The record-union., 1893-02-20

ones very soul. The voice of the Mas
ter seemed to be saying, The words
that | speak unto you they are spirit and
they are life.n
Phillips Brooks was not controver-
sialiSt, nor was he great theologian- be
took no active part in the development OF
new thought. That was not his forte. But
his whole life was d great witness to the
lndwelling presence OF God. be always
spoke of Jesus as 'the supreme illustra-
ton of the sonship of humanity and its
possible union with divinity" For the
emphasis which he placed upon this doc
trine he was mistrusted by many in his
own ministerial brotherhood ''as leaning
| toward Unitarianism," and had it not
been for the urgency of the laity, who
were devoid of jealousy, 1T is hardly likely
that he would ever have been made
Bishop. But it will not be as Bishop that
he will be remembered. The New Eng
land people have long been used to the
untitled name Phillips Brooks" and as
such he will always remain in their
memories, loved alike by people of all
denominations.
When he came to Boston from Phila-
delphia in 1869, the Congregationalists
were divided into two hostile camps,
known as Orthodox and Unitarian, and
so strained had been the relations between
the two members of the same family that
no courtesies were exchanged between
them. The Orthodox wing had set God
afar off in solitary and awful grandeur;
| the Unitarian wing i'll its reaction had
gained the reputation of being much more
negative and critical than it really
deserved. The Episcopal Church,
smaller then than either of the
others, regarded both with polite con-
tempt" self satisfied in it's own formal
fastidiousness. Like a small but ancient
family from away back in old England
it thought itself little better than all the
rest. But when Phillips Brooks came it
was though a genial sun had came out
from behind the November clouds, and
| from that day to this the warmth and
| spiritual life generated by his presence
has done more for true religion in New
| England than perhaps any other cause
and so we all delight to do him honor,
and now that he has gone all hearts feel
/ vacancy that perhaps can never be hlled
except as we all try to make our lives
conform to his ideal and for love of him
| be what he would that we all should be.
| Already preparations are making for a
monument in Copley Square, Boston, to
to perpetuate the memory Of New
/ England's greatest modern preacher, but
no bronze can outlast the influence of his
life, not only upon Boston and the people
of New England. but upon the civilized
world. on the day Of his death Minot j.
! Savage wrote these eloquent words:
Great bishop, greater preacher, greatest man,
Thy manhood far out-towered all church.
all creed,
And made thee servant of all human need,
! Beyond one thought OF blessing or of ban,
Save OF thy Master, whose great lesson ran,
THE great are they who serve" So now
indeed,
All churches are one church in loving heed
OF thy great life wrought on thy Masters
plan
AS we stand in the shadow of thy death,
| How petty all the poor distinctions seem,
That would fence OFF the human and
| Divine
| Large was the utterance fthy living breath;
Large as Gods love thy human hope and
dream;
Ard now humanity's hushed love is thine.