Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-11-22

4 II
Proclamation Of the Gospel.
Sermon BY the Rev. Or. Bellows. (Unitarian0
The Rev. DIR. Bellows yesterday
preached an interesting discourse on
the National Importance of Rational
Christianity" He took for his text the
passage-"I will restore thy health and
heal thee of thy wounds, because
they have called thee an outcast,"
&c. He began by reviewing the Won
derful changes in theological thought
that had been wrought during the
past fifty years. At the beginning Of
the century, and especially in this
country. men were under the domina-
ton Of the priesthood, the Sabbath
was kept up with superstitious stict-
ness, harmless amusements rigorous
! ly forbidden, the perusal Of fictitious
literature accounted
ADEADLY SIN,
and In every relation and department
Of life the influence # the Church
was felt. There was then also q mark
| ed distinction drawn between morals
and religion; 1t was even a reprOach
and an implied insinuation against
his character TO call him. a moral
man." Men in the world were neces-
sarily outside the pale of the Church;
men In the Church could have no
dealings with the world. Ezekiel
Webster, the brother of Daniel, con-
fessedly the purest citizen of the little
town in which he lived, was forced to
make public confession because in
serving a legal paper he had entered
a dancing academy! But how COM
pletely all these things had been
changed. Whether in the orthodox
churches or in the so-called herecti-
cal congregations the most popular
preaching was that which advocated
q more
GENTLE AND HUMANE VIEW
Of the Christian religion than that
taken by these grim Puritans. Per
haps, however, some might say,
ALAS! what you say is but too true,
but would that it were not so !" But
such people, good and noble and hon
est as they might be, were singularly
wide of the truth. DIR. bellows then !
entered into an analysis of the Puritan |
character and the influence of Puri- |
tanism in fostering a pure religion !; !
and showed that while their strict and |
rigid rule OF life. enforced. might per-
haps have made mauv saints, it left /
out of account altogether many of the /
sins to which human nature was most 1
perilOusly exposed-pride, uneharita-
bleness. cruelty to children, indffer-
ence to human suffering, lack of mer-
cy-and further, that it certainly
brought intOexistencea vastnumberof
HYPoCRTTIcAL SINNERS.
Mr.. Below next investigated the
causes of the revolution TO which he
had referred. That revolution was
partly the result of evolution and
partly of substitution. First, the ten
teney and nature of the time was re-
sponsible for the chauge-the infiu-
ences born OF improved facilities of
the telegraph, the
universal recognition of the right of
private Judgment, 1t was as impOssi-
ble for the old dogmas to resist the &C
ton Of these agencies as for an ice
berg separated from the Arctic Sea to
resist the action of the warmer Gulf
Stream; and. undoubtedly, more had
been done in this silent and indirect
manner in effeeting a change in reli-
Vieus thought than by any direct
efforts at revolution. DR.. Bellows then
showed that
THE UNITARIAN CHURCH
was the only thing that stood between
The man OF culture, unable to believe
in the orthodox creeds aud utter inf
ielity. So far from expecting that
the tide Of disbelief would be stemmed ,
Dy the orthodox Church, he expected ,
that infdelity during the coming half
century would make more rapid
strides and sadder inroads than in the
last. It was, however. to be earnest
IJ hoped tfat, in this country, at ,
my rate, the breaking up OF the old
'aith would not result, as 10 did in
France. in the abandonment Of wor- ,
III p and faith to the ignorant peasan-
Iry and superstitious wcmen, while
al citizens OF Intelligence and culture
lived only for present pleasures and e
The world that now is. Rather than
zee our land pass into such
A MELANCHOLY CONDITION s
Is that he would have the triumph Of 5
liberal Christianity delayed a hundred
IT five hundred years. Dr. Bellows !
.losed by an eloquent appeal for the
Unitarian Mission Fund, stating that |
lmong special objects for which aid |
vas needed was the rebuilding of
Robert Colyer's church at Chicago.
;ift Of the Holy Ghost.-Sermsn by Bishop Scott,
st. PaHl's n. z. Church. \
There was & very large congregation t
present yesterday at the morning ser I
yice in st. Paul's church, Fourth ave- {
,F,e. nj ufr nfsh ! .
~ Scott delivered the sermon. The {
rift Of the Holy Ghost. he said. was a |
rift which was offered to every person, {
Without regard to race. color, nation {
Ility or religion. Without the pos $
essiOn of this gift no man could be
considered good Christian. 1t was L
lseless to argue that this, that or the O
'ther went along in life doing good, 8
lelping the poor and comforting the a
that this or that one went to I
hurch regularly and always avoided q
he 8
CoMPANIoNsHIP OF THE WICKED, '
Thile he clung to every association
hat was good. If he had not this gift !
ie was not q Christian. Yet every {
nan had it in his power to obtain pos =
ession Of this gift. He whI had ever !
q his personal history realized that
oint OF happiness commonly known
8 conversion, who had freely con-
essed the evil Of his ways and called, !
ut of the depths of his heart upon
iod to assiet bim in his struggle with ;
THE LEGIOEs OF DARKNESS, !
nd who had felt the spirit more with i
n him, had that gift; and no one who O
IAd ever experienced the happiness Of a