, 1876-04-03

now to what shnpe Of Christianity hsve our
ttmos introduced ns2 What kind OF patAAllsta
is ar NO o az .srs aa %
no. nos. '':tns''' Ino roiislon' Gig oi America j.
plain aud simple. ExcertinR tue Eonat, s,i Gat'i-
oes wlo change very SLOWLY nma tolIeS 10 eiv', .,o,.
santl yoara Dehi,,d, and excepting heto ma tnoto
an Episcopal Isituaistio Church, the Chtstssnltg
OF our day IL quito divorced from, Tue oHt"rnal
sna quite allied to Tho spiritual a,'u mena!; nuo w.,
wa chortehinE religion Of n'efanhSeiGaf ny
no mcans. The dlacneston' o. ne oN..acSo, TO-
men have fnl!en Into utter contomEe. Evcn sho
modern Cnvinan. Which was sho lhss agony or
ths opos Of ygtery naia abo ehprocs shas
almost slnotl,ercd tho creature with tiolr love
Arc 10 cliuglng TO rcl'gion ot STATE Ihas
ohApe of worship hhs Atso departed. LILO Htato
no longer faseo savaa.n, .i, 1s, y. ~ n,v tcm.
porary and political tdoas under Which banner
all religions sis down In equal security: Tho
last body hns been rocked. tho last heArt broken
for religious belief The stste aemsTds 1a.s soof onIy
or 100 little, II loavos to DO determined a. the
bar OF God. To what shape OF Chris
ttauttY hayc wo corno7 Not fulty % any
form haa our ago come. bnt Win soT sng ,a, sate
actor. Tha pagcantry Of the barbhric aRos, tho
curious questions OF the achoolmon, the rnys.
tories Of Tho old croeds rivaling tho nyssorics OF
Eousia tho bloody ettuggles for Ten Temporal 's,i
oblivion, that the human heart might begin to
Eco itsolf In tho great mirror OF Joaue Christ.
Az last tho world draws noat, the truth that
Christianity iB NOT an cktornsl architecture. OF
rrs, or scarlet rD6o; IL uok speculation Ia nos
a military conquest, hut It is = washing .Whtto
Of gplf III tue fountain opened IN tho beiuE OF
Christ. Tho. words, "l3esaed arc they thst
hunger and thirst aftcr Righteousness, Is text
That Ia crowding into tho background tho Scrip
turo taat soemoA to appoint succcaso. Of petor
aud Christ aud tho bcfnturo that laid tbs na-
tiona open to ing1aion by 2eAlota with Sword
and torch. Fer. In whatever stops tho Church
marched. but tue yerses Of double or doubtful!
import hAvo boom diveatcl OF all power, and
ouiy clcar uutnissakable words are written
on tho modern banner and flung to tho
breeze. Tho words, - besaed hre they that
do Ills commandments, that they may hnye
right to tho tree Of lilo, and, may antor Ia
through tic gates into tho city" are words that
bayond ali oshors botray tho gonlus Of tho oom-
Ing religion. II our hearth aEo not too sangwno.
that will bold religion OF priuciplc, not Of
form, not OF curious or complex dogma, but OF
those dacp principles that make man. II is DO.
coming daily more and more evident that What
God demanded all through tue Old and Now
Testaments was nn obedience of His law, tho
purity of human lifo, evident in all tho rofeo-
lions OF reasou, that religion mnst lis IL tho
innof life, and now II haa become evident by tho
condition OF society that what iH demanded IL
reliRtop Of virtue Eulth which onoo moant 4
bolief Of a creed must now imply . companion
nhip with Chriet Repentance must sgulfy .
purifying Of tho lfc, alrl the baptism must point
out tho washing white Of = einfM soul. All the
volune Of rolIs1on must Low soWata q Ut" inaa-
hood.
