. It is no mere agreement to disagree and reach thereby a sort of armed neutrality by which different denominations of Christians may live alongside each other in peace. Nothing short of the physical, spiritual, visible, and organic unity of Christ's church will satisfy this prayer. It must be one church, one body, one people, seeing eye to eye and speaking the same things (John 17:20, 26).

The purpose of this unity of all Christian people in the one church is, "That the world may believe that thou didst send me." A divided church hinders the Son's revelation of the Father, and delays the coming of that knowledge of God and Jesus Christ which is life eternal. A denominational church, rent by dissensions and torn by strife, can not save a lost world (John 17:21-23).

Without a single exception, the apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, insist upon the absolute unity of Christ's followers in the one church. Paul says all baptized believers are members of the one body, the one church of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians4:5). This one church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:23; Colossians1:24). This one body is not divided. It has one Spirit, one Lord, one Faith, one baptism, one God, and one Father (Ephesians 4:4-6).

To this one church the Lord gave the power and the means of perfecting the saints, the maintaining of correct doctrine, and unlimited growth in love (Ephesians 4:11-16; Romans 12:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 10:17; 12:12-31).

The great apostle to the Gentiles administered astern rebuke to all those who would divide the church of Christ into rival camps or warring factions (1 Corinthians 1:10-17).

An effort to split the early church into two divisions - a Jewish church and a Gentile church - was frustrated by a conference of the apostles and their helpers at Jerusalem. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the apostles defined and declared the principle by which the unity of the church should be preserved, and established a precedent for dealing with threatened ruptures in the body of Christ in the future, to wit: In things essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, and in all things charity. Where the Lord has spoken no man has a right to have an opinion. Obedience is his plain duty (Acts 15:1-33).

After the death of the apostles, the early Christian fathers - Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Cyprian of Carthage, and Irenaeus - from the year A.D. 95 to 150, wrote much of the unity of the church. Cyprian speaks of it as the "Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church." It was still one church in spite of the so-called "Apostles' Creed" which made its appearance about the year 150, and the Nicene Creed that threatened a serious rupture in 325.

Following the military roads and pouring itself into the forms of the Roman Government, the church, by the middle of the third century, had, geographically and territorially speaking, arranged itself naturally into five great divisions centering, respectively, in Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. The biggest and most ambitious preacher in each group had gravitated to the centre and become pastor of the big church and was called "bishop." He was frequently consulted by the ministers of the smaller churches in his division on matters of faith and practice. At a time when there were few copies of the books of the New Testament, and these, generally, in the hands of the "bishops," the power and influence of that "official" over the church became well-nigh unlimited.

THE FIRST GREAT PERMANENT DIVISION

Political circumstances gave Rome the advantage and Constantinople followed a close second. The bishops of these two great centers became bitter rivals. Frequent quarrels took place respecting their several claims to the primacy. They undertook at last to excommunicate each other, and the first great permanent division came in the year 1054. The eastern branch became the Greek Catholic church and the western the Roman Catholic.

Before this division - about the middle of the sixth century - the baptism of infants had been introduced into the church by the pope or bishop of Rome. This gradually spread to the whole church. After the division - about the beginning of the thirteenth century - sprinkling or pouring, allowed since the seventh century to the sick and weak, were substituted by the Roman church for baptism (Lagarde's "History of the Latin Church," pp. 30-57).

This accounts for the fact that, though the eastern or Greek Catholic church baptizes infants, it will not sprinkle or pour water on anybody. All its baptisms are by immersion.

THE RISE OF PROTESTANTISM

In the sixteenth century came the great protestant revolt which split off from the Roman Catholic and then subdivided into the nearly two hundred different denominations that now distress and vex the western world. Broadly speaking, this revolt took two general forms, to wit: (1) The Lutheran and Reformed, from which have developed the Presbyterian and Congregational bodies; and (2) the Anglican, from which have come all bodies having an episcopal form of government.

EFFORTS TO UNITE

All religious bodies now recognize the weaknesses and evils of a divided church and are making sincere efforts to find a remedy and offer a plan for union. The trouble is there are nearly as many plans and remedies as denominations.

