The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-02
DR.. BYRNES DELIVERS
INITIAL SERMON TO
A BIG CONGREGATION
Love and Brotherhood"
Theme of Stirring Address
by New Pastor of First
Unitarian Church

religion Of love and brotherhood
was the theme of the initial sermon
preached Yesterday by the Rev. Thomas
2. Byrnes. the new pastor OF the First
Unitarian church of Eirn .ngham at the
Pilgrim congregational church. before
large congregation. Dr.. Bvrnes is "A
forceful and logical speaker and an
orator of no mean ability. He he'd the
attention of his hearers closely
throughout his sermon. He said in part:
Greater love hath no man than that
he lay down his life for his friends.
said Jesus as he preached his gospel of
love and brotherhood among men. Love
is the heart and soul of Christianity,
and to awaken love and good viii
among men is still the supreme mission
of religion and the Christian church.
The first apostles and Christians
were band of friends and brothers
Emerson, the New England prophet
said That a friend was natures mas
terpiece Now what did Emerson mean
by such a strong claim?
We'll, L think something like this.
That when you have paid your high
est tribute to every form of human
greatness, and every type of human
service, that it still remains true that
the highest service which one man can
render to another in this world is to
be his friend, and the religion of Jesus
inspires that service and that friend
ship al it's best.
But I am told that Christian peo-
pies have not lived up to their ideals,
that Christian nations and people are
no more loving and friendly than the
un Christian nations and peoples. I am
reminded that struggle and conflict
marks human endeavar in every walk
of life.
WAR OF CHURCHES
II am told that there Is very little
real Christian brotherhood in the world
today. That human life is rent with
conflicts of all kinds, war of churches,
and clans; war of cliques and classes;
war between capital and labor, the ma
ton has just escaped a great labor
war between the men who work on the
railroads and the men who own and
manage them, that four-fifths of this
world is engaged today in bloody and
deadly world war.
II am told by the scientists that this
is a world of struggle and eternal con-
fiict, that nature is red with tooth
and claw that life is a battle from the
cell to man, from the Amega to saint.
from the wolf to the Standard Oil COM
pany, from the tiger to the trust.
81 am told that life is naturally self
ish, that self-preservation is the first
law of nature, that might makes right
in this world and that therefore this
world and all its prizes naturally be-
longs to the strong and to those who
can wrest them from their fellows in
the battle and struggle of life.
Yes, life is struggle for personal
victory and success, but that is only
one side of the struggle. Man struggles
to preserve his own life, but man
struggles still harder to preserve the
life of others.
1.-TWO sentiments have characterized
the march of life from the Amega up
to man, one the struggle for individual
life, the other the struggle for the life
of others. the life of the family, the
clan, the race, the nation, the humanity
to which we belong.
This spirit of love and brotherhood
is even found in the lower orders of
Ilife every ant hill is a friendly COM
munity whose social spirit could teach
many a great human city lessons In
brotherhood, and the spirit of public
service. Even wolves hunt in packs.
they befriend each other in the hour
of danger. they appoint their guards to
watch and guard the pack from COM
mon foe and danger.
This social spirit runs through every
order of life, but it finds its highest
exemplification in man and human So
ciety.
SPIRIT OF BROTHERHOOD
MAN is a friendly being. he is natur-
ally endowed with the spirit of broth
erhood,i the spirit of altruism is strong
in his nature, and so human life is full
of this spirit from the mother whose
heart goes out to her Maynard son, to
the fireman who rescues babe from
a burning building, from the philan-
thropist who succors the weak and
helpless, to the patriot who serves ana
who even dies for his country.
'In 1.-THE evolution OF life IL mas oeen
the most social and brotherly animals
which have best survived, and so in
| human society it has been the most
| frienAly man, and the most social and
/ brotherly nation that has best survived,
secured the most friends, and made It's
lown future the most secure.
"Sb science as well as religion sup
mort the sentiment of brotherhood; love
| is still the greatest thing in this world
and good will among men is sun the
highest social ideal, as we'll as the
highest achievement among men and
| in civilized society.
.In the religion of Jesus love and
Friendship is the gateway TO heaven
The lover of humanity is the noblest
| child of God. and the highest type OF
| Christian.
| This being the case the noeral
faith puts love and brotherhood In the
6rst Mace in it's teachings and prac-
| t;ces. a liberal church is church oil
lovers and friends. it aims to estab-
llish heaven here on earth by kindline
the highest sentiments in the human
heart. by tanning the fame of human
| love, by generating good will among
men. by reducing the conflicts and an
| tagonisms in human society.