Windham County Democrat. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1836-1853, 1852-07-07
A DISCOURSE
Preached in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 18th.
ny W. H. FURNEss.

BY W. II. FURNEss.
Luke xii 5l-"Suppose We that am to give peace
ON earth tell you, nay but rather DIVISION
When we consider how long and how widely
Christianity has prevailed, how numerous are It's
teachers, how abundant their opportunities OF M
strrcon, what an immense circulation It's records
have had, how the story of the life of Christ has
been told and read and over and over again, we
must expect this much, at least, that, whatever differ
euces of opinion there may be, men at tins time oil
day would certainly be familiar with one OF the
ninest facts in the history of our religion, namely,
that, while ChrSt's aim to inspire love, to uakc
peace the immediate effect of his teaching and his
life was directly the reverse, the lmmcdlaie conse-
uuence was the awakening OF bad feelings, The iia-
ming of the worst passions, the production OF the
most painful divisions. SO certainly were these CON
sequences produced, plainly did he toreSec them,
that he said us in text; "Do you suppose that
my coming is TO give peace? ] tell you, No; but
rather division" | repeat, if there is one fact or
thing about Christianity which men ought 10y tins
time to have become perfectly familiar with, It Is
this fact, that willie Christ came and lived and died
for the sake Of peace, the immediate and inevitable
effect was war; DIVISION division the most serious ~
bitter 1t is higl time that this fact was known and
understood whatever else may be unknown and
misunderstood.
And vet that it is neither understood nor known,
that men are as needless of if it not the
fact most plainly appears from this: that, on all
sides may hear it advanced, and by persons OF
high intelligence and culture persons who ought TO
know better, if anyone knows better, we may hear
it, say everywhere advanced a decisive reason
against preaching and publishing truth, that ii will
cause excitement and eudangcr union, producing di-
vision. Yes, multtides oppose, condemn, u would
fan prohibit 10y force, the publication of TRUTH of
what they themselves admit TO be truth, because, ms
they saw s. as is very manifest it lrritateS the minds
of men. And am bound in charity to think that
they who take this ground, aud oppose the assertion
and advocacy of the TRUTH because it will excite bad
feelings-nnd they are very nuinerous-l am forced
TO believe that they have never unprecedented one OF
the plaines facts stated in the New Testament histo
ry that it has escaped their consideration altogether.
They surely cannot have perceived what the Chris
tnn records tell us in many words respecting the
effect of Chrst's teaching, or they would be aslam
ed to oppose the assertion of the truth for such
reason for how could they help seeing, that if such
reason is valid now, il must have been Just val
id them in the times of Christ and his Apostles, nay
stronger then, since the truth caused much
fiercer excitement then, than it produces now, and
was in danger of being followed by more ruinous
consequences both 10 communities and to individu-
ais.
The existence Of this ignorance or forgetfulness,
whatever it may he called OF Obvious fact in
the history of Chrisanitywha a melancholy. dis
hearening commentary it is upon the efficiency of
our abundant means OF Christian instruction and
culture! If, with all orr preachers, churches aud
Bible Societies, and know not what, men may still
be ignorant OF plain thing If they have not learn
ed 10 see and understand how the publication of
Christian truth has fiom the very first excited the
bad passions of men and produced division, one is
prompted TO ask, in the great name Of the God of
truth what is the worth Of all these costly instu-
tons all this vast and expensive machinery for the
communication and diffusion of Christian knowledge
Why, we have not yet learned the alphabet OF Chris
tinu men, if we have not read the New Testament
History to perceive, moi only that the preaching of
the simple truths of Christianity did excite people
and create cIamor and discord hut that il lies in the
very condition g. constitution of things that it should
do sO in Chrlss time and always, until that distant
tlay shall come when truth shall gain II complete
mastery and mankind shalt have no passions or in
terests that opposed TO it, say that the igno-
rance that prevails to the clearest facts of the his
tory of the progress of Christian truth, TO the
principles which those facts illustrate, reflects no
credit but very great shame upon all This apparatus
of churches, Sundays aud associations, which is so
devoully upheld, and supported at such an expense
of money and Of time. One would so gladly regard
il with religious reverence aud support it with all
his ability and all his heart and yet while it allows
men remain so ignorant OF first truths and princi-
pies, how can VIC help beginning most seriously to
question its value F? How can we help having very
strong doubts whether men getting from it the
worth Of what they pay for it? Who can wonder
that so many are growing cold in their attachment
TO the religious institutions oi the day, aud either
withhold their support from them altogether, or pay
them only formal respect? They resemble a
huge scafioding, put together with so elaborate Il
show of strength aud purpose, that the first glance
one inagnes there must of course he grand ed.
flee rising within it. But, when we see, us we can
not help seeing, how the simplest facts and princ-
ples of religious truth fail to he recognized il wonId
seem as if the first stones of the foundation had moi
set been laid and as if the whole scatfoding were q
pretence and Il cheat.
Since the ineficiency of our religions instrument
taes is beginning thus plainly to appear, it he
comes us TO rejoice-we may well thank God from
our inmost hears-that He, in his faithful Prov
dence, is bringing means into operation whereby
the veil of our seftelusions may he rent in twain
aud we may be brought TO perceive the very low de
gree Of our Christian cuture-how ignorant we are
of the simplest things; and this will lie something
gained. Whether il be much or whether it be little
it's quite indispensable that our pride of Chrisani
~ be brought down-that should be made to SCI
distinctly that the show of being very highly Chris
tian is one thing and that TO be Christians in rea
after the very pattern of Christ himself is another
We can make no progress in Christian knowledge
until we have become perfectly aware OF this dis
tinclion. We are prone TO deceive ourselves wit
Christian obseryances and words and TO flaller our
selves that something when we are nothin
or worse than nothing And this deception is nau
rally generated toy the abundance of our religion
forms and institutions. We should rejoice therefor,
that in the providence of Heaven, state OF thing
has been brought about which tends 10 show Il
what we are aud how stand what is the amour
of that Christian enlightenment in which we boas
There is temporary lull IN the storm at presen
but this great conflict that has been begun belwee
Right and Wrong, between Injustice and lnhuman
~, on the one hand and Justice & Love the othe
this momentous question which is now up steaC
lily pushing all other and less questions into III
shade this question of Human Rights, identical, a
ter all, with the question of Human Dnes-ho
wonderfully, how sOiemnly is II working to try OF
hearis-Io show what is the extent of our knOwledg
of those principles Of truth which constitute the Gel
trnl springs of am enlightened Christian character
Ii is in relation TO this question that that remarks
BILE ignorance has been disclosed in regard To III
~, IL,