Edward Hitchcock sermon no. 149, "Terms of Communion with one another at the Lords Table," 1823 February
Description:
Edward Hitchcock's sermon on open communion, based on Galatians 5:6 - "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." Hitchcock began by noting "many bitter controversies that have been carried on among Christians about unessential points of doctrine or practice" and the consequent "separation from one another to form distinct churches refusing communion with each other...." He urged that his "Christian brethren free ourselves from the quilt of this unscriptural bigoted course." He stated that he would "endeavour to prove from scripture the following proposition that no church has any right to require as an indispensable condition of communion any thing more than a professed beleif [sic] in the essential doctrines of the Gospel and a correspondent practice." He mentioned by name the Baptis minister Robert Hall and quoted from his pamphlet, On Terms of Communion, as well as quoting from "another able writer," who may be identified as John Mitchell Mason. Hitchcock proceeded to "distinguish between an essential doctrine of the bible and one that is unessential" before setting out to prove his proposition for "the propriety of catholic communion" by examining the character and the history of the Church as found in scripture. Hitchcock noted on the first page the dates and places where he had delivered this sermon between 1823 and 1839 as well as Bible chapters and hymns related to the sermon.
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The finding aid gives the title of this sermon incorrectly as "Forms of Communion with One Another at the Lord's Table." The first word in the title is actually "Terms."
