New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-11

S..;s;ve influence upon our deetny has une xpectedy
s'co.sd i,sef The underlying principles and sen,i-
80 Of the Unitarian body have t1rnei out 20 be the
4 ssrsc.sTstic ideas and tendencies Of the religions
.,och VT hive in. Protesan,ism produced us, not we
4 wbs,ever Is good or bad in our spirit aud dirsc-
80, Wa latent IL the Reformation and il fas. beco-
tg patent in the whole product Of thai world move
rsrt The peculiar Identification Of Protestant ten
Il depees with our sptcal theology is partly accidental
rarity historical the cIdencies Themselves the
| s-es fact. Thus no criticism OF Unaranism Il Tadi-
| ssl which is not sso criticism Of Protestsntsn nor
u possible 10 understand position and prospects,
| without considering from high point of view the
general drift Of Protestantisn itself. Our eddy or
rapid is 10 be explained only by survey OF the man
current drought freshet only by examination
\ Of the common watershed II say, then, that our
pause as Denomination IL the pause which Proesapt-
sm makes awakening TO the full CONSEQUENCES OF
her tendencies, shall best express my second
ard most important idea.
These tendencies have only recently cleared them
selves 20 view and ere not by The bodest faced with
ont come concern Yet il is best 10 look them full 10
the 'front.' to acknowledge them for us what they are,
and rely upon God and the truth 10 deliver US from
evil a, Their hands Permit me- then for the moment,
fO state IL unqusled, ard even IN offensive terms,
1vbst the logical product Of Protes,antism II.
IT, then, With logic,l desperation, ultimate the
TENDENCIES Of Proiestsnsm and allow the malice
o. It's enemies 10 fash upon their direction, may
ls, the spicency of the Scriptures turns ont 10 be
The self ,ufiicency of man. and the right Of private
Judgment absolute independence OF Bible or church
No creed but the Scriptures, practically abolshes all
Scriptures but those on the human heart; nothing
between mans conscience aad his God vacates the
Church; and with the Church, the Holy Ghost whose
fur tion is usurped by private reason; the Church
lspses into what are called Religious Institutions;
these into Congreg ionshsm, and Congregqtonaisn
into Northumberland the logical end Is the a1an-
donmept Of the Church an independent institution,
the denial Of Christianity as supernatural revelation,
and the extinction Of wOrfbp a. separate interest
IThers is no pre,ense that Professionalism a body,
has reached tbs or would not honestly and earnestly
Iepudiate it, but bs, ts most logical product at this
point is not easy TO deny. Nay, thst these are the
4 tendencies of Professionalism, is very apparent.
Let us not be too much alarmed NJ this statement,
assuming il 10 be true. Tendencies are not always
phimsted. They encounter resistance. They meet
and yield TO other Tendencies The tendencies OF an
epoch religious political do not decide its whole
character. There forces in humanity stronger
than any epochsl po.ers-:he permanent wants, the
indestructibe instincts of our nature IL u sae, ana
II ought not TO be alarming, 10 and confess that the
tendencies Of political aud religions speculation and
sentiment in the universal Church of our day, are
10 the weakening Of the external Institutions Oh
Chrstanity, the extinction Of the ministry and the
abandonment OF any special Interest IN relgon as
separate interest Of man sOcle'y. IL our nltaran
body understands this better hsn the inner ranks OF
Pro'estsntsm 1t If only because the sqladrOns pehhu
have pre- sed il the brink towards when lney
are uncons ciousy advancing With great temporary
superiority ard advantages, one over another there
~ really nothing TO choose between the PROTESTANT
sects in general direction, and ultimate destinesi
logically and what is more, practically, they are shut
no 70 one conclusion. All alike IN thls respect they
represent human liberty, self.assertion, and mans
power to choose aud enthrone his own God. The
differences between them are chronological, crcum-
stanta Accidentally the likeness Is logical, essential
ard absolute We need not fancy tha' our peculiar
