Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-03-30

TINT; speak unto the children of Israel
that they 20 forward '-Erodas NV Is.
am asked very often by those outside
our own faith, il Unitarianism has not
done its work; il it has not accomplished
that for which it was born, and il 1t does
not now exist simply as a force OF habit
custom carried on by the momentum of
the past until it has become al anach-
ronism.
1t has seemed significant to me always
that this questio is asked by others than
by those who are members OF its COM
munion. To us who have been born and
brought up in it, who have adopted it by
the free and conscious act of the mind
and heart, or W no have grown into it as we
have grown into the stature OF men and
women, such question does not present
itself. 1t may be profitable for US in
few minutes this morning to take this
question of our critics seriously and see
what have been the aims OF our church in
the past; what are it's aims to-day? DO
they justify our faith in that which we
love?
Mrs Fields in her Life OF Mrs. stowe,
speaks OF tnitaranism Ms being simply
the react ion from the severity of Calvin
ism, and quotes from Mrs. Stowe: The
party. called for convenience Unitarian,
consisted of persons OF the most diverse
and opposite shades OF opinion, united
only in the profession OF not believing
Galvinfsm ns taught hy the original
founders of Massachusetts.
DR.. George A. Gordon, minister of the
Old South Church, Boston, IN his "Christ
of fe-da4 Eives n most sympathetic aud
appreeJatiVe criticism OF the grand con
tributfau which tnitariaHi-m has made
to the intellectual aad retig foas life of
the century. Vel. alter acknowledging
this positively and gladlS. he is forced to
the conclusion that, grind rs the work
has been. 1t is nov done, and Rs a church
of the living God and the living present
it must contemplate some Kind of re-
turn, or ii must engage in n serious med
itaiion with deathH. .iordon, Christ OF
To-day p. lis.
One realizes the full force OF his reason
ing when ht reads rs an appendix To the
"Chr}-t Of To-day the address delivered
by its author III the pulpit OF Plymouth
church, Brooklyn, a few months ago.
''Catvitrisn i. Dead is the key note OF
that discourse. II this proposition be
true-and t Is not my purpose here to
contradict it-and il nitariansm be an
organized protest against talvinism, 1 hen,
truly it follows matter OF logic, that
Uniterianl-m, from sheer inactivity,
must pHss Away.
President Hyde, of Bowdon college, as
sympat hetIc in his criticism as the author
of the Christ OF fo-dsNo, comes like
that aut nor to the same general concur
sion4: "Unitarianism has been of inn
mense service a critic OF the extrava-
gancts and excrescences of orthodox ira
dlton. In performing this service 1t has
in great measure made the fatal mistake
OF accepting the deistic conception OF
self it cannot save" Hyde, "Outlines
of Social Theology, p. &C..
Among the congregations of the So
called .orthodoX" churches the same
opinion holds sway. 1t is an experience
by no means peculiar to myself, presume,
but | hear many times year from men,
beers of evangelical churches such ex-
pressions as this: I'VE had good
Unitarian sermon i'll our church to-day.
When | hear such statement | thank
God that it is true, and add my hope that
such sermons may become eventually the
rule, and not the exception.
But wish you to note that such tes-
timony cannot mean that the work of
the Unitarian church is done. Ii a
Unitarian sermon is not out OF place and
unnecessary in an orthodox pulpit, how
much more at home, how much more
fitting must it be in that church and to
that people who, met together to worship
God in the spirit and in the simplicity OF
truth, delight to hear the spirit OF the
Christ revealing itself in the language
and life OF day! | can conceive OF no
argument for our cause which should
bring to us as church half the satisfac-
zion afforded by this unconscious COM
pliment to our work and our worth.
The preamble to the constitution OF
these United States tells us that all men are
created free and equal, and have certain
inherent and inalienabe rights; that
among these rights are life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. How different
from this, the teaching of the civil creed,
WAS the teaching of the ecclesiastical
creed of the same day! All men are
created sinners, utterly indisposed, dis
abled and made opposite to all good and
wholly inclined to evil, created largely
to be damned
The church and the state are distinct,
hut YOU cannot teach as religious truth,
and make it move the hearts and lives OF
men, that which civil, business, and daily
experience prove as not true. AND SO
he conflict came inevitably and openly,
md I-tirarianism had its birth in this
conntry. not primarily as a revolt against
.h-o,-i.lirt nrder though 1t took that