, 1876-01-10
CHICAGO, MONDAY. JANUARY 10, 1876.

lJs. and "practfeal retnarks." AZ that time tho
worka Of jonathan Edwards, who had Just boen
laid sHa7 to bis ltnal rest. wore real ant dis
ctlssed aH eagerly aa Tho newspapers aro now.
David 1lume and Tho more daring. but not mora
Toelttyo, Hfi,loB at Francu wereBtattering abroad
tho dEngens.teetn ont OF which weIo 10 arso Tho
bloody. forlns of '0J; aud sheir pli1o,plly vas
be gea' e dnn ION s III ' c
Sa7arcth!" Over againts this might of unl,al-
loved eophsstrY tbs Church had brought no
countcr.force but TINT Of pura logic,-a thso'ogY
intensely foined, and formulated with mil
haTo appeared IS II religion waro nothing but
foaity to " slam II, dogmatlc truth. But after
. wh'lc this tna1sdy was cured by it's own ylo-
lenco u cauae to DO susrectod TINT tho saving
power Of the donnot lay. not In Ito fpso dixst Of
not In piof0und philosophers, but rather 10 those
gtoa. central truths which Aro all embraced IN
thu faithful saving, that Christ Jcst,s cnmo into
tho world 10 enyo us. And 30 NO lIud TIC Church
thaoIoRT. aud standing witil upIlftod nyes under
tho CroFs. Wo have no living jonathan Ed
wards, aud tho rGnsou Wo have mono is hocauao
wo nccd mono. We have nell nigh forgotten tho
moaning Of those ancient Eatte-csIcB, Calylnisul
and Armln'anlsnl, 80 hinplo is thu vocabulary
OF tho moiorn Church. THIS, thcn may be ro-
gafdod as cue Of Tho evidences Of tho progress
of cbrsstsn thought IN tho last century. Wo
.antJ.1 ~ Iaes-aa ~ a,,- rra,nt ~ 'uo
mantsi anI savnr trnth ~. t,o III a.n,v.
tho garden, tic Cross. aud the open eopulc!ra.
chnnga for the hct,sr ~ tnwari n farasr
frns5nn, snS r,,,tn.; nr,p"r,a; .otss.t;a. r.
nj ,nn.n ,h.t tbn rnrri, T. so.s .hio IN
t"rarrIs I,orcsv ~ srsnticsn 1r .,is IL "y,,iant
~ mt ~. hnt fsifi, IL mr.. s1.rnnni,od nmIr n
thc.a thin,ts shlc,, n,n iii mi 1rnd.mnntai
nan ,,as ,, rh.t ha ,,tos a"s .hn-,t thn 1,ca
tr,,,of, vhich E;nIlrI thc .lanr ~ H. ,nvatic,
nnd schnIsatn. m fonr os Ia ,o,.yaa tt.t ,,,n
hfoc1 ~ Inans ,at 9tnan.ot, f.n,,, Ill d.,
law a,a,ve -" tr,,.hs .ro ban,, n4.sd o. Au %
All oti,"+s "a contnin,ns tha iifo.rs1ng tr,iss ~
11n rnvnoi ~ s-nnnG ts,, III "'. -.
rlnso tnrntl,rr far ,,n,ted ro,t rrn,vtnH ,ninar
nonta NJ dTcronco mi nsrccn, ~ d..r1an n"a ~,
T1,o lrayn LninIta who tilted in tho is.s f of
cant,oyc,sr i,d,rd rcsrs aro isft ~ t;nacor. a.
Anita lhcir flrder nni .l,a fsshiom of t,atr iifa
tod With sllem, ~ ''''>' ''10 'e~@S'S '''' ''o
Thctr T,'e'tr stect!s .l arc Aunt,
Ibttr FOOD swords r'isf,
ano'r foals ase win 'ns'f ood' "a trust
stsious Keplp Of lie Church woM}l c,o.o up AID
march toeethor, tlicy would hardly have helicTol
it. Why, fifty years sgo, Methodist aud a
Presbyterian were "a widely separated By tliait
pseiuico OF sect aa wclo The TURKS aud
Urusadeye 10 tlo plden time. Tic only
peace tuoy ever hnev waa now and
thou an nrmiet,ce, vheu tlor rested
on their ar,rg But now there 1s a close union
aud friendship among asl branches OF tho great
Evangelical church, and among ali those who be-
lleya that God hath tnade than at ono blood Ia
Christ This ia the only truo liberalism, ana its
prevalence Is ground for tlanIsgiving to that
GGd wAo ia makiug Himself known to rB ~ tho
1hiyd-Uut, rntnlel and consistent with this
nprispE O. Tho snir1t Of charity and brotherhood
w obeerye ttill smother great chaugo Which llaa
transpired IN .he religious thought Of tho world.
1t has grown moro orthotlox iu tbs laht hundred
years. Ipasn,uc|, as tue universal creed cf The
Ehl1tch hnB beel narrowed down ty commou
couee1t to feH cardinal nopte it Ia oi)F natural
that these roin.s e!.o,,!d he Jwelt npon with
greater cmphas'is than bofore ard received with
tnoro willing aud staAd(ast faith, A ceatury
] ago tho cburrhuH we're ,ilItd With herotics aud
skoptics. 1t WIS not poBsiblo that tho grons
tlood.t1de OF inltdelisy thou ewolltug and surg
ing through tho world should abb without ieaY-
ing O siepoait OF unbelief III Christian
,nipds. 1t was nothing unusual to hear
n denial Of tho doctl,no OF .rrtrihntiye
juBtca or tho deity OF 1ssun Chs1ss fEom
so-ca!tod Evangelical pulplED; but u our oay
sueA cnHeg mo comparatively rnrc. Tho Churcl,
is faithful 70 tho old lAudmrrIs lew in number,
bnt sita!!y important. Witch we're planted by thu
author and 1nisller Of our faith. This result
l'.s been largely brought about " the departure
ot unltariaiiism and uliSo1sallsm isohi ths
poiiul were cast ont Was 1t Toshs2lc for tho
Church to 10 found clulheu and IN her right
mind. Thus - nc look back oyor tl1e past ccn-
tury We iind that Chrlstlan thought iiah undcr-
rone some 1eMhrkah!o aud vary blessed chHnscs:
It has ioosed .ts hold upoa things on.oascu.
tsal, and gone back 70 tho csrdina' principles Of
tEuth,-tho simplicity OF Ito Gospel ~ It is In
chsins.
1n consequence Of this !. has enlarged its
charity mud prepared us to 'ea'lzo In some de.
gree how good and how P'taEaut it IL Tor broth
ren to dwell .osctl'o1 in unity.
BY cmpl'aslzing tho mora impeE:ant points Of
faith 1t has strengthened ito barriers Of oriho-
doxy. The 0hufeL in all tts widely different yet
harmonious parts "as neStr 80 Evangelical us
now. Theaa are sigma Of rea ptogEcns, AID theY
encoursgo US to hope that tlo day 's not far dis
taus ni!ofl: 81 there Is only ono Shepherd. %
there ehatl DO only one fold.
But row lot us look in aio!hor direction for
these tokons Of advancement. have spoken
thus far Of tho chauges that have takcn place tn
religious thought. NJ lest :eniarkRolo arc those
which baso tranHpited luri1g thcro leo seats in
tho mode OF Cht1Btan lif. Here again the
rules that wore once lktd dota for our walk aud