The attempts of the Roman Catholic church to reunite the religious world are not profitable for study, for the reason they have amounted to little more than invitations to the Protestant bodies to return and become Catholics again.
The Episcopal church, however, within the last thirty years (in 1948), has made substantial progress toward the solution of the problem. It has succeeded in attracting the attention of all other religious bodies to its teaching on the subject of Christian unity and convinced them of its sincere desire for a reunited church.

THE EPISCOPAL PLAN

The plan proposed by the Episcopal church for the union of all followers of Christ embraces four principal propositions:(1) The acceptance of the Old Testament and the New Testament as containing all things necessary to salvation; (2) The acceptance of the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed; (3) the acceptance of the "two sacraments" - baptism and the Lord's Supper; (4) the acceptance of the "Historic Episcopate."

No religious body has yet accepted all four of the sepropositions, thought to be the limit of concession by the Episcopal church; and there is no probability of the adoption of this plan.

CAUSES OF DIVISION

Before undertaking to prescribe for his patient, the wise doctor always makes a diagnosis of the case. He finds out what ails his patient and the causes that have brought about his disorders.

It is not unreasonable to pursue a like course in determining what remedy to prescribe for the ills that afflict the religious body. What, then, are the causes of all this confusion among the followers of Christ that have split the Protestant world into denominations and sects? Prominent amongst these are the following:

THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL

One of the leading causes of division and confusion in the church is the failure to make proper distinction between the law and the gospel, between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The attempt to bind upon the church of Christ the ritualism and ceremonies of the Mosaic law and the Jewish temple service has given rise to many differences of doctrine, ordinances, and officers.

The law and the Old Testament institutions were local and limited both as to time and place. They were for the Jews and not for the Gentiles. They were fulfilled and passed away with the crucifixion of Christ (Colossians 2:14; 4:15).

In the New Testament alone are to be found the organization, the doctrines, and practices of the church of Christ. The church is a new institution. Those who undertake to clothe it in the forms and terms of the Old Testament are attempting to put new wine into old bottles. In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Savior unfolds and reveals His plan of salvation and the general principles that shall govern His church. His church was not organized during His personal ministry on the earth. This was done under His direction and authority, but by His apostles on the first Pentecost following His resurrection. The second chapter of Acts contains a detailed history of the beginning of the church of Christ at Jerusalem and the admission into it of the first converts. In fact, the Book of Acts is a history of conversions. If any person wants to know what to do to be saved and how to get into the church of Christ, he will find plain, clear, and certain answers in the Book of Acts given by men who spoke as the Holy Spirit guided them. He will find these answers no where else. The attempt to find the answer to the question "What must I do to be saved?" in the Old Testament or some other part of the New Testament has led to great confusion on this subject.

Another source of confusion is the failure of people to see the distinction between the personal ministry of Christ while on earth and the ministry of the apostles under the guidance of the Holy Spirit after His personal ministry ended. The Savior was bigger than any principle He taught or any rule which He laid down for the guidance of men. He did many things while here that He did not authorize His apostles to do after His death and which He did not leave as an example to, or make binding upon, His church that was to be organized, through and by which He proposed to save the world. The best illustration oft his is to be found in the law of wills. The New Testament is the last will of Christ. The testator makes his will; while he lives, he is the absolute owner of his property and may dispose of it in any way that pleases him. After his death, his estate must be administered in accordance with the terms of the will. The courts must carry out and enforce the will. The fact that the testator during his lifetime may have given with a liberal hand to all who asked, and may not have imposed upon the recipients of his bounty any terms or conditions is no assurance that after his death the executors of his will have the right to do likewise. They must distribute the estate to the persons named in the will and in the amount and quantities stipulated to each. For this reason, the fact that the Savior, while here in person, said to the paralytic let down through the roof into His presence, "Thy sins are forgiven thee, take up thy bed and walk," without requiring of him either faith, repentance, or baptism; or that He said to the thief on the cross, "This day shalt thou be with me in paradise," without saying anything to him about church membership, furnishes no ground for teaching men today that they may spend a lifetime in sin and rebellion and then, at the end, by some sort of magic, look up to Christ and be saved forever. No man has a right to teach that salvation may be obtained in any other way than that laid down by the apostles of Jesus Christ who spoke as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance (Hebrews 9:16,17).

