2 10 26 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/1fca50c0e8d1b69765a19048c487c946.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=PRfZP-NtN7-pZbsVDYVk4mdNL3WrpwxkeqQj8oG1lu2wX%7EALIP8AkNrwhtRIaJRKbgVqFjHlcjG266w4vaDYTp-lbPck-Yquh6suayot27KHBElPCylre-p22jnGG1HRttovTXo7ZbPGROmbEJ0Fk1rFCV5Yta-2a%7EDaCeq1kHnweDqvU6ml7WwAAFv1NsWQyA%7EmTdKmfpuS7PX2pFAhUu1YPp%7ERinjZLc0PVIhe8xzjcPB8CaV-kKHqdkfy1PcL3FNNFVA6db39%7EMt7pTW5Su0wPibCtmWH18cws8pl3UXqaebMDLSwWhVl2x-jKFX43EU4WVUJmVlopDvXG7tfAg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 894da23f8446e91f032fc71fa29c9c18 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Victorian Blogging Description An account of the resource A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes. Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk. <img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conway Hall Library & Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Conway Hall Ethical Society Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Pamphlet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Report of the third meeting of the National Conference of Unitarian and other Christian Churches held in New York, N.Y., October 7-8-9, 1868 together with the conference sermon, the constitution and by-laws of the conference and a list of accredited delegates Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource National Conference of Unitarian and other Christian Churches Description An account of the resource Place of publication: Botson, Mass. Collation: 153 p. ; 23 cm. Notes: The sermon was delivered by Rev. Henry W. Belllows. From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Alfred Mudge & Son Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1868 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context G5180 Subject The topic of the resource Unitarianism Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a> This work (Report of the third meeting of the National Conference of Unitarian and other Christian Churches held in New York, N.Y., October 7-8-9, 1868 together with the conference sermon, the constitution and by-laws of the conference and a list of accredited delegates), identified by <a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a>, is free of known copyright restrictions. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Conference proceedings Conway Tracts Unitarianism https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/e65877739f5d80adbf8fb44104d5aa0a.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=F3QADAnopwflhOGLbn14vCHoX2szipeeFOxX9PQ6Mx-T1hOvqm505XnmdRbRWTJ6YcUEZSDorP8doqDxUmnM-jCOTsMIorHlkw8d5lxOb9Ug9mWJayoudCokoW9CXYsIMsUGujAGzQ18AesXK9iMeIJEEveUGPig7E0EL9aRzn2ItHqf5UxLi5GknhB6rrfoz6EYAI%7ErBvGvolTCKaKpzy%7Ej1GL9r4lKuUO2xKnW1Hhsk6JvjWw3ZmtMLwiBhdkBePA9-kdpZoluD3hgRye4dHtUNrGWrvekorRz8D31E6lSkRzrE5qTe0X7-0NqXAzPfa3xHJz1-NVCyCZVSQDr4A__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 67d1a1d9aafc71f31149cb1e1ce0c1b7 PDF Text Text 1874.] Charles de Montalembert. 45 CHARLES DE MONTALEMBERT * • The service which this distinguished man rendered to the United States during our civil war, and his able and generous plea for us at a time when half the European world were against us, should .give him a claim upon our attention, and lead us to make acquaint ance with his character and life. We confess that we know very little of the works of Mrs Oliphant, but we feel after closing ^he pages of this book, that a mind which could draw,such a graceful and delightful picture of its hero, and at the same time make so fair, so broad, and phil osophical an estimate of his character, must possess no common culture and ability. There is not, in our opinion, one dull page in this Memoir. It is contrary, at the same time, to all the re ceived laws of good biography, which generally *equire that thet r author should keep himself and his views out of sight as much as possible. If the writer therefore had made an uninteresting book, we should have the right to' complain; but he who succeeds, makes laws for himself. We have something here far more comprehen sive than a series of facts, however valuables We have a grand colossal figur'e, standing out amid the pigmjes of the past half cen tury in France, painted, by the hand of affection, and in the glow ing yet chaste colors of an artist, who saw the original in no false iight, but noble and beautiful as he really waslIt is not our purpose to make a complete review of this book, but there are some elements in the character of Montalembert which are peculiarly fitting for us to contemplate in this age of the world. So-called Liberal Christians are too apt to believe that liberality of thought must inevitably belong to at mind that accepts radical opinions in religion. Hence our unseemly haste to force a man, by the charge of cowardice, out of the communion where he was born, * Memoir of Count de Montalembert, Peer of France, Deputy for the Department of Drubs. A Chapter of recent French History. By Mrs. Oliphant. �46 Charles de Montalembert. Mar.] • and which he loves. We forget ’that human nature is not a math ematical machine, which must continually repeat that two and two make four, or else be charged with failure. We forget how many different elements it takes to make up a man, and so, because he has got hold of some one great truth, we are impatient with him, that he cannot see others close under his vision. It is a trite saying, but we cannot hear it too often, that liberality is a qual ity that lies more in a man’s character and heart, than in his way of thinking. We have in Montalembert a good illustra tion of this truth. There never was perhaps a more ardent, un swerving, and some would say fanatical Roman Catholic than he. In the glow of youth, with life all before him, eager to rouse his beloved church to a sense of its privileges and responsibilities, he calmly puts aside his weapons of warfare, and like a docile Son of the Faith, renounces his cherished hopes, because an old man, the Pope, whom he believes the Father of Christendom, bids him lay his hand on his mouth and be still. Who would dare charge him with moral cowardice ? Courage has nothing to do with these inexplicable emotions, proceeding from the religious imagination, born with our being, growing with our growth, heightened by the associations of youth, and sanctified by the sorrows 'of after years. The logical critic, the religious economist, have nothing to do with such a character. They read him exactly as they read the Bible ; ready to square everything with their line and plummet, impa tient at inequalities, and disposed to reject the whole if they can not accomplish their object. We cannot discover that this sacrifice of his will to that of another equally fallible injured the mettle of Montalembert’s'character, or dimmed his vision of abstract truth. We all have our ideals. This was his ideal: Whatever the Pope’s private failings, he as the great Bishop of the church below, wore the mantle of Christ, and commanded the entire devotion of the faithful. As to the doctrine of the infallibility of the Pope, he never accepted it, and he little valued his temporal power. Montalemb.ert’s love of civil liberty was in no way impaired by his obedience to the church, although he seemed to hold the opinjon of Plato, that “ the acceptance of established opinions must precede and aid the private judg ment, because the mind which submits to lawful authority is most �' 1874.] Charles de Montalembert. 47 likely to possess real independence, in distinction from that coun■ terfeit which is only a slavish fear of a creed.” His efforts in the cause of free education were unceasing. He accepted the powers that were, — that is, the existing govern ment in France, — but reserved to himself the right to oppose them constitutionally when their measures went against his sense of right. It was a hard lesson which he endeavored in vain to teach France after her terrible memories. He tried to show her how to curb legitimately her tyrants and demagogues, without the awful necessity of revolution. He felt the truth of the say ing of a distinguished Frenchman, tha| “ France. had wit, indus try and even genius, but not character.” He had such a hor ror of anarchy and bloodshed, that he was ready to accept Louis Napoleon as the only salvation of the Country. His loyal soul never suspected treachery^ and the President of the • Republic became the Emperor before his eyes were opened. Between him and Louis Napoleon unmask® there could be no real sympathy. The Emperor cast him off as soon as he no longer needed his services. His political life s^denly ceased. In the prime of life, in the vei^heat of the contest, flushed with the consciousness of his own pow^s, and wakened to the delightful fact that he had the ears of his fellow-mea he was compelled by the insolent power of one man to lay off his armor, and Satire from the field. He had reached the most httliant period in his career. Nothing could equal the effect of his speeches before the assem bly. When in early life he had the whole house in opposition to him, even then he chained their attention. It was such a novel spectacle to see in that blase circle of men, a young nobleman so high toned, so impassioned, so bold, and so religious. But often in later years — as, for instance, when he made an appeal against the intolerance of the Swiss Protestants towards the Catholics — he brought down the house with wild plaudits! The Jesuit party in Germany to-day might well invoke his memory, for though he was no Jesuit, he always took the side of the oppressed. In regard to his speeches it is difficult to describe them. We have very superficial ideas of French eloquence. We form our ’ opinions from the melo-dramatic sayings which come to us in the time of revolution. The public words of Lamartine, of Victor �48 Charles de Montalembert. Mar.J Hugo, and other distinguished men, have a sentimental air that does not suit our Anglo Saxon tastes. We defy any one to make this criticism of the speeches of Montalembert. They read ad mirably, which is a great deal to say of such fragments as appear in this life, — a public speech being supposed to depend so much upon the voice and manner. There is very little of historic allu sion, as in our great speeches, there are few illustrations, or figures, no arts to attract the attention, but simply the overwhelming ap peal of a nature that cannot rest until it has convinced you. Sometimes it is the cutting, calm, repressed satire of the avenger of meanness and injustice; sometimes the lofty conviction of the religious man who loved his church like a lover; sometimes the generous plea for the rights of humanity, denied to his bitter opponents; and sometimes, as when he took his seat in the French Academy, the grand survey of intellectual truth and liberty. Two other men figured largely in France during the life of Montalembert. They also had their mouths sealed and their young aspirations quenched. One of them, Lacordaire,1"was of an elastic temperament like Montalembert, and when repressed in one field of action he broke out in another. The other, Lammenais, was of a different nature; he could not struggle with destiny. His whole life was embittered by his cold reception at Rome, and the impossibility of carrying out his cherished plans for the enfranchisement of the church. A country which can produce three such men in one generation, need not be despaired of, much less a church. Whatever may be its local and political prejudices against the Reformed Catholic party in Germany and Switzerland, the Romish Church in France must see, that if it is to live, it must widen with the march of civilization. It may do it in its own way, the way best suited to the genius of its people. Happy would it'be for France, if the church would inscribe on her banners the names of these three great men. Montalembert published several volumes during his life. One was a memoir of St. Elizabeth, another a sort of romance founded on the lives of two friends. His article on the Triumph of the North, and the Question of Slavery in America, is full of clear �1874.] Charles de Montalembert. 49 good sense, and delicate appreciation of the condition of things in this coilntry. His greatest work, 44 The Monks of the West,” he left unfin ished. In the preparation of this book he called to his aid all the richest treasures of sacred art and history, amid the retirement of his literary life. The thoroughness of his research was only equalled by his enthusiasm, which threw a halo of subdued and beautiful light around the lives of those early fathers of the church and floods the whole book with a warm religious glow. One day his beautiful and beloved daughter came to him with a sweet smile upon hefr face, and announced to him her desire to enter a convent; and when he remonstrated with her, she turned towards his table, and faid her hand upon the manuscripts of this book, and said, 44 Here, my Father, is wher<T have learned to pre fer the monastic life to all others.’? He was struck dumb. He had not thought of the practical effect of the book upon the life of to-day, but only of the beauty and sanctity of the past. He strug gled with the feeling of the fond parent and let her go, but he never recovered from what he called his 44 grande desolation.” The latter part of his life he spent in his country house, an old Chateau, which he remodelled with much taste. He loved his trees and lands like an Englishman, and respected his humble neighbors, who, strange to say, with the fickleness of French peas ants, ripped up the bark of his saplings, and injured, his dwelling, whenever any out-break at the capital encouraged them to make raids upon those who were noble or rich. He bore it patiently, for he had long been used to ingratitude from his country and church. So passed away a noble life. When will France have another son like him ? Martha Perry Lowe. 7 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Victorian Blogging Description An account of the resource A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes. Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk. <img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conway Hall Library & Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Conway Hall Ethical Society Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Pamphlet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Charles de Montalembert Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lowe, Martha Perry [1829-1902] Description An account of the resource Place of publication: Boston Collation: 45-49 p. ; 23 cm. Notes: A review of 'Memoir of Count de Montalembert, peer of France, deputy for the Department of Drubs. A chapter of French history'' by Mrs Oliphant. Martha Perry Lowe was a 19th-century American poet. She supported women's rights, temperance, education, and Unitarian organisations. From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. For content of complete issue see: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.8906965 (accessed 11/2017). From the Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine. Vol. 1 (March 1874). Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available [Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine] Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource [1874] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context G5434 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /> This work (Charles de Montalembert), identified by Humanist Library and Archives, is free of known copyright restrictions. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Subject The topic of the resource Unitarianism Charles Forbes Rene de Montalembert Conway Tracts https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/6533fb417d63c47cb7a7d859ab08ade3.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=TfRPwG68y-U%7E2qiZ0z9-dxj6Zx8z-OqnkyewHAQsHzLmMBoaClJSP-uMiYyUt9d2Ctysj%7Ea1pFO7dTC8MHz3d0myelIkwMDLBuz1p0uan4Rz7bIGmDQ9iQdwxYvaEqK2tJR4prhDaP23EkTxFn25DmWlbcCXmHfLKbJMDE1bCJ%7EO6tVTA9vjhw1zYY-G9yHTWIlfOOn8LOLWzJvpAy2Kg537szCuELV407L8jdvPf2FmQLO5aaAkC1c-2NJJCw2JPP8eYbor9A2FYose3Apy5cD5owJidN1b%7Es3YLaHy46fxR0JErirY4AH5o-chDf-PZFttXkBFjWricvNXzFJyeg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 8a1acd6db165ee481f0c3b3334216870 PDF Text Text 1874.] The Unitarian Name. THE UNITARIAN NAME. 31 cX In adopting the title “ Unitarian Review ” we have gone coun ter to the advice of some whose judgment we so much respect, that we feel called upon to give an explanation of our reasons for taking this, rather than some one of the attractive titles which have been variously suggested to us, by those who have taken an interest in the arrangements for this Review. The primary reason is that this name most simply expresses its purpose and the place we intend it shall occupy. We hope to make it representative of the thought and life of the Unitarian branch of the Christian Church. In the multiplicity of excellent periodicals, among which are several th^l are thoroughly liberal, both in spirit and in culture, we should hesitate in assuming the right of this journal i© exist,, if it were not that here is a place which no other attempt® to fill, and! in which we believe there is important work to do. But this general consideration, however satisfactory it might have seemedti© first adopting the title, leaves still unanswered certain serious objections which have been urged against it and which deserve a rep^ The first is that “this name,” it is said, “ will prevent any wide circulation outside our own particular denomination.” In answer to this we would say, — I. Supposing this assumption to be true, the laudable desire which is the basis of objection is perhaps already.sufficiently provided for. Our leading Unitarian writers are now welcomed as regular contributors to the Secular periodicals which have the widest circulation — and eve® y||thl most popular and influential religious journals of other denominations. Besides this, * Old and New,” established on precisely this plan, of carrying our liberal views far and wide, by reason of its breadth and its freedom from denomi national limitations, still exists, with a reputation which is perhaps as extensive as that of any periodical in our country, and is welcom ing to its pages the best of liberal thought and culture. We re peat, that our only raison d'etre is in our attempting a different plan; and the more we have considered the subject the more we have felt satisfied that this plan deserves to be tried. �32 The. Unitarian Name. [Mar J II. Perhaps we have carried our notion about' leavening other denominations quite far enough, and there may be some use in try ing to cultivate and unify and energize our own. We shall con sider it no unimportant service if we can help to increase in the Unitarian denomination that sentiment of unity and that interest in itself and its position, which, in any organized body, is an element of life. III. But we are willing to confess that this purpose of service within our own denomination is not our main desire, and we most justify to ourselves the choice of name precisely on the ground that we wish to reach and influence so far as possible the general current of thought and life of our time. And our argument is this: that what we may lose in diffusiveness we gain in concentra tion. It is doubtless much for the summer’s growth that the at mosphere shall be suffused with moisture, which the leaves inhale and which sparkles every morning in refreshing dew-drops on the exulting plant: but it is also good that the moisture shall some times gather in a rain-cloud and break upon the earth in a hearty shower. And so, glad as we are that our Unitarian writers are permitted to swell that general liberalizing influence which, in all kinds of literature, is doing so much to soften and invigorate the thought and practice of our age, we venture to suggest that they would have an added power if they could sometimes bring their force together. The able papers now contributed by these writers to orthodox or secular journals do much to keep open the doors of Christian fellowship, and we would not have them withdrawn — but, as to influence, they exert only what, individually, their intrin sic excellence commands. Whereas, if some of them were col lected, as we propose, under the distinctively Unitarian name, they have, besides, the force which comes from their being the opinion of a body of Christian thinkers, who, together with the yet larger body of sympathizers whom they represent, have valued these religious opinions enough to be willing, on account of them, to separate themselves from the established churches, and to organize for worship and for associated activities. “But,” it is urged again, “there is a prejudice against the Unitarian name which will prevent these pages from being read at all by the class of persons whom we most wish to reach.” �1874.] ■ The Unitarian Name. 33 Our first impulse always is, when we hear friends speak of this “ prejudice, ” to suggest that they try to do such prejudice away, by connecting with the name “Unitarian” the best fruits of their own thought and'life which are really due to its principles, and thus to win for it a respect. But, in point of fact, we think this objection is to a great extent un founded. It is true that there may still be persons, who hold the sentiments which prevailed so largely half a century ago, when the word “ Unitarian” gave a shock to the pious in some religious communions, and would have debarred our books from their tables and ourselves from their fellowship ; but this class of persons may safely enough be left to the mollifying influences of the time, and to the generous teaching of their own denominational journals, so many of .which are nobly rooting out the spirit’of intolerance and preparing the way for a true and large Christian fellowship. And, on the other hand, we have reason. to know that there are great numbers of inquiring men and women,*n the so-called evangelical ranks, who are not only willing to read these writings, but are eagerly asking for information as to the result of Unitarian thought upon the pressing questions pertaining to theology and philosophy and religious faith. They know perfectly well that to read our publications does not commit them to our opinions. They would ridicule the idea, either that they would be in danger of being contaminated by our heresies, or of being subject to censorship by their brethren for reading them. Thinking people nowadays dare to read, and will read, anything that can help then!; and, provided our-contributions are valuable, the best portion of other denomina tions will thank us for bringing them conveniently together, into something like a representative review, — instead of our asking that they will take the pains to hunt them up in the great field of the world’s literature where they are scattered now. Perhaps this consideration has impressed itself upon us more strongly from the fact that, during a visit in Europe, with some opportunity of meeting persons of different views, who were interested in the progress of religious thought, we were often asked where they should look for the best information in regard to the current sen timents and character of the church to which Dr. Channing belonged. 