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

1
sistent and trusted follower of the
meek and lowly, but divine Jesus.
The test of such discipleship is life.
IT is to work out, as best we may,
the destiny appointed us.
Who can say what specters of
doubt, what profound sorrow, and
what valiant soul-striving intervene
between this prayer of Tennyson
found in the earlier part of his SIN
Memoriam,
"Be near me when my light is low,
When the hood creeps, and the nerves prick
And tinge; and the heart is sick,
And all the wheels of being slow"
and that distinct note of spiritual
triumph in the latter part of this
same work, where he Asserts
Love is and was my King and Lord,
And will be, tho as yet keep
| Within his court on earth and sleep,
Encompassed by his faithful guard.
And hear at times sentinel,
|
| And whispers to the worlds of space,
In the deep night, that all is well.''
We believe that Tennyson was a
true Christian; but no man in mod
ern times wrought with 'sadder Sc
verify" for his faith.
Another man who has left record
that he arrived at "the everlasting
yea" through doubt. sorrow, and re-
ligious perplexity, is Carlyle. He
describes the last act in this spiritual
drama of his life after this manner:
with other eyes, too, could now
look upon my fellow men; with an
infinite love, an infinite pity. Poor,
wandering, hayward man Art thou
not tried and beaten with stripes,
even as l am? Ever, whether thou
bear the royal mantle, or the beg
gar's gabardine, art thou not so
weary, SO heavy laden? and thy bed
of rest is but grave.
"Oh, my brother, my brother, why
cannot I shelter thee in my bosom,
and wipe away all tears from thy
eyes! Truly the din of many-voiced
Life, which in this solitude, with
the minds organ, l could hear, was
no longer maddening discord, but
melting one; like inarticulate cries,
and sobbings of dumb creature,
which in the ear of heaven are pray
ers. The poor earth, with her poor
joys, was now my needy mother, not
my cruel stepdame; man, with his so
mad wants and so mean endeavors,
had become the dearer to me; and
even for his sufferings and his sins.
| now first named him Brother. Thus
was l standing in the porch of that
Sanctuary of Sorrow by strange,
steep ways had I, too, been guided
thither; and ere long its sacred gates
would open and the divine depth of
sorrow lie disclosed to me-"
But perhaps you ask, What has all
this to do with Christian Union? Ian
swer, Much in every way. For unless
we learn to feel with man by actual
spiritual contention with the foes
which beset him, such union is clear
ly impossible. This is what fellow
ship-personal union-with the Son
of Man means. 1t means the ability
to sympathize with the deepest dis
tresses and needs of humanity, even
as he did. Another lesson looking
toward Christian Union which these
citations from experience convey, is
the proper method of dealing with
much of the skepticism of the age.
1t is the unwilling skepticism of the
man who cried, "Lord, believe, help
thou mine unbelief." This skepti-
cism cannot be cured by bitter con-
troversy or hatred, but only by
sympathy and love. If we must
hate something, l think we will do
well to bear in mind the words of
Robertson in this connection, where
he says; 81 will tell you what to hate.
Hate hypocracy-hate cant-hate in
tolerance, oppression, injustice =
hate pharisaism-hate them as Christ
hated them, with deep, living, God
like hatred. But do not hate men in
intellectual error. To hate a man
for his errors is as unwise as to hate
one who in casting up an account has
made an error against himself"
III.
In the third place, Christian Union
will call for the exercise of the great
est faith and love. If it were thing
already realized it would be matter
of knowledge; but as it has not been
realized it is still an object of faith.
We look forward to it, and pray with
increasing confidence that the king
dom of heaven may come on earth,
that humanity may be one in justice,
righteousness, hope, peace. Still,
= Il. -. ,o- &kak Chr;of;on TTnso,, -