The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1868-04-24
ever on the sile of christian labor; life and
UNITY ~ DIVERSITY.

bit some one may say why 'ouhu ui
other church here We have more nov
than are titled. Why intr,l,le another sec
ani still more ALLEVIATE society when what y
needed is not more division hut less, no
more cree,ls hut fewer, 10 possible only on'
fold one faith and ono connion name To-
all.
I reply, tits the instructive feeling o
all. that religion should bring to earth uni
ty AMI peace. II ought. IL will. Bu
not the Kind Of unity which the world ex
pect.; not unity IN creed, ceremon!
and name. Again and again have countries
:, iecn brought under the absolute power o
mic church and all the people. compellc,
/ by rack and torture tn t,elisvc in It's faitl
and worship by It's form and in all thes'
hasihe sun Of spiritual life and growth gone
down in utter darkness.
What nations to-day exhibit most relig
ious life and progress? Not Arabia ant
Turkey with their one changeless crret
and established church oi Mahomet. No
| Mexico, Spain Portugal. Ireland who's,
people how rs a unit To the faith and fora
of the one Catholic Church. They ac,
Gcrmany, England, America where thought,
clash anil sec,s arise all alike recognized b,
the common law. What scctions OF on
own country have most fresh rel gio,i
thought aud life =! Not the Southern an,
South western where the old protestant
sects which arc unit on tho main doc
trinal points, exist absolute and alone, btil
in the eastern and middle States the brill
place or new isn,s aud ideas Corruption
creeps in aud progress is retarded where
all power is embodied in one man, one par
" or one sect To preserve the purity ol
our government two parties NJ least must
exist. 30 religion is never safe in The
bosoin oi' one church alone. Men grow in
religious truth rs they think, and us they
think they differ in result, ~ they do ia
looks, size, complexion or temperament
as we'll all men attempt to wear the same
hat or coat rs all minds to bc fitted
by the same creed.
History rcai co,nprchensively teaches
that each new sect which has arisen in the
past has opened new door in the temple
of religion and revealed u new phase oi
truth.
When Moses came up out OF Egypt
stood on Mount Sinai and laugh, the pco-
pie, all his doctrines sprung out OF one
central idea, which was new-ihe oneness
of Cod When Jesus rose from obscurily
an,l took his place in the heavens as tho
brightest among the spiritual lights, Ills lead
ing central idea was new. 1t was God
is love-"
Now followed divisions. Tia thoughts
oi Jesus thrown out upon the cars Of the
people. fresh and original, awakened in
terest nn,l inquiry in the domain Of tului.
Pio,is and good men in the Jewish Church
bewailed such innoyatiOus, but Jesus an
swered, IL came not TO bring peace, but\a
sword" Tie was seized anl slain to pre-,
Storm continued followers increased the
doctrines spread The name grew and in the
fourth century hardened into tixed creed
and established church. With this coui-
iucnccd its decline. Thicker and thicker
gathered the darkness for The next thousand
years Diversity of thought was Forbidden.
Any views which came in conflict with the
crec,l, unless openly r'pulIa,c,i, were pun.
ished with death. Every new thought was
hcwn oil and Christianity became like the
trunk OF huge tree shorn bare OF all its
branches. and reaching as liicless shaft
towards l Heaven. Here was unity but it
was the unity Of the pebbles on the .'ssta
beach. not the unity or the fbrcs of a tree
with ono prevailing life and one common
centre. Here waSpcace, the lamb and lion
lying down together. bat, US one has said,
the lamb inside the lion.
Hut such unioH rirl peace Go'i allows not
to continue, Luther spoke and Rome
trembled. Life began to rc animate dead
world the heart to heat, the lspo.l To
flow, the eyes To open, the warmth 10
come, the brain to net; inquiry arose, in
irlligence moved and conflicting creet!s n,l
opinions were horn. Tho world was oi,
the march again. Truth bcgan to feel the
thrill Of life along her veins. Lost ideas
began To return.
L,:her restored one, the central thought
on which he took his stand and triu,nphed.
fadiriduai Sorerigniy, the sacred AMI in.
alienahle right of every soul tn its own rs-
iiyio,is convictions without ioriieiing in the
least, the fellowship and respect OF Chris
tians, ani the true Lutheran to-day is the
real liberal.
CALVIN came next AMI with his logical
pen built up his whole system from another
long neglected, hut vital truth, Divine Sow
crciynty-that God win io with every
soul Just what tie wills and save who Tic
wills.
One hundred AMI iory years later,
George Fox the Quaker, projected his cen.
tral idea, Divine Nearness the presence Of
Col in evefy soul ; iha, We sl,ould act aud
speak only as moved by tho spirit.
tast upon the footsteps ot the spiritual.
izcd Fox followed Swe,icnborg Whose
l~a,iing thought was the doctrine of cor
rSpon,lcnccs, which ! may term iyI'cisn,,
that the universe il a type Of God, that
man n's physical body j. type ofhis spiritual
bo,ly and that this world is n type ofthe iii
iure worhl which surrounds il as the nfn,os.
pher- we breathe anl whose iins,s % inllali.
ianis hover over us continually rs a cloud
ot heavenly witnesses. their silent influ.
cnces descending upon our hearts daily as
distilled dew.
Conte,nr orancous with Swrdenhorg lived
the war,n.lcartcl aud spiritually y.u,nic,l
John Wesey. who ciuglil up The ilca NIL
oii,crs hal neglected., That chsngGnf heart
alon, ins,,rrs salvation. Three quarters oi
u century nso the shaker sect WAS horn in
the person &c Nnn Ire who stood up with
her message. that Go.l is dual. con,l'o-cd>o(
the iwo poles of humanity, the masculine
md t;'n,i,,i,,r. wistRrn aff,J love, that Tie is
the Father ahi M"t'cr Go1 df. all human
so,,l.. y
hhou ihi- time there rose above The cnst.
ern horizm and appeared ia America as n
heavenly light the presence Of John Muir.
ray whose central ihonglt was that God is
Father "nd IDEAS with all bo,h here and
hereafter n eoo.l father with his children.
The 'irite,iiy Of natural goodness hn,l
long ""d us,nesSione,l ill Channing's
holy vrrr was heard Tie studied man,
and hi> crniral IDEA was the dignity and
worth of human nature and its capacity for
en,lless progress.
All tlssc inen taught more or less error,
hut the great leading thought of each was
Gods; truth Of which the world stood in
need, in order 10 satisfy the varying view.