5 �34 ' The Unitarian Name. ■ [Mar* There is, however, one objection urged against our assumption of this name, with the spirit of which we so completely sympathize that we cannot omit to consider it. The objection is, that, by thus putting at our front the name of a sect, we help to check the prog ress towards that grand Christian unity in which denominational lines shall disappear. One of those whose counsel we most value has written to us that he fears this name will disappoint those among us who have heretofore been glad to have the Religious Magazine “ look to a broader, freer, and more catholic fellowship among Christians than any one denomination can have.” If the adoption of our denominational name were going to change this generous attitude and this catholicity of spirit, we should be the last to wish to assume it. We believe, however, that this catholic spirit is the natural and inevitable result of the princi ples of Unitarianism, and that we are fostering it best when we do our best to make Unitarianism prevail. There are, of course, individuals in other churches as generous and broad as any in our own, but there is certainly no Christian body whose professed principles so directly encourage such a spirit. Unitarianism recognizes, as no other organized sect of Christendom does, that Truth has many sides, and that, in all the seemingly conflicting systems, there are elements that cannot be spared, and thus it teaches us to respect the honest convictions of those whose belief differs from our own. It also recognizes the superiority of the heart and will, above the intellect, in religious culture; and it accepts the Christian life as a truer test of fellowship than intellectual consent. May we not also add, that the differences among enlight ened Christians of the present day are largely in regard to dog mas which , are embodied in ancient creeds, and that Unitarianism has this advantage over others, in favoring the approach towards unity, — that it has no such creeds ? We fear that the large and generous spirit, so conspicuously shown by many of our denomination, and which we also seek to share, has sometimes lost much of its wholesome effect because it has led them to oppose denominational action and increase. And this has been the result, partly, because it has weakened the spirit of associated action, — which is the great secret of efficiency, — and partly, because, with those whom we most seek to win, the gener- �P'74.J The Unitarian Name. 35 osity has been in a measure despoiled of its value through a mistake as to its motive. They, however unjustly, have inter preted this catholic disposition towards other sects into indifference to our own. They tell of a country, somewhere in the East, where ecclesiastical politeness is carried so far, that, when two persons of different faith meet, one says to the other, “ Tell me to what sublime religion you belong, that, when we are together, I may call my self by it; my own contemptible creed is, so and so.” We do not tvish, by this, to caricature a sentiment of broad tol eration with which we so sincerely sympathize, but only to suggest that a generous attitude towards other, forms of faith is worth the more when it is coupled with earnest loye for one’s own independ-' ent convictions. The recent meeting of the Evangelical Alliance in New York, which, with all its shortcomings, was one of the grandest ecclesi astical events of the year, found- its best sigrfhcance in fhe circum stances that so many different sects, each adhering to its own sep arate organization and form of worship and belief) had nevertheless come to recognize a common bond to unite them that was far more essential than the differences that divide — and thus were ready to own each other as parts of the Christian church, and to consult and labor together for God and man. Rev. Dr. R. D. Hitchcock expressed this selmnfeit -well, in his address before the Alliance, when he said, — “ Each sect has its own errand. The doBtBnes are not yet settled. We have, strictly speaking, no oecumenical creed, not even the apostles’ creed, for each one of us interpret^it for him self, making it mean more or less. Controversy must still go on ; but we are very foolish to have it do so bitter. Communion is one thing; intercommunion is another thing; just as national law is one thing, international law another. Into the family of nations the door is wide, admitting some nations that none of w would like to belong to. But anything that governs at all is better than anarchy. In Palestine beyond the Jordan, among wild Bedouin men, Turkish troops are welcome to the traveler. So, in the' church, Coptic Christianity in Egypt may be far enough beneath our idea, but after all the cross is over them and not the crescent. For myself, of course I prefer my own communion, or I would �36 \ ■ The Unitarian Name. [Mar. leave it for another. But God forgive me if I ever looked or shall ever look into any Christian face without finding in it some thing of the old family look.” Perhaps, after all, the Unity of the Christian Church, for which we long, may not involve the merging of Christian sects, but only the filling them all with a spirit of harmony while each performs its separate mission — a unity like that of the “ body, with many members,” every one of which, when properly adjusted, ministers to the welfare of the whole. We are glad to believe that one of the peculiar functions of the u Unitarian ” member is, to cultivate a largeness of sympathy ; and we hope, at any rate, in the conduct . of this Review, to make it appear that we labor for the efficiency of our own denomination, with nonarrow sectarianism, and that we shall never exalt the interests of the denomination above the inter ests of the Truth. Again, we have been urged, in case we adopt the title “ Unita rian,” to use also the word “ Christian,” in a second title. In reject ing this counsel, we wish to explain that it is certainly not because we fail to accept this word as larger and better than Unitarian, but because it is necessarily implied, and needs not to be repeated. “ Unitarian ” means “ Unitarian Christian” as much as “ Baptist,” means “ Baptist Christian,” or “ Orthodox,” “ Orthodox Chris tian” or “ Protestant,” “ Protestant Christian.” To be sure, there was a dispute, some years ago, in connection with a bequest to one of our large institutions, by the terms of which the money was to be applied to the support of “ Protestant Teaching” and some claimed that an atheist was a Protestant, and that “ atheistic teaching ” ought to be maintained. But the courts decided that law as well as common opinion assumed the word “ Christian ” as part of the word “ Protestant,” fixed there by the authority of three centuries of use. Certainly the word “ Protestant ” itself has not been more distinctly identified with “ Christian,” than has the word “ Unitarian,” by all the acts and declarations of the denomination as well as by the, tacit assumptions of its members. Sometimes, because “ blood is thicker than water,” our feelings of personal attachment for those whom we hold in close regard has made us all glad, if possible, to avoid any exaction of our con ditions of fellowship on those who can no longer call thepagelves �1874.] The Unitarian Name. 37 by the Christian name, and this has perhaps given an appearance of looseness. But it will be noticed, that, after the point has been actually raised, even those who argue against the need of with drawal, do so only on the ground that the persons named have not abandoned Christianity, but only some notions of Christianity which they have feared were inevitably implied in the name. Therefore we have felt no necessity for further proclaiming, by our title, our Christian status, and, out of a regard for the past history of this journal, we have taken for our second title, “ Religious Magazine.” There is yet another point to which we will briefly refer. It is objected “ that, after all, the word ‘ Unitarian ’ does not adequately express the position of our denomination and the precise attitude it assumes in reference to religious thought.” In reply we would ask if ever a name does completely describe the thing it is chosen to represent ? Is “ Protestantism ” the best name to designate the movement for which it stands ? The word “ Protestant,” by itself, is suggestive chiefly of antagonism, of- negation, of conflict; whereas it has its affirmations, its reverent attachment, its repose in well-established convictions, as much as Catholicism with which it is contrasted. A name often originates, as in this case, in some historical incident, more or less essentially connected with the ob ject named, and sometimes very imperfectly describes it. And in deed, the principle of “ lucus a non lucendo ” is as often to be observed in nomenclature as is that of perfect adaptation. So that we instinctively come to. disregard etymology, and allow a name to represent for us that with which it has become associated, as this object may, in other ways, have been made to shape itself in our minds. The word “ Unitarian ” has attached itself, we need not inquire how, to a distinct and well-established system of Christian faith, which has its organized activities, and its well-recognized place among the religious systems of Christendom, We cannot wipe it out, if we would, from the history, of religious progress ; and, while we would willingly consent to abandon it and the organization which it denotes -whenever this shall be desirable, either for a better progress towards truth, or for the sake of the greater unity of the Christian world, yet, meantime, while there appears to be �38 “ The Two (Treat Problems still a need for the service of this denomination as a member of the Christian body, with a distinct work of its own, we rejoice in a name, which however confusing it may be if we consult only a dictionary for its meaning, has clearly enough defined itself in the intellectual and social and religious struggles of the last half cen tury, and has gathered about itself memories and associations of which we have such reason to be glad. We will only add that this journal will have no official authority of any kind, and that it is entirely independent of any organiza tion — and we repeat that we shall rejoice in feeling that we are working in co-operation with all, who, under whatever name, are helping to advance the cause of Truth and to promote the interests of Christian faith. Charles Lowe. “ THE TWO GREAT PROBLEMS OF CHRISTIANITY.” UNITARIAN A short article, with the above heading, appeared in the last number of the Religious Magazine, and read so much like a wail from a sad heart that we have been prompted to write a rep]yIn the opening paragraph the writer says, “We believe that Unitarian Christianity is a universal gospel; that it is for the masses as well as for the cultured few, capable of stirring men to greater action, and giving them a more ample religious growth than previous forms of Christian truth. But, before it can become the supreme gospel of the race, two problems must be solved.” Before considering those two problems, I would like to say a word on this opening paragraph. That “ Unitarian Christianity is a universal gospel, intended for the masses as well as for the cultured few,” I devoutly believe ; understanding by Unitarian Christianity, simply the Christianity of Christ. That is, so far forth as Christianity can be put into words, into propositions, into philosophical statements. But are we not in some danger of forgetting, that the vital part of Chris^ � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Victorian Blogging Description An account of the resource A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes. Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk. <img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conway Hall Library & Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Conway Hall Ethical Society Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Pamphlet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Unitarian name Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lowe, Charles Description An account of the resource Place of publication: [Boston] Collation: 31-38 p. ; 25 cm. Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. From the Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine. Vol. 1 (March 1874). For content of complete issue see: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89069654465;view=1up;seq=7 (accessed 11/2017). Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available [Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine] Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource [1874] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context G5432 Subject The topic of the resource Unitarianism Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /> This work (The Unitarian name), identified by Humanist Library and Archives, is free of known copyright restrictions. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Conway Tracts Unitarianism https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/80f6825bcd35b3479aac274f185505e5.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=N1xfLpP15f6XiwFPyGIChq3KhOu5c%7Er30nILI-i2tZER3zhQ7F7G6mjo0jIO6AAA8yF6xX9Q9uy0VWWgANA4dBxEgh2Wji-pN1k0WLIxhgIiN1xxsF4wadb1FY2CQljEaILkmP-dp7IzGFIi%7EeBcnU%7E8aAtk4rxUh48cw4sjq-JUfzIxvAr4SGzme9eTq86ymjaICfVwu%7EX4F0gaGCq1WXhk0I8hZ7nxtl4lEgu7jWSf%7ERGaK3YFWWHpDvS9rjYCV7EcAyFy-VxrGZug-woX7ar%7EWs-bd5OBSRJVR4kDzzB8LGNq9pRBIImzFND1HBbNmcCxh3rZp-aqnWpMBDEnMw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 4237e6faf7b322c7fc29b8c60ab2e897 PDF Text Text ON CLERICAL DISHONESTY: »«9 A REFUTATION OF CHARGES "?/ AGAINST REV. CHARLES VOYSEY. BY THOMAS P. KIRKMAN, M.A., F.R.S., RECTOR OF CROFT, NEAR WARRINGTON. MANCHESTER: JOHN HEYWOOD, DEANSGATE. 1871. Price, Fourpence. �** Id �PREFACE. I trust that the learned reader into whose hand these pages may fall will defend me from the charge of unbecoming condescension in going out of my way to correct a small editor. That gentleman happened to be exactly in my way when I was about something of far more importance than a criticism of his utterances. He was a convenient peg for the fixture of my theme, and I had evidently the right to use him. My theme is no part of the controversy between rational and irrational theology: whether the BroadChurchmen are right or wrong in their views of the manner and the measure in which God has revealed, and is revealing, his truth to man, is here not at all the question. The reader is welcome to assume and to say that the Divines of the rational school are ignorant and illogical, inconsistent and unbelieving, unphilosophical and heterodox, or anything equally disgraceful. The only thing that I shall call him to account for affirming is—that we are dishonest. If you choose to say that, I shall insist on your proving what you say. A deep thinker once re marked, “What a pity that lying should be a'sin, because it is so easy!” This charge of dishonesty against the thinking clergy of the Church of Eng land, . and of other communions in which Tradition �4 Preface. is trembling before Truth, is both easy and popular. Nothing tells better or pays better in your Times or your Telegraph. The charge has surely now been long enough made, without a syllable of evidence. The scribes who make it will confess, that I have taken some trouble to do what they find it so glib and easy to leave everywhere undone—namely, to state their case in the fairest and fullest manner, by examining those solemn and only engagements by which we clergy of the Established Church are bound in our Ordination, and which these anonymous writers so unreasonably and cruelly accuse us of violating. POSTSCRIPT. The manuscript of this paper has been a month in the hands and at the disposal of others. The only reason why it has not appeared sooner is, that they have not been able to see, as I see, the importance of the Unitarian Herald; so that its publication may be 'taken as a victory of editorial dignity. T. P. K. �ON CLERICAL DISHONESTY. The Editor of the Unitarian Herald, in the number for July 7, 1871, comes out in a leading article, in his largest type, overflowing with priestly unction, and flatuous with pharisaic pride, that easiest and happiest frame of true religion, which thinketh itself righteous, and despiseth others. The article is headed, “The Rev. Charles Voysey.” The pious* editor laments, as he has a perfect right to do,' that Unitarians have eagerly opened their pulpits to Mr Voysey. His regret has deepened since he read Mr Voysey’s full statement of his religious history, and he observes, "'We feel bound to repeat our conviction that Mr Voysey’s statement only makes his case worse than had been generally supposed, and that his course has been such as ought to be. greeted, by all who feel the paramount claim of clerical honesty, not with honour, but with open reprobation.” He shows, by Mr Voysey’s own state ment, that that gentleman “ had given up orthodoxy before he took orders at all.” He rejects his justifi cation of his decision to enter the Church by the prevailing and notorious laxity in interpreting the import of subscription to her articles: “Mr Voysey treats the whole question as if it was merely one of a fresh college subscription, entirely ignoring the solemn professions of ordination. At his ordering as deacon, at his ordination as priest, and, ten years later, on his having to read himself into his living, �6 On Clerical Dishonesty. he had to face the most solemn professions and vows, perfectly different from the mere formal subscriptions of his University course.” He goes on to acquit Mr Voysey of being influenced by pecuniary motives ; but he is convinced that he was unconsciously swayed to do an immoral act by a sense of the dignity of being a clergyman of the National Church, and he treats him as one of those who 11 suffer them selves to be blinded by this feeling, so that they never dare to look the morality of their position fairly and honestly in the face.” I was not prepared for a confession like this on the part of either of the editors of this little Herald, who are, both of them, in the front rank of Unitarian clergymen. That wealthy body, of whom they are leading ornaments, must have ways, that I should never have suspected, of making even such men feel the indignity of their apparently high position, when they can attribute to the prospect, by which Mr Voysey along with so many others of us was led astray from the path of morality, such a blinding dignity!—the dignity of rustic seclusion and oblivion in a world mad with money-worship, and rapidly grow ing richer, round about all these lucky Voyseys, with their certainty for life of £100, or sometimes £160, a year, and the additional dignity of a large family! Let that peep at Unitarian conceptions of dignity pass. We have before us a definite charge of dis honesty and immorality against Mr Voysey in present ing himself from a mean motive as a candidate for orders in a shaky state of orthodoxy, and in “ entirely ignoring the solemn professions of ordination.” The charge, I would say, is definite in general, if that is a phrase permissible: there is no mistake about what the pious editor means; but like all the most poisonous and malignant slanders, it is thoroughly indefinite as to particulars. Not an atom of proof �On Clerical Dishonesty. > 7 is brought forward in support of these most reckless accusations ! “ Proof V’ quoth the editor, “ who ever demanded proof of my utterances in my large-type article ? ” Proof, indeed ! if I think it my duty to disseminate a little calumny about clergymen’s motives, how is it possible to bring proof1? How am I to get hold of a man’s motives, and exhibit them to the readers of my paper ? They must, of course, take all that on the evidence of my sancti monious self.” The pious editor is right : we cannot demand that he shall produce this mean motive, “the lower consideration,” lower than greed of money, “ which mingles with their higher motives.” Let that pass also for the present. We proceed to the other immorality of “entirely ignoring the solemn professions of ordination.” Here we have a charge of which some proof can be demanded and produced. Fortunately, the pro fessions of Mr Voysey’s ordination are on record. We shall go through them in order, and consider first their solemnity, and secondly, the honesty or dis honesty with which they were faced, and with which they have been ignored or respected by Mr Voysey. (a) The first question, after the taking ‘ the Oath of the Queen’s Sovereignty,’ which was put to him at his first ordination, was this :—“ Do you trust that you are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon you this Office and Ministration, to serve God for the promoting of his glory and the edifying of his people ?” His answer was, “ I trust so.” The ques tion was a solemn one. What proof can our editor bring forward that the respondent had not seriously and prayerfully weighed its solemnity, or that he did not really ‘ trust so1?’ “ Oh,” says the editor, “he was not orthodox, that is, his intellectual conceptions of religious truth were no longer those which had been instilled into his boyish mind : he no longer believed either in a God-Devil or a Devil-God, such as are set �8 On Clerical Dishonesty. forth in much of what is called orthodox theology.” But if he sincerely thought that those changes which his views of God’s will and character had undergone were the inward motions of the Holy Ghost, which rendered him fitter than before to pro mote God’s glory and to edify his people, even if that sincere thought was a sincere mistake, there could hardly be dishonesty and immorality in his answering : I trust so.’ The question had no bear ing at all upon his intellectual conceptions of fact or dogma, nor did he profess in his reply anything more than a trust which, as the editor will not deny, may be honestly felt even by a man not quite orthodox. (&) The next question was as follows: “ Do you think that you are truly called, according to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the due order of this Realm, to the Ministry of the Church ? ” The answer was, “ I think so.” What proof has our pious editor that he did not really think so ? “ Oh,” quoth the editor, “ a man truly called according to the due order of the realm to the ministry of the Church, means a man whose theological opinions are those of the Bishops, and Mr Voysey knew this; wherefore the truthful answer from his lips would have been simply —I do not think so.” That Mr Voysey knew this is a knotty point to prove. Let us suppose that Mr Voysey, in pondering this, was aware of the notori ous fact that bishops contradict each other in their opinions- about the first thing which the Church does for a child in baptism, and about the doctrine taught to a child at the beginning of the Catechism, and about what is generally necessary to salvation, a con flict of orthodoxy at the very threshold of Church manship, whose flat contradictions have had since to be appeased by the highest tribunal of Church law, by making both contrary sides equally orthodox ! And suppose, farther, that Mr Voysey had asked himself—how many Episcopal opinions does due �On Clerical Dishonesty. 9 . order require me to hold ?—and how’ am I to find out what the opinions of bishops really and un- , feignedly are 1 And suppose, again, that in his perplexity he had lighted on this most luminous passage in the Ordination of Priests, “ are you deter mined to teach nothing, as required of necessity to eternal salvation, but that which you shall be per suaded may be concluded and proved by the Scrip ture 1 ” Suppose all this, and you may depend upon it he had well studied the matter thus—then, if he felt that he was honestly purposing to qualify himself in the spirit of that future vow for his second ordina tion, he might sincerely say that he thought himself called in due order to the ministry of a deacon. Nothing that can be said or hinted by ill-natured editors can throw more light on the obligation to teach the opinions of this doctor or of that, contracted by us in our first ordination, than what is shed by that glorious engagement which we take in our second. There are few things definite in what is called orthodoxy either Trinitarian or Unitarian; but the obligation of a clergyman of my Church as to what he is bound not to teach, is defined with all the rigour of science. All that is indefinite and inconsistent with itself will pale away from our for mularies like perished ink; all that is rigorous and scientific will year by year become blacker, more welldefined, and more indelible. The paling process has long been accomplished in the Church’s third article’, of which none but theological experts can now see the once stupendous import; and in the longer seven teenth article, which to our recent Protestant fathers was the battle-ground of burning strife, the process is well-nigh completed. We see nothing there but a few bleaching bones of controversies long dead and all but buried out of sight; and even reverend Unitarian editors, aching and angry with their defect of dignity, have learned to be ashamed of taunting us with our • degrading bondage to Calvinistic atrocities �io On Clerical Dishonesty. (c) The third question put to Mr Voysey at his first ordination was—“Do you unfeignedly believe all the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testament ?” To this he answered by the book, “I do believe them.” The honesty of the reply was exactly equal to that of the question. Our editor is awfully im pressed with the solemnity of this business. He be longs to a denomination of Christians which has always been the foremost and boldest in denying the truthfulness, scientific, historical, and moral, of hundreds of pages in these canonical books : he dares not say before the most uneducated man, or even woman of his own communion, that he unfeignedly believes them all. Yet he is captivated with the dignity and solemnity of the scene, where the bishop in his spotless robes, armed with the plenitude of parliamentary power, extorts from the quivering consciences of the anxious youths before him a quib' bling answer to a quibbling demand. The pious and sympathetic editor imagines himself adorning the province of that high functionary, and hears in fancy the grand sonorous tones with which he could roll out syllable by syllable that interrogation—‘ do you unfeignedly believe them all V The editor knows well that God, by His own reve lations of truth to man in this and the last century, has made it impossible for any student to prepare himself for orders in any university, Catholic or Pro testant in the world, so as to be able to say without painful evasion, and unworthy violence to verbal truth, that he unfeignedly believes even the first page of the canonical scriptures. The bishop, who is forced by an Act of Parliament of darker days to put this question, does not even pretend to believe that God made a water-tight firmament on the second day, dividing the waters above it from those below. He knows that that old firmamentum or solidamentum, which to Job was hard and “ strong, and as a molten �On Clerical Dishonesty. 