New-York tribune., 1883-06-03
DIR. O. ". HOLMES on RELIGION.

The Unitarian minister of to-day mas a very
hard .ask before him II was conPsfsyeiy easy ma
congregation Of unquestiOning pew-holders Ihe Ola
ministers horse oSSed Sa SGns o N ape bndeT WI" The
equipage and It's accessories symDozed the driyer IN
certain aspects % NOI e seca oheekre is o the bndeT
are taken his eyes, his harness OF me sresta
light bresstpate instead OF hcsry @ e1" th u .n
further that he must oid his own head up
and keep a sharp lookout In all directions, without
being AFRAID OF the formidable looking truth min
The ministers wife must hold his hands when he ia
weary like Moses before the Amaleltes. he ought TO
have good brother. like Aaron, side and HtT GU
the other 1t is pleasant TO see that mothers IN Israel
are generally disposed TO hepa young minister to nd
fitting companlOn to share his labors Bepmeets k0f
ministering brethren. our meetings wouid De as
dreary without your presence as hower-gafden with
nothing but stalks midnight sky without star as
the sunday OF OF your honored husbands with
out button !
There was time when Unitarlanism forced TO be
sharply aggressive 1t had TO work hard TO hunanze
theology BIt .s ntoUgy ch our
very little need OF our assistance When boy gets hold
of green apple, he mellows" II with his thumbs 10
help soften If not to ripen But when II yields to
pressure that IL IA 1pcnDg OF ITSELF II rot alb
Protestant Church where there Is not some fruit
ripening-its dognas softening 80 that human being
estfon Have we not already the great family smths
on both sides of the Atlantic and shall we not have the
Something of rational consistency 1t to rne
that Untaranism II you will liberal Christianity,
a condition as at this blessed day. Cntarianlsm has
done most Of her scrubbing and securing, and is
of whom like Nicodemus come by night We used TO
think that there were two hostile casso there are
now. fn IA certain sense-there different nags aud
different watchwords, but the pckets are exchanging
compliments and commodities, and we are on the best or
terms with dms les enneDiis.
am afraid shall confuse you With my comparisons,
but cannot help making them. The churches OF Pro-
testantIsIn are many canal locks their conen's OF
doctrine and practice at different levels We need not
stop TO dispute which at the highest leve. They
into another, through the tllces
the gates Will open easily at the proper time No doubt
which IL held TO he OF human origin, and In fiat contra
dictOn to the OF history and the highest spiritual
charity toward those who held these doctrines in less
enlightened ages We eau pardon almost everything to
those times must not be used against us incur
mod-rn conficts When the names Of Calvin or Edwards
them by the standard OF to-day. go .
In many things we most happy to agree with all
the sccts Of Christendom
We have given uu some old and cherished dogmns
Some would call iree- thinkers, term Of reproach
We freethinkers depoarzing the word by
placing hyphen between Its two portions What would
friends like TO have us-~ould they rather have us
Not hens ssvethnkers VIC Of the liberal school have
broken good many chains which Others have not got
rid or There peculiarly about the feters which
have been forged for human souls under the name OF
on All other chains are just as strong as, and no
stronger than their weakest link. The religious chain
link One adopts creed, church, dogma-one OF
many he has considered The weak link IN the chain
/
and which he thinks he strengthens by wrapping his
faith IT, But faith itself must pass the ordeal OF
crllcixon, In the OF the young Venetian In the
year 1905. as we have seen not long ago. In deliber
ate chd-murder. Even the great apostle was modest
enough to say: think have the spirit OF God"
aleuess OF spiritual beliefs the application OF this
belief has led the liberal Christian, so-caed and is IN
lection or silent REIMBURSEMENT OF certain doctrines
which have formed the base Of theological systems
One Of these the historical fall OF man. with the con-
sequent introduction OF death and the special penalty Of
woman, aud the establishment OF hostile relations be-
tween the Creator and the human from their birth
No one has formulated this last guence In
cyely than Jonathan Edwards In the following words
which some Of my orthodox friends could not believe
quoted correctly: AS innocent children TO be
TO u.s. yet II they ont OF Christ they not In
Gods sight but are young vpefs, and are .inhnely
more hateful than yipcrs" My comment upon this shall
be that which the eloquent and famous Dr. John Mason
OF NewYoIk, Boanerges OF Evangelical Christianity,
noblest passages In Popes Universal Prayer; II Is
the most damnable lie.
The liberal Christansopenly and great numbers In the
SO called orthodox churches in their esoterc confessions
have substituted the eternal hope for In the place
of the eternal vengeance OF his Heavenly Father.
suppose that most OF us hope ALL have dethroned
tce governed jehovah Pate In the classic mythology
governed Jove and took from him the privilege claimed
by every earthly potentc of granting an uncondt ona
think may fairly claim faith has gone out to
science half way while many OF the older creeds
have backed slowly and sueny before her onward
stumbled and fell, and oyeftaken and walked
over by the advance OF KIN swledgc.
In accepting the conclusions OF science with humility
dOcy and gratitude the enlightened Christian OF
communion docs not conound his spiritual nature with
the ponderabie Clements or the forces which net upon
them He does believe that the Kingdom OF heaven
Is governed by mechanical laws lie not look upon
spiritual force mode OF motion" convertible into
mechanical equivalents and capable Of expression In