The record-union., 1893-01-09
TENNYSON And WHITTIER.
These Modern Poets Regarded as
Liberal Teachers.
Discourse on the Subject by Rev. T.
j. Horner at Pythian Castle on
Sunday Morning.

send to Boston for them. He quoted
from the text, "God is love-" Il John
iY., 16.l
'When from the terrors Of Nature a people
have fashioned and worship a Spirit OF
Evil,
Blest be the voice of the Teacher who calls TO
them, set yourselves freev"
These words from the little volume of
Tennyson's poems published since his
death, come ringing back to us as it were
from that other world to which he has
ascended. They have in them the clear
tones of inspiration commanding the at
tention of humanity to what it has been
worshiping and misnaming God"
These words from Tennyson come like
i benediction to us Unitarians, because
we have been looked upon as the enc
mics of religion, as the iconoclasts of
faith, when in fact for over fifty years the
Unitarians of Europe and America have
SIMPLY been crying, 'Set yourselves free
from all those systems Of thought inher-
tied trom the terrors of earlier ages which
have so long haunted the minds of Chris
tians and blackened the dome of the
hereafter. Our leaders, from Priestly
and Claiming down to DIR. Stebbins and
Minot Savage, instead of being mere
1conoclasts in religion, have held to an
idea of God that includes the whole uni
verse in his love, leaving no soul out in
utter darkness either here or hereafter.
They have asserted that the intellect
must never lay claim to an idea that the
heart denies.
The cry of both pulpit and pew has
been: 'Set yourselves free' from the
bondage of ignorance, sin and fear, and
then you viii be able to see God in
everything"
''Set yourself free'' from the bondage
of ideas in matters religious which darken
the character of God, degrade man, and
belittle the true spiritual genius of the
peasant prophet of Galilee TO the level Of
q spiritual medium.
Stafford Brook, in his History Of Eng
Lsh Literature" claims that the rise of
Unitarianism in New England gave birth
to race OF poets and prophets, whose
names are the pride OF the American peo-
pie. 1t was the Unitarian protest against
all narrowness and dogmatism in religion,
together with its appeal for grander
conception OF God ana a nobler idea Of
man, that inspired that fraternity of poets
OF whom only Holmes is left.
Emerson, Bryant, Longfellow and
Lowell were ours, while Whittier was
with us in all his thoughts of both God
and man.
Two weeks before he died, Whittier
said to friend of mine, speaking about
religion: "Hhey would call thee and me
Unitarians." A Quaker in his strong
faith in the 'inner light" he was a Uni
tartan in all his thought concerning the
Christ. The historical Jesus and the
Christ were not one and the same, but the
Christ to him was always a figure of
speech, by the use of which he meant
Gods divine manifestation in the heart
of man"
This idea is clearly brought out in
''Trinitas."
and still prayed, Lord let me see
How Three are one and One is Three.
Then something whispered, ''Dost thou pray
tor what thou hast? This very day
The Holy Three have crossed thy way.
did not the gifts of sea and air
To good and i'll alike declare
Ine eall-compassionate Fathers care?
I'm the white soul that stopped to raise
The lost one from her evil ways
Thou sawst the Christ whom angels praise!
"a bodiless divinity,
The still small voice that spalxe to thee
Was the Holy Spirits mystery!
ooh blind of sight; Of faith how small!
rather, and Son, and Holy call;
Ihis day thou hast denied them ALL
"The equal Father in rain and sun,
HlS Christ, IN the good to evil done,
His voice IN thy soul-and the Three are One.'
Not long since Joseph Cook preached
sermon in Boston, in which he claimed
both Whittier and Tennyson as Evangel-
lcal Christians. Toquote his own words.
as reported i'll the Globe, he said: 'FBoth
IennysOn and Whittier received the
Bible as the supreme rule of life. Both
believed IN the deity of Jesus. Neither
of them ever indorsed any heterodox
Sentiments.N
Now L cannot speak so confidently of
Tennyson's belief about Jesus as l can
about Whittiers, but if l know what
Evangelical doctrine is, it begins in the
idea tnat man is by nature a fallen being
prone to evil, and needing redemption,
which he can only receive through the
acceptance of the atoning merits of
Jesus blood. An eternity OF woe for the
unregenerate sinner, and an eternity of
happiness for those who are
Washed in the blood OF the Lamb
are necessary articles of evangelical faith,
else | was not properly instructed in nv
youth, and that was the spiritual food
my tender years were nourished with
Mr.. Cook, more famous out OF Boston
than in Boston, has the reputation there
of believing that he knows all that is
worth knowing, but certainly he Gid not
read these poets as | have read them, or
he would not have said what he did: but
for fear l read into them my own thoughts
l Will continue to allow them to speak
Tor themselves.
In his "In Memorian'' Teunyson saws.
Oh yet We trust that somehow good
VIII be the final goal Of ill
10 pangS Of nature, sins of Will
Detects OF doubt and taints of blood!
That nothing walks with airnless feet:
Ihat not one life shall be DESTROYED,
or cast as rubbish to the void
When God hath made His pile complete.
Is that evangelical? Our Presbyterian
friends in Cincinnati have inst con-
Gemned Professor Smyth as a heretic for
having Just such hope. We all know that
Iennyson was in the Church of England.
put toward McQuary was condemned
IN the Episcopal Church in Ohio for hold
ing views no more radical than Tennv-
son held.
Again, l say that eternal dannation is
one OF the cardinal doctrines of the aYar-
gelical churches. The American Board
makes belief in this doctrine necessary
for a missionary to the (enliohtanej,
heathen. Joseph Cook is almost ready
to night for 1t, revivals are always con-
Quoted upon 1t as a powerful argument to
convert and humble the poor sinners
while one Baptist minister in this citv
last October made the assertion that "a
population as great as San Erancisco's
sweeps into he'll every seven days"
(He must have been pretty well ac-
quainted with his majesty to know so
accurately the latest emigrant reports
from that country.) But when he re-
ported that the average Baptist Church
member pays but one cent and half per
week TO stem the tide he revealed the iact
tnat the doctrine is dead doctrine among
Bapists to-day.
II may be necessary article of evan
gellcal faith, but they do not really be-
AeNe 1t, nor did Tennyson. In little
poem called Faith'' he says:
Doubt no longer that the Highest is the
wisest ana the best
Let not all that sad,ianS r 3iy1,t +t,,- i,,,