THE "FAITH ALONE" DOCTRINE

Perhaps the most fruitful source of confusion is the fact that certain groups of believers have seized upon single and particular statements of the Savior or of the apostles, with reference to salvation, and have taken them out of the setting or connection in which they were originally used and have disassociated them from the other statements from the same sources and equally important, and have insisted that salvation depended upon these particular statements alone. They have gathered about this one principle and have built up an organization around it and have thus formed a distinct denomination or church. For example, certain groups seize upon the statement, "The just shall live by faith," and upon that and other like statements have announced the doctrine that "salvation is by faith alone." Others have been attracted by that passage which says that, "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation," and have proclaimed that "salvation is by confession alone." Others have taken that statement of the Savior, "Except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish," and have proceeded to announce the doctrine that "salvation is by repentance alone." Still others have read the statement of Peter in which he compared Christian baptism to the ark in which eight persons were carried through the flood and preserved from its destruction and said, "The like figure whereby baptism doth now save us" and have announced the doctrine that "salvation is by baptism alone." This has produced untold confusion and strife in the religious world. From some of these doctrines great denominations, with their subdivisions, have come forth to try to convert the world. The trouble is that each contains some part of the truth, but none the whole truth. And a statement that puts only a part of the truth for the whole truth is an absolute falsehood. The most dangerous system in the world is the one that attempts to mix the truth with falsehood. It has just enough truth to allure the unsuspecting into the trap of falsehood which awaits his destruction.

MAN-MADE CREEDS

Another cause of division and strife in the religious world is the attempt of a group of persons to get together and write out their opinions of the terms and conditions of salvation and what the church ought to believe and practice. This began early. About one hundred years after the death of the apostles there appeared that is known as the "Apostles' Creed." Who wrote it or where it came from nobody knows; but it was never seen by an apostle. This did not cause any division, for the reason that it is a brief statement of what many people really believe and because it imposed no real obligations upon anybody. In 325 A.D., the first "Nicene Creed" was promulgated and caused considerable trouble, discussion, and disturbance in the religious world, but no real and permanent division. Other councils were held and other creeds promulgated, but they had to do largely with matters of theory, and the church could go on as a practical unit in spite of them. The first great permanent division came in the year 1054in the controversy between the bishop of Rome and the bishop of Constantinople, as has already been stated. The trouble grew out of the failure to recognize that the New Testament Scriptures present a full, complete, and perfect rule of faith and practice for the one church. If any creed that man makes contains more than the New Testament Scriptures it contains too much; if it contains less than the New Testament, it is too little; if it contains the same, then it is unnecessary. In no event is there any excuse for a man-made creed; and it serves only the purpose which it has accomplished, to wit: the division of the church.

IGNORING THE DIVINE PLAN OF SALVATION

The fundamental cause of division is the failure to recognize that the church is a divine institution and that no set of men has any authority to legislate for it or change it in any way. Instead of taking the four different principles or conditions of salvation set out by Christ and His apostles and separating them and making of them four different and contradictory plans of salvation, they should be treated as four different terms of the one great plan of salvation for all men. The first requirement is "faith." Christ said, "Ye believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1). Paul said, "He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:16).

The second step is "repentance." Christ said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3-5).

The third step is "confession." This is not a profession but a confession of faith. Christ said: "He that confesses me before men, him will I confess before my Father and the holy angels." Paul said: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation"(Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:10; Acts 8:37,38).

The fourth and last step of conversion is "baptism." Baptism in water, not spirit baptism. Jesus said: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark). On the day of Pentecost, when the apostle Peter was permitted to preach the first full Gospel sermon ever preached and the believing Jews enquired, "What must we do?" he made answer by direction of the Holy Spirit, "Repent, every one of you, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38).
In the days of the inspired apostles, men heard the gospel preached, believed it and believed on Jesus Christ and accepted Him as their Savior, repented of their sins, and made open and public confession of their faith, and were baptized. Upon these terms their sins were forgiven and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and became members of the church of Christ (Acts 2:38, 41-47; 8:12, 27-39;9:22-26; 10:25; 11:4-18; 16:14, 15-30, 34). The same procedure would produce the same results today.

