The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-09-29
platform was erected outside the Insti.
tute, from which speakers addressed the
people who were unable to gain admit.
lance to the hall.

| RA~sAOA IL C4 CCICu OuCSluc Inc l0SGls
tute, from which speakers addressed the
people who were unable to gain admit
lance to the hall.
Religious Iscvivals Diseussed.:
lNorthfeld, Mass Correspondence (sept. 20)
| N. Y. Herald
| The first open rcbuke and criticism
which Mr.. Moody has received since his
arrival in this country has been right
here in his own native town. It came
yesterday forenoon in the shape of q
powerful sermon by Rev. It.
Sunderland, the pastor Of the Mortified
Unitarian church, and the discourse was
Of such a positive and unmistakab bic
character that it will hardly attract less
popular attention than have the cele.
brated sermons Of y the DISTINGUISHED
evangelist himself. The Unitarian and
orthodox churches are the only ones in
town: and, while they have always been
on friendly terms with each other, the
non-church people sympathize more
with Onltarlanism. The outside feeling
is probably Of no account one way or the
other, and only mention it to show
that, so far as popularity among the
worlds people is concerned, the Unirarians
have the best OF it. Among the mem
bers Of this church is brother Of Mr..
Moody, and so prominent is he in the
flock that he reioices in
the double title Of deacon
and Sabbath school superintendent. he
evangelist Moody, it is said, has made
persistent attempts to bring bis Unitarian
kin and kith over to orthodoxy, but the
latter refuses to secede from his chosen
creed. He attends his meetings, and on
one occasion he was among those who
stood up for prayers, but for this he was
so sharply criticised that | Goubt if he
will again invoke orthodox supplicat;ons
in his behalf. The Unitarian pastor has
ais" attended Mr.. Moody's meetings, and
his reflections and ideas Of the same are
embodied in the remarkable sermon
which he preached yesterday. The
evangelist, whom he arrived in town, was
invites! to attend the Unitarian church,
| and it is vaguely rumo1 ed that his decl-
nation was in no wise gracious. Whether
| this be SO Or not the discourse of Mr..
Sunderland does not indicate. 1nas.
much as the doctrines laid down by the
Unitarian divine are likely to attract
considerable attention and comment I,
! append u full report.
REV. MIR. sUSDERLAND's SERMON.
Mr.. Sunderland selected his text from
Acts XIV, l4-"After the way which
they call heresy, SO worship the God OF
my fathers He said:-
1t is always incumbent upon those who
persist IN maintaining a different form Of
religious doctrine or worship from the
majority Of the people Of the community
or country in which they dwell to be al
ways ready on any fitting occasion to give
reason. shall occupy the time before
us this mo, ming in stating, as briefly and
plainly as l can, why !, for one, find my
self compelled to take my stand outside
OF orthodoxy, and to worship the God Of
my fathers IN the way that the majority
OF the people in this country and Chris.
tendon call hcresy. believe nothing of
more value than Christianity ever made
its appearance among men. But l be-
lieve that what is generally understood
by Christianity to-day. whether in Pro-
testant countries or Catholic, is not pure,
original Christianity as Jesus taught
Christianity by lip and life, but that it is
Christianity corrupted. and corrupted by
the Introduction Of clements entire]y for
eign to *, and essentially bad These
bad elements do not. of course, more than
t. limit, d extent destroy the Christian
lty with which they are mixed, but they
are. nevertheless, so far as themselves 20. |
corrupting.
Mr.. Sunderland then proceeded to de-
nounce the orthodox doctrines, based
upon the ideas Of the fall of the race
through Adam, and that Jesus Christ as
the sacred person in the Trinity, came
down to earth for the purpose of reconcil
ing God to man, and 50 enabling the latter
to escape endless punishment, pronounc.
ING them anti-Chrstian, and then pro.
cceded to inquire in what respect is ortho-
doxy anti Christian {? l reply, chiefly,
in four respects
First. Orthodoxy is not taught bv
Christ, but instead contradicts manv of
his plainest teachings.
Second. 1t is unreasonable.
Third. 1t is essentially immoral.
Fourth. The time and manner of it's
usurpation of its place in The Christian
church can be clearly traced in history.
I regret thai can discuss each of these
points only very briefly this morning.
The first specific charge make against
orthodoxy, then, is that it is not taught
by Jesus, but. instead, is clearly in con.
tradiction With many Of his most promi
nent and repeated teachings. 70 begin
with, Jesus nowhere gives any inti1nation
that He knows anything about trinity,
and expressly calls His Father the oniy
God, whereas He usually calls Himself the
Son OF Man, and never calls Himself by
anV title that hints that He l. Cod uh;io