Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-02-21
WHAT DO uN1rAR1ANs BELIEVE
Rev. =. O.. PhaIen's serneu Lasi Sun-
dev Fveufnn.

present last sunday night 70 near tine SCI
mon Of Rev. Mr. Phaleu, the Unitarian
pastor ON the subject What do Onitarians
believe" The text was the familiar pas
sage from Acts. May We know what this
new doctrine. whereof thou speakest Is
For thou bringest certain strange things to
our ears we would know, therefore. what
these things mean.
Beginning with the declaration that it is
duty incumbent upon men TO proclaim
the truth that God has entrusted them with
and that no man has a right h hide his
light under a bushel Mr.. Phalen went on
10 say that the Unitarian faith. that is, the
faith in the unity Of God and in the human
ity Of Jesus is the most ancient Of all
Christian confessions The only newuess
! there is about il is the newness Of its dis
covery or apprehension by this or that per
son. There is an impression abroad that
because the Unitarian denomination has No.
fixed creed which all its ministers are
compelled ~ sign. therefore Unitarians
have no definite and pronounced beliefs.
| That feeling, however. cannot be very
widespread, for il betokens a state Of mind
into which not many thoughtful people
would be likely 70 fall Men do not build
churches aud support them, carry on mis-
sions. publish religious newspapers, and
/ spend time and money in other similar
ways to propagate nothing though a hest
fancy 10 declare our beliefs which seems
difficult to account for has doubtless hin
dered our organic growth 81 say organic
growth the speaker continued, for in
| thinking and speaking Of Unitarianism it
must always be understood that the Unita
| ran spirit and the Unitarian idea Of Christ
| ianity is not by any means confined 10 the
NflN- INa. HLaH
/ Mr.. Savage Of Boston said not long ago
that If all the people in all the churches
Z who believed as we do should come out
| squarely from the shadow Of the creeds
| there would be an exodus compared with
which that Of the Hebrews out Of Egypt
would look insignificant
The fundamental thought in every relig.
| ious system is the thought Of God. Upon
that foundation Unitarianism securely
rests. We confess one God the Father,
who is above all and in all and through all
A God who is deaf h human sorrow, and
who never comes near the aspiring soul Of
man is not the God in whom we believe
our God is a God Of love, a Father. a
Friend. a Redeemer, an Abiding Presence.
throned in our hearts, seeking us with his
love. only asking us to open our hearts and
let him come in and dwell with US forever
Life passes, riches fly away, popularity is
tickle the senses decay. the world changes.
friends die" writes Cardinal Newman.
"One alone is constant One alone is true to
US one alone can be true One alone can
be all thing to Us One alone can supply
our needs One alone can train US up 10 full
perfection One alone can give a meaning
10 our complex and intricate nature One
alone can give Us tune aud harmony One
aloue can form and possess us-tiod, the
All Wise aud the All Loving"
The next great belief Of Unitarians is
that in Jesus the Christ In him we see
the fatherhood and heart Of God re
vealed Ia Jesus We see humanity reaching
after aud realizing complete union with the
divine We do not worship him nor call
him God. but IN his life and teachings we
find the best and hottest revelation we have
Of the Father The Christ Of theology and
the Jesus Of history are two different be
iugs. The first is purely ideal creation
developed out Of the pious love and rever
ence of the ages. aud Is, 10 all intents aud
purposes, the real God Of Christendom
But Jesus Of Nazareth, the man Of sorrow
the faithful witness To the truth, the prophet
OF the soul, the revealer II God the preach
er Of the Sermon on the Mount. the friend
of pubhcaus aud sinners, the Jesus who
loved little children, who wept at the grave
Of Lazarus. and finally gave His life 10 re
deem men from erTor,-f1r this Jesus | nj.
tarians have the highest and most devout
reverence, and We love to call ourselves by
His name and pray that His spirit may be-.
come the dominant principle Of our lives.
Again. Unitarians hold the Bible in the
highest reverence. They look upon it not
as the very word II God sent down from
heaven to man, to be accepted without
question, not rs an infailible text book on
ancient history and Hebrew antiquities and
early Christian philosophy but as store
house OF precious religious sentiments which
from the time We are born 10 the time we
lad m our graves minister to all our spirit
ual needs. The Bible is only fragment of
the divine revelation. but is nevertheless of
infinite value and Of perennial freshness
and help
Unitarians believe in man. in his nobility
IN his goodness, in the dignity of his ma
ture. We believe man is the child of God
and that all through this earthly life we are
scholars IN Gods fitting school Man did
not begin life III au Eden aud then fall from
perfection. The only fall Of man. as Beecher
used 10 say, was u fall upward Uuitarians
believe that man by nature is IA religious
being that II Is as natural for him u seek
6od to satisfy his spiritual hunger a, IL is
for him 10 seek food for his body and that
whoever seeks God will find him Uuita.
rams believe IN Christianity not in the the
ology OF Augustine, or Calvin. or Jonathan
Edwards, but in the spirit Of life and the
religious truths that were central in the RI.
hgious teachings Of Jesus and Paul The
christianity We believe in is not a dogma.
but the spiritual method of interpreting the
world. We claim the right Of private iudg
ment, aud think that Unitarianism is the
truest Interpretation Of Christianity. but
we do not think that our doctrine is the last
word upon this great subject No doubt
the years 10 come will mOdify our views
and eliminate many erroneous ideas.
Onitarians believe in Immortality that
man Is immortal by nature, and the future
life the natural sequence of this Men 20
To heaven or hell by their own free viii
We select our own company hereafter inst
as We do here There are as many bsav
ems as there are degrees of goodness and
intelligence, and there are as many bells ms
there are degrees Of wickedness and sin
Every man goes TO his own place" If
bad man dies he goes to the place he is nra-
pared Tor. lie meets the retribution which
MS eVli lie mas brought upon him, but God
Is always and everywhere a Father. and we
oeleve that IN the clearer light Of the spir
ltual world, men who have neglected the
way OF life here will see their fatal error
and their eternal loss, aud turn back from
the evil way, so that mot one soul shall ha
cast as rubbish TO the void when God has
made the pile complete" This does NOT
mean that God will not punish sin lint IN
suppose that any soul will hold out through
all eternity against the love of God il In
suppose that evil is stronger than goodness
and the power Of Satan than the love of
God. wv Vi
Onltarlans believe in prayer-the deyout
communion Of the soul of man with the
soul OF AH-the aspiration of the heart
aiter God. For myself Mr.. Phalen said
l cannot he satisfied that prayer is mere
monologue, having no influence except upon
myself believe there is "A spiritual world
an" 'hat the prayers OF Gods children count
for something"
Finally, Unitarians believe in the church
Not IN a close corporation or a company Of
sinless saints, but in the Church UniveEsaI
the fellowship Of all Gods faithful people
who associate themselves together for HI.
worship with a sincere desire To get yood
ana do good. I'VE make no secret a" tho
speaker said in conclusion. "of our desire
TO propagate our religious IDEAS and 10 con.
vert men. But we are not dismayed or dis
Outraged II the simplicity of our faith
should attract only the more thoughtful
our Tod Is not impatient. We are work
ing on long lines. We cannot nnticipate
the steps OF Providence LOYALTY and
enrhestness are our sure pledges of success
ahd II the Unitarian church never did any.
.hlhg more than TO compel a revision of tho
harsh creeds OF the past il would have coy
cred itself with immortal glory"
THE ANNUAL TOWN MEETING.
Inc warrant for the annual March meat
ing, which occurs on Tuasda, NJ