11 looking-glass” of polished metal (Job xxxvii. 18), and which is described by Josephus in his first page of the “ Antiquities,” as a crystal which God fastened and hammered like carpenter work (such is the plain meaning of his Greek word), around his creation to separate heaven from the whole world, that this old fixed firmament is nowhere now, having been shivered to atoms by shots of thought through the first tele scopes. Three hundred years ago it was perfectly true to every bishop, priest, and deacon in England, except to three or four heretical mathematicians, whom they heartily cursed for their infidelity, that God made all that stupendous sapphire vault in one day; and the vault was there in its solid majesty and marvellous beauty, the transparent floor through which Moses and the elders saw God’s feet from the summit of Sinai, there to be seen with the stars of God stuck in it. And it is no less certain at this day to every clergyman and educated layman, that there is not, and never was, any such thing, and that Jeho vah did not make a firmament, nor any definite division between earth and heaven, on the second day. If the reader is curious to see exposed the miserable and bungling quibbles to which theologians have been driven by their despair or their dishonesty, in de fending the letter of the first page of the Bible, I refer him to my little tract—■“ Where is the firmament which God created on the second day 1 ” Who doubts that the chancellors and bishops who put together our ordinals and articles would have handled me more roughly for writing that tract than our bishops have handled Mr Voysey ? And all England would have applauded their treatment of such a blasphem ous heretic, for his denial of the clear unquestionable testimony of the first chapter of the Word of God, xbout so plain a thing as the firmament. If there were only a score of propositions in the canonical scriptures like this one about the firmament, �1'2 Un Ulerical Dishonesty. which bishops no more than other educated men un feignedly believe, it would be worth my while here to enumerate them; and laying them before the Churchmen- of England, I would say : Are you con tent that your Act of Parliament should continue for centuries to force your learned and godly bishops, in the most important of all their episcopal functions, to ask this question of those young candidates : ‘ Do you unfeignedly believe all the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments ? ’ Would it not be at least more decorous in The presence of hostile critics of your church, to allow them to bracket the twenty passages which neither you nor they pretend to believe—and to demand from the youths an unfeigned faith in all the rest ? Would there be anything incon sistent with common honesty, to say nothing of solemnity, in such a change of your law ? Why should it be required of your young ministers to believe even a score of propositions which you and your bishops well know by the teaching of God Him self to be untrue, however honestly they may have been believed by good men of old 1 You may reply, that the bishop is not compelled by law when he puts that question, to say that he unfeignedly believes every proposition in the Scripture himself; and you may remark, that you see no reason why the young sters should make a wry face at swallowing what the bishop, once in their position, managed to get down. And with that wise observation, and a little chuckle at your own wisdom, good people of England, you are very likely to rest content! But I cannot help wish ing that you had a little more compassion on young and tender consciences, and a little more fear of tampering with the love of truth pure and undefiled. I say, if there were just twenty such passages, I would copy them out for once in order; but there are in fact hundreds of them, in which to every educated Christian mind an unfeigned belief is simply impos* �On Clerical Dishonesty. 13 sible. Biblical criticism, like astronomy and geology, is a science of which our Protestant fathers of the Reformation knew next to nothing; they accepted the Pope’s Bible, as they accepted his creeds, without sus picion that either his priests or their predecessors, the Jewish priests, had ever tampered with the sacred documents. It may be that our editor, if pressed for proof of his charge against Mr Voysey of dishonesty in taking Holy Orders, would be compelled to rest mainly on this assertion, without expressed reserve, of belief of all the Scriptures. And he has a right to press it; but certainly no more right against Mr. Voysey than against every living clergyman of our church who is fit to be called an educated man. “ Very true,” quoth our editor, “it is true against you all; you all were dishonest in your answer to that question, and the only honourable course open to you was to enter the ministry among us Unitarians : we are not so tight in such matters; and you would then all have been honestly established, as we are, to be prophets of the Lord.” To this I reply by quoting from the same leading article—After the same hard fashion is the travestie of Biblical criticism by which he is deliberately trying—under the careful cover of merely attacking verbal inspiration and the doctrine of Christ’s Godhead—to undermine the reverence of men for the Bible, and their discipleship to Christ.” It is evident that the man who wrote this (I know not who he is) has often something to say about the Bible, the force and value of which to the heads and hearts of his hearers require to be supplemented by a reverence for the Bible, as distinct from their reve rence for truth and righteousness. They sound like the words of one whose business it is to make in fluence and profit out of such mere book-reverence; and I hold the mission and the spirit of such a teacher, at least to thinking men, to be those of an arrant priest. The teacher- or preacher- craft that de- �14 On Clerical Dishonesty. mands as the condition of its useful action in grown men a reverence distinct from that due to truth and righteousness is simply priestcraft, more or less dignified and respectable. If this editor means to say that Mr Voysey is deliberately trying to under mine men’s reverence for truth and righteousness, or their discipleship to Christ as the Great Master therein, I pronounce the charge to be a deliberate and a most priestly calumny, and I defy him to prove one word of it. And my impression is, that by betaking ourselves to such a fountain of honour as this editor for our prophetic qualifications, we should jump out of the frying-pan into the fire, and find his little finger thicker than the church’s loins. Your true priest is none the less an arrant priest because he happens to be a nonconformist, whether with or without dignity. We proceed with our search for Mr Voysey’s immorality in the solemn professions and vows of ordination. (a!) The next question put to him was this: “ Will you diligently read the same unto the people assembled in the Church where you shall be appointed to serve ? ” He answered, “ I will.” Can the pious editor prove that he did not honourably keep that promise 1 I have no doubt that he- kept it at the cost of grievous pain to himself, such as many of us feel and bear without complaining; the pain of continual insult, in being deemed incapable of select ing for ourselves a passage of Scripture to read at any one service all the year round to our people—and the pain of being compelled to read as God’s word what we know well God never said. For example, I was compelled last Sunday to read the impudent charge of malice and murder which that baleful arch pope Samuel brought (1 Sam. xv.) against God. “ Samuel said unto Saul, thus saith the Lord of Hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, (centuries ago). . . . Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them �On Clerical Dishonesty 15 not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” I am very sure that holy Samuel said all that, and equally sure that, when he said it, his holiness was fibbing stupend ously. I was also compelled to read in that chapter, “ The Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man that he should repent.” “ Then came the word of the Lord to Samuel saying, it repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king.” “ And the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.” Can any of the bishops unfeignedly believe all this, even on the word of two Samuels, soapless and saponaceous ? Next comes the statement by the bishop of a deacon’s duties, followed by the question, “Will you do this gladly and willingly?” Mr Voysey answered, “I will do so, by the help of God.” Is our wise Editor in possession of any evidence that Mr Voysey ever for one day neglected to fulfil these duties ? Let it be observed that in the bishop’s complete statement of them, not a word is said about its being a deacon’s duty to be of the same opinion with bishops, not even if they be editors ; nor is he required to enquire or to know anything in general or in particular about their opinions. (0) The next question is, “ Will you apply all your diligence to frame and fashion your own lives, and the lives of your families, according to the Doctrine of Christ; and to make both yourselves and them, as much as in you lieth, wholesome examples of the flock of Christ ? ” Mr Voysey answered, “ I will so do, the Lord being my helper.” Does the penetrating Editor find anything dishonest or immoral in this reply of the wicked Voysey ? Or does he know, or can he coin, any scandal about that gentleman’s family which can keep in countenance his own abominable and public slander of him ? (/) Once more: the bishop demands, “ Will you �16 On Clerical Dishonesty. . reverently obey your Ordinary and other chief Min isters of the Church, and them to whom the charge and government over you is committed, following with a glad mind and will their godly admonitions 1 ” Mr *• Voysey answered, “ I will endeavour myself, the Lord being my helper.” No more questions or professions; the ordination of the deacon followed immediately. If the Unitarian Editor cannot find a justification of his accusations against Mr Voysey in the matter of this final profession, it is clear that he will find it nowhere in this solemn service of the first ordination. Before we press the argument farther, it seems best to run rapidly over the vows and professions of the second ordination, as we shall then have the whole matter before us, and give this groaning Editor a wider chance of shelter. In this, after some due formalities and a collect, the epistle, Ephesians iv. 7. . . is read, wherein are enumerated the gifts to men of him who led captivity captive, in the shape of church ministers, which are described as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers. No priests ! let that be well weighed. No priests 1 yet surely, if the Church of England had intended to assert priesthood, in the old Pagan and Jewish sense of sacrificers, mediators, conjurers, necro mancers, and pardoners, she would have chosen a passage of Scripture for the ordination service of priests, in which at least the old word priest occurs. Then follows either the gospel Matt. ix. 36, or that John x. i., in neither of which is mention made of any functionary but the shepherd. Next comes the bishop’s address, most beautiful and impressive, on the duties of the office about to be assumed ; but neither priest nor priesthood, nor anything priestly, no, not a single syllable, defiles the Christian purity of the long allocution. “We exhort you, that ye have in remem brance into how high a dignity, and to how weighty an office and charge ye are called; that is to say, to �CJn Clerical Dis Honesty. 17 be Messengers, Watchmen, and Stewards of the Lord.” That is the whole definition of the office. ' The. address being at an end, the first interrogation of the ordinal is uttered thus,—and mark I pray you the redoubled solemnity and awe which enchain the eyes > • of our pious and admiring Editor—(g) “ Do you think in your heart that you be truly called, according to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the order of this United Church of England and Ireland, to the Order and Ministry of Priesthood ? ” Ah ! poisoning word, you may say, forced after all into the teeth of that vanquished Protestant shepherd ! Ah ! mark of the Beast, for centuries more stamped on a web so beautiful! Hush, Hush ! ’Tis but a harmless word; it comes without evil meaning; it is nowhere defined in all the Church's formularies; you know priest is merely presbyter ! Woe ! Woe ! You may quibble on priest and presbyter; but that fatal priesthood will be claimed as the print of the cloven foot on a page otherwise so glorious ! The reply of Mr Voysey was—“I think it!” Will our Editor say that he did not think it 1 Will he point out a syllable of the eloquent address he had just heard, to which he did not assent, with all his heart and soul ? There is no stipulation in it that the candidates were to come to bishops for their learning or opinions: they were bid to seek both will and ability from God alone in the study of the scriptures ; not a syllable uttered about creeds or articles, either parliamentary or editorial! Of course Mr Voysey, cordially hating the word priest hood, had to content himself with the non-natural translation of it into eldership, or presbyterate, and he was thankful to have no definition more offensive proposed to him; nor was he ever called upon to undertake the office in the old Judaeo-Pagan meaning. (A) Then follows the glorious propounding of �18 On Clerical Dishonesty. that profession, and vow which is the Magna-Charta of our protestant Broad-churchmanship, the passport of immunity from all tax and all homage to priest craft, preacher-craft, professor-craft, and editor-craft of every hue, dignified or undignified. “ Are you persuaded that the holy Scriptures contain sufficiently all Doctrine required of necessity for eternal salva tion, through faith in Jesus Christ 1 And are you determined out of the said Scriptures to instruct the people committed to your charge, and to teach nothing, as required of necessity to eternal salvation, but that which you shall be persuaded may be concluded and proved by the Scripture ?” The answer of this wicked Voysey was, “ I am so per suaded, and have so determined, by God’s grace.” The dishonest wretch ! Does he not well deserve to have suffered the loss of his bread and the spoiling of his goods, by his wilful error and obsti nacy in honouring the sacredness of that vow so much more than what in his conscience he believed to be traditions of the elders, and inventions of men, in creeds and articles, in acts of councils and parliaments, and in systems of theology? (i) The Bishop next proceeded thus:—“ Will you then give your faithful diligence always so to min ister the Doctrine and Sacraments, and the Discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded, and as this Church and Realm hath received the same, according to the Commandments of God, so that you may teach the people committed to your Cure and Charge with all diligence to keep and observe the same ? The candidate answered, “ I will do so, by the help of the Lord.” We proceed rapidly with what remains. (/) The Bishop.—11 Will you be ready, with all faithful diligence, to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to God’s word ; and to use both publick and private monitions �On Clerical Dishonesty. 19 and exhortations, as well to the sick as to the whole, within your Cures, as need shall require, and occasion shall be given ?” Answer.—“ I will, the Lord being my helper.” Observe in (z) and (/) the important restrictions, “ according to the commandments of God,” and “ con trary to God’s word.” (&) The Bishop.—“ Will you be diligent in Prayers, and in reading of the Holy Scriptures, and in such studies as help to the knowledge of the same, laying aside the study of the world and the flesh 1” Answer. —“I will endeavour myself so to do, the Lord being my helper.” (Z) The Bishop.—“Will you be diligent to frame and fashion your own selves and your families, according to the Doctrine of Christ; and to make both yourselves and them, as much as in you lieth, wholesome examples and patterns to the flock of Christi” Ansiver.—“I will apply myself thereto, the Lord being my helper.” (m) The Bishop.—11 Will you maintain and set forward, as much as lieth in you, quietness, peace, and love, among all Christian people, and especially among them that are, or shall be, committed to your charge!” Answer.—-“I will do so, the Lord being my helper.” In all the above Mr Voysey pledged himself neither to believe nor to teach any truth, but what he should find by study of the scriptures. (n) Finally the Bishop demands.—“Will you reverently obey your Ordinary, and other chief Min isters, unto whom is committed the charge and government over you; following with a glad mind and will their godly admonitions, and submitting yourselves to their godly judgments 1 ” Answer.—“ I will so do, the Lord being my helper.” This differs from (/) at the close of the former ordination, in being a vow of submission to the �20 On Clerical Dishonesty. godly judgments as well as godly admonitions of superiors. The vows (/) and (%) are the only ones from which the Editor can attempt to justify his charge of dishonesty against Mr Voysey. It is certain that the latter did not submit to the admonition of his Archbishop, when his Grace advised him not to publish his sermons. The question presents itself here, is there any point, or is there no point, at which a clergyman may without clerical dishonesty disregard the admonition of his bishop ? I think there is one, and only one point, the point of con science, at which this dishonour can be evaded; and at that point only when the clergyman openly appeals from the admonition to the judgment of his superiors. If the clergyman, having, under the pres sure of sovereign conscience, felt it his duty to disregard an admonition, publicly and manfully appeals from bishops admonishing to bishops in judgment according to the law of the land, with a determination to fulfil his ordination vow by submitting to that judgment, he may be unwise and foolish in his procedure, but I contend that he is neither dishonest nor immoral; and the man who anonymously charges him with dishonesty and immorality, for so working out the reconciliation of his conscience and ordination vow, is a slanderer. Nothing can be clearer than this, that in all our ordination vows, we reserve our right of appeal to conscience, holy scripture, and the law of England. The popular notion is that we are under a kind of military bondage to a certain shadowy figment made up of dead men, and called the Church, whose word of command we obey without appeal, or any consi deration of reason or consequences. The truth is, that we contract no allegiance to dead men at all, nor to any church but the living church of this Realm, of which bishops and dignitaries are a very insignifi cant fraction, as to numbers and final authority. �On Clerical Dishonesty. 21 The vulgar, who have never examined for them selves to what we are bound by our ordination vows, will applaud the calumny of the Unitarian editor. That he knows well; and I affirm that his article is all the more malignant for the certainty of its success among the ignorant crowd. The career of Mr Voysey has been truth, manliness, and honour, from beginning to end. The effect intended to be produced by this lead ing article is that, besides the guilt of subscribing the thirty-nine articles, and using the' liturgy of the Church, which Unitarians can hardly help ascribing to those of us who are not under the bondage of the old traditionary theology, there was a special dis honesty in Mr Voysey’s presenting himself for ordin ation, when he was convinced that much of what his boyhood had been taught was erroneous, a dishonesty in what he did and said in that ordination service. We have confessed the painful difficulty to which every educated candidate for orders is compelled by a law, once reasonable, but now alike cruel to the bishops and their clergy, to submit concerning un feigned belief of all the Scriptures. Passing that, Mr Voysey said nothing that in his conscience he did not believe; he bound himself there in the profes sions and vows of that special service to no theory or dogma; he engaged himself to acceptance of no statement of divine truth beyond what he should himself conclude from the study of the bible; he placed himself under no obligation that he intended to evade; nor did he make a single promise which he did not purpose and persevere, like an honourable man, to fulfil. He believed that he could better serve both God and man by contending for what he found to be the truth, inside the church, than out of it; he hoped that he might nobly be, as others had been, the instrument under God of extending Chris tian charity and free enquiry in theology ; he never �22 On Clerical Dishonesty. gave a pledge that he would not try to extend them; and he made his effort, not wisely perhaps for him self and his family, but certainly not after the fashion of this small editorial attempt to calumniate him, meanly, anonymously, sophistically. He printed with his name what he preached, like a brave man; he gave reasons for his opinions which honestly satisfied his judgment and his conscience ; he fully allowed to others the liberty of either answering or prosecuting him; he fought his battle before his judges with arguments which have yet to be con futed, and he has loyally submitted to their judgment. Let me now say a word about the dishonesty of Broad-churchmen in general. • Few people choose to talk about theology; of that few the majority agree that we are dishonest men, if we remain in our bene fices. Just so among Roman Catholics, few choose to think or speak on religious questions ; but nearly all agree that Protestants are dishonest men, in pre tending to hold the Catholic creeds, while they rebel utterly against the Catholic church. A devout Romanist is shocked and amazed at our hypocrisy and dishonesty in saying every Sunday, “ I believe One Catholic and Apostolic Church.” To his con science this appears an immoral and insolent abuse of the plainest terms of human speech. We laugh at his horror justly : we know that we employ the words in their literal and grammatical meaning. We mean what we say, and say what we mean. The creed propounds no definition of the word church, nor of the terms Catholic or Apostolic ; we have a right to restrict the term church to a denotation which ex cludes all the compelling authority of their Popes, their Fathers, and their Councils. They call this trifling and quibbling with sacred truth : we justly call it an accurate and scientific use of words. The vulgar can never see, what is the foundation of all �On Clerical Dishonesty. 