Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1837-02-24
BY III. II. STACY.


opnion far from it but we mean 10
saw. that there are doctrines universally
received, and that these doctrines, ana not
others. are fel, to by men OF oil sec's 10 De
fundamental. The contentious OF sec's
are abou, points which the great mass OF
mon do not regard as important points
(Which are made conspicuous IN 'hoogy'
not from any intrinsic Importance out 'fo"
happening to be the ones forced up alo''
N the pressure of controversy. ihe us
,nreemeot of scc,s seems only the surface
of Chris,endom; the harmony ana "n'""
,re wide and deep below. 80 mountain
.rmmi.s on the earth, surface seem 10 De
divided By impossible CULTS and we forget
,hst beneath. their roots meet ana "'ns'e
10 the centre"
"Wcre religions opinions every ""e''
,hc same End the con.clences OF III "'e"
equally vigorous, still there would pe w
.ercnt sects corresponding to these me"'''
,.c,,ot,,ics, The imaginative VIII 'orm
n,e sect; the m"taphyslcol' nn''hef'--
One man is by nature Methodist i-'fu'n
mus, come to him in physical forms anu
tho sen.es he s,ormed before the soul Is SUI
.lned. Another is by nature Oa'Vao'S'
the jargon of the schools furnishes '''e OP'"
Sesoo,e which unockS the cniranc'-Wa!
10 his heart; and the stern severity ""'c"
the Confession Of Faith ascrlbes to the gov
ernmen, of God. finds an echo in his fee''
mos. Another is relying and aftec'lona'e'
4 dob in religion tor,ures HIM. lie wants
some certain rule Of faith. He needs some
visible ar,hor,,v co which to lean"
81, is often remarked that man' wha'-
ever his previous opinions may nave oee"'
ALWAYS connects himself with that sect ov
whose ministry he has been 'c"VeF''o' -
The reason is obvious. 10 that sect tru'"
was frs, presented to him in torm 'na'
could find access to his religious Ea'"re'-
nv. same truths that have at last conver-
ted tim. might have been sounded mo MS
.o,rsc thousand times before; but. because
,hcy came to him in forms un-n''ed I" MS
p,en,si constitution ard habl's, they were
,feless. TO him they were not truths. nu'
dcad words But no finally falls IN WITH
Christians whose mental characteristic
are hike his own, and what he hears from
them s,irs and moves his sonl. as y nae
moved theirs. lie belongs TO the sect ''
which they belong, by nature
.If,be.e remarks be true, in order thai
there NAV be union among Christians "
Character, there must be different sects;-
.tha, IS. in order that the religious primer
nile NAV be equally developed, divine trn't
mus, he presented TO different men, II
farms as various as are their menal con
stitutjons and habits. We ought, there
fore. not 10 wish that all sects should lhlnl
the same thoughts, and have the SAM
forms and the same tongue. such UNI.
as this could be brought about only by e%
tincishing al! thought and all interest II
religion. Where there Is but one churc
there is soon no religion. Whefe IN
Church of Rome has been most successful
in SHIFTING ont heresy, she has been ais
most successful 10 dwarfing and bhgh'n
the religious nature of man. We "ngf
not 10 mourn that there are so many d.
ferent sec,s, but rather to give God thank
that, through their instrumen'aIity, all me
are able to receive divine truths in form
fitted to penetrate through their intelec
into their hearts.
"And how should this diversity of sect
arising from constitutional and education
differences, affect the harmony Of Chri
tians, In no way, except to promote
The true bond of union between Christian
is likeness and sympathy Of character,-t
possession of like affections, and the belI
governed by ike principles OF action. II
unity should be, not in The inleIectu
specuia,ions. in the creed, but in the splr
Such union diversity of secis, by giviI
mower and a wider field of action TO Chr
tan influences should produce.
"But there is another power at work +,
ill lately unknown,-w which is doing mo
than all things else, to discover and siren
then the bonds of Christian union 1T
the principle of Benevolent Associate
This, and not the love of money, or educ
ton. is the true spirit of the e;-tl
which distinguishes our times from