theology is responsible for the laitudiIaranlsn, the
uegation the upde votiODaty, complained OF IN the
Unitarian body. The same qualities belong to all
Protestant secs To the degree III which their culture
ard opportunities establish positive aud logical rela-
tons between their principles and their characters
The Unitarian body, not as being more learned or
more thoughtful than other Protestant bodies III lts
leaders and ministry, but as having laty on the same
Intellectual level with its leaders, and dead weight
Of mere instinct aud affection TO drag along WIN IT,
has carried out and experienced IN It's UNCONVENTIONAL
hfe, what no other Protestant sect has yet been
sufficiently conscious OF itse and enough under the
dominion of its own ideas, fully to experiences. We
have shown the world the finest fruits and the rankest
weeds of the Protestant soil; We have most freely
felt and most plainly indicated the main Protestant
current; and the criticisms have suffered from our
Protestant brethren have owed much of their edge to
the anxiety of fellow passengers bitterly upOraldng
the officers Of the ship b.Cause they could not resist
the force of the stream that set towards the rapids and
the preoipios. The same sympathy, taking often the
fern of antpsthy that connects the conservative and
historical raj Of our own body, with the ffontrank OF
svowed ratonalsts, connects us all as the frontIauk
Of Professionalism with the whole body behind; ana we
nust pardon the severity OF s crit ciem upon US when
We consider that it is unconscious seltcrincis-a
parents blame Of the hereditary tain 1t has comnu-
Iie ated TO it's child.
Let US not deceive ourselves in respect to the ten
denotes of ProtestaDsm, IA such by credlnS II WIN
the resistance which is constantly made to Its logical
Ard spiritual impulses, by the permanent instincts OF
hum anity by the still uLspent force OF past epochs
Of Numerically opposed quality. IL IS not the de-
yout and virtuous class which, III any community or
rect beet expresses the animatug tendencies OF tue
time and place. Catholic saints do not properly inea-
sure and represent the level OF Romansn, or It's cha
scterstic influence and sentiments, but rather the
common people of that Church any and everywhere.
And Unitarian ssints-of whom, thank God, many as
pure and noble the calendar OF any church can pro-
auce have shed their fragrance upon us and gone up
in clouds of gorydo not exhibit the tendencies oi ou
liberal faith. Nor 1t the religious potion OF ffoosT
antism that shows the influence of Protestan,ism
Exceptional and marked piety, ~ in all Churches,
due TO the devou nature OF It's SUBJECTS
independent of the theological opinions OF the SPeca'
era and circumstances with which 1t Is associated.
Men and women pious by nature az pous as heatuehs
Jevs or Christians; as Catholics Pedestrians;
and il matters little under what religious lniueoces
they are brought, what times they ial Lac re-
bgious tendencies Of an era are lnolcated Satisfactorily
OILY by the ideas and sentiments thal sway inc ul-
thinking unspeculatiVe, UNCONSCIOUS masses NO
opinons are eticacous over society at large, wheh
aye held as opinions, voluntarily taken up ana H.
culcated. We inoulcate opinions for the oehsut VI
future aions ia which we may hope they WIN ap-
pear as blessed preludlces OF the oood. ro, as d
iule is only ideas from which men cannot get away
sentiments that are spontaneous natural aud constant
that exert any shaping and decisive IHuelce over
them "Opinon," says Milton, " Id knowledge IN the
making; and until it has passed the stage OF lneuee
tual Effort and conscious WILL it is imperative TO any
degree worth considering IN large view oi thng' III
We would know the religious tendencies OF our ffoes-
tsnt age flor deny the existence OF any living Cathoc
he Church in estimate oil The word movements VI
the timel. we must go outside the Clutches, 10 the
vast population said to be much more than hal, per-
hans three quarter of every considerable community,
that goes 10 Church nowhere we must holce ,no
deepening hostility OF all States To cstaonsheu
ehurches the distinction between science aud iaith,
~. md thenlo tlan~ttleucc