First,  then,  let  us  observe,  that  though  these  persons  called
themselves  Christ's,  they  are  nevertheless  blamed  in  the  same
list  with  others.  And  yet  what  could  seem  to  be  more  right
than  for  men  to  say, "  We  will  bear  no  name  but  Christ's ;
we  throw  ourselves  on  Christ's  own  words — on  the  Bible ;  we
throw  aside  all  intellectual  philosophy :  we  will  have  no  serv
itude  to  ritualism  ?"  Nevertheless,  these  persons  were  just
as  bigoted  and  as  blamable  as  the  others.  They  were  not
wrong  in  calling  themselves  Christ's ;  but  they  were  wrong
in  naming  themselves  so  distinctively.  It  is  plain  that,  by
assuming  this  name,  they  implied  that  they  had  a  right  to  it
more  than  others  had.  They  did  not  mean  to  say  only,  "We
are  Christ's,"  but  also, "  You  are  not  Christ's."  God  was  not,
in  their  phraseology,  our  Father,  but  rather  the  Father  of  our
party ;  the  Father  of  us  only  who  are  the  elect.  In  their
mouths  that  Name  became  no  longer  comprehensive,  but
exclusive.  Thus  St.  Paul  blamed  all  who,  instead  of  rejoic
ing  that  they  were  Christians,  prided  themselves  on  being  a
particular  kind  of  Christians.  The  great  doctrine  of  one
baptism  was  to  teach  the  feeling  of  Christian  brotherhood.
All  were  Christ's  :  all  belonged  to  him  :  no  one  sect  was  His
exclusively,  or  dared  to  claim  Him  as  their  Head  more  than
another.