BAPTISM

The question of the mode of baptism is in the way. All followers of Christ agree that immersion is good baptism. There is no reputable scholar in any church that denies this proposition. There are some, however, that insist that sprinkling and pouring are also good. A little examination of the history of the church will settle this question. Neither sprinkling nor pouring for baptism was ever practiced in the church until more than four hundred years after the death of the apostles. About the middle of the seventeenth century it was permitted to the sick by the bishops on the ground of necessity. It was first decided that if the candidate was sick and nigh unto death and unable to be baptized in the regular way, water might be poured over him as he lay upon his couch and that would be sufficient, if he died; but if he recovered it would not be sufficient and he would be required to be baptized in the regular way. But sprinkling or pouring as baptism for persons in good health was not permitted by the church and did not become recognized and allowable until the thirteenth century. At this time it was done by authority of the pope at Rome, who claimed then and claims now that he has the right to change the ordinances of the church. (Lagarde's "History of the Latin Church," pp. 30-57).

The word "baptize" means "to dip or immerse." The New Testament Scriptures make no mention of pouring or sprinkling for baptism. Upon the contrary, baptism is referred to as a burial. Paul says, "We are buried with him by baptism into death; so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3,4).

If we take the plain language of the Scriptures, there will be no question about that baptism is. In order to stimulate reading and search on this point, I will give one hundred dollars to any person, old or young, minister or layman, pointing out to me one verse of Scripture in the New Testament where Christ or His apostles expressly commanded or certainly practiced the sprinkling or pouring of water upon any person for Christian baptism.

THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT

Many devoted minds all over the world have reached the conclusion that the divided church can never unite on any man-made creed, upon any human name, or upon any Episcopal or Presbyterian form of government. They have almost abandoned all hope of reforming or remaking any old denominational church so as to attract the followers of the Master into one body. They are beginning to look at the original` "blueprint" and to enquire whether the accumulated rubbish of centuries can be cleared away and the ancient church of Christ restored on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.

Why not? If we go back to the preaching and the practice of the apostles, shall we not make the same sort of Christians they made, and have the same sort of church they had?

 A wide section of that ancient foundation has been cleared already and much of the primitive church restored. The people who call themselves Christians and wear no other name are standing on that foundation and are inviting all others to come and do likewise. They have already restored the divine name (Acts 11:26; 1 Peter 4:16; 1Corinthians 1:12,13; John 17:21), the divine creed (Matthew 16:16; Acts8:36,37; Romans 10:10), the divine baptism, the divine Book, and the divine head of the church (John 17:21; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Acts 2:38).We most certainly insist upon our plea to the alien sinners to come to Christ and upon our plea for the unity of Christian people, because we have found the Scriptural basis for both. We can put our finger on chapter and verse. We have for every step a "thus saith the Lord."
Sinners ought to be saved. Christ died for them. Christian people must be united. Christ prayed for it. His prayer will not remain unanswered always.

The religious body to which we belong presents the divine plan of salvation and the divine basis for Christian unity. Its superiority to all others appears in the following particulars:

IT ACCEPTS AND WEARS THE NAME DIVINELY GIVEN

It has the correct name. The church of Christ is a divine and not a human institution. Christ said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." If a man makes a church after his own ideas, fashions a plan of salvation after his own fancy, and fixes his own terms of admission to it, he may, no doubt, give to it whatever name he pleases, but no man has the right to change the name of the church which Christ built or to modify the terms of admission into it divinely given. The church is the "bride" of Christ. By every law of property the bride bears the name of her husband. After His church was established on the first Pentecost following His resurrection, it is spoken of as the "church of Christ," the "bride of Christ," the "church of God," and the "kingdom of God." These are all divinely given names of the church; but "church of Christ" seems to be the name most frequently used by the Holy Spirit to designate the organized body of the followers of the Christ (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 11:16; Revelation 21:9; Hebrews3:6; Acts 2).

Christ is the head of His church. To name the church from the ordinance of baptism is to give undue prominence to an ordinance and, thereby, to dishonor the head of the church. It is overseers (the Episcopi), or from its "Congregationa" form of government, or from its "Methodistic" manner of worship.

IT HAS THE CORRECT OBJECT OF FAITH

Belief on and acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of mankind is its creed. Christians only do not believe in faith; they do not believe in repentance; they do not believe in confession; they do not believe in baptism. They believe in Jesus Christ. This faith in Christ leads them of necessity to repentance, to confession, and to baptism. To believe in Christ is to accept Him as prophet, priest and king. As prophet He teaches and we must hear and accept His teachings. As priest He made sacrifice of Himself for us and we must accept and appropriate that sacrifice. Asking He has power and authority over our lives and we must recognize His authority and obey His commands. Salvation does not consist in the belief and acceptance of a set of formulas about Christ, however much truth they may contain; but in the acceptance of the personal Christ which carries with it implicit and unquestioning obedience to all His commands. He becomes Lord of life as well as Savior of the soul. And He is Savior to none to whom He is not also Lord. He becomes the author of salvation to all them who obey Him (Matthew 16:16; Acts 2:39;4:12; 5:31; 8:37; Hebrews 5:8,9).

