"ONE GREAT CHURCH."

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 15 June 1916, Page 2

"ONE GREAT CHURCH."

REV. LAMOND CRITIZED,

TO THE EDITOR

Slß,—Will you permit of a few remarks on the sermon, " One Great Church," published in your issues Ist and Bth inst., by the Rev. J. A. Lamond. I may say there is no personal animus on my part, as I am a friend of Mr Lamond, and have partaken of his hospitality on several occasions ; I have also preached for him on different occasions. In the first place, there never will be " One Great Church" in which there are no creeds, as Mr Lamonjd seems to dream of. The word creed is derived from the Latin word credo, I believe. Can you have a Church without a belief ?. A Christian is one who believes in Jesus Christ. An infidel is one who does not believe in Him. The word infidel is derived from the ' Latin infides —in, not, and fides, faith —not of faith! Again, Mr Lamond says : " Every child born is enrolled in the roll of God's'eternal love, and Jesus clearly taught their universal and enternal enrolment, and would God erase one name from that roll ? No erasement, all can tell, for no such word from Jesus fell." This is either true or it is false. I read the Lord Jesus said : " Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God." The Apostle Paul said: " Without faith it is impossible to please God, and he "that cometh to God must believe." It seems that there will be always two kinds of people in the world, for the Lord says : "When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels" with . Him, before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats, and to • the latter He shall say, ' depart from Me ye cursed.' " Again He said : " Wide is the gate and broad the way that' leadeth to destruction, s.nd many there be which go in thereat." How does this agree with Mr Lamond's universal salvation ? Mr Lamond says : " Now, is there a man anywhere who does not love Jesus? No, there cannot be one." Do the German Huns, who outrage Belgian and French women and girls,' love Jesus ? Do the bloody men who cut off children's hands and noses, love Jesus? Do the Turks, who have slaughtered one million of Armenians since this war commenced, love Jesus ? The Lord said: , "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth'Me. He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My sayings." Mr Editor, are we all gone clean mad ? Is black, white ? Is light, darkness ? Is a lie, truth? Is heaven, hell ?—I am, etc., S L. P. Rimmer. Fairview Road, Mt. Eden, 12-6-16.