The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-01

nASHA0 AOOOe
of God which endows them with worth
to be trusted with the government of the
great human family to which they be-
long. 1t is a tremendous ideal, but only
by this ideal can the democratic form
of government be justified, only in pur-
suit of this ideal are We to be carried
through perplexing problems and humil-
iating failures by a sure deliyerance into
the glorious liberty of the children of
God. Not only as Americans, but as
Christians, we may well have faith in
this political ideal, for 1t is nothing less
than the gospel of Jesus Christ, wrought
out into scheme Of government. press
ing forward to attain the Christian ideal
of freedom, equality and brotherhood
among men.
Our Ideals.
The ideals of the republic are the stand
ards of the church, 1t is the Christian
conception of life which alone makes them
possible of attainment. Now. to avoid dis
sipating our patriotism, on this day of
national thanksgiving, in mere orations o.
national greatness national prosperity
and national developments, let us focus
our interests upon some concrete mode
of making manifest these ideals which
are common and fundamental alike to
Americanism and to Christianity. How
far as freedom, equality and brotherhood
realized in the church which has beer
preaching freedom, equality and brother
hood not only one hundred and thirty
years, but for nineteen hundred years. Or
TO bring the question yet nearer hoSle
how do we manifest freedom, equality and
brotherhood in our parish church where
whatever we are as Christians and Amer
leans finds expression? 1t is a truism to-
day that freedom means not pnrestrained
license, but strict self-goyernmeIt AMI
conformity to law. st. Paul differentiates
liberty from responsibility in the eighth
chapter of his epistle where he says,
..Ye have not received the spirit OF bond
age again to fear" and then adds. but
ye have received the spirit of adoption.
whereby We cry, Abba, Father" 1t is
the libery of the children of God Re
liglon illustrates more universally tnan
anything. the dangers of a mineonstruc-
ton of liberty
Religion Once Bondage.
There was a time when religion was Il
bondage. God was worshlped in sefvile
fear. Men bent down before the altar ~
mortal dread either of the flame of per-
secution here or the flame of hell here
after. Great battles were fought FOR re
ligious liberty And religious liberty has
won the day. The religion Of love has
conquered the religion of fear Every
man is free to worship God according
TO the dictates of his own conscience That
is broad boast of our Americanisn
And now, in the very age when W.
have come most TO pride ourselves upon
our religious liberty and our broad toll
Grafton of religious differences. there IS
growing a wide consciousness of the fact
that Professionalism has Iald so much
stress upon the cry of religious liberty as
to hush to a mere whisper the voice of
religious obligation. Nothing has taken
the place of the Puritan conscience which
spoke with the sternness and authority Of
ecclesiastical inquisition. Much is said
about religious liberty and liberation;
very little is said about any concrete re-
ligious duties or vitality Indispensable prin-
ciples, religious. We have indeed been de-
1Vered from religious bondage. but We
have not attained the glorious liberty Of
the children of God, until we realize that
the love of God involves duties and re-
sponsibilities no less than those imposed
by the fear of God, until We try to rule
and order our own lives as relIgously as
mems lives were once governed by &C.
clesiastical tyranny, until our Lord Jesus
Christ, speaking to us through His churc1
which He founded and bought with HIS
own blood. is as real to us and as au-
thoritative as some visibly ensrine1 vicar
speaking ex cathedra. When we begin
so to realize the liberty wherewith Christ
has made us free with love, stronger
motive than fear in the exercise of that
liberty. then we shall begin to realize also
tn. civic responsibilities which attach to
political liberty; with patriotism a
stronger motive than sefshness in the
active discharge of the duties of citizen
ship. 1t is the church also which offers
the first opportunity for realizing true
equality and brotherhood among men. The
idea of political and social brotherhood
for which democracy stands is essential
to the life of the church Of Jesus Christ
Only so far as we can make 1t true in the
church can we expect to make it true
out in the world. Happily the church
has risen to much larger conception Of
church life than that which prevailed a
generation ago.
Regarding Episcopal Church.
What was at one time considered a dis
tinction, that the Episcopal church of
should be regarded as the
church of the arstocratie and opulent
alone, would now be looked upon a IS a
disgrace, repudiated as a characterization
more appropriate to social club than to
the apostolic and Catholic church of God
For club is a human organization which
is properly enough exclusive. 1t includes
only those who have certain social inter-
ests in common; 1t exculeds any one who
is not congenial to all of its members.
Its prestige and its very existence de-
pend upon its exclusiveness. But the
chruch, we know to be not merely an as