IT HAS THE WHOLE DIVINE PLAN OF SALVATION

The church of Christ is the only religious body that accepts and practices the whole of the plan of salvation as taught by Jesus Christ and His apostles. Christians only are the only people who accept and teach the whole of the Great Commission of the Son of God (Mark 16:16). They are the only people who dare to answer the inquiring sinner in the exact language used by the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38). They are the only people who dare give the penitent sinner the exact instructions given to Saul of Tarsus by Ananias at Damascus (Acts 22:16).

The church of Christ teaches that God promises to the alien sinner the forgiveness of his past sins upon his compliance, in all sincerity and with an honest heart with four plain, simple, and certain conditions, to wit: Faith, repentance, confession, and baptism. He who does these things the Lord adds to His church (Mark 16:16; Acts2:38-47; 8:12, 27-29; 10:25-48; 16:30-34).

There is another law of pardon to the Christian who commits sin. The backslider has only to believe and to confess his sins, repent, and pray (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9).

IT RIGHTLY DIVIDES THE WORD OF GOD

The church of Christ presents the only theory ofsalvation that permits the whole of the Word of God to be true. It recognizes the essential difference between the Old Testament and theNew Testament. It sees the distinction between the law and the gospel.It is the only church in the world which accepts spiritually what everybusinessman knows legally - that the last will and testament revokesand makes void all former wills at any time made; and that no will iseffective until after the death of the testator. The Old Testament wasof binding force until the death of Christ; the New Testament since (2Corinthians 3:16,17; Hebrews 12:18-24; Colossians 2:14).

IT OFFERS ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

The church of Christ gives full assurance of pardon. It is the only church that does. Other churches make the feelings the sole evidence of forgiveness. Feelings come and go. The church of Christ teaches that knowledge of pardon rests solely in the conscious obedience of faith to those commandments of God which are coupled with an express promise of forgiveness.

IT PRESERVES THE MONUMENTS OF THE CHRIST

The Lord's Day, not the Sabbath, is commemorative of His resurrection. The Lord's Supper is served on every Lord's Day as it was observed by the early church. Baptism, a burial in water, is commemorative of the burial and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:3;Colossians 2:12).

IT STANDS FOR THE UNITY OF GOD'S PEOPLE

Christ established only one church. He is not the author of denominationalism, and is not pleased with it. There is one body and one spirit; one Lord, one faith, and one baptism (John 17:20-22; Ephesians 2:15-21; 3:6; 15:4; 1 Corinthians 12).

It presents the only basis upon which all Christian people can unite and thus answer the prayer of the Savior.

Where the Bible speaks, we speak, and in its language; where the Bible speaks not, we keep silent in all languages.

CONCLUSION

We recognize and respect the Christian character of all religious people - whether Protestant or Catholic. We ask them to lay aside the errors of doctrine and practice and embrace only the plain teachings of Christ and the apostles. We are really not divided on anything that is plainly taught in the Scriptures. The line of cleavage is on things not taught in the sacred Scriptures. It is not necessary for me to go to you or for you to come to me. If we will voluntarily drop and discard all un-Scriptural names, doctrines, and practices right where we are and speak only where the Bible speaks, and in its language, the thing is done. Immediately Christian unity has become an accomplished fact.

If all of us go to Christ, we shall meet each other at the cross and be together.
If I could assemble in one religious body and rightly compound the abiding faith of the Catholic, the consecrated wealth of the Episcopalian, the learning of the Presbyterian, the loyalty and zeal of the Baptist, the loving kindness of the Methodist, and the sound doctrine of our people, I should have restored the primitive apostolic Christian church in every item - a church that would evangelize and convert the whole world in one generation, a triumphant, glorious church, against which the very "gates of Hell" itself could not prevail!

An address delivered Friday night, April 23, 1948, at the North American Christian Convention, Springfield, Ill, U.S.A.