vice.

Philip generally had no preaching on Communion Sunday. This morning he
remained on the platform after the opening exercises, and, in a
stillness which was almost painful in its intensity, he began to speak
in a low but clear and impressive voice.

"Fellow-disciples of the Church of Christ on earth, we meet to celebrate
the memory of that greatest of all beings, who, on the eve of His own
greatest agony, prayed that His disciples might all be one. In that
prayer He said nothing about color or race or difference of speech or
social surroundings. His prayer was that His disciples might all be
one--one in their aims, in their purposes, their sympathy, their faith,
their hope, their love.

"An event has happened in this church very recently which makes it
necessary for me to say these words. The Holy Spirit came into this room
last Sunday and touched the hearts of several young men, who gave
themselves then and here to the Lord Jesus Christ. Among the men was one
of another race from the Anglo-Saxon. He was a black man. His heart was
melted by the same love, his mind illuminated by the same truth; he
desired to make confession of his belief, be baptized according to the
commands of Jesus, and unite with this church as a humble disciple of
the lowly Nazarene. His name was presented with the rest at the regular
committee meeting last Monday, and that committee, by a vote of three to
two, refused to present his name with recommendations for membership. On
my own responsibility at the preparatory service Thursday night I asked
the church to act upon this disciple's name. There was a legal quorum of
the church present. By a vote of 26 to 12 the applicant for membership
was received according to the rules of this church.

"But after that meeting the man came to me and said that he was
unwilling to unite with the church, knowing that some objected to his
membership. It was a natural feeling for him to have. We had a long talk
over the matter. Since then I have learned that if a larger
representation of members had been present at the preparatory meeting,
there is a possibility that the number voting against receiving the
applicant would have been much larger than those who voted for him.

"Under all these circumstances I have deemed it my duty to say what I
have thus far said, and to ask the church to take the action I now
propose. We are met here this morning in full membership. Here is a soul
just led out of the darkn