Year: 1859




there exists m irreconcileable theological
difference, than il 1 had bombarded him
for whole year, and refused to touch
his hand ,....,.e., ,..at


What a pitiful thing it is to see men,
who have the chance Of saying what they
believe, who do say it two hundred times
a year, who write it, sing it, speak it,
and fight it; who, by all their social
affinities, by all their life-work, by all
positive aud most solemn testimonies,
are placed beyond misconception-a always
nervous lest they should sit down with
somebody or touch somebody, and so
lose an immaculate reputation for sound
ness Therefore men peep out from
their systems as prisoners in Jail peep
out Of ironbarred windows, but dare not
come out for fear some sharp sheriff of
the faith should arrest them. IL FIVE held
Theodore Parker's views, we should not
wait to have it inferred. Mea would hear
it from our lips, and hear it past all mis-
taking. And we are not going at our
time OF life to begin to watch over our
influence to cut and trim our senten--
ces lest some mousing critic should
pounce upon an infelicity and draw upon
us suspicion. We have never sought
influence, and we never shall seek it,
Any that we have now, came to us be-
cause we went straight forward, doing
whatever was right, and always believing
that loving heart was better Judge Of
what was right than cold and accurate
head. Neither is infallible Both made
mistakes. But the errors of the heart
dissolve in the kindness of mems natures
as ow-fakes dissolve in warm -bosomed
lakes, while the errors of cold intellect
pierce and stick like arrows. If | cannot
make my people understand my belief.
in fifty.two Sabbaths of the year, shall
not mend the matter by refusing to fol-
low the generous sympathies Of my heart.


No, the common people win not mis-
understand. Nor will practical Chris
tian ministers. They may differ from
my judgment, but they will understand
my deed. 1t is only those professed de-
tenders of the faith, who, having erected
suspicion into Christian grace, practice
slander as a Christian duty, that will be
liable to mistake. And it makes no diff
ference whether such men understand or
not. These men are like aspen trees
growing on rocks. In conceit and AFRO
gance they are hard as granite, while
they tremble all over like aspen leaves
with perpetual fears and apprehensions of
dismal mischief to GOMEZ


When Theodore Parker appears in his
representative character as theologian,
am as irreconcilably opposed to him as
il is possible to be. The things that ere
dear to him, are cherries and unspeaka-
bly, solitary and mournful to me. The
things which are the very centre of my
life, the inspirati on Of my existence, the
glory of my thought and the strength of
my ministry, are to him but very little.
l differ from him in fact, in theory, in
statement, in doctrine, in system, in hope
and expectation, living or dying, labor
ing or resting,-in theology, we are sep
arate, and irreconcilablc.


Could Theodore Parker worship my
God :? Christ Jesus is his name. All
that there is of God to me is bound up
in that name. A dim and shadowy
eff1uence rises from Christ, and that am
taught to call the Father. a yet more
tenuous and invisible film of thought ari-
ses, and that is the Holy Spirit. But
neither are to me aught tangible, restful
accessible.


They are to be revealed to my knowl-
edge hereafter, but now only to my faith.
But Christ stands my manifest God. All
that | know is of him, and in him.
put my soul into his arms, as, when l
was born. my father put me into my
mothers arms. l draw all my life from
him. l bear him in my thoughts hourly,
as | humbly believe that he also bears
me. For do truly believe that we love
each other II speck, particle, a
nothing, only mere beginning of some
thing that is gloriously yet to be when
the warmth of Gods bosom shall have
been summer for my growth and He,
the wonderful Counsellor. the Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace


And this Redeemer of the world, this
Saviour of sinners, accept, not only as
my guide, my friend, my deliverer, butas
an atoning God, who bore my sins upon
the cross, and delivered me from their
penalty. And, since MY life is spared
to me by him. l give to him that life
again. This hope of Christ is the staff
OF my ministry. First, highest. and in
measure beyond all other things. preach
Jesus Christ. And all other topics are
but arrows shot out of this Divine bow.
And this has been so for twenty years,
eleven of which have labored in Brook
lyn. And yet the Examiner is pleased
to reproach me, as if, against the sweep
of my life, and the current and testimony
of my being, | had gone to Boston to
give "eclat to an intidel enterprise. be-
cause gladly helped men who do not
agree with me in theology to do deeds of
mercy in which all good men are united


What must be the condition Of the
public mind, on the subject of Christian
charity when tho sin,nla cn-nnaratiop of