23 logical precision of language, the difference between what we call the denotation and the connotation of a term. In books of rigorous science all mere connotations of words are thrown away—each term is used with a fixed denotation, determined by definition, and all that is required for truth and honesty in a writer or a speaker, is that he uses the same term always with the denotation to which his clear definition binds him. The Broad-Churchman insists, as he has a right to do, upon rigorous denotations of terms in the bond of creeds and formularies which he has subscribed : all vague connotations he throws away in the true spirit of science, for his theology is the theory of God’s revelations of Himself to man, that is, theological science, not monkish quibbles and legendary moon shine. In this spirit Mr Voysey has a right to read the Church’s bond; and the counsel for the prosecu tion were compelled to confess, facing the logic of the case, that he had nowhere either affirmed what the church’s bond denies, nor denied what it affirms. The court of Privy Council is not a tribunal of theological science : to that high court Mr Voysey has submitted in all that is practical, as he was bound to do; but mentally, and practically too, in the field of action from which their judgment does not exclude him, which is simply that of an unbeneficed presbyter of the Church of England, as legally eligible to a bishopric as the best of them, he appeals to the higher tribunal of theological truth, which, as sure as the tide is flowing, will finally reverse every decision of every Privy Council which is not rigor ously scientific. The majesty of English thought, serenely enthroned on the broad foreheads of our men of science, can patiently wait along with Mr Voysey, till Privy Councils can afford to sit and speak every day in their noblest robes of philosophic accuracy. They cannot often wear in court at present, anything �24 On Clerical Dishonesty. purer than the ermine of legal equity, which deter mines by a fine analysis, to which none but the most learned lawyers can attain, the resultant, for a given time t, of settled rights, of popular ignorance, and of human progress. For my part, in reading the church’s formularies in both the liturgy and articles, I find no difficulty in taking every sentence in a meaning literal and grammatical, yet perfectly rational, nor have I ever pledged myself to read them irrationally or nonsensi cally. I reject no definition which is precisely given in them, no fact plainly asserted in them, nor any inference explicitly drawn in them; yet I find it perfectly easy, by confining the terms un defined to a strict and simple denotation, to read every word, without a quibble of any kind, into sense and science. Something of this mode of honestly construing our formularies may be seen in the tracts by “ A Country Parson,” in Scott’s series, entitled, “ The Creeds and the Thirty-Nine Articles, their Sense and their Non-sense.” If any of those scribblers in papers, little and big, who are so fluent in their abuse of Broad-church dishonesty wish to catch the Broad-churchman in delicto, I advise them to study that book. The successful exposure of the dishonesty there perpetrated, will be of more value to the priests and the Pharisees than a score of tirades in barren generalities, and prate about principles neither granted, postulated, nor proved. Something should be added, in an examination of the ordination services, on the grand Finale of priest manufacturing. So" long as the people of England compel their bishops to employ that old popish formula in ordination, they have no right to complain of any deluge of ancient priestcraft and superstition that may cover the land. No embankment raised against it is of any value, while that floodgate is left open. In spite of the protestant character of �On Clerical Dishonesty. 25 our articles, and even of our ordination services up to this all dominant conclusion, our High-churchmen have mostly the best of the argument to a popular audience about the prayer-book, in affirming that priestly privilege and power in the Anglican com munion are precisely what they are in the Catholic, both Greek and Roman. From Broad-churchmen, who spurn with scorn unutterable the insinuation that they have ever accepted from a bishop the power either to for give or to retain the sin of any man against his Maker, it may fairly be demanded, how they read in a literal and grammatical sense without a quibble this most portentous formula : “ whose sins thou dost forgive they are forgiven, whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained.” I reply for myself, that I read it by taking as much liberty with the letter as the High-churchman takes. He reads it thus—and he has a perfect right to do so, till the people of England bar out his popish connotation by a strict definition—“whose sins against God's laws thou dost forgive, they are forgiven by God; whose sins against God’s laws thou dost retain, they are retained, i.e., unforgiven, by God.” It is simple and unambiguous. Now I read it thus: “Whose sins against the church’s laws, (in matters of ritual, creed, and ex ternal order involving no question of morals) thou dost forgive, they are forgiven by the church; whose sins against the church’s laws thou dost retain, they are retained by the church.” This is equally literal and grammatical with the other reading, and equally unambiguous. I have received from the bishop who ordained me this power both of forgiving and retain ing. For example, I can forgive any man whom I consider to be in a proper frame of mind his sins against church law in matters of fast or festival. Sup pose that he has eaten bacon on a Friday, or the last of his wife’s stock of mince-pies on Ash-Wednesday; �16 On Clerical Dishonesty. suppose that he has gone to the Methodist Chapel; suppose that he is not quite sound about the non human paternity of Jesus Christ, and has the pre sumption to say that St. Luke in his cautious phrases and his genealogy was evidently infirm in his orthodoxy on that point—then, if that man presents himself as a god-father, and is indistinct in his answer about the Creed, it is in my power, by virtue of my ordination, to forgive him such sins against mother-church; and if I know him to be a moral and religious man, I can thoroughly absolve him, and he will be as good a god-father as the Pope himself can make; I can also retain sins against the church’s laws. I can' turn an unworthy man away from the *“■ font-or from the communion table: if he has utterly neglected the religious training of his child, I can punish him by various means, such as delaying for three years the privilege of confirmation. I am as proud of my power of absolving and of retaining sin as any “ priest alive. But I am not such a lunatic as to fancy that I can forgive a man his sins against God’s moral and physical laws. If he is a drunkard who beggars himself and his family, or is injured in that state by his own cart-wheel, or shattered by delirium tremens, however orthodox and truly penitent he may be, neither my absolution, nor that of all the bishops and priests on earth, can diminish by one feather’s weight the amount of penalty and retribution which God will surely for that sin lay upon him in mind, body, and estate. Here let it not be pretended that in my reading of the ordination formula I am making a distinction unwarranted by the church, between sins against God’s moral laws, and sins against laws of her making. Is there any doubt, that when our prayer book was put together there were priests enough in our church, as there are in all Roman Catholic lands, inclined to impose on penitents far heavier penance for violation �On Cierica! Dishonesty. 27 of churcli-law in matters of fast or festival, of church going or schismatical proclivity, than for drunkenness, lies, and dishonesty ? If there is no such doubt, my distinction is both a valid and a weighty one. Few things in theology are so amusing as the attempts of high-church Divines who shrink from the impious claims of pardoning power made by the full# blown priest, to establish a claim of something less, yet awfully important, as the clerical contribution to God’s work in forgiveness of the penitent. Dr. Goulburn, prebendary of St. Paul’s, is here inimitable. . In his office of Holy Communion, 4th edition,'' 1865, he profoundly remarks : “ of course, it cannot be disputed that truth is truth, whoever speaks it; any true disciple of Christ, without being an ordained*' minister, may raise the drooping spirit of another by pointing him to the evangelical promises which assure pardon to the penitent and believing, and which Jhe faithfulness of God stands engaged to fulfil: but the minister alone can proclaim with authority the ' message of reconciliation. Others may tell it, niay point it out in scripture ; he alone can pronounce it— such is the significant word employed in our rubric.” “How charming is Divine-philosophy/” And how lucky our Church of England, in having dignitaries of Dr. Goulburn’s power, and bishops like Dr. Wilber force, discerning enough to choose the Goulburns for their examining chaplains! Croft Rectory, near Warrington. July 10,1871. TURNBULL AND SPEARS, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Victorian Blogging Description An account of the resource A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes. Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk. <img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conway Hall Library & Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Conway Hall Ethical Society Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Pamphlet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource On clerical dishonesty: a refutation of charges against Rev. Charles Voysey Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kirkman, T. P. (Thomas Penington) Description An account of the resource Place of publication: Manchester Collation: 27 p. ; 18 cm. Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Printed by Turnbull and Spears, Edinburgh. A comment on the leading article by the editor appearing in the 'Unitarian Herald', July 7,1871 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available John Heywood Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1871 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context G5526 Subject The topic of the resource Unitarianism Clergy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a> This work (On clerical dishonesty: a refutation of charges against Rev. Charles Voysey), identified by <a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a>, is free of known copyright restrictions. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Charles Voysey Clergy Conway Tracts Unitarianism https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/04449335aa8f2fd0af5b3b50a5c62514.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=lQ0bGRguqmZAF0FM2Vsk56kJO2DuYB%7Ev7RcaRNuUyb%7E89o5ERRkYskhXRCSsKbU3wPQDXVeqegYLP8uE9pCcEHm-lrN1WpM3TDopfE9IRHeZjNPnsXZjROKOBxP3yClkB-sGbj6NsMiN-ZcBObfUFWmlozSaCsLFlY9eNbADFhm87accTwl57cnhUY8Cra15z3q3HnrBPH5kNLrAiRo3MDJn8MzUaUwZ6ArttryHF2Mq17iEt%7EIg-by1SoVXiTOVjQfJBNfnDbVg-clm0N-Y2f9ZBs-OjCSDL5xP1ANMaVj6c6HrEdq0KfFlimvbpqNzTufAs1zV6lmwuCW1QaAUAA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 9ec5ee498e36458d397e8ce40d0cb1a2 PDF Text Text 1874.] Relation of Unitarians to the Church Universal. 61 RELATION OF UNITARIANS TO THE CHURCH UNIr. VERSAL * I am afraid that the tendency of our very freedom of thought, of our position, as the advance guard of the advance in the inquiry of the church, throws us Unitarians into danger of narrowness. In the first place we have been told so long that we are not in the * church, that our young folks mighfl be excused if they said that the Church of Christ probably knew whether we were in it or not, that they were very well satisfied with the position in which they found themselves, and that if other people wanted to go on without us, they were welcome to do so. ’ But that is only a petty, not to say childish way, of treating a great relation. For the Broad Church may include all narrow churches ^though a narrow church of course cannot include the broad. We hold to all that the Catholic Church holds which does it any good, and we hold to a great deal more. We hold to all that gives to the Presbyterian churches their power, and we hold to a great deal more. We have no difficulty in acceding to all that is generous and hearty in the ritual of the Episcopal churches, and when they are ready to listen, we will teach them a great deal more. Our position with regard to the religion of the world, is not what I may almost call the pettifogging place, of those wh^are trying to pick out a few words of creed which they can make everybody agree to; it is — quite on the other hand — the position of those who know how to intro duce Religion into all life, and how to find it everywhere. In the cathedral of the Greek Church, or in the Meeting-house of the Quaker, we are sure to find it; and there or here we ought to find ourselves at home. The danger is, that when a narrow Evangelicism says to us, “ We have nothing to do with you,” we should say spitefully, “ Nobody asked you, we are getting on very well alone.” The Christian answer is the only true answer. Let who will say to us, “We have nothing to do with you,” our answer is only the * This article is the substance of the latter part of Mr. Hale’s speech at the First Church, Boston, Feb. 15, 1874. �62 Relation of Unitarians to the Church Universal. [Mar. more earnest, “ We have a great deal to do with you.” We are in the church because we are God’s children, redeemed by His Son. Nobody can gainsay that. We could not get out of it, if we would ; and we would not, if we could. A narrow bigot tells you sometimes, that Dr. Channing or Dr. Lowell was almost good enough to be called a Christian. You are tempted to say, in reply, that Dr. Stanley and Mr. Beecher and Bishop Simpson are almost as sensible as if they were Uni tarians. Failing that extreme measure of good sense, you are tempted to pass by the literature of a people whose creed is not your creed,—to be indifferent to their worship, though you should find no worship else,— you are not afraid to let them know that your contempt for them is quite equal to theirs for you ; and, as I said, to say, “ If you excommunicate us from your communion, we will put you out of our thought and our society.” When I was in college one of our number came into Park Street Church on the occasion of a protracted revival meeting, to see what was done there. In the regular course of the meeting a minister came into the pew where the young man sat, and leaning down, kindly asked him what was the state of his soul, and if he were in any anxiety about it. Startled and confused, without answering a question so tender and so central, he said, “ Oh, I am a Unitarian.” The natural implication would have been that Unitarians had no souls, nor any wish to save them; and I am afraid that was the view his kind friend carried away. But what he meant was, that because he was a Unitarian he thought his soul was secure; at all events, that it could not be saved by the processes he saw there. That answer, if he had made it, would have been legitimate and kind. But the other answer was to exclude himself from the tender care of the Church Universal, a care showing itself in a clumsy way, if you please, but none the less genuine. I am afraid that story illustrates a sort of intellectual conceit which has sometimes prevailed among us, a conceit which is as unchristian as it is unmanly. I remember the protest made against it by an accomplished and pure Christian woman, who said in a bitter epigram, that the Unitarians were willing to admit her into heaven as a fool, as if that were any kinder than to damn her to hell as a sinner. �9 1874.] Relation of Unitarians to the Church Universal. I 63 Now all such intellectual conceit, and the notion that our little sect here in New England is to stand by itself, are just as petty as is any bigotry of Hard-Shell Baptists or Old-School Presby terians. It is the church universal which is to win the victory over disease, and sin, and the fear of death. It is the church universal, the whole family of God, which is to make this world God’s home, and part of His own kingdom. N(||separation, no bigotry, no ex clusion, and no conceit will help that emjjfire forward. No, and the great triumphs of to-day are the triumphs, of whatever form, which make one out of many. The Evangelical Alliance, socalled, was, in its fashion, feeling for it. Every Christian Union, whether it be a newspaper or a society, is a step towards it. Every genuine and generous book which fordfes its way outside the old dogmatic fortresses and circulates and is read among all the children of God, is a help that way. The Roman Church, on the other hand, attempted to make such unity in the poor old fashion of uniformity. That failed. That was like all other efforts to force freemen. Of course it failed. Unity is not in unity of organization, but in unity of the spirit. A fire insurance report in London says that the couplings of the hose of the different engine companies of that city were of three or four different gauges and threads, so that you could never rely on screwing two lengths of hose together in an emergency. The same writer said that from one end of America to the other, there was not a length of hose whi^. Wtdd not be screwed into . another length if occasion came. I I do not vouch for the fact. Perhaps it cannot be authenticated. But let it serve as a parable, which might be true, of the way in which different meetings, churches, societies, fraternises, unions, associations of whatever name and whatevei?»order, would combine if they had the unity of the spirit, in their work for a common cause against any common misfortune. It does not require any chief engineer to order them. It only requires mutual sympathy and respect to make all their several parts work in accord as one. All this was forced home on my attention as I passed from city to city in Europe in my summer journey. It is hard to bear the conceit and self-gratulation of the average American traveller in other lands. It is a very dangerous habit which he falls into, if �64 Relation of Unitarians to the Church Universal. [Mar. he goes to a church, as if it were only a show, and supposes that, of course, he is the religious superior of the people who worship there. I know it is very hard to extenuate the absurdities which are absurd, or to apologize for the short-comings of other rituals. But if one goes to a cathedral, one must do his best to make the best of what he finds. And one always has to ask himself whether he did the best he could to find other ritual more simple, or worship more sincere. I have heard a hundred Americans say that the Roman Catholic service in the Madeleine in Paris was operatic, and not devotional, for one who told me that he had searched for and found the hearty company of the French Liberal Protestants, who were worshipping with M. Coquerel in the obscure Hall of St. Andr& in Cite d’Antin. Now I have certainly nd quarrel with the man who joins in the worship at the Madeleine. Only this I have to say, that if it did not suit him, I do not know why he went to such a service again and again, instead of finding a place of worship and religious companionship in which he should be at home. This time is the last time of all for the Liberal Religionists of the world to draw aside from Fellowship with the Church Uni versal. Grant that in the past, the closely organized sects, those with hard shells, and hard creeds, have looked askance at us, as very doubtful allies. In these days, when they find their old foundations shaken, and antagonists for whom they are not pre pared, they are fain to rest behind the defences of the very allies whom but just now they spurned. To take the instance of which I spoke just now, the intelligent traveller in a-ny city of Europe may, if he choose, find the Gospel of Liberty, Christianity in its freedom, illustrated and enforced in churches which are more and more recognized as the outworks of the church against Atheism and Nothingism. The Freest Religionist ought not ask for bolder or more inspiring words than he will hear from Stopford Brooke or from Stanley in London ; from Coquerel in Paris ; from Father Hyacinthe of the Liberal Catholics, or from any of the Unitarian pulpits in Geneva; from Reville and his companions, and from hum dreds of broad churches in the low countries ; from the pulpits of the men who are building the German Protestant Association through all the north of Germany; from Friedrich and the Old Catholic leaders there and in the South of Germany; ar, if one is �1874.] Relation of Unitarians to the Church Universal. » 65 to mention names, from Bracciforti in Milan, from Lange at Zurich, or, farther east, from our own brothers, the Unitarians of Hungary. Let a traveller only feel that he is not alone in God’s world and must not try to be alone, that worship is not complete when it is the worship of a cell or of a cloister, but must be sometimes united worship, or what the Latin calls com-munion, — and he will find that the Church of Freedom in our day has planted the banner of Faith and Hope and Love in every land. I suppose this New England habit may be natural enough, or easily accounted for. Our fathers were driven here, —from lands which were not too kind to them. No thanks to the Church of Rome that they came! No thanks to the Anglican Church 1 They came to a wilderness which was very rugged — and they made it blossom like the rose. No thanks to anybody for their success in doing so, — but to themselves ! And now that it does blossom like the rose, — now that they have surrounded them selves, I do not say, merely, with every oomfort of outward life — but with every help as well for the nobler culture and the spiritual longings of men, — now that in the desert that Kedar did inhabit, these churches have grown to rival the noblest of the old architec ture, — so that the choicest work of the kilns of Munich and of London admits the light of heaven for our devotions, that the walls of these places of our meeting blaze with the glories of Byzantium and of Italy, — it is not so unnatural that men should say, “ We were exiled from them, — and we are willing to stay in our exile, we will let them alone, — with a masterly inactivity.” “ If they can do without us, we can do without them.” But this is, after all, as if the hand should say to the foot, “ I have no need of thee,” or the foot to the hand, “ I have no need of thee.” The hand is tempted to say so. The foot is tempted to say so. But the moment either does say so, and acts on its dec laration, it cuts off at the same time its vital connection with the head. And when the hand is cut off from the head, — it is lost! None the less are our churches exposed to this temptation. They have wrought out, — thanks to their own zeal and to the ihartyrdom of the fathers,— what, I have no question, is the most perfect statement of Christian doctrine which has yet been given to men. Not in vain has the Holy Spirit for nineteen centuries 9 �66 < Relations of Unitarians to the Church Universal. [Mar. led generation after generation into all truth. And they are will ing to apply this doctrine, — if only they may apply it at their own fireside. “ We will open the eyes of our own blind, and the ears of the deaf who live next door to us, and are there any poor in these streets, we will gladly preach good tidings to them. That is our place. For the rest of the world, do not ask us to carry them our religion ! ” I could name to you more than one man in our own pulpit who is willing to say this. Why, it is only to-day that my eye rested on what is substantially this statement, in the printed words of one of our own prophets. He is a prophet who disproves the old adage. He is not without honor, even in his own country and in his own home. I sit at his feet and am proud to say so. I listen to almost every word he speaks with joy and ex ultation. But not with joy nor w’ith exultation did I find him say ing, that the work of the Unitarian Church was to leaven, but “ not to conquer.” “ Not to conquer.” When I read those words I felt neither joy nor exultation. No ! I remembered what I had read of that duty in an older book ; and never has the lesson left me. I have been sometimes enveloped in clouds and murky dark ness. But with the memories and promises of that older book, and with the present encouragement of the Living Spirit, it has seemed to me, sometimes, that I also have seen the clouds rolled back for a moment and the smoke dispersed, and clear against the heavens, I could see the form of one who rode upon a White Horse, whose name was the “ Word of God.” Upon his person he bore the title, “ King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” I have not observed in history that his victories were won when his fol lowers sat comfortably in their homes. The language of the Revelation seems well chosen, — which says that they were armies which followed him, mounted on white horses also ; not to enter into their rest, but to follow the “ Word of God,” even if the “Word of God” made war. I do not believe that they are meant to make war as the leaven makes it in the dough. I believe they are to go forth “ Conquering and to conquer.” In those armies the Unitarian Church is enlisted ; knowing no leader but “ the Word of God.” It is so sure of that Leader that it knows that its mission is to go forth “ conquering and to con quer.” Edward E. Hale. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Victorian Blogging Description An account of the resource A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes. Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk. <img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conway Hall Library & Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Conway Hall Ethical Society Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Pamphlet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Relation of Unitarians to the church universal Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hale, Edward Everett Description An account of the resource Place of Publication: Boston Collation: 61-66 p. ; 25 cm. Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. For content of complete issue see: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.8906965 (accessed 11/2017). From the Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine. Vol. 1 (March 1874). "This article is the substance of the latter part of Mr Hale's speech at the First Church, Boston, Feb. 15, 1874". [Footnote]. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available [Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine] Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource [1874] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context G5437 Subject The topic of the resource Unitarianism Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /> This work (Relation of Unitarians to the church universal), identified by Humanist Library and Archives, is free of known copyright restrictions. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Conway Tracts Unitarianism https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/f611c2df9b0bca025c4d03926bc0d1d2.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=pu69vdaqAjMwrJLCd4HUL8YFJscExrsnl7ro1F8d-gOSp-glPic%7ERKm2gFsWddbTyTFpZwzXbB51bcPtq6YPR13YSgYOj5eosdS1Jda5a3pmlHpIQmdIUVRnQbMhD23VnIkPhuYE21GpPzDN0x2RtxtbB3yvqQzP45lfvblJe7QtFgYDzzMK8G%7ElucwF7Zj0rd3egTMkrPNeHGjPSm-L2DwEK8ZugXgo23CYMmP0TyOhsIIlN42DstvSWQNAvJk8SasQ6qtJlYZDyYcEY0hmBsQWIHBE8COlOvIR3oPmfo78-gz1gq0csgWK3GLFszD407LOZ3Xo2NVC1NuKQWdtmg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 1e779c11db3efb6b547c7308329f6b5f PDF Text Text 88 “ The Two (Treat Problems [Mar4 still a need for the service of this denomination as a member of the Christian body, with a distinct work of its own, we rejoice in a name, which however confusing it may be if we consult only a dictionary for its meaning, has clearly enough defined itself in the intellectual and social and religious struggles of the last half cen tury, and has gathered about itself memories and associations of which we have such reason to be glad. We will only add that this journal will have no official authority of any kind, and that it is entirely independent of any organiza tion — and we repeat that we shall rejoice in feeling that we are working in co-operation with all, who, under whatever name, are helping to advance the cause of Truth and to promote the interests of Christian faith. ~ Charles Lowe. fi » “THE TWO ■ ■ ■■ • J•GREAT PROBLEMS OF CHRISTIANITY.” UNITARIAN A short article, with the above heading, appeared in the last number of the Religious Magazine, and read so much like a wail from a sad heart that we have been prompted to write a rep]yIn the opening paragraph the writer says, “We believe that Unitarian Christianity is a universal gospel; that it is for the masses as well as for the cultured few, capable of stirring men to greater action, and giving them a more ample religious growth than previous forms of Christian truth. But, before it can become the supreme gospel of the race, two problems must be solved.” Before considering those two problems, I would like to say a word on this opening paragraph. That “ Unitarian Christianity is a universal gospel, intended for the masses as well as for the cultured few,” I devoutly believe ; understanding by Unitarian Christianity, simply the Christianity of Christ. That is, so far forth as Christianity can be put into words, into propositions, into philosophical statements. But are we not in some danger of forgetting, that the vital part of Chris- �1874.] of Unitarian Christianity39 rcianity is not susceptible of statement in words ? It is a spirit of life. We can make statements concerning this spirit of life ; we may hold a philosophy about it, and that philosophy may be sus ceptible of logical explication, but the vital thing which Christian ity, the Spirit of Life, is, cannot be formulated. Now, our Uni tarian Philosophy and statements about this vital life-giving spirit, seem to me to be true, and I believe will prevail so far and so fast as men shall be able to appreciate logical and philosophical state ments about anything. But the masses are not now able to ap preciate. So that acceptance of our statements about Christian ity may not, for a long time to come, be very general. But (and here is our salvation as religious teachers) the masses, however lacking in ability to appreciate our philosophy, have no difficulty in appreciating the thing about which we philosophize and make statements. The spirit of divine life, when manifested in us, it requires little or no philosophical acumen to see and appreciate. Our present thought concerning the Bal thing which Christian ity is, and our present statements of our thought, may both be modified, it would be strange if they were not; but the thing itself is ever the same, and is not in the Sgclugive keeping of any sect, or party, or school of thinkers. But to advance to the next, the thwd belief stated by the writer in the opening paragraph, namely, -— that Unitarian Christianity is “ capable of stirring men to greater action, and giving them a more ample and religious growth than previous forms of Chris tianity.” I do not believe the first part of this statement, that Unitarian Christianity is capable of stirring men to greater action than previous, or many prevailing forms of Christianity, unless we are to define action to be somlRing quite different from what it is usually understood to be in this relation. This is almost too evident to require illustration; yet, at the risk of being prolix and commonplace, for the sake of simplicity let me offer an example of “ action,” produced by other forms of belief and teaching, and which Unitarianism is not competent to produce. Take an audi ence of evangelical (unconverted) believers, if the expression may be allowed, under the manipulation of any well-known power ful revivalist preacher. He evidently believes that all before him are in danger of eternal burning, and by his earnestness (for in- / �40 “ The Two (Treat Problems [Mar* deed how can he help being earnest) he moves the multitude ; he impresses them with a feeling, which soon amounts to a conviction, that they are in danger, imminent danger; and soon, action, emo tional, passionate action is apparent. A shout or a sob in one direction is followed by a sob or a shout in another, until soon there is shouting and sobbing all round; and speedily the “ anxious seats” are crowded with those eager to flee from the danger of the wrath to come. This is action. And so long as these continue to believe themselves in such danger, the action in one form or an other will continue. And so long as others are believed to be in. such danger action will not cease, efforts will be made to save others. Is Unitarian Christianity capable of stirring men to any such action ? I believe not. Nor is Christianity, under any name, capable of it. It is not Christianity that has done it in the case of the revivalist’s audience. The revivalist, and thousands of others, may believe it is, but I do not believe it. It is no more Christian ity in this instance than it was Christianity in the instances of the Inquisition and the Massacre of St. Bartholmew. I grant that the form of action was very different; and it may be said one party was moved by a love of souls and the other was not; yes, but all claim to be seeking the glory of God, the establishment of the true religion, the kingdom of heaven. Now, because Unitarianism cannot stir men up to what is called intense action, shall we enter-' tain any doubt of its truth, or its worth, or the wisdom of laboring for its wider prevalence ? Not until it can be shown that action can take no other form, or that it cannot exist without being very demonstrative. The value of action is not to be determined by any such tests. When you put an acorn into the ground, and alongside of it the seed of a sunflower, both may grow, but the manifestation of life in the case of each is different. You can al most see and hear the growth of the sunflower, and in less than a year it flames out in garish colors to be seen of all men. But the acorn has no such action. It is hardly noticeable the first year, and a century is not sufficient to perfect it, while the sunflower, meanwhile, has had a wide following in kind. Let not the oak look in contempt at the sunflower, nor the sunflower despise the oak. The higher the type of life you propose for man, the slower will �1874.] of Unitarian Christianity.” 41 be his growth toward it, and the longer it will take him to reach it. While if you are satisfied to tell men that they are in danger of eternal hell if they do not flee from it, it will not take some very Bong to start, and they will give themselves no rest or peace until believed to be beyond danger. But the spiritual quality of the lives which such a system is competent to produce cannot be of a very high order. I would not be understood as holding that there are not multitudes of good, saintly, Christian men and women, who honestly believe in these doctrines and these methods; of course there are; but .they are so, in spite of their doctrines, and not because of them. The writer of the article which I am consider ing would not pretend that these doctrines are any part of Chris tianity, and he must know, doubtless does know, that as Christlike men and women as he ever met are men and women of whose belief the doctrine of eternal damnation forms no part. But I do not forget that the question is not one simply of personal charac ter, but of the value of different systems or views of truth ; and I recur to the question. I have dwelt thus at length on the opening paragraph of the article, because I felt that in it lurked the point of the subsequent inquiries. The writer proceeds to say, “ Before Unitarian Christianity can become the supreme gospel of the race two problems must be solved.” The first of these problems he regard^ as the finding of “some motive power to outward action equal to the Orthodox doc trine of eternal punishment.” I should state it differently, and say, — Before Unitarianism can become the prevailing form of Christianity, it must manifest some motive power of inward life superior to that found in connection with all other forms of Chris tianity. Considered in its most vital relations, it is not a question of doctrines, or philosophies of doctrines, half so much as many seem to think. It is a matter of spirit and life. And it is not a question of more or less noisy demonstration of life, but of sweet ness and purity. Unitarianism and Unitarians need the same motive to outward action that was in Christ. What was that? Was it not Bove — Love to God and love to man. His love for God kept him at one with God. His love for man prompted him to give himself to the �42 “ The Two Great Problems Mar.] work of bringing man also at one with God. It was not so much the sentiment of fear in Christ, concerning man’s threatened doom, that was the motive to action in him. It was love for that which is essential manhood in all men, that which has divine pos sibilities. He did not overlook man’s danger, he never spoke lightly of sin, but the moving motive in him never seemed so much fear of the consequences of sin, or hatred of sin itself, as love for that which man is capable of becoming. To make Uni tarianism the prevailing gospel we must not be content to say that it is the best; nor content philosophically to demonstrate its supe riority in doctrine over all other forms of Christianity. The merest novice can state, with beautiful simplicity and truth, the mere law of the gospel, — to love God above all things and thy neighbor as thyself. Everybody knows that to practically carry this out is to live a Christian; and we may as well now, as ever, give over all idea of finding any superior statement of Christianity, and con fine ourselves to the more important work of keeping alive in our own hearts the Spirit which prompts love, and the generation and keeping alive of that spirit in other hearts, where it may not be, or where it exists only in possibility, like the oak in the acorn. In the presence of the spirit of the living Christ, looking out in tenderness through human eyes; falling on the ear in sweet ca dences from human tongue; manifesting itself in self-sacrificing deeds among men ; in presence of the spirit of. life thus set forth, of what moment is the doctrine of eternal punishment, or any other doctrine which is not accompanied with this spirit ? And if this be present, we can well spare the doctrine. And the influence and the effect of this spirit, although it might not indeed stir men to shout, and howl, or sob, would it not do what it did of old, draw all men to it in more or less loving sympathy, and awaken in them a kindred spirit ? The second problem, which in the mind of the writer of the article under consideration must be solved before Unitarianism is to prevail, “ is, to find a form of truth that shall make God as near and helpful to the soul as the Orthodox doctrine of the deity of Jesus.” A word on this. The human soul will never outgrow its need of a feeling of nearness to God, nor outgrow its need of help from �1874.] of Unitarian Christianity43 him. It is sweet to feel him near, but does it drive him off, or does it necessarily rob the soul of all consciousness of his near ness, to believe concerning him as Jesus believed, namely, — that he is the ever present spirit of love, power, tenderness and sym pathy ? It is true, as the writer says, that, “ not much is ac complished when it is proved that Jesus is not God.” But is it true that, “ When we do this, he ceases to be a central fact, a leader, a Saviour ? ” Did the sun cease to be a central fact when it was proved that he did not move round the earth ? Does Plato cease to be a leader in philosophy, when it is proved he is not somebody else, and never wrote the Iliad ? And does Jesus really cease to be all these, “ a central fact, a leader, a Saviour,” when it is proved he is not God ? He must cease to be such a central fact as Orthodoxy conceives him to be, of course, but he remains just as important a fact nevertheless. And of course he must cease to be such a leader as Orthodoxy conceives him, but he may remain just as helpful in his leadership still. And as such a Saviour as Orthodoxy believes man to be in need of, of course he must cease to be when the reality of eternal hell is disposed of. But he may be 'all the Saviour that man really needs still. The writer seems to overlook the fact that Unitarianism does something more than prove that Jesus is not God. , It affirms that God was in Christ, and in him for a blessed purpose, a loving purpose, to bring man into sympathy and fellowship of life with himself. Christ is to Unitarian thought a u central factf inasmuch as the divine life, the life of God, becomes a helpful fact in him, and inasmuch as the fact of Christianity has its visible root in him, although invisibly it is in God. He is a leader, not alone by virtue of what he has taught, but more especially by what he was and is in the spiritual quality of his life. He was not a leader in literature, science or art, but he was in the divine art of godly living, in the art of set ting forth the divinely human life. And we affirm him Saviour, by virtue of his being the divinely appointed instrument for the generation and keeping alive in us of the only thing that can save, the spirit of self-sacrificing love. Unitarianism, as I hold it, does not oblige me to legislate God out of Jesus, when it teaches me that Jesus was not God. Jesus, aside from the Spirit of God, which was livingly in him, of course,* �44 “ The Two Great*Problems.” s Mar.] is no Saviour. It is God in Christ that wo find to be so precious and so helpful a Saviour. But here again I am reminded that no mere statement of this can accomplish much. It is the Saviour presented in our own lives* that will be the most effective doctrine. To have its fullest and best effect, the doctrine must be lived, not simply preached. Dr Sears is quoted as saying “ that Christianity was a new in flux of divine power,” and the question is asked, “ Is Unitarianism a new influx of Divine power, or is it only a philosophy made momentarily popular by a few fervid orators ? ” In reply I would say, No, Unitarianism is not a new influx of Divine power, it is a natural evolution of the influx which was new in Christ. It is new, of course, in the sense that the spirit is living, and ever new, as well as old. As I understand Unitarianism, it is not “ only a philosophy,” but Christianity, minus the theology of the middle ages, and plus the, common sense of the nineteenth cen tury. It will become, the form of religion of the masses, just as far and as fast as the masses learn to va’lue spirituality of life and righteousness of character, above any merely personal reward, either in the form of worldly profit, or other-worldly immunity from threatened doom. But its progress is slow, and the average preacher of it who sighs for a large following must be willing to be disappointed. The less religion is mixed up with worldly elements the longer it will take to make it popular. There is great satisfac tion in the reflection that the divinest preacher of all did not have, in his own day, a reliable dozen of followers. There were, who heard him gladly, but they did not very closely, or publicly identify themselves with him. And there were not three out of the twelve who did not mix up his religion with a good many worldly policies. We have no cause for discouragement. It may not be the ani mus of our movement to build up a great ecclesiasticism, but it can do better; it can continue to make clear the superiority of spiritual religion over the religion of form, of dogma or of tradition alism ; and who doesnot know that one such living religionist is not worth, in his influence for good, ten thousand terror-stricken ad herents of some fear-awakeniftg dogmatism.. Let us continue to “ hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.” J. B. Green. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Victorian Blogging Description An account of the resource A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes. Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk. <img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conway Hall Library & Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Conway Hall Ethical Society Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Pamphlet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "The two great problems of Unitarian Christianity" Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Green, J.B. Description An account of the resource Place of publication: [Boston] Collation: 38-44 p. ; 25 cm. Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. A reply to an article of the same title appearing in the Religious Magazine. For content of complete issue see: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89069654465;view=1up;seq=7 (accessed 11/2017). From the Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine. Vol. 1 (March 1874). Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available [Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine] Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource [1874] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context G5433 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /> This work ("The two great problems of Unitarian Christianity"), identified by Humanist Library and Archives, is free of known copyright restrictions. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Subject The topic of the resource Unitarianism Conway Tracts Unitarianism https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/a79de8a3e000ad75132b36a048070753.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=LUGARgChDWRbvkbC8qVO1t-YhpX3WxNBh%7EeatOK9SH87aG7yoWGh1wrDUneVQ6gZRT1Sr7UGO0BnccekDz9CRiTLKxBw32jYEcMUAYBqk-N2UVaATAYqTWqPbY6e17vIEkl8xlzP3t5NiTN8IOpKsrFGPpTIi7KaHJ1Ephs9mtZYzeN5GqPPI9%7EgbsWxI3y7upovmhEnfYRbyr1QmyZf7p4xrkDTcBxnvrWBU4F2-G9QQ5xVQkOv9p4zOBCQnqQEIyH9r2OOE97FlxldaHVFkU0TCHDc9TU3quTOntvLh%7E1TY3kz6OEwYXgebfm7FaRxxcKo5QXh8jwczRtDGu%7EV-w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 06a93aeef1990e72b80816a07219bda5 PDF Text Text ROBERT COLLYER AND HIS CHURCH '* " ’' ' A DISCOURSE DELIVERED IN THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITARIAN CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA if 0 V E M B ER 12 1 8 71 BY ■wliHI. ZFTTZRzJSTZESS MINISTER King & Baird, [printed not published.] Printers. ��DISCOURSE I take for my text what thJ3|g|.h elders said to Jesus when they went, to him in behalf of the Roman centurion. He is worthy for, whom thou shouldst do this. . Luke vii. 4. My Friends: The religious societies of our denomination have all » been invited tel aid flniBBflwQBv Church in Chicago for our dearly ^»veMm?iend and brother? Robert Collyer, whose' ^^utiSlOlle^ of worship was burned down in the grS^o^i^gBOH It is proposed to fifty thousand dollars for the purpose. I have no doubt this sum will be raised. Apart from Robert Collyer’s peculiar personal claims, there is in the Unitarian E»omirH®n as in all reli gious denominations, as irf :all»EM^gociated for com mon objects, what the French call, a spirit of the body, which prompts the members of the body to liberal giving, and causes every proposal n^e in its name to be greeted with favor for the mere |pme’s|sake, letting alone the intrinsic merit^jof the proposal. Political parties as well as religious sects illustrate this spirit. �4 Even the greatest outrages upon liberty and common honesty are more than pardoned—they are accounted honorable and sacred, when perpetrated in the name of the party or the church. But, thank Heaven ! we have as striking instances, and most cheewig instances are they, of the same spirit in the interest of good 'objects. Witness the great Rebellion, when, in the name of Our Country, which makes this multitudinous and diversified popu lation one body, acts of the noblest heroism were done, and self-sacrifice became a luxury. Witness also the generoutftutpOuring >f effective sympathy in behalf of thejiffering hosts of the West, in the name of the common humility which makes all mankind one. Seeing that this spirit is so strong, I have no doubt, I say, that attachment to the name, loyalty to the denomination, will be powerful enough among liberal Christians to rebuild Robert Collyer’s church in Chi cago. I am very ^BrnlSBi desirous, friends and brothers, that we of this church should take a prompt and generous share in thi^mgost worthy enterprise. But for the fulfilment of my ardent desire, I do not rely upon your zeal for the denomination. If there is any one Church in our denomination in which there is less of a denominational spirit than in �5 others, it is this Church. I do not believe there is any associated numb® of Unitarian Christians less disposed than we are (to use a vulgar but expressive phrase), toBgdJm a? merely denominational object. I ha^^^H attempted—I should most cer tainly have wle|H||Oj^Epo use the Unitarian name to conjure money out of your pockets. I regard it as a very good thing that it is st^na^tn^^ ^among you so little of IWm onoBteMSRnil^^MII whatever solicits youriw^^^^Mw must stand or fall upon its merits. For thB state of things amongst us of this Church, there are* tb< best of reasons. For a feflg^ime we were, and we are still, gecBaph^m^fpe|jkihg, on the outskirtsW^ifffwitfe’^Uni^^^a coSSmrWB n nl in the closest and most vital connection with it. When I first became the pastor of this church, nearly half a century ago, scarcely a si^^^^Orbassfed *ffiaB some one of my brothers in the ministry from Boston or its vicinity— the headquarters of the T^taWay —did not stand in this pulpit, and thus keep up a living con nection with the Ka' ’lbfawners and brothers have, one after aiWthe^ nearly all disap peared. Their voices are heard B^WwrlM A new generationJdfel sprung up. W:JWfcKfee^^bft more and more alone. Then again the advocacy of the caute of the slave, �6 which I was “ driven of the spirit ” some thirty years ago, in a humble way to undertake, tended still further to isolate us. I was regarded as endangering the interests of Unitarian Christianity, which it was pleaded, had as much as it could do to bear the odium of the Unitarian name without having the added bur then of Abolitionism. It was impossible that this plea should increase our zeal for nominal Unitarianism. What churchlwhat religious wganization on earth was not bound to go members could not feel and speak for the4 oppressed as oppressed with them 1 What? doctrines,. howeve^pure and simple, were of any galue if they could not Sustain the cause of Humanity, howeveilobnoxious that cause might be'? Is it any twonder that we grew lukewarm in the interest of .mere 3Jnitarian Christianity ? Dr. Channing said a little while before his