The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-04-01
UNITARIANISM.
It's Story Told in a Nutshell
by Rev. N. HoasIand.
Sermon at the Fourth Unitarian So
ciety Sunday in Unity Hall.

4.
the following sermon at the Fourth Uni
tartan Society in Unity Hall, yesterday:
Texts Deut. vi, 4-S; Mark xii, 29-3t.
Some of US have felt that our gospel
would be more attractive to our young
people IL they were instructed more clearly
and definitely concerning the funda-
mental principles of our religious teach
ing We remember ideas largely
BY remembering words, and especially
the youthful mind grssps words more
readily and holds them more firmly than
ideas now clothed ia one form of words
and now in another. 1t is recognized as
nm essential method in preparing
for an education to commit certain
rules. principles and definitions to
memory, word for word. The words
afterwsrd yield ideas. Then, too.
the me1norizing of words well chosen and
we'll packed with meaning enriches ones
vocabulary, adds 10 ones mental cash or
currency of inteIlectual exchange.
II in very seldom you hear anyone ask
ing what the Baptists or Methodists be-
lisve, orif any ono does ask such ques-
tion almost any one can tell them. The
principIos or main doctrines that these
churches hold are repeated SO often in
sermon, b1thortation = and prayer
that no one who ever goes into those
churches can ever forget them, Perhaps
one secret OF success in the evangelical
churches is that the preachers do not try
to teach something new every Sunday.
They are not afraid or ashamed of telling
IN old story. BY telling IL over and over
sgain they naturally acquire wonderful
dramatic skill in presenting it, just as
does the actor who recites his lines for the
thousandth time.
Persops have said to me that they
like 10 20 to church to hear something
new. Well, would rather hear them say
they like TO go to hear something true
and to be made more deeply loyal to it,
whether 1t be new or old. The problem
with most Of US is, we do not do as well as
We know. We need moral tonic Cat
least as often as once week.. We are
constantly In need of moral invigoration
and just here ] conceive is the true service
OF q minister in community. His best
service is to be moral inspiration both
by his preaching and by his life in the
conmunity seven days OF the week.
This observation, naturally, suggests
one essential element In the kernel Of
Unitarian doctrine Morality. All
churches are in favor OF Righteousness, all
Of them exhort people to cease to do evil
and learn to do good. But many OF them
nre afraid Of making morality prominent.
Sometimes 1t is said that mere morality
is a very dangerous thing. Frequently
evangelical people say that Uuitarians are
dangerous people in a community, not
because they are so bad. but
because they are SO good. There are peo-
pie in the West and there may be here in
Providence who would rather have hum
dred saloons in town than one Unitarian
Church. Now the reason for this feeling
is not that morality is objected to in it
sell, hut they fear that morality is not to be
trusted in for salvation. Did ] say
fear? They go farther than that.
They say that they know it. Since the
influence Of Unitariap Church is to
lead people to trust in a moral life, there
fore It but leads TO destruction. Now II
we mean by moral life what is usually
meant by the word is there any good
reason to fear that It will 10 any one any
thing but good either ii this world orthe
world. 10 come3 The moral life is the life
loyal TO the service OF fellow man and
what is of service to fellow man cannot
possibly iniure him here or any
where. The law OF moral cause
and effect IS as constant as the
law OF gravitstion. Namely that
ne who does good or evil is re-enforced by
the exact quality OF the moral act per-
formed. He who does good is re e-enforced
by goodness; he who does evil is weak
ened in moral power as an Inevitable con-
sequence of his evil doing. A good man
in the Unitarian estimation is not nee.
essarily one who has subscribed TO a
creed, or one who shouts loud or prays
long at the revival meeting. To the
Unitarian the good man is the one who
would be called good by people irrespec-
tive Of church, party or creed. The good