Lying Unity by R. F. Cottrell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 29, 1873

“Lying Unity.”

By R. F. Cottrell

The writer from whom I quote the following paragraph wrote, “Underlying unity.” I confess to having divided his word in my title; but I will do justice to him by giving the context fairly, without garbling. It is from the report of the late Convention in favor of the Religious Amendment, held in the city of New York, as given in the Christian Statesman. The writer says:—

“A delightful feature of this, as of all previous conventions, was the harmony with which the representatives of the various denominations of Christians were able to deliberate and act together, in the interest of their common Christianity. Not a trace of denominational self-assertion, or of sectarian jealousy, was visible through the whole course of the proceedings. In fact, sectarian diversities sunk out of sight in the unity of feeling and purpose which pervaded the assembly, and the question, “Of what church is he?” was seldom asked. To every one who deplores the divisions of the church, our work has great moral value, as it makes visible the underlying unity and essential agreement of all Christian sects, and brings them together in a holy fellowship, which greatly promotes mutual acquaintance and esteem.”

True Christian union is a union of the most perfect kind, even such a unity as exists between the Father and the Son. “That they may be one,” said Jesus to his Father, “even as we are one.” If Jesus meant to be understood that he and the Father were one person, that they together with the Holy Spirit were three persons in one person—“trinity in unity”—he desired that all his disciples should be one person and be taken into the same relation. He prayed, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.” This would constitute, at the best, a quadrinity in unity. But leaving this preposterous invention of men, which, instead of transcending sense, is opposed to it, which is unintelligible and therefore unbelievable, we say that Jesus prayed for the most perfect union possible to exist among all his disciples; such a union as exists between the Father and the Son; and no one will claim that that union is the result of a compromise between errors, or between truth and error, causing their “diversities” to sink “out of sight,” but a unity in all truth. Hence the prayer, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

The unity which the apostles taught was of the same kind. “That ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” This oneness, so far as revealed truth is concerned, is far from being diversity in unity and unity in diversity. It is a real unity, such as all might enjoy in matters of faith would they bow to the word of God and accept of the means which the Spirit of truth has provided for this very purpose. Eph. 4:11-13. The plea that it is impossible to come to such a unity as the Scriptures require looks like defamation against the word and Spirit of God.

But a unity which only causes diversities to sink out of sight for a time, while some special “purpose,” on which they can agree, pervades the whole, which costs the abandonment of not a single error, but leaves them where they were, so far as truth and duty are concerned, may well be denominated a lying unity—a mere profession that is false in fact.

As an example, we may refer to the case of Pilate and Herod, who, though they were at enmity, the accomplishment of a certain purpose imparted to them a feeling of unity; and a certain prophecy was fulfilled, which said, “The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.” Acts 4:25-27. And at the present time, another prophecy is about to be fulfilled, recorded in Rev. 13:14-16; and there is no cause of surprise in the fact that “sectarian diversities” should sink out of sight, and a “unity of feeling and purpose” should pervade all, until the image of the papacy shall be completed. The proposition “to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast,” will be pressed until the power is exerted to give life to it. Then the machinery will be prepared for the last attempt to crush the truth of God out of the earth. But it will fail to do this; for Christ will appear to deliver his people, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and take them up to the sea of glass, and to Mount Zion, while their enemies will be overthrown, as Pharaoh and his host were, in the Red Sea. Rev. 14:1-5; 15:2, 3. Then will be sung by the delivered host the song of Moses and the Lamb.

Now is the time to prepare for a part in that song. Who will heed the message of the third angel, brave the wrath of men, and escape the wrath of God? Let such rally to the standard of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, confess and forsake their sins, be in earnest to wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb, and thus be found without fault before the throne of God.

We do indeed deplore “the divisions of the church;” but the work of the National Association has no “great moral value” to us, since the union it is effecting is not real union in the truth, but a union which will be used to sustain falsehood, and war against the truth of God, and those who love and obey it.

R. F. Cottrell.