The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1868-04-24
BiPDEFoRD, Nb~ FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL "a, 1868.

.
The subject Is apparent. Christianity !.
| n tree. Christ is the trunk nn,l all ihcss
sccis arc the numerous branches They
nrc all needed No one of th'n, nloiit
couli have done the work which al l,nv,
accomplished. No one is a,lapte,l to the
various wants and differing temperament,
Of mankind. Each draws largely from
those whom all others fail TO reach. How
many thousands dill Wesley convert whom
Calvin could never have won. did Sweden
borg convince whom Methodist exhoriaiior
could not move?
This diversity is in nature; the viole
teaching ,notesiy. the lily purity, the n,oun
tain majesty and The ocean p0wsr.. j
exists in the Bible which is not, one boOl
written by one man, with ousss inspitni!on
but many books by differept fNei,, at ditier
ent times, no one giving the whole tr'Ilf
but each that part of II which was iurnet
towards him. II takes many minds tt
make one-all humanity to make a com
pletc man.
SO the true church is composed Of many
faiths, forms and sacts.
This does not preclude unity. 1t necessi
tates u. Unity is not sameneAs in opin
| ion, name or form, for this would make thu
church despotism tending to cr,sl, per
7 sonal rights and honest inquiry, hut unior
Of differing minds for one common pur
pose. What variety in body and mind, 10
looks qnd opinions existed among the
troops which composed The Union army
but all were act,la,ed by one great object
sha,V tlaif nf raaiQfIRRS q
power, So the true church Is an army oI
soldiers, under Christ the great captain.
Each sect is an army division, differing 10 all
cls,, but united In The one deaihless pur.
pose Of putting down the rebellion Of wick.
edness and wrong against God, and bring.
ing NIL souls into obedience to His Just md
mcrcifhl laws. Paul argues II thus Now
tlfere are divrrsi,ics Of gifts hut the same
spirit, for by one spirit are we all baptized
into one body whether. Jews or Gen,iles
and the body. is not one mcmber, hut many
and one cannot say To the other, We have
no need of thee" Nor Que sect say Ia. an.
other we have no need Of thee; for NIL are
mc,nbcrs Of one body. Each has irs work
to ,lo, its fruit To bear, its place TO ILL., o,'rs
among the rest. - :.
THIS CHURCH.
We turn now To our own church espcci-
ally an,l'to ihc~pl,ers in which il IL TO net.
If its field Of action Thisis not inside Int
oursi,lcihe other scots. The field is the
morid, the great unchurchcdh mass. OF
these we rach three classcsA list, nrc q
large number who do not beliese in the
church doctrines OF trinity, total dcprayiiy,
Salvation of Jesus blood, endless pain, yet
who do believe in goodness, in good, deeds
good thoughts, goOd motives, in honest en-.
dcuvor aud in manly life. They nrs not
bad men, do not hell, We in nor practice evil
but feel and walk uprightly. In tho old
churches natural morality, like this is Of no
account in the future, hHcsiit epIi6evsry
good thought nnd cling Is IN 9iW un'l
so far ms il goes helps one M ,hs1aoS! aud
helps one here.
With us so far as inan feels right an,l
does right il he saved boll, here and here
alicr. Hence this class,iind here home.
They do believe in church but in n chursll
where individual opinion is allowed and
inquiry for truth is not horcsy. They do
believe in religion hut in religion which
they can interpret by laws which they SEQ
and know and understand.
There is second class made mp Of way.
wanl reckless oues Men who bot, by ma
iurc aud education are course and grovcl.
iny.-whose instincts are base, whose iastes
are low. whose whole hciny moves on an
animal plane.
These cannot at once, nor In any short
time become christian, hence blythe old
theory have no hope ofIsalvation,. hence
have not l,een reached. We believe they
are not wholly bad they have some good
aud all the good they have when they die
they tskp-,S;ib them and IL goes to- their nc-
count. lftlicy cannpt:or do not in this
life reach the top the ladder. every step
taken il so much gained ind all etrniiy
will he opened Tor them in which to COM
plete the ascent. with us then they may
find help and encouragement in rising
Then there is another class, true, hevOtt, +,
devoted christian spirits. Souls who deep
" believe in prayer, in piety, IN spiritual
conversion an,l consecmtion TO God, who
are meek, humble, faithful, lo~ly in spirit
und holy in thought, who in secret COM
in,,ne will, heaven and walk with Christ
hut who not being able 10 find u church
whose theology they believe and too hon
est TO profess what they do not believe,
they remain outside. These nre the pillars
OH which oui faith rests They nre ground.
ed in God and never fail. Will, such hearts
n church cannot 20 down. By their prny.
ers il j. hound forever TO JehOvnlIs throne.
All these classes this church can help. 1t
occupies new lot in the ciIy Of the New
Jerusalem. II fills a vacant niche In the
,ennp!e Of religion. Il answers an upsatis.
icd want in the religious world. II cblhes
not to oppose but to supplehentsan true
religious work. NOT to,wU1Ele but clasp
hands in hearty uniTi with all other
churches, to labor for human gOOtl and be
an additional weight in the scale oi ,h
clristi"n prayer anl spiritual u 10 apsl
feel au,l do what Jesus would were he iif
our stead, to be n branch Of this church
hearing fruit with the rest, to convert to
God as many as in its power lies. THIS is
its work. May God bless it.
IRIS PURPOSES AND IDEAS.
We turn now TO lis idfasSo Whence they
came. For these it is mucl,s i6loahcdsia
the older sccis. From lhclp/ NIL Ave ~
culled ricl, truths with ~hicl, to'ercct olif.
ttutIbc ~ ItWkVpWs tWVN Utt
Of us. We arc Jews in so much ns We ac-
crpt their centiaFlsn. the oneness of. Col.
We are Roman CahsQlics im 80 much as'wn
take their central iho,Sk that the clirjsl
iian church is not secrafiaVnur limi,cd TON
few hut broad, universal, catholic, rjecti' 4
none hut embracing all, not bcrS,lsc they
are christians hut in order to make them
christians We ARE Lutheran IN ~ much
as we believe in the right Of each to think
for himself subject alone to Cob We are
''nlvinisIs in basing our belief upon his fun
daineninl hlca that God will savc all whom
he purposes tn save. With Geo. Fox, anI
the 'QrnkeIs we believe God is in every
soul. inspiring u, communing with Il
speaking tn il in The still small voice.
With Swe'leni'org we believe in the bes,
sense In corr spondenccs between the in
vislblc aud visible. in tho positive reality