death that he cared little for Unitarianism, and this it was that gave occasion to a re^rt ^abat he had become a Trinitarian. The’ truth was that he cared less and less for a denomination, as he was growing to care more and more for Justice and Humanity. In addition to the subject once so dangerous and hateful, the so-wled theological opinions in which I have been interested, my views of the nature and miracles of Jesus, have also helped, perhaps, to set our little church here in Philadelphia apart by itself. We �7 live to see' both of the great bugbears shorn of their terrors. Once more. We hav^feeifl 1S| to wsjtand by our selves by the origin of ouSSoiwty and by the materials of which it is composed. Almost all the Unitarian churches out of New England, with the solitary excep tion of ours, were, and, I suspect, still are, almost exclu sively, madeiup of people of New England birth, New England colonists. Long after two Unitarian churches had been gathered a^icp^^ro'New York, I was told by a leading member of one of them, that he did not believe that they had had a- single accession from among the nathW of that city. O ur ’ehurch, on the other hand, had its beginning, gnl five and seventy years ago, with ^rs@ns exclusively from Old England, followers and admirers of Dr. Priesfcy, when the name of that eminent man was regwddd with distrust by some of the most advanced mS9 in New England. In fact the autographed f Dr. Prwtley appears on the records of ou^fcMurch, enaBWi with the names of our earliest members. And furthermore, while, from time to time, individ uals and families from New England have joined us, many of thos^whom we have had thl happiness of welcoming to our commfion have come from the' denomination of Friends|| and if dhey wereQiot here, they would be, if any where, in Quaker Meeting. �8 * All their associations are with Quaker ways, and they have been moulded by the influence of that eminently Christian denomination. It is not any attraction of Unitarian formularies; whether of doctrine or observ ance, but the liberal spirit of our mode of faith that has drawn them to us. The Friends are not a prose lytizing people. According!yu those of you who have come to us fromghem have no special interest in the methods adopted for the diffusion of liberal views, in spreading L»tarianisgfi popularly so termed. You put faith rath® in the spirit than in collecting money and building churches, Rooking for moral and religious results, not to be manufactured by costly machinery, but to flow from iwlivictual effort prompted by the inner light, He spirit of Tteuth. On all these account^* frien®, there is no strong denominational feeling among us, no burning zeal for what are termed Unitarian movements, such as, for instance, the plan recegjly proposed by our Unitarian brethren of building a so-styled Rational Unitarian Church in Washington & We are all learning, I trust, to put less and less faith in mere organizational and the mechanism of sects, in measures rather than in men, in making religion by 'the collection of money and the distribution of the written word; not that money and tracts may not be serviceable to the good cause, but the man-made letter �9 is not the God-inspired spirit, although it is constantly mistaken for it. In soliciting, therefore, y^ur pecuniary aid to the rebuilding of Robert Collyer’s churchjC am not dis posed to lay any stress upofflthe^adwiitage it will be to Unitarian Christianity. The object proposed stands before you upon grourgl Inroad and strong of its own. lie is most we should do this, most , worthy of the specialmMmfi church. This was the first liberal churcMI^^^B^^E Robert Collyer ever entered. It was the first certainly in which he preached. As a minister of a liberal faith, here was where he first* drew breath. ’ Here was he born into our sphere, our son, our brother. Somewhere about fourteen years ago, I met one evening at the house of a friend, some seven or eight miles from the city, a young ^Englishman, W workman in a neighboring hammotfactory, and a Methodist class leader, accustomed to exhort in the HRigapus meetings of his denomination. |^*was imprip^M b^hiljthought- ful air and by his acquaintance with the litellectual topics of the day. "He- was - evidently a man who was subsisting on food which his fellow-workmen knew not of, constantly growing, taking into his blood what ever nourishment books afforded him. He was a reader, they said, of the Encyclopaedia Brittannica. Through the influence of Lucretia Mott he had • �10 become interested in the Anti-slavery cause; and, as was almost always the case with orthodox men in those days, when they touched that great living Cause, Robert Collyer’s orthodoxy began to slough off like a dead skin, and he became interested in liberal religious views. It was not long after, that he came one evening to , this church. The weather was .stormy, and there were so few present that, contrary to my wont, for the first and only tim% I spoke that evening entirely without notes. I sujg)oseithis being in accordance with the custom of the Methodist church may have increased whatever of interest the services of that evening had for him. Shortly afte^fards I went to| Cincinnati to the marriage of my brilliant friend, Moncure Conway, now and for some year? settled in London. He too had been a few yearlW^fore at,<ihe early age of nineteen a Methodist preacher, in Virginia, his native State, and although we were then personally strangers to each other, he had at that time communicated to me the story of the painful douhtl through which he was gasping for a freer air. The letter which I received from him then, -appealing to me for spiritual help, breathed great distress of mind, and touched me very deeply. When, after withdrawing from the Methodist communion, he took charge of the Unitarian church �11 in Cincinnati, I accepted his urgent invitation to go thither, and take what part in marrying him the laws of Ohio might permitti Of ^course this pulpit was to be provide(|fcfo^g I invited Robert Collyer to take my place for theh@®e Sunday I was to be absent. Upon arriving in Cincinnati I desired to prolong my visit another week. I telegraphed home in reference to a supply for the second Sunday, and received for answer that you weii^wellK.onjtwitlaiiilCT mml than satisfied with my substitute. It is now more than. thirteen years ago, and Iuloi|®rnot that many of you remem ber with pleasui^Rqfc^^jOollyer’sfctr^^&ig at that time. It wannd^gM^^o^mMblfeten. Upon my return home^v^hing to sh^re in- your pleasure, I iagited ot® friend to preach for me. He came again from hisw|l>aG©,oh wm^|to give me a labor of love. I wait takenjill, and sW'ar fom being able to come to chuwh, I was^not ajfele todleay mv room. I had a day or two before received a letter from Chicago, where van^aitarian Church ^as already es tablished (now uaafet the charge of Robert Laird Collyer), inquiring about a remarkable blacksmith, of whose rare gift^ m,yjE)rre*(|hdeighl understood that I had had much to tell, and asking whether he would not make, what they greatly needed in Chicago, a good “ minister at large,’[/to go among the poor, and preach to them. i The* letter, if I thought him the �12 right man, invited him to that city, offering him twelve hundred dollars a year. Of course there could be but one answer. When Robert Collyer came up into my room on that Sunday morning, before going to Church, I handed him the letter, merely hinting at its purport. He refused to read it then, and put it in his pocket. In the afternoon he came up into my room again to see me, and handed me back the letter. I told him to take it home with him and let me know his decision. He replied that he had already decided. He should go to Chicago. He had mentioned to me in the morning that he had received the evening before his month’s wages, thirty-nine dollars and some cents. In a few daysfhe quitted the hammer factory forever, and moved with ^s little family to Chicago. There he ministered to the poor, rising so rapidly in the respect of the community that when the terrible Iowa tornado occurred, Robert Collyer was chosen by acclamation at a publid meeting of his fellow citizens to go to the scene of that calamity and distribute their benefactions there. He soon gathered so flourishing a church in Chicago that a few years ago a large edifice was built for him and his congregation. I suppose it was quite impossible for our friends in Chicago to resist the genius of the place which could tolerate only the big and the costly. A city, whose growth was hardly outdone by the most extravagant stories of �13 California vegetation, expanding so rapidly to giant dimensions, must have a Unitarian Church in propor tion. Consequently; Robert Collyer’s Church, Unity Church as it wajHBOTjfed, was buiB- at ancost of nearly two hundred thoi&n^ OyLlars. including an organ that cost ten thousand dollars. Although o® the day of its Dedication, members of the Church subscribed with a graadtiliberality to wards the payment offiHffif,|jgft. perched, what the flames could not consume, a debt of sixty-five thousand dollars. So was the at traction of the pa^chwLi that people flocked to the church, so lo^hpis sioutlv bore the burthen. But the terrible Fire came. And ltrwhen,B writes Robert Collyer, in his account of the burning of his church we®!® fought rifefairly as it came on us from below, and beaten the infernal beasifcso that it could never burn^s^umbli^Bw^mdltliat it had set its fiery teeth away up in the roof out of our reach, and I knew that all was over, I crept up stairs alone to my pulpit, where I had K»igW before and spoken to nearly a th^gfffiid men ancwvK^W^; I took one last long look at iijphe church and the dea^ sweeji noble organ, then Xstook the Bible as it lay when| I had left it, got out at last and-flocked the door and put the key in my pocket and went away, for by that time the �I 14 roof was ablaze, and I thought my heart was broken. That Unity has gone up, like Elijah, in a chariot of fire, she is not dead to me,—she never will be dead,— or to those who loved her as I did, my hope and joy and crown of rejoicing, for I held her for God and Christ, God knows.” The church was insured. And it is expected that the insurance will cover the whole or nearly the whole debt. Whatever ofWthe debt shall remain, Robert Collyer says muf t be paid, if they all have to go to work and earn the money. Not a dollar of debt is to rest upon the church that is to be built. Taught by this most severe experience, our friends in Chicago have no desire now but for “ a plain, simple build ing,”—not a dollar for ornament, except, as Robert Collyer writes, where use is ornament. Now, dear friends, in praying l^ou, as T do most earnestly, to unite with all the churches of our faith in building a Church for our rarely gifted friend and brother, I do not introduce him to you as a mendi cant who must perish miserably if we do not give him this assistance. Do I need to tell you of his rich gifts, his winning graces ? Is not his praise in all our churches, nay, is it not sounded everywhere at home and abroad? Can he preach anywhere where the English language is spoken, where people do not flock �15 to hear him, whether he speak from the pulpit or in the lecture room 1 How well, by the way, does he tffend the trial of his great popularity ! It is no feeblejfest to be put to, to be so suddenly raised from the anvil to the pulpit, to pass from the MM®e drudgery of hard manual labor to a position, commanding the admiring attention of multitudes, and^Hong them mostBnlightened in the land. It has been finely said that, wrhile “ the prospect of the applause of ^ostgri^ is like the sound of the distant diSnl which elevates the mini present applause, flung] <M^etly in one’s face, is W® the spray of the same ocean wluppn th^^E^rand^geq uiring a rock to bear it.” > jKat RoberWCollyeruhas been animated, elatHM iBjVom will, by his great and well merited success, I do not d®E| It would argue an insensibility in him if he were not. He is no rock in this respect.. But notwithstanding the seductive trial, he stands like a rock by his flock and his work in Chicago. Shortly aftelf the great calamity, I wrote to him and told him that, he, Roberlr Collar, could rebuild the city, to say nothing of his church. And is it not by “the Orpheus-like musa^of the wisdom” to which such as he give utterance that cities are built end nations led up the loftiest heights of humanity'll You have all read the words which he spoke the Sunday after the �16 fire, standing upon the ruins of his clear church. A Chicago paper tells us that his voice had cheered not only his own flock, but all the people of the city, thus justifying my assurance to him. He has not, he cannot have, any anxiety on his own account. As he himself says—and I suppose he is prouder of the fact than of any sermon he ever preached—that, if the worst come to the worst, he can make as good a horseshoe as any blacksmith in Chi cago. I do not know about his horseshoes. I am no judge of the article. But I do know what good hammers the young blacksmith was wont to make by scores every week. They sent the nail home, even as their maker sends home the truth, only he does not, like a hammer, break in pieces the hard and stony heart; by his rare pathetic power he melts it into smiles of hope, into tears of penitence, and sympathy and aspiration. But the worst will not come to the worst with him. There is no likelihood that he will ever be reduced to the necessity of manual labor,-although it is no wonder if amidst that wide ruin he felt for a moment that it might come to that. What church is there, what community, that would not gladly welcome him'? He has not the slightest concern for his bread. This then must command for him our warmest ap probation and respect, and insure our bountiful aid, �37 * that while he may choose his place, sure of a lucrative position wherever he may go, the thought of leaving his flock and the desolated city, heems never to have occurred to him. After the death of Theodore Par ker, he was invited^o be the successor of that able man, and preach in the Music Hall in Boston. But, while, for obvious reasons,the invitation was very tempting, he chose <o remain in Chicago. And now he has no though^utjbf devoting himself and all that he is to the building up again of all good interests in that most afflicted ciwl Believe me, dear friends, I am not using the empty language of eulogy, nor ong| giving utterance to the promptings .of personal g'iendship. You all know that Robert Collyer is a man of peculiar gifts. Cole ridge seems to be describing just such a man as our friend, when he says that “ to find no contradiction in the union of old and new, to contemplate the Ancient of Days with feelings as fresh as if they then sprung forth at his own fiat—this characterizes the minds that feel the riddle of the world, and may help to unravel it. To carry on jhe feelings of childhood into the powers of manhood, to combine the child’s sense of wonder and novelty with the appearances which every day, for perhaps forty years, has rendered familiar, With Sun, and Moon, and Stars, throughout the year And Man and Woman— �this is the character and privilege of genius. And so to present familiar objects as to awaken the minds of others to a like freshness of sensation concerning them—this is the prime merit of genius and its most unequivocal mode of manifestation.” When a man thus endowed with “ the vision and 1 the faculty divine ” gives’ all that he is with generous ardor to the service of the highest truth, shall we not give of what we have, and uphold him with our hearts and hands ? Shall any loss befal him that we are not eager to repair ? You are sending food and clothing and money in boundless quantities to the devastated West. But, believe me, you can render the people there no more solid and enduring service than to do and to give allfthat you are able, even to the stinting of yourselves, for such a creaM^fl centre of beneficent influence as our friend/ that* he may have a place where he may stand, and, with the arm of the spirit stronger than the arm of flesh, which made the anvil ring again, lift the thoughts and aims of men above the material interests to which they cling as all in all—lift them up into communion with the Invisible and Everlasting, and with the blessed spirit of the Lord Jesus. For his oWn dear sake, for the sake of the gracious influence which he has, and for the sake of Religion, pure and undefiled, of which he is so powerful an advocate, I pray you, dear friends, let �19 us all help, and help generously this good object,—to build him a church. It has been proposed by the American Unitarian Association, which has its centre in Boston, that col lections be taken up in all our churches for this purpose on this the second Sunday in November. I do not, however, suggest a collection to-day. There is no pressing need of haste. I wish to commend the mat ter to your-most thoughtful Consideration. You may think it advisable to take up a collection shortly. In the meanwhile, I shall be happy and proud, as I always am, to receive for my friend whatever you may be prompted to give. The appeals, recently made to you, first in behalf of our brother from Paris, and then for the sufferers of the West, to whom there are few who have not given more than once, have been so cheerfully and liberally met that they create the faith that, so far from accounting it a burthen, you regard it as a privilege, as it assuredly is, to give for a good purpose, and that you are grateful to the Bountiful Giver for the means that he has blest you with, and for every new opportunity. By giving, you receive more and better things than you give, and thus become rich before God. In conclusion, let me say that I trust I have not offended against propriety in speaking so freely in �I A. .20 praise of our friend, as is customary to speak only of the dead. But I have spoken thus not to flatter him, but for the simple truth’s sake. And if I have failed in regard to the truth, it is not in going beyond it, but in falling short of it. If there is any alloy in the sense of truth which moves me to speak of him as I have done, it comes from the fact that he has, more than once, as I have been told, allowed the kindness of his heart and the warmth of his friendship to carry him away and alluded in his pulpit to his old friend, the pastor of this church, in such terms as have been, I confess, not without weight among the reasons moving me to decline his repeated and most urgent invitations to visit him and preach for him in Chicago. I own to the weakness of not caring that his people should find out, as they surely would if I went there, how far beyond the truth their minister had been carried in the ardor of his personal regard. Let me confess to you, dear friends, between ourselves, that I am not without a feeling of satisfaction in having this opportunity of speaking of him in a way that necessarily squares a private account of mine with him. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Victorian Blogging Description An account of the resource A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes. Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk. <img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conway Hall Library & Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Conway Hall Ethical Society Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Pamphlet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert Collyer and his church: a discourse delivered at the First Congregational Unitarian Church in Philadelphia November 12, 1871 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Furness, W.H. Description An account of the resource Place of publication: Philadelphia Collation: 20 p. ; 22 cm. Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Text taken from Lukje Vii. 4 "He is worthy for whom thou shouldest do this". Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available King & Baird, printers Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource [1871] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context G5367 Subject The topic of the resource Unitarianism Sermons Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a> This work (Robert Collyer and his church: a discourse delivered at the First Congregational Unitarian Church in Philadelphia November 12, 1871), identified by <a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a>, is free of known copyright restrictions. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Conway Tracts Robert Collyer Sermons Unitarianism United States-Religion https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/ba717514708438544e2ae82accc94728.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=kr%7ERUsAEPLMlCdV%7EI9Y3cqF8HC4AlGMqTggj51czXC4kk1sI7VKSz38YopuYOcWjEJ52omrUfrn%7EolxRtAqU8wTDyimKXDsbc9yJ2mhbZNYSk5Mk7ZOr%7EaVxAoFY5b9qhG31kxMZ9z6spvYEp-tEGQlpXq2SefFYACudJYs9eFT5GAUBlUX186S4iVhijR4SDzDYnPNf4AfUlzkFkKhka1jVZvo%7EGhTFjvSQN9YEKbHtNFi0SeX-oZGQ8-owkSjmTDvaroP-MkTrm4BJ2HAD2qaokCmEwf81uxAEcfQpC8c4Qw%7EBnhroXp0xxORczK%7EMhiyvW7dvFy6qmAp-i2K0UQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 5b5c82759aa35b08320aaefe0acef540 PDF Text Text ��M !■ ETI N Ci; O F ■ JoCRETY "’’ . Cz January 12, 1876, 1E F'MlRTHSft VfSM VMM BISCOVRstt DKLITKRKI) fJY REV W. IL EURNES^ D.D Sunday, Jan. 1O, 1876, i*M the ^tension el % ! /•>' nOrbinaihm. -•> January 12, 1823. it Pi XHELPHIA: ■^■i ' 4<J A 0O„ PRINTERS. £ ��AT THE MEETING OF THE CoDgregat/w (Unitarian Society, January 12, 1875, TOGETHER WITH THE DISCOURSE DELIVERED BY REV. W. H. FURNESS, B.D., Sunday, Jan. IO, 1875, ©n I Ije ©tension of fIje ^iftieflj ^rniifrersnrg of |jis ©rbinntion, January 12, 1825. PHILADELPHIA: SHERMAN & CO., PRINTERS. 