The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-07-31

asscmbly rooms in the /, o. {, I. block.
Mr.. Clancy Is tho southern auperin-
tepdont Of the Unitarian church, and
editor o! the Southern UHiarian, printed
at Atlanta, There was therefore much
interest felt in hls words.
He took as his text;
"Come now, and let US reason to,
pether, saith the Lord" Isaiah l; IL,
The Unitarian church accepts this
offer. 1t believes with the prophet, the
elder Isaiah, aud with the Spirit through
which he spoke, in the s%utItCIenoy Of
reason, as d way Of obtaining to the
knowledge Of religious things, Reason
is that light which lighteEh every man
that cometh into tho world. II is Gods
provision in tho nature OF man, for in
creasing revelations OF Himself, We
trust 1t and we make 1t q fundamental
rule in our church not to believe any
thing which is contrary to reason.
OF course we mean by reason some
thing moro than the logical understands
ing. Tho name as We use 1t covers all
the higher functions Of tho soul. includ.
ing moral judgment and spiritual de-.
light, That Isaiah used the two in this
large sense Ia shown by what follows:
Though yoursins be as scarlet, they shall
bo white as WOOL" and this merciful
deliyerance was to come as tho result OF
simple "obGdience" to his revealed law
OF mercy as better than sacrifice
When this word Of the prophet was
spoken, tho Bible, or the book which
We call by that name, was not in exist
cucc. Holy men speaking as they were
moved by the spirit OF God, made their
appeal directly to tho souls Of their
hearers. Out OF this usage among the
Hebrew people grew in time tho Old
Testament, which with the Christian
Scriptures make up the Bible. The
book cannot have any higher authority
than its authors had and they, as we
have seen, made their appeal to the
reasono OF men. Both book and phophetV,
therefore, speak from the mind OF God
to the mind OF man; and only as the
word finds response and confirmation In
the reason Is It relIgiously operative in
the lie Of the hearer.
This question Of the authority OF the
Bible must be settled before there can
DO any profitable discussion between
the differing sects OF Christendom. II,
as most OF tho churches claim, the
Bible is tho word OF God, or to state
the doctrine in approved orthodox
form; THE Scriptures OF the old and
new iestaments having beon given by
the immediate and plenary inspiration
OF God, are both in meaning and in
verbal expression, the word Of God 10
man, then
There's not to reason why,
There's but TO do or die"
But the church OF reason says that
the truth contained in the Bible must
be received as all other truth is received,
only on its own evidence as true.
Mr.. CLANCY then explained what was
the usage OF the Unitarian church in
It's reading and application OF Bible
teachings. While receiving and teach.
Ing whatever truth it contained, they
felt just ms free to dissent from unreas-
enable belief, immoral judgments or
incorrect statements OF fact in tho Bible,
as elsewhere. God did not scatter his
truth abroad, in tho Bible or out OF 1t,
for the idle to pick up, but he had
placed 1t like the orc in the mines, and
ordained that they who receive it shall
work for ii.
lie then told a story OF an encounter
he had once had with some ladies in
the English lakes. who sobesly asked Il
the Americans used "our Bible" and
his final answer to them, that the
Unitarians used the same Bible as
other churches, but mot as a fetisch."
These two preliminary questions
stated, tho preacher then proceeded to
explain tho views commonly held
among Unitarians on tho following
points: Man, God, Christ, Salvation,
Hell and Heaven. He referred to u
book OF his called "Belief," in which
these topics were treated at greater
length, and with moro iullness than he
could treat them in the short hour Of u
single service. And he also invited the
congregation to carry away with them
tho printed tracts AID sermons placed
near the door OF the hall.
Unitarians believe In tho Undivided
Unity Of God and not in any Trinity
in the Godhead. They believe in Jesus
as tho Christ or Anointed One, /. O., the
divinely appointed revealer OF spiritual
truth, The Holy Spirit as Unitarlans
believe and teach Is Gods spirit in its
moral and spiritual influence upon
mems souls, not u third person in tho
Trinity.
UnItarians believe In the divine capa.
city Of tho human soul, that man 10 only
truly man as God dwolls in him. They
look upon themselves and the present
race OF mankind az tho latest results Of
a long progress OF upward.tending lifo
on this earth, and they believe that
tGis process will 20 on aud lead mon to
higher reaches OF character and inlu.
GnCe.
They believe in Retribution both here
ana hereafter, Ns Paul whtos in his
letter 10 tho Galatians: "Whatever q
man aowoti that shall he reap. Ho
that sowoth 10 tho flesh shall OF the
uesli reap corruption; but he that
toweth to tho Bpirit shall OF tho spirit
reap eternal lifc." But this 10 not say
Ing that UnitarlaB believe In eternal
punishment No authority could make
such a doctrine as that credible to
Ohilarians. It c%ontradicts tho Father
mood Of God and Ia therefore lnconsist.
eni with tho fundamental faith oil
Unitarian christianity.
In my view" said tho speaker, "hcll
Is sin oycrtakon by Its natural consO'
qlencGs, whether In this world or any
V'hct" Hospitals, prisons, ruined
homos will show IL to you bettor than
nly lmagined pit Of Tho future world.