The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-11-14

now regarded as part of mans COM
mon spiritual heritage. Having joined
as one choir in these heavenly and
angelic songs, the Christian world
will not forever remain separated in
purpose, in spirit, and in fraternal
communion. All will know from the
least unto the greatest that there is
one God, and that he is their Father.
But the chief reason for the faith in
US of Christian Union is Christ him
self. Merely to look on him is to be-
lieve in the supremest good; and to
be personally identified with him is
to commit ourselves in life and in
death to his more than imperial reign.
Who can doubt that in him we
have sure prophesv of the fulfill
ment of the noblest aspirations, and
the intensest longings which ever
had place in our being? Is he not
Emmanuel, God with us9 Will not
all power, dominion, and glory finally
be revealed in and through him'
The age of faith is not passed and
the most that philosophy and science
can do is to furnish a hint of the
greater, and still greater things in
which we may and ought to believe.
Only slowly have we as mortals been
arriving at the stupendous truth,
that humanity is One, and that
through it the very God breathes,
acts and lives. One, and one alone,
among the children of earth seems
to have been fully conscious of this
verify. He lived nineteen hundred
years ago. He called himself the
Son of Man, which being interpreted
is the Son of Humanity, and he has
been silent witness to this truth,
through good and i'll report, through
centuries of honor and centuries of
shame, ever since that time. Oh,
brethren, if we only had faith what
unions, what blessed communions
we might enjoy, even here
| have said, however, that Chris
tian Union demands love as we'll as
faith. Did you ever stop to consider
that personal union with Christ an
nuls many of the bonds which have
been made an excuse for separation
between man and man from time
immemorial?
He laid the ak at the root of the
tree when he said, "He that loveth
father or mother more than me is not
worthy, and he that loveth son or
daughter more than me, is not worthy
of me; and he that taketh not his
own cross and followeth after me, is
not worthy of me-" This is not say
ing that one shall not love father,
mother, son, daughter, and his own
life; but it is saying that the occa-
sion arrives when if we do not love
the Christ in the hungry, the thirsty,
the stranger, the naked, the sick,
and the criminal, more than we do
the members of our own household,
and even that of our own life, then
we ale not worthy of him. This may
be a hard saying, but who can be-
lieve for moment that there can be
such thing as Christian Union in
the world without this all-pervasive,
this God-like spirit of humanitarian
ism? Never can there be a perfect
union inside the church until the
like is obtained outside it. 1t is the
thought of the one lost sheep which,
in spite of the ninety and nine safely
within the fold, drives the shepherd
into the wilderness there to search
until he finds it, and bears it home
rejoicing.
How marvelously are we shut up
to lovel l go through the heart of
yonder great city. and l am simply
appalled, at sight of the poverty, the
wretchedness, the misery, the be-
stiality, the wickedness, which looks
out upon me there. But for all this
there can be only one cure, and that
is-Love; not our poor, weak, faith
less human love, but that Love of
God in Christ-that Christ with
whom we enter into vital union when
we drink of the cup and eat of the
bread-signifying that his blood was
spilled and his body was broken not
alone for you and me, but for every
member of the family of man. Chris
tian Union will be misnomer until
loves redeeming work is complete
and there is but one kingdom on
earth and in heaven.
1t is our privilege and joy as a
branch of the church to labor in be-
half of this union. l think we are
moving farther and farther away
from the ancient folly so audaciously
entertained by some of US, that the
world was at last to be converted to
xx,ou ~ o0I