The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-04-01
'FACTURE { OUR


himself included, but not one who Is good
to himself only. Not goody, goody
man, but man good for something. He
is willing TO live and let live. Nay, be Is
willing not only TO work for his own
living, but he is glad 10 help less
fortunate brother. He is careful TO see
that he Is not burdensome to any,
and he is also careful to lend helping
hand to others In time OF need. He Is q
generous, whole soued public spirited
man. One who is kind aud lovabie in
his family and to those poorer than he In
wealth or culture, as we'll as toward the
respectable stranger and TO those who
are above him in public life and private
station. The supreme worth OF the
moral life may be set down az one thing
for which the Unitarian Church stands In q
pre- -eminent way. Do you think there is
any danger from having too much moral
ity in the world? The real danger Is that
there should not be enough! 1t Is moral
ity--obedionce to the sense OF justice and
equity between man and man that makes
civilized society possible. The most pro-
gressive nation is tho most moral nation,
because morality Is the spiritual health OF
humanity. We do not believe that
man is totally depraved as Is
taught in some churches. We do
not believe on the other hand that
he is morally perfect. We believe that he
is moral being however and that he Is
subject to growth in the direction Of his
best. AS we cannot help believing that
man is child OF that which gave him life
we are also led to believe that God, his
father, has at least as high a moral char
actcr as man. There are some creeds
and churches called Christian that
represent God as heartlcss, cruel tyrant,
infinitely more malicious and unjust
than decent human parent would think
OF being toward his child. ITO s~ys
sinners from the average wrath OF an
angry God" is the loudly avowed object Of
many churches. Unitarians do not wor-
ship that kind of God. A God who
must be fiattered, caloled and bribed to be
persuaded to do the right and kind thing
toward his own children we would call q
devil and would treat him accordingly.
We might fear him, but we would
not worship. We would kill
him II we could, but we would die rather
than pretend to serve him. With this
view in mipd i can readily understand
why many evangelical people in their
worship, as shown in song and prayer,
pay great deal more devoted homage to
Jesus, he Son, than to God, the Father.
Jesus is the soul Of kindness and compass
sion, ba, according to their teaching God
is eXacting, stern, pitiless and
jealous. The Unitarian can say to
one who worsnips that kind of
God, /" Your God is my devil" And my
evangelical brethren who worship Jesus
rather than such God ! can readily for
give. But when they inter that am an
ungodly ATHEIST for not worshiping
their devil they may be objects of my
pity but not of my sympathy.
We believe in o God of Justice, but we
also believe his other name Is Love, and
that the two are one. Although we be-
lieve in God who is a paternal Provi-
dence to his children, we do not believe
that man can do wrong with impunity, or
with any reasonable hope of evading
punishment. Nay, we do not believe in
any possible escape for the natural PEN
atty that follows wrong doing, either in
this world or the world to come. The
only escape from the penalty OF evil
doing is to cease to do evil and learn
to do good. And we cease doing
evil by learning to do good. We
do not believe that in moral
universe the moral law ought to be sus-
peuded or can be any more than can be
the laws OF gravitation. Gravitation
sometimes pulls down a decayed building
or rotten bridge. But il gravitatiop did
not operate with constant never varying
poll ell bridges and buildings would be as
fiimsy as cob-webs. Man is not under q
death warrant that he needs pardon
from the Supreme Judge and Father of
Life in order to live. II is not pardon
he needs SO much as punishment,
IL is that which may win him TO moral
life, which is much better than to escape
the penalty of sim. Let the wrong doer
boo taught that be must have the grace
and courage 10 take his medicine. Let
him be taught, not merely by precept, but
by experience that he cannot SOW wild
oats and reap wheat A No. 1.
Concerning future life Unitarians be-
lieve, that IL Is an outgrowth OF this.
They do not dogmatize or affirm
definitely just which II will be or how.
But they cherish the hope al fondly as
any. Their greatest fear is not that they
will die with the body's death, but that
they should be unworthy TO live beyond
the grave. The Unitarian believes that
the next world will be jost as much Gods /
world as this world, and they fear no
worse hells there than here. The hells
here are bad enoughl We believe
that the best way to keep out OF hell in
the future is TO keep hell out OF us now.
We believe that the best way TO keep he'll
out OF us is to try to keep IL out OF every
one else. The best preventive against
smallpox and typhoid fever is universal
cleanliness, wholesome food and health
ftl occupations for all. The gospel OF tho
disease germ for those who have ears for
no gefitler messenger is that we.are all OF
one blood, whether millionaire or tramp.
whether respectable or outcast, virtuous
or vicious.
Thus we welcome the teachings OF sci
ence not merely because they support the
gospel already cherished, but because
they seem 40 Us 70 be true. We accept no
written or printed record of the past or
present as an infallibIe guide to Gods
truth.
We accept the Bible of the Hebrew
Scriptures as guide TO the thought OF
mans relation 10 God as q spiritual AUD