1875. ��On November 3d, 1874, the Trusted of the First Congiegational Unitarian Church of Philadelphia issued the following notice to the members of the parish : First Congregational Society of Unitarian Christians. Philadelphia, November 3d, 1874. A meeting of the members of this Society will be held at the Church on Monday, the 9th inst., at 8 p. m., to devise an appro priate plan for celebrating the completion of the fiftieth year of Dr. Furness’ pastorate. As his half century of faithful and distinguished service calls for fitting commemoration, and as the members of this Church must rejoice at an opportunity of giving expression to their love, admiration, and respect for him, a meeting that concerns such an object will commend itself, and prove of interest to every one, so that the bare announcement of it, it is deemed, will be sufficient to insure a full attendance of the parishioners. By direction of the Trustees, , Charles H. Coxe, ' Secretary. �4 In pursuance of this notice, the members of the Societyheld a meeting in the Church on the evening of Novem ber 9th, 1874, to consider the subject proposed. The meeting was organized with Mr. B. H. Bartol as Chairman, and Mr. Charles H. Coxe as Secretary. After stating the object of the meeting, the Chairman called for the opinion of the Society. It was voted that a committee of nine be appointed, who should, together with the Trustees of the Church, constitute a committee to take entire charge of the celebration of Dr. Furness’ Fiftieth Anniversary as Pastor of the Church; should have full power to add to their number, and make such arrangements as might seem to them suitable to the occasion. The Chair appointed on this Committee, Mrs. R. S. Sturgis, Mrs. J. E. Raymond. Miss Clark, Miss Roberts, Miss Duhring, Mr. John Sartain, Mr. B. H. Moore, Mr. David Brewer, And at the request of the meeting, Mr. B. H. Bartol, the Chairman, was added. On November 14th, 1874, at 8 o’clock p. m., the Com mittee appointed by the Society held a meeting at the residence of Mr. B. H. Bartol, to make arrangements for the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Furness’ pastorate. The Committee consisted of the following persons : Trustees. Mr. Henry Winsor, Mr. John Sellers, Jr., Mr. Enoch Lewis, Mr. Charles Mr. Lucius H. Warren, Mr. Joseph E. Raymond, Mr. D. E. Eurness, H. Coxe. / �5 Appointed by the Society. Mbs. Mrs. Miss Miss R. S. Sturgis, J. E. Raymond, Miss Duhring, Mr. John Sartain, Clark, Mr. B. H. Moore, Roberts, Mr. David Brewer, Mr. B. H. Bartol. Mr. Winsor was chosen Chairman, and Mr. Charles H. Coxe, Secretary. It was voted, that on the evening of January 12th, 1875, there should be a commemorative service in the Church, and ministers from other cities should be invited to be present. The Chair appointed as the Committee on Invitations, Mr. L. H. Warren, Mr. Enoch Lewis, Mr. B. H. Bartol, Mr. David Brewer, Mr. B. H. Moore, And at the request of the Committee Mr. Henry Winsor. It was also voted, that the Church should be hand somely and appropriately decorated on that occasion. The Chair appointed as the Committee on Decora tions, Mr. Joseph E. Raymond, Mr. L. H. Warren, Miss Roberts, Mrs. R. S. Sturgis, Miss Clark, Miss Duhring. It was also voted, that the Choir on that occasion should be increased, if it should be deemed expedient by the Musical Committee of the Church. It was further voted, that a marble bust of Dr. Furness should be obtained, and placed in the Church. �6 Also, that gold and bronze medals should be struck off, commemorative of the fiftieth anniversary of the pastorate of Dr. Furness, And also, that a suitable and handsome present should be given to Dr. Furness, in the name of the Society, as a token of their affection and gratitude. Also, that photographs of the Church should be taken as it appeared on the day of the anniversary. The Chair appointed as the Committee on Fine Arts, Mr. John Sartain, Mr. B. H. Moore, Mr. Henry Winsor. It was also voted, that the exercises at the ordination of Dr. Furness should be reprinted, and that the anni versary sermon and the exercises at the commemorative service should be printed in pamphlet form. The Chair appointed as the Committee on Publication, Mr. Dawes E. Furness. And as the Committee on Finance, Mr. B. H. Bartol, Mr. Enoch Lewis, Mr. Charles H. Coxe. �7 On Sunday, January 10th„ 1875, Rev. Dr. Furness preached his fiftieth anniversary sermon. The following account is taken from the Christian Register of that week: “Yesterday was as perfect a winter day as can he imagined, cool, clear, and bright. The Unitarian church was filled before the hour of worship with an eager and deeply interested throng. All the pews were occupied, and the aisles and the space around the pulpit were filled with chairs. The church was beautifully decorated with laurel wreaths, and in front of the pulpit the floral array was very rich yet very chaste. On the wall in the rear of the pulpit was an exquisite ivy cross. Among the festoons which overhung the pulpit were the figures ‘ 1825 ’ and ‘ 1875 ’ in white and red flowers. “ Dr. Furness seemed to be in excellent health, and took his part in the rare and touching semi-centennial service without any apparent ^jh^mSoiM After a brief recital and paraph rase^^tpprtWiate passages of Scrip ture, he read with great beauty and tenderness the hymn beginning, ‘While Thee I seek, protecting Power,’ and after a prayer full of love, trust, and gratitude, he read from the twentieth chapter of the Book of Acts, begin ning at the seventeenth verse. Then the congregation sang Lyte’s beautiful hymn, ‘Abide with me! fast falls the eventide,’ etc. The discourse had no text, excepting the impressive occasion itself. There was less of narra tion of interesting incidents than in previous anniversary sermons, yet the half century was reviewed in a simple and masterly way. The preacheil mannfi was quite subdued until he reached his studies of the life of Jesus, �8 when his face became radiant, his tones fuller and firmer, and his gestures frequent. The allusions to other denominations and to the anti-slavery struggle were exceedingly fair and magnanimous. The people gave rapt attention, and there was evident regret when the sermon closed. “ The singing by a double quartette choir was highly creditable. Mr. Ames’ church at Germantown was closed, and pastor and people came to express their sympathy with Dr. Furness’ society, and to enjoy the uplifting service. Dr. Martineau’s new hymn-book was used, Dr. Furness having presented his parishioners with a suffi cient number of copies to supply all the pews.” �4 e j ;» -------- w �S' - H- b*e*«ne • t*nes fbiifl* *HI ari Wte plan* fw'‘’ The ahofc^dM W Wwsmi'Mww IM < *W •^-.^-«i*veyv .. . 4w«'y m» • wm Th* -jm k.W. ,■•*» w «wt m.«*Mh*t w* ■ eii*dL T " tk *»«»•• by * ♦ b b-'« ¥M highly ■»■-.• M- *• jno-'h wt*< -•v.v>-<aww* closed, . . ’ ><. > ;> f • ■^■o-v*'-- heir sympathy »* t. i , . • Ffl*6^f<mm « <. . ••*<! to u,hc th* uplifting ■. ,; > t • ‘-.i ■.- was used, Dr. <■•■'■ ' M shmM/ww With a suffi- «*« pews.” �J ��DISCOURSE DELIVERED SUNDAY JANUARY io, ^875, ON THE OCCASION OF THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS ORDINATION, JANUARY 12, 1825, AS THE PASTOR OF THE -frirst Congregational Mnitarian Cljnrct) BY W. H. FURNESS D.D. ��DISCOURSE It is in vain, dear friends, that I have tried to set in order the thoughts that come crowding upon me as the fiftieth year of my service in this place draws to a close. I cannot tell what direction they will take. But for the uncertainty of life, I might have reserved for this occa sion the Recollections in which I indulged on the last two anniversaries of my Ordination. All I told you then and countless other memories come vividly to mind and heart now. They almost hush me into silence, so hopeless is the endeavor to give them utterance. I must needs talk about myself. How can it be avoided on an occasion like this ? I trust in the kind indulgence on your part which has never failed me in all these years. If I should prove only garrulous, you will not forget that I have passed the allotted boundary and am now one of the borrowers from eternity; although it hardly becomes me to make claim to the privileges of age in a community where dwells one, known and revered of all, who has entered his ninety sixth year, and is not yet old. First of all, most humbly and heartily do I acknowledge and adore the good Providence that, for no deserving of mine, has blest me so bountifully and so long, and given me such a dear home among you. What friends, kith and kin to me, have always surrounded me! At the first here were my fathers—I have followed them all to the grave. And now, behold! my brothers, my sisters, my �12 children. What a gift of God the filial, the fraternal, the parental trust which I have been encouraged to cherish! It has been my chiefest treasure, the dearest sign of Heaven’s grace, my support, my well-spring of life. During my ministry I have received from you, from time to time, not a few unlooked-for, substantial tokens of your kind thoughts for me. They shall never be for gotten. But it is not the remembrance of any special proofs of your regard that now moves me, but the hearty faith in your good-will upon which you have always given me reason to rely. This has been my crowning privilege. Even when differences have arisen between us, my trust in your personal regard has never been allowed to be shaken. Were there exceptions, they are as good as for gotten now. Even those who have taken such offence at my words that they withdrew from the church, still gave me assurance of their friendship. There used to be times of painful excitement among us, you remember, when I was helpless to resist the impulse to plead for the op pressed. I can never forget how cheered I was by one friend, still living, but not now dwelling in this city, who came to me and said that he had at the first disapproved of my course, but that he was then in full sympathy with me, and that, as to the church’s being broken up, as was predicted, if I persisted in speaking for the slave, that should not be, if a contribution to its support from him (and he named a most liberal sum), could prevent it. Of course I never thought of availing myself of his generous aid, or of permitting the contingency to occur that would make it needful. If it had come to that pass I should have felt myself bound to withdraw. You will not think that I offend against propriety in mentioning such a private experience when you consider what an encouragement it was, what a joy to know that I had such friends. �13 Indeed, I would not refer now to those painful times at all, could I not in all honesty say that I look back upon them with pride, not on my own account, oh no! but on yours, dear friends, on yours. How I feared and trembled, and with what a faltering voice did I deliver the mes sages of truth that came to me! You resisted them too. I tried to hold my tongue and you to shut your ears. I would fain have run away and hid myself from the sum mons of Humanity* But I could not do that. I could not resign my position without putting you in a false one, in a position which I did not believe you were willing to take. And you were not willing. This church, I say it proudly, never committed itself to the WrongB You never took any action on Sat side. On the contrary, when, in the midst of that agitation, I was honored with an invi tation elsewhere, and you had the opportunity of relief by my being transferred to another church, you asserted, at a very full meeting, wW decisive unanimity, your fidelity to the freedom of the pulpit. And now it may be written in the annals of this Church that in that try ing time, it stood fast on the ground of Christian Liberty, and its minister had the honor of being its representative. While I gratefullS^.cknowledge the friendship which has been my special blessing for half a century, I gladly repeat what I have said on former anniversaries of my ministry, that the kindness I have received has not come from you alone. How little has there been in all this time to remind me that we of this Church bear an obnox ious name! How many are there who are not of this little fold, but of other denominations, who have made me feel that they belonged to me! O friends, it is not all bearing the same religious name, but all bearing different religious names and yet each respecting in others the right of every one to think for himself,—this it is that �14 illustrates most impressively the broad spirit of our com mon Christianity. I had rather see this fact manifest than a hundred churches agreeing exactly with me in opinion. I preached my first sermon in the fall of 1823, in Water town, Massachusetts. And then, for a few months, I preached as a candidate for settlement in Churches in Boston and its vicinity needing pastors. Kind and flat tering things were said to me of my ministrations, but I put little faith in them, as they came from the many rela tives and friends that I and mine had in that quarter, and their judgment was biased by regard for me and mine. I was strengthened in my distrust when friends, fellow students, and fellow-candidates, were preferred before me. I never envied them their success. I felt not the slightest mortification, such a hearty dread had I of being settled in Boston, whose church-goers had in those days the repu tation of being terribly critical, and rhetoric then and there was almost a religion. I felt myself utterly unequal to that position. All my day-dreams had been of the country, of some village church. In May, 1824, I gladly availed myself of the oppor tunity that was offered me of spending three months in Baltimore as an assistant of Mr Greenwood, afterwards pastor of the Stone Chapel, Boston. Before I left Bal timore, the last of July of that year, I received a letter from this city, inviting me to stop on my way home and preach a few Sundays in the little church here. I accepted the invitation as in duty bound, but rather re luctantly, as I had never before been so long and so far away from home, and I was homesick. I spent the month of August here. I do not recollect that I had any thought of being a candidate for this pulpit. Such had been my experience, my ill success,—I do not wonder at �15 it now,—that I was surprised and gratified when, upon the eve of my departure, I was waited upon by a committee of four or five,—I have had a suspicion since, so few were the members of this Church then, that this committee comprised nearly the whole Church meeting from which they came,—and they cordially invited me to return and become their pastor. As I had come here a perfect stranger, and there were no prepossessions in my favor, I could not but have at the very first a gratifying confi dence in this invitation. Although I asked time for con sideration, I responded at once in my heart to the kind ness shown to me. Thus the aspirant to a country parish was led to this great city. The three hundred miles and more that separate Phila delphia from my native Boston were a great deal longer then than they are now. It took then at least two days and a half to go from one to the other. A minister of our denomination in Boston and its neighborhood had then a great help in the custom then and there prevalent of a frequent exchange of pulpits. One seldom occupied his own pulpit more than half of the time. But this church in Philadelphia was an outpost, and the lightening of the labor by exchanges was not to be looked for. There was no one to exchange with nearer than William Ware, pastor of the church in New York. The place to be filled here looked lonely and formidable. I accepted, however, the lead of circumstances, moved by the confi dence with which the hospitable members of this church inspired me. I was drawn to this part of the vineyard by their readiness to welcome me. My ordination was delayed some months by the diffi culty of obtaining ministers to come and take part in it. It was a journey then. The days had only just gone by when our pious New England fathers who made it had prayers offered up in their churches for the protection of �16 Heaven (or rather in their meeting-houses, as all places of worship except the Catholic and Episcopal were called; we never talked of going to church, we went to meeting). Ordinations have ceased to be the solemn occasions they were then. Then they were sacramental in their signifi cation, like marriage. As our liberal faith was then everywhere spoken against, it was thought necessary that my ordination should be conducted as impressively as possible. It is pleasant now to remember that with the two Wares, Henry Ware, Jr, and William, and Dr Gannett, came one of the fathers, far advanced in years, the venerable Dr Bancroft, of Worcester, Mass., the honored father of a distinguished son, to partake in the exercises of the occasion. They are all gone now. This Church had its beginning in 1796, when seven persons, nearly all from the old country, shortly increased to fourteen, with their families, agreed, at the suggestion of Dr Priestley, who came to this country in 1794, to meet every Sunday and take turns as readers of printed sermons and prayers of the Liberal Faith. These meet ings were occasionally interrupted by the yellow fever, by which Philadelphia was then visited almost every year, but they were never wholly given up. In 1813 the small brick building was built in which I first preached, and which stood on the southwest corner of the present lot? directly on the street. A charter was then obtained under the title of “ The First Society of Unitarian Christians.” So obnoxious then was the Uni tarian name that the most advanced men of our faith in Boston, the fountain-head of American Unitarianism, remonstrated with the fathers of this church, and coun selled them to abstain from the use of so unpopular a des ignation. But our founders, being Unitarians from Old England and not from New, and consequently warm ad �17 mirers, and some of them personal friends, of Dr Priestley, whose autograph was on their records as one of their members, felt themselves only honored in bearing with him the opprobrium of the Unitarian name. The title of our Church was afterwards changed to its present de nomination, to bring it nominally into accord with our brethren in New England. In 1828 this building took the place of the first. It was about ten years before I came here that the Trinitarian and Unitarian controversy began. One of its earliest forms appeared in published letters in 1815 be tween Dr Channing, the pastor of the Federal Street Church in Boston,- and Dr Samuel Worcester,! An able orthodox minister of Salem, Mass. In 1819 Dr Chan ning preached a sermon at the ordination of Mr Sparks in Baltimore, which was then and ever will be regarded as an eloquent and felicitous statemenwof the views of the liberally disposed of that day. It commanded great attention far and wide, and gave occasion ma very able, learned, and courteous controversy between Dr Woods and Mr Stuart, professors in the Orthodox Theological School in Andover, Mass., on the one side, and Pro fessors Henry Ware, Sr, and Andrews Norton, of the Cam bridge Theological School on the other. The controversy spread mostly in Massachusetts. In the^mall towns where there had been only one church, there speedily ap peared two. Families were divided, not without heats and coolnesses, to the hurt of Christian fellowship. As a general rule, fathers took the liberal side, mothers the orthodox. When I came here in 1825, the first excitement of the controversy had somewhat subsided. It had lost its first keen interest. It was growing rather wearisome. It had snowed tracts, Trinitarian and Unitarian, over the land. Accordingly, although I was a warm partisan, full of con3 �18 fidence in the rational and scriptural superiority of the Unitarian faith, I did not feel moved to preach doctrinal sermons. And, furthermore, as I was on my way hither in the mail coach, in company with my friends, ministers and delegates from Boston and New York, I was greatly impressed by a remark made by one of my elders to the effect that people were bound to their several churches, not by the force of reason and the results of religious in quiry, but by mere use and wont and affection. Of the truth of this remark, by the way, I had a striking instance some years ago. One of our fellow citizens, now deceased, an intelligent, respectable man, a devoted member of one of our Presbyterian churches, used to come to me to borrow Theodore Parker’s writings, in which he took great pleasure. But he said he never dreamed of withdrawing from his Church. As Richter says, his Church was his mother. You could not have weaned him from her by telling him how many better mothers there were in the world. This truth impressed me greatly, and was a comfort to me in my younger days. Although I have rarely preached an outright doctrinal discourse, yet I had many interesting experiences in ref erence to the spread of liberal ideas. I regret that I have not done in my small way what that eminent man, John Quincy Adams, as his Memoirs now in course of publication show he did in his wonderfully thorough way, —kept a diary. Very frequently has it occurred that per sons have come to me who had chanced to hear a Unita rian sermon, or read a Unitarian book for the first time, and they declared that it expressed their views precisely, and they did not know before that there was anybody in the world of that way of thinking. Once, many years ago, I received a letter from a stranger in Virginia, bearing a well-known Virginia name. She wrote to tell me that a year before, she was �19 in Philadelphia, and, much against her conscience, had been induced by her husband to enter this church. Although there was nothing of a doctrinal character in the sermon, the effect was to move her when she returned home to study the Scriptures for herself with new care. The result was that she now believed upon their au thority that there was only one God, the Father, and that Jesus Christ was a dependent being. There were some texts, however, that she wished to have explained, and therefore she wrote to me. The texts she specified showed that she could not have met with any of our publications, for, had she done so, she would certainly have found the explanations she desired. Of course I did what I could to supply her wants. I think this incident would have passed away from my mind or been only dimly remembered if, twenty-five years afterwards, and after the war of the Rebellion, I had not received another letter from the same person. In it she referred to our Correspondence of five-andtwenty years before, and said that she wrote now in be half of some suffering people, formerly her servants (slaves, I presume). Through the kindness of Mr John Welsh, chairman of a committee that had been chosen by our fellow-citizens for the relief of the Southern people, I was enabled to send her a sum of money. A quantity of clothing was also procured for her from the Freed men’s Relief Association. My Southern friend returned, with her thanks, a very minute account of the disposi tion she had made of the supplies sent to her. She ap peared to have accepted with a Christian grace the changed condition of things in the South. May we not give something of the credit of this gracious behavior to the liberal faith which she had learned to cherish? It was cases like this that caused me to feel less and less interest in doctrines and religious controversies. I �20 have been learning every day that, much as men differ in religion and numberless other things, they are, after all, more alike than different, and that in our intercourse with our fellow-men it is best to ignore those differences as much as possible, and take for granted that we and they are all of one kind. And furthermore, in free conversation with educated and intelligent persons of this city, with whom I have become acquainted, I long ago found out that it was not orthodoxy that prevailed; it was not the doctrines of Calvin and the Thirty-nine Articles that were rampant, but that there was a wide-spread scepticism as to the simplest facts of historical Christianity. To persons of this class, numerous, years ago, and not less numerous now, it mattered little whether the Bible taught the Trinity or the Unity of the Divine Nature. The ques tion with them is, whether it be not all a fable. It was this state of mind that I was continually meet ing with that qarly gave to my humble studies a very definite and positive direction. It was high time, I thought, to look to the very foundations of Christianity, and see to it, not whether the Christian Records, upon which we are all resting^, favor the Trinitarian or the Unitarian interpretation of their contents, but whether they have any basis in Fact, and to what that basis amounts. As this feemed to be the fundamental inquiry, so, of all inquiries, it became to me the most interesting. In studying this question I could not satisfy myself that any external, historical argument, however power ful, in favor of the genuineness and authenticity of the Christian Records, could prove decisive. For even if it were thus proved to demonstration that we have in the Four Gospels the very works, word for word, of the writers whose names they bear, there would still remain untouched the question: How, after all, do we know �21 that these writers, honest and intelligent as they may have been, were not mistaken? There was only one thing to be done: To examine these writings themselves, and to find out what they really are. With the one single desire to ascertain their true char acter, that is, whether they be narratives of facts or of fables, or a mingle of both, they were to be studied, and the principles of reason, truth, and probability were to be applied to them just as if they were anonymous frag ments recently discovered in some monaster^ of the East, or dug up from under some ancient ruins. On the face of them, they are very artlessly constructed. Here was one good reason for believing that, though it might be difficult, it could not be impossible to determine what they are. Since Science can discoveife^T^inv com pound the simples of which it is composed, although present in infinitesimal quantities, surely then it can be ascertained of what these artless works of human hands are made: whether they be the creations of fancy or the productions of truth. Then, again, as obviously, these primitive Records abound in allusions to times, places, and persons. Here was another ground of hope that the inquiry into their real character would not be in vain. When one is tell ing a story not founded in fact, he takes good care how he refers to times, and persons, and places, since every such reference is virtually summoning a witness to testify to his credibility. Encouraged by these considerations, I have now, for forty years and^wre, given myselr to this fundamental inquiry. It has been said that only scholars, far more learned men than I pretend to be, can settle the his torical claims of the Four Gospels. But the fact is, the theologians in Germany and elsewhere, profound as their learning is, have busied themselves about the external �22 historical arguments for the truth of the Gospels. They have been given, it has seemed to me, to a quibbling sort of criticism about jots and tittles. But it is not microscopes, but an eye to see with, that is the one thing needed for the elucidation of these Writings. When we first occupied this building, I read courses of Expository Lectures every Tuesday evening, in a room which was fitted up as a vestry, under the church, for some four or five months in the year, for five seasons. The attendance was never large; some thirty persons perhaps gave me their presence. But my interest in the study came not from my hearers, but from the subject, in which, from that time to this, I have found an in creasing delight. Continually new and inimitable marks of truth have been disclosed. Unable to keep to myself what I found so convincing, I have from time to time published the discoveries, or what appeared to me dis