70 mark tho dawn OF tho religion Of p1tnci-
| plc OF character, would he as interesting mud
| useful ns to make tho rso mud full Of tile rog-
Ions Of form, Of metaphysics, and Ok conquest.
Lushar ilrst began to assat! an external spec
tae,1lRr service. lie aet up the doctrine Of fnih
| In Chrsk as againsk tho lsonian Catholiu
formulas and tltual. But tho Reformation still
carried too great load Of empty speculation
aud OF tho temporal powor: New rofotnlers had
10 come in tho person Of Knox aud lis great
alcs to cast Christianity forward into greater
boauty Of private lilo- All the Scotch schoo
for 200 years stood BY tho lowing stream nut
m tho tha hitter mot a0,s ssy ny .1s ss1s
aud branches Of cbtist's teachlugs: Da
thnro aro always many haoda n
| work Ia building tile temple Of God. While
some brains nro to!llng q: tl'c cedars others az
still a1o maktng the delicato ornamonia Of silvo,
euk gold, or weaving tho crimson curtains
Yon will hold An imperfect atory in yong mind
untoas, in seeking sie history Of tho zohEion .!
threo other agencies! tho Unltarians, The
Quakars, and the Mothodlsts. Thoso inter
psetoru Of tho oraoloa camo along one by one, aut
rondiDg tho old .philosophers to p;oeea As they
q r1sioual following Of Jesus Christ. II was K
po the religion Of imitation. the religion o.
moral principles. Ch1!st vaa 10 walk bpfort
man In al tho splenaot Of . hoayen-hcnt exam
Rie Up from those neitsFan inas -. came 1e
tho Friends, With = further 1ssolutio,,
Oh, what an Infinite distance .
beaeen tho aEosnty q and IL
Fox! Compare tho roboa of Iapa! Hlohol
with tho dress Of Friend. Compare the daz
zl!ug oxternala Of tho Establishment With tho in
ternal states Of tho truo Quakor hoart. Tha
WAS the religion Of simplicity and integrity. Th
Heaven The jails hold none OF them. The
would not touch br1bo. Thoir sanctuary va
simpte, their wants few. their hearts white
the not ct ntGnnE p,lsss
penng into the cur Of God
But tho Unitarians aud tho Frionda wero No
strong enough to compel tho world to Aeparat
itseif from Papal formn or meeaphysio creed.
diHta wero born. Tho times demanded them an
) thoy cams, They cnmo simply In the nnmc OF
reformed life. They sought no change In th
debnitio1f Of Ohrtst, OF faith, OF salvation. Tho
hAstepel to ANNOUNCE \ moro cNreful persQnI
! llfo. Wesley had no Intention Or desire 10 fouu
q new aect. But he saw In the Journalism of III
EBtabllshment, IN the men who combined game
and d1inko and all tho fasnionablo vices With th
subscription Of tho Thirty-nine Articles. an uttt
contradiction Of ali ordored Of Ills children b
tho Gront AEnster. WealOy'H longing waa al o.
hnuBsed Tor ycaru in tho doBiro TO Join The put
)lo profession Of religion to m honorable life.
Thus by looking into tho past two or thre
centuries wo may all see the struggle ont {
} which CANA vhat tho world now posacsses Of
roligiou not Of forms, not OF enigma, not (
government, bat OF human character. Not thl
such o roligton il everywhere confessed ~
I taught aud loved. but Onward IL is coming ju
"a spring 10 now throwing Itself forward again
!. tho 10y barricaaes OF wintor. Not at once In
single happy step aoos tho epr,ng-time boun
but day W dAy 1t creepa nosthwAzd from
. tho Floridaa aud Gulf, At last 1t will take fu
: poaeesslon Of tho praitiea Of tho Woet and Il
thousands OF lakes, aud murnur IN tho stream
Ths religion Of an upright life is thus adyaneir
! with its warm air md floral bloom. II
! experiment the world Inns made on emp
\ | xvi1t hn fnt In futr