The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-02-02
CHEERFUL RELIGION.
Discourse by Rev. w. II. Alger at Mission
Opera Hall.

Discourse by Rev. W. Il. AIger at Mission
Opera Hall.
At present there is only one Unitarian
church in the city, that of which DR.. Steb-
bins is pastor, at the corner of Geary aud
Franklin streets There are a large mum.
Der of Unltarians here, but many of them
cannot attend that church, owing 10 its long
distance from their homes. Those who pro-
feSs that faith who live out at the Mission
have long wished to have church or con-
gregation formed in that neighborhoOd, and
1t would seem now that their hopes are
about to be realized.
Last evening service was held at Mission
Opera Hall, 2129 Mission street, under the
auspices OF the Unitarian Board of Missions
for this Coast. The Rev. Thomas Van
Ness. who has charge of the church in Ala
media and VINO is Secretary of the Board,
presided, and nearly 800 people were
present. During the service a quartet
composed of Messrs. f. NJ. Coffin, Harry
Baldwin, Ed Won Aderluug Jr.. aud W. A.
Fine, sang number of selections. After
MIR. Van Ness chad stated the object for
which the meeting was called, he introduced
the Rev. William X. Alger, well-known
Unitarian minister of Boston, who is on
visit to the Coast.and WHO delivered a dis
course on the subject "a Cheerful Re
ligi0n."
Choosing for his text Proverbs xvii:22
"a merry heart dOetn good like medi-
cine" the reverend gentleman said:
'What forms the basis Of cheerful reli-
gion? The conviction that the welfare Of
men is the will of GId. And is not this a
sound, even a necessary conc,usion? A
God who did not will the WE'LL being of
his children would not be a God, but 4
demon. The Creator designs that his crea-
lures shall be happy. In the universe of
God himself there is no evil. Evil as
merely relative, exists only in the universe
of individual experience, and even for the
individual it vanishes in even proportion rs
he is harmonized with tine absolute order;
his will with a realization of the divine will.
To say that the Maker wills our happi-
ness is not to say that happiness Is the SOW
ereign end OF our being. Our business is to
do our duty not to be mourning after happi-
ness, which will follow as n matter OF course
when our duty IS done. Enjoyment, there
fore, in its three grades OF pleasure, happi-
ness, blessedneSs, great and divine deSlder-
alum as 1t is, is never the aim of function,
but it is the normal companion, the charm
Ing signal of its proper performance. God
has endowed us with wonderful faculties
and filled our habtations with gOOdly
treasures. He SAYS: Enjoy yonr pleasures,
keep my laws. love one another, aud be
happy, expecting TO live forever with me.
To do this faithfully would be the natural
sequence OF a genuine, unadulterated rell-
gion. And could anything be more cheerful?
Why should the VOtary OF such faith sign
and be sad? Let all men dutifully obey
God, and lovingly Cooperate one with an
other as the angels in heaven do, aud this
earth then viii be heaven.
"CneerfulneSS Is a preventive OF danger
and barn. Bright hopes are fine tonic.
Happiness is the will of God, the unison of
the universe. A happy man is stronger than
an unhappy one. Enjoyment is favorable
10 goodness and virtue. To love your
Maker aud your neighbor do your Iecog-
nized duties and, with bounding heart, en-
| joy the world; this is cheerful religion"
In his peroration the speaker said: "There
are three forms of reigien-the raw relg-
ion, barbaric superstition; the arbitrary re-
| lisioD, morbid dogmas; and healthy religion,
| faith and loye"-and adjured his hearers to
| adopt the latter, religion of cheerfulness.
Mr.. Alger will preach at the Opera Hall
| every Sunday during the present month.
| but as yet no arrangements have been made
| for continuation of the ssrvices after that.