coveries, that I made. The editions of my little pub lished volumes have never been large. Many persons tell me they have read them. I can reconcile the fact that they have been so much read with their very limited sale only by supposing that the few copies sold have been loaned very extensively s Do not think, friends, that I am making any complaint. As I have just said, my in terest in the subject has not depended upon others, either hearers or readers. The subject itself has been my abun dant compensation. To many of my brothers in the ministry I have ap peared, I suppose,*4o be the dupe of my own fancies. What I have offered as sparkling gems of fact have been regarded as made, not found. Some time ago I came across an old letter from my venerated friend, the late Henry Ware, Jr, in which he expostulated with me for wasting myself upon such a barren study as he appears to have regarded the endeavor to ascertain whether this �23 great Christendom be founded on a fable or on the ada mant of Fact. So dependent are we all upon the sympathy of others, that I believe my interest in this pursuit would have abated long ago had it not been that the subject had an overpowering charm in itself, and that one great result of the inquiry, becoming more and more significant at every step, was to bring out in ever clearer light the Godlike Character of the Man of Nazareth. As he has gradually emerged from the thick mists of super stition and theological speculation in which he had so long been hidden from my sight, his Person, as profoundly natural as it was profoundly original, has broken upon me at times as “ the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.” Not in any alleged miracle, not in any nor in all His works, wonderful and unprecedented as some of them were, not in His words, immortal as is the wis dom that he uttered, but in that reserved fulness of per sonal power of which His works and words,—His whole overt life gives only a hint, significant, indeed, but only a hint—there, in himself, in what He was, in the native, original power of the Man, the secret of His mighty in fluence has been laid bare to me. That it is that ex plains the existence of the wondrous stories of His life. They had to be, and to be just what they are, with all their discrepancies, mistakes, and somewhat of the fabu lous that is found in them, born as they were of the irre sistible force of His personal truth. And that it is, also, which is the inexhaustible fountain of Inspiration, of Faith, and Love, and Hope, which the Infinite Mercy has opened in the world, and of which men, fainting and per ishing in their sins, shall drink, and from within them shall flow rivers of healing and of health. As I have intimated, friends, there have been times when I have felt somewhat lonely in this study. But �24 some ten years ago a marked change came over the course of religious thought occasioned by the appearance of a Life of Jesus, by an eloquent and learned man in France, who, belonging to the sceptical school, scarcely believing that such a person as Jesus ever had an exist ence, went to Syria upon a scientific errand, and when there was struck by the evidences that he beheld of the geographical truth of the New Testament. So strong a conviction was born in him of the reality of Jesus that he was moved to write his life. It is true there is little else in the book of Ernest Renan recognized as fact, be yond the actual existence and the great sayings of Jesus. This was something, coming from the quarter it did. And, moreover, with all the doubts which it suggests as to particular incidents in the Gospel histories, its publi cation has been justified by the effect it had in turning attention to the human side of that great life. It has created a new interest in the Man. And further, Science, becoming popular, is impressing the general mind so deeply with the idea of the inviolable order of Nature, that it is not to be believed that men will look much longer for the credentials of any person, or of any fact, in his or its departure from that order. Nothing can be recognized as truth that violates the laws of Nature, or rather that does not harmonize with them fully. Deeply impressed with the entire naturalness of Jesus, I believe that the time is at hand when the evi dences of His truth, of His divinity, will be sought, not in any preternatural events or theories, but in His full accord with the natural truth of things. As the one Fact, or Person, in whom the highest or deepest in Nature is revealed, He is the central fact, harmonizing all nature. Never, never, from the first, has it been more important that the personality of Jesus should be appreciated than at the present time. The Darwinian law of Natural �25 Selection and the Survival of the Fittest is in all men’s minds, and in the material, organized world of plants and animals, we are all coming to consider it demonstrated. As an animal, man must be concluded under that law. In the physical world, as Professor Tyndall tells us, “ the weakest must go to the wall.” But man is something, a great deal more than an ani mal. He has an immaterial, moral, intellectual being, for which he has the irresistible testimony of his own consciousness; and as an immaterial being, it is not at the cost of the weak, but it is by helping the weak to live that any individual becomes strong. This, this is the great law of our spiritual nature^ The highest, the elect, they whom Nature selects, the fittest to live, are those who are ready to die for others, sacrificing their mortal existence, if need be, to lift up the weakest to their immortal fellowship. In the unchangeable order of things, not only is it not possible for a moral and in tellectual being to become great by sacrificing others to his own advancement, his greatness can be secured only by giving himself for them. Let Science, then, go on pouring light upon the laws and order of the material Universe. But let it stand by its admission that the connection between that and the immaterial world, however intimate, is not only inscru table, but unthinkable; and reverently recognize, stand ing there on the threshold of the immaterial world, one Godlike Figure, surrounded by the patriots and martyrs, the great and good of every age and country, holy angels, but high above them all in the perfectness of his Selfabnegation. No one took His life from him; He gave it up freely of himself. And thus is He a special revelation of the law that reigns in the moral world, as surely as the law of natural selection reigns in the physical. 4 �26 What renders the character of Jesus of still greater interest at this present time is the fact that there are thoughtful and enlightened men who aver that they would fain be rid of Him, since He has been and still is the occasion of so much enslaving error. They might as well, for the same reason, join with Porson and “damn the nature of things,” for what has occasioned greater error than the nature of things? It can be got rid of as easily as the Person of Jesus. For some twenty years or more before the war of the Rebellion, the question which that war settled interested me deeply. But on the last anniversary of my ministry I dwelt chiefly upon the experiences of that period. I need not repeat what I said then. It was a season of severe discipline to us all, to the whole people of our country. I will only say here, that so far from diverting my interest from the great subject of which I have been speaking, it harmonized with it and increased it. As I read the events and signs of that trying time, they be came to me a living commentary upon the words of the Lord Jesus. Precepts of His, that had before seemed trite, began glowing and burning like revelations fresh from the Invisible. The parable of the Good Samaritan seemed to be made expressly for that hour. That scene in the synagogue at Nazareth, when all there were filled with wrath at what Jesus said,—how real was it, read by the light of the flames that consumed Pennsylvania Hall I As the truths of the New Testament, simple and divine, rose like suns and poured their light upon that long conflict, so did those days in return disclose a new and pointed significance in those simple pages, giving life to our Christian faith. �27 What a time, friends, has this been, the latter half of our first national century! It was a great day in history which gave the world the Printing-Press and the Protest ant Reformation. But does not the last half century rival it? The railroad and the telegraph, mountains levelled, oceans and continents united, time and space vanishing, the huge sun made our submissive artist, the establishment of universal liberty over this broad land,—are not these things responding with literal obedi ence to the command of the ancient prophet: “ Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make his path straight?” It is a wonderful day, a great day of the Lord. We are stocks and stones if we do not catch the spirit, the generous spirit, of the Almighty breathif^and brooding in countless unacknowledged ways over this mysterious human race. All things, like a host of prophets, are point ing us to an unimaginable destiny. The authority of the human soul over the visible Universe is becoming every hour more assured. We are not here to walk in a vain show, to live only for the lust of the eye, so soon to be quenched in dust, or for the pride which feeds on what withers almost at the touch. Our nature bears the in eradicable likeness of the Highest. The mystery of it is hidden in the mystery of being, and the laws of oui’ minds are revealed in the laws which hold the whole Cre ation together. We are not servants, we are sons, heirs of God; joint heirs with Jesus and all the good and great. And all is ours, ours to raise and enlarge our thoughts, to set us free from the corrupting bondage of the senses, to deepen our hunger and thirst for the only Liv ing and the True, for the beauty of Holiness, the im mortal life of God. And all our private experience; all our conflicts, our victories and our defeats; all the joys and sorrows which we have shared together,—the sacred �28 memories that come to us to-day of parents, sons, daugh ters, and dear ones departed,—do they not throng around us now, and kindle our hearts with unutterable prayers for ourselves, for our children, and for one another ? NOTE On the last anniversary of my ordination (the forty ninth) I was led to dwell upon the Anti-slavery period of thirty years before the war of the rebellion. It was a period of intense interest, a great chapter in the history of our country. There was one incident of those times to which I par ticularly referred a year ago, which I wish to recoid here, not on account of any great part that I had in it, but for the interesting character of the whole affair; and be cause, thinking it of some historical value, I am not aware that it has ever been recorded save in the daily press of the time. From a MS. record made some time ago of “ Reminiscences,” the following extract is tran scribed : �29 “ The most memorable occasion in my Anti-slavery ex perience was the annual meeting of the American Anti slavery Society held in the ‘ Tabernacle,’ as it was called, in New York, in May, 1850,1 believe it was. I accepted an invitation to speak on that occasion, holding myself greatly honored thereby. Having no gift of extemporaneous speech, I prepared myself with the utmost pains. I went to New York the day before the meeting; saw Mr Garrison and Wendell Phillips. Mr Garrison said there would be a riot, as the Press had been doing its utmost to inflame the public mind against the Abolitionists. “ When the meeting was opened, the large hall, said to be the largest then in New York, capable of holding some thousands, was apparently full. The vast majority of the audience were doubtless friendly to the object of the meeting. “Mr Garrison, Wendell Phillips, Edmund Quincy, Isaac Hopper, Francis Jackson, Frederick Douglass, and other faithful servants of the cause, were present on the platform. “ I saw friends here and there among the audience. I was surprised to recognize there a son of Judge Kane of this city (afterwards Col. T. Kane). I had some previous acquaintance with him, and knew him to be a young man of ardent temperament, open to generous ideas. I sup posed then, and still suppose, that he was drawn there accidentally by curiosity. After a prayer by the Bev. Henry Grew, Mr Garrison made the opening speech, strong, bold, and characteristic. “ He had spoken only a few moments when he was in terrupted by what sounded like a burst of applause; but as there was nothing special to call it forth, and as it proceeded from one little portion of the audience, I asked Wendell Phillips, who sat next to me, what it meant. �30 1 It means/ he said, ‘ that there is to he a row.’ The interruption was repeated again and again. A voice shouted some rude questions to Mr Garrison. “Mr Garrison bore himself with the serenity of a summer’s evening, answering: ‘ My friend, if you will wait till I get through, I will give you the information you ask for.’ He succeeded in finishing his speech. I was to speak next. But the instant Mr Garrison ended, there came down upon the platform from the gallery which was connected with it, an individual, with a com pany of roughs at his back, who proved to be no less a person than the then well-known Isaiah Rynders. He began shouting and raving. “ I was not aware of being under any apprehension of personal violence. We were all like General Jackson’s cotton-bales at New Orleans. Our demeanor made it impossible for the rioters to use any physical force against us. Young Kane, however, leaped upon the platform, and, pressing through to me, in a tone of great excite ment, exclaimed » ‘ They shall not touch a hair of your head!’ Mr Garrison said to Rynders in the quietest manner conceivable, | You ought not to interrupt us. We go upon th^principle of hearing everybody. If you wish to speak, I will keep ordei|and you shall be heard.’ But Rynders was not in a state of mind to listen to reason. He had not come there for that, but to break up the meeting. “ The Hutchinsons, who were wont to sing at the Anti slavery meetings, were in the gallery, and they attempted to raise a song, to soothe the savages with music. But it was of no avail. Rynders drowned their fine voices with noise and shouting. The chief of the police came upon the platform, and asked Mr Garrison whether he desired him to arrest and remove Rynders & Co. Mr Garrison answered: ‘We desire nothing of you. We can take care of ourselves. You probably know your duty.’ The �31 officer did' nothing. In this scene of confusion, young Kane became intensely excited. He rushed up to Rynders, and shook his fist in his face. He said to me with the deepest emphasis : f If he touches Mr Garrison, I’ll kill him!’ But Mr Garrison’s composure was more than a coat of mail. Rynders, indisposed to speak him self, brought forward a man to speak for him and. his party. Mr Francis Jacksonjiand I were, the while, hold ing young Kane down in his seat to keep him from breaking out into some act of violence. He was the most dangerous element on our side. Rynders’s substitute professed a willingness that I should speak first (I was down on the placards to follow Mr Garrison), provided I did not make a long speech. “ Accordingly, I spoke iM little, anxiously prepared word. I never recall that hour without blessing myself that I was called to speak precisely at that moment. At any other stage of the proceedings, it would have been wretchedly out of place. “ As it was, my speech fitted in almost ttWell as if it had been impromptu, although a shamm^e might easily have discovered that I was speaking mewm’ier. Rynders interrupted me again and again, exclaiming that I lied, that I was personal, but he ended with applauding me! Rynders’s man then came forward, rath® dull and tire some in speech. It was his own friends who interrupted him occasionally, Mr Garrison calling them to order. “ His argument was^hat the blacks are not human beings. Mr Garrison whispered to me while he was speaking, that the speaker had formerly been a com positor in the office of the Liberator. “ He ended at last, and then Frederick Douglass was loudly called for. Mr Douglass came forward, exqui sitely neat in his dress. “ ‘ The gentleman who has just spoken,’ he began, ‘ has �32 undertaken to prove that the blacks are n'ot human beings. He has examined our whole conformation, from top to toe. I cannot follow him in his argument. I will assist him in it, however. I offer myself for your exami nation. Am I a man ? ’ To this interrogatory instantly there came from the audience a thunderous affirma tive. Rynders was standing right by the side of Mr Douglass, and when the response died away, he exclaimed in a hesitating way: ‘But you’re not a black man!’ ‘ Then,’ retorted Douglass, ‘ I’m your brother.’ ‘ Ah,— ah,’ said Rynders, hesitatingly, ‘ only half brother.’ The effect upon the audience need not be described; it may readily be imagined. Mr Douglass then went on, com plaining of Horace Greeley, who had recently said in his paper that the blacks did nothing for themselves. ‘ When I first came North,’ said Mr Douglass, ‘ I went to the most decided Anti-slavery merchant in the North, and sought employment on a ship he was building, and he told me that if he were to give me work, every white opera tive would quit, and yet Mr Greeley finds fault with us that we do not help ourselves!’ This criticism of Greeley pleased Rynders, who bore that gentleman no good will, and he added a word to Douglass’s against Greeley. ‘ I am happy,’ said Douglass, ‘ to have the assent of my half brother here,’ pointing to Rynders, and convulsing the audience with laughter. After this, Rynders, finding how he was played with, took care to hold his peace; but some one of Rynders’s company in the gallery undertook to in terrupt the speaker. ‘ It’s of no use,’ said Mr Douglass ; ‘ I’ve Captain Rynders here to back me.’ ‘ We were born here,’ he went on to say, ‘ we have made the clothes that you wear, and the sugar that you put into your tea, and we mean to stay here and do all we can for you.’ ‘ Yes!’ cried a voice from the gallery, ‘ and you’ll cut our throats!’ ‘ No,’ said the speaker, ‘ we’ll only cut your hair.’ When �33 the laughter ceased, Mr Douglass proceeded to say: ‘ We mean to stay here, and do all we can for every one, be he a man, or be he a monkey,’ accompanying these last words with a wave of his hand towards the quarter whence the interruption had come. He concluded with saying that he saw his friend, Samuel Ward, present, and he would ask him to step forward. All eyes were instantly turned to the back of the platform, or stage rather, so dramatic was the scene, and there, amidst a group, stood a large man, so black that, as Wendell Phillips said, when he shut his eyes, you could not see him. Had I observed him before, I should have wondered what brought him there, accounting him as fresh from Africa. He belonged to the political wing of the Abolition party (Gerritt Smith’s), * and had wandered into the meeting, never expecting to be called upon to speak. At the call of Frederick Douglass, he came to the front, and, as he approached, Rynders exclaimed: ‘ Well, this is the origi nal nigger!’ ‘ I’ve heard of the magnanimity of Captain Rynders,’ said Ward, ‘ but the half has not been told me I’ And then he went on with a noble voice, and his speech was such a strain of eloquence as I never heard excelled before or since. “‘There are more than fifty people here,’ said he, ‘ who may remember me as a little black boy running about the streets of New York. I have always been called nigger, and the only consolation that has been offered me for being called nigger was, that, when I die and go to heaven, I shall be white. If’—and here, with an earnestness of tone and manner that thrilled one to the very marrow, he continued—‘ If I cannot go to heav en as black as God made me, let me go down to hell, and dwell with the devils forever!’ “ The effect was beyond description. “ ‘ This gentleman,’ he said, ‘ who denies our humanity, 5 �34 has examined us scientifically, but I know something of anatomy. I have kept school, and I have had pupils, from the jet black up to the soft dissolving views, and I’ve seen white boys with retreating foreheads and pro jecting jaws, and, as Dickens says, in Nicholas Nickleby, of Smike, you might knock here all day,’ tapping his forehead, ‘ and find nobody at home.’ In this strain, he went on, ruling the large audience with Napoleonic power. Coal-black as he was, he was an emperor, pro tempore. “ When he ceased speaking, the time had expired for which the Tabernacle was engaged, and we had to ad journ. Never was there a grander triumph of intelli gence, of mind, over brute force. Two colored men, whose claim to be considered human was denied, had, by mere force of intellect, overwhelmed their maligners with con fusion. As the audience was thinning out, I went down on the floor to see some friends there. Rynders came by. I could not help saying to him, ‘How shall we thank you for what you have done for us to-day ? ’ ‘ Well,’ said he, ‘ I do not like to hear my country abused, but that last thing that you said, that’s the truth.’ That last thing was, I believe, a simple assertion of the right of the people to think and speak freely. “Judging by his physiognomy and his scriptural name Isaiah, I took Captain Rynders to be of Yankee descent. Notwithstanding his violent behavior, he yet seemed to be a man accessible to the force of truth. I found that Lucretia Mott had the same impressions of him. She saw him a day or two afterwards in a restaurant on Broadway, and she sat down at his table, and entered into conversation with him. As he passed out of the restaurant, h^ asked Mr McKim, who was standing there, waiting for Mrs Mott, whether Mrs Mott were his mother. Mr McKim replied in the negative. ‘ She’s a good sen sible woman,’ said Rynders. �35 “Never before or since have I been so deeply moved as on that occasion. Depths were stirred in me never before reached. For days afterwards, when I under took to tell the story, my head instantly began to ache. Mr Garrison said, if the papers would only faithfully report the scene, it would revolutionize public senti ment. As it was, they heaped all sorts of ridicule upon us. I cheerfully accepted my share, entirely willing to pass for a fool in the eyes of the world. It was a cheap price to pay for the privilege of witnessing such a triumph. I was taken quite out of myself. I came home, stepping like Malvolio. I had shared in the smile of Freedom, the belle and beauty of the world. “ A day or two after my return home, I met one of my parishioners in the street, and stopped and told him all about my New York visitJ He listened to me with a forced smile, and told me that there had been some thought of calling an indignation meeting of the church to express the mortification felt at my going and mixing myself up with such people. I had hardly given a thought to the effect at home, so full was I of the interest and glory of the occasion. I ought to have preached on the Sunday following from the words: ‘ He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner !’ ” ��I ‘ A »« **<***■ fl ;Jt ' Jkfll '•? * W r t i r •; s ■-'-.a | «> *.»■•■>'♦ •>« ” »•• ■ **<feM»*' �-’"■1JMTZ , i SMO t y^-M ? ■** «■<. ; < > 'a >K ■ . ?> ',..r: - V ' ■;<;,-••• :i.^-»' ■?&/< ’ gjF Sfe ’ �MEETING OF THE Staig M fflmtmn CJ^nstians, IN PHILADELPHIA, HELD IN THE CHURCH, TENTH AND LOCUST STREETS, JANUARY 1 2, 187 5, IN commemoration' on the FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF Rev. W. H. FURNESS, D.D., AS PASTOR OF THEIR CHURCH. ��39 On the evening of January 12th, 1875, the meeting of the First Unitarian Society, in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. Fur ness, was held in the church. The following ministers were present: Rev. Dr. John H. Morison, Rev. R. R. Shippen, Rev. Dr. S. K. Lothrop, Rev. Wm. O. White, Rev Dr. James Freeman Clarke,Rev. J. F. W. Ware, Rev. Dr. James T. Thompson, Rev. Wm. C. Gannett, Rev. Dr. C. A. Bartol, Rev. E. H. Hall, Rev. Dr. H. W. Bellows, Rev. J. W. Chadwick, Rev. Dr. A. P. Putnam, Rev. Thos. J. Mumford, Rev. F. Israel, RevMBS G. Ames. The church was profusely but tastefully hung with festoons of evergreen; on the wall, behind the pulpit, was a large cross; among the festoons which overhung it were the figures “ 1825 ” and ‘L{1875” in white and green flowers; while in front of the pulpit, covering the com munion table and all the approaches to it, were growing tropical plants, amid which was a profusion of vases, baskets, and bouquets of natural flowers, with smilax distributed here and there in delicate fringes or festoons. �40 The regular quartette choir of the church, consisting of Mrs. W. D. Dutton, Mrs. Isaac Ashmead, Mr. E. Dillingham, Mr. F. G-. Caupeman, .... Jr., . . . