The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-08-11

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church, and they must be unit in
whct they undertake.
Being Christian the desires should be
of definite kind. There must be a
longing to have men realize the Chris
b I life. There must be union of
6 ire for life with God; wish to be
really and truly religious, an intensity
of heat to enjoy as fully as is possible
the eternal life which Christ came to
give. Lyman Abbott says, "To be d
Christian is not merely to try and do
about right, it is to be a child of God;
it is to have divine life quickened in
the soul; it is to have the eternal life
within us.
And that church which expects to
reach the sinsick, suffering lost souls
of men must have in it a united desire
for this exalted Christian life.
There must also be unity in ideas.
This is not saying that all the members
of church should think exactly alike.
| We do not believe in that. Progress
comes through diversity of opinion.
Yet there must be some ideas held in
common. While we ought to maintain
d, 1ividuality, we must also support,
ditedly, some great fundamental
truths. We always find men of SINH
lar ideas joining hand. The Atheist is
with bis friends, the Romanist with
those Of like convictions, the saloon
keeper enjoys the association of others
in the same business, the Prohibition
ist has companions chiefly among the
| teetotlers. There are labor-unions,
political parties and many other organ
izations in which men combine to main
tain certain ideas. In each the mem
bers have common ground.
The Christian church is no exception;
men who believe in fundamental truths
band themselves together to defend and
to promulgate those truths. This is as
much fact among Universalists as
elsewhere. Our church has ideas. 1t
stands before the world as the only
historical representative of those ideas.
1t endeavoIs to convert men to those
ideas. And it welcomes to its fellow
ship all who can, without 'mental reser-
vations," accept those ideas. What
can a church expect to accomplish if its
members have altogether different
IDEAS of God, of Christ, of the Bible, of
man aud OF destiny? The work of any
such a church will be failure. 1t is
doomed to destruction. Jesus said,
Every kingdom divided against itself
is brought to desolation, and every city
or house divided against itself shall not
stand"
We must have union in ideas if we
would reach men. We must, with one
ness of spirit, chang the banner on the
outer wal, - inscribed in golden letters
with the truth we hold as a body
of Christians, tnat "he who runs may
read"
This belief ought to build up in
US most holy faith. 1t ought to make
real many Of the desires we have. 1t
ought to bring to US the divine life.
Faith is not a thing of the intellect.
1t is not theory. Neither is it a mere
passion as some enthusiasts would
have us believe. But it is something
operative, something that is in the
spirit of man as he reaches forth
|. toward his Heavenly Father. 1t is the
vitaliziDg current reaching about and
through him. Faith is very positive
thing. 1t was this which sustained St.
Paul in all his troubles. His faith kept
him unwavering when he was at the
council in Jerusalem, in prison at
Rome, or preaching in the face of Oppo-
sition at Thessalonica. Faith-trust,
confdence-in God as our father and
our deare st Friend; faith in Jesus
Christ as the spiritual teacher, divine
Guide, the true Exampler and Saviour
of men; faith in our need of faith-all
this is essential to prosperous and in
fiuential church,-to a church which
would be an instrumentality of God.
But there must likewise be unity Of
action, Christianity is not religion of
Incidence. Our desires, our beliefs, and
our faith, will be fruitles5 unless we
act. John, the Apostle, was man of
rare spiritual qualities, yet he was a
quiet unaggressive disciple. Peter had
less of those excellencies which charac-
terized John, but what he had inspired
him to action. Throughout the history
he stands before US eager to do some
thing.
Oar activities should be systematic.
1t is of no value for individuals in a
church to work each regardless of what
the other is doing. Plans should be
made with specific objects in view.
Every action should be taken with that
object as the intended result. The peO-
pie should have the common desire, and
with unity of action seek its accom-
plishment. Without concerted action
failure is certain. But with the con-
centrated eifolt of true, noble band of
united hearts and hands, no one dare
predict the extent of the wonderful
! success which will follow.