Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-05-11
Father Taylor ON Creods.

the Methodist Conference from tAo lin
he Joined until death, he was not subject
ed to it's discipline. He was never re
quired to change the scene OF his ministry
but was uniformly appointed to the Beth
ell. Now the Bethel derived its principa
support from the Unitarians, and is sus
9 tanned by them still, and this led some O
Mr.. Taylor's Methodist brethren to qui,
8 him occasionally in private about hi
} creed whether he was Unitarian, 6
Methodist, or, in fact, anything else2 In
} the course of sermon shortly after ONE
of these overhaulings, he gave the follow
ing description of creeds in general, and
of his own in particular We commend
the article to the perusal of friend Spen.
Ger of Fairhaven, and those who are sc
wont to charge others with heresy and in.
fidelity
Shipmates, if ybody were to ask you
who made the heavens and the earth and
all that are in them, you would very prop.
erly answer, God and, if you should be
asked. who made all the oreeds, you would
| lust as readily respond, men, and be right
ia both cases. Now creeds, like Joseph's
coat of many colors, are made of patches,
no two of them alike, or one of them to-
day what it was when first made. Even
our new friends, the Millerites, since they
broke their crank in trying to wind the
world up, have been compelled to add a
new patch to their creed to explain the
laundering in their figuring. Creeds
are all we'll enough in their way, but you
will readily perceive, like every thing hui
man, they are imperfect. No man shall
make creed for me ; and I'm sure 1 do
not wish to make a creed for any
one. Ny seafaring friends know as
well as myself that common danger
gives men a common creed. A few DAYS
since one of the brethren Just returned
from sea told me story that will explain
what I mean by a common danger giving
men a common creed, or if you like the
phrase better, common religion. He
was one of the crew of large ship bound
from Liverpool for New York, with over
400 souls on board, mostly Storage pas
sengers. Half passage ont she was beset
by a hurricane which blew all her sails
from the boltropes {; the sea swept away
her boats, buiwarks and everything NOV
able fro her decks, and to add to the
horror of those on board, when the storm
moderated she caught fire below. New
sails were Immediately bent, and she was
headed for the Western Islands, while
the passengers were employed pouring
water below, in the hope of drowning the
fire 1t was all in vain. The fire in
creased instead of diminishing; the pitch
began to melt from the seams of the
planking, the lower parts of the hold
pumps were burned, 50 that there was
no means left to pump the water out; in
short, after doing all that men could do
to save the ship, they found themselves at
their wits end. Then they cried unto
the Lord in their trouble, and He de-
liyered them ont Of their distresses. All
work ceaeed-the captain called the crew
and passengers together, and told them
that It hardly possible for the ship to
continue afoat another day, for she was
leakv as well rs on fire, he therefore
thought it right that they should all join
in PRAYER, and he advised every one to
pray for himself in his own way. AS if
moved by common impulse, they pros
trated themselves on the deck without
uttering word. Now what do you think
thew prayed for A little more Method
ism, a little more Catholicism, a little
moro Presbyterianism, a little more Uni,
>arianism, Universalism or any other
p No. no, brethren. A common dan
'M' ID given them common religion.
ger ID 7nl communed with the same God.
Every v rose from the deck young
" neh , on, d aloft, and when he reached
ssllor "o,', lot ,Nead shouted with all his
the 70 nSai1 hoi steering in our wake"
Iniso.' ,aant he ship WAS hove to, after
Ia '', .ha oailors scarmed up the rigging
VIM t 49, themselves. Now wait min
10 70, sh;nmates. and I will show you how
49,, r,oor soula, who but a Jew minutes
hoforn were all praying TO common
Fathev.--began to differ, to make creeds
,aoor1ine, 10 their range of vision. only
ono small square sail could be seen above
80 hor;qon. for the vessel was end on,
va ;rorc thjs the sailors began to reason
.hatbar the crlfL 20 which 1t belonged
wa, a sbip, - barqne or brig. And TINS
aor+roversy continued until she was hull
o,t with studding-saiis set on both sides.
IT, aional of distress had been seen. and
os if nv marie che was clothed with all
drawing sail. Now what mattered it
whether she was ship, barque or a
brio ? She was savior. Was not that
enonoh2 No; men are by nature so
crooked that they will question the exist
ence Of the God In whom they live. move
and have their being. 1t was British
frigote. She rounded to and saved every
sonl Were they grateful l think they
were. But suppose it had been night, for
Odd works at all times and in all wealth
ara and the poor souls could have seen
onIv her lights rising and falling with
evaTv roll of the waves. they would have
been inst as much given to speculation.
Even in the darkness some one would
have thought that he saw something bet
for than his shipmates. and so probably
through the whole ships company. Sail
ora "a well as landsmen, are not willing
70 take God at His word. and wait pa
tiently for the working ous OF His ways
INIT thew want to know all about Him
right off, and because they can't, then
thew eo to work and make what they
think He ought to do, and call 1t creed.
Rlessed Jesus, give US common sense, and
let no man put blinkers on us, that we
can only see in a certain direction, for we
want to look all around the horizon; yea,
to the highest heavens and to the lowest
dantbE OF the ocean. Dub W " lhC
saved they had good creed. They
prayed sincere prayer to common
Father, and He sent them com
mon salvation. o how their souls
must have bounded with gratitude
when they found themselves safely on
the deck OF the hospitable frigate. In this
case some four hundred souls had passed
through one of the most appalling ex.
,~erienoes of life without any other creed
than trust in God The friendly fl fri tSst
remained by the wreck and saved all their
Effects and then poured concentrated
broadside into Ter between wind and
water. thatl her burning wreck might
not draw ships out of their course, She
exploded lot into fragments, rolled from side
TO side and disappeared, leaving her spars
and upper works shapeless mass upon
cious freight in safety in Cork, whence
they finally found their way to their re-
14f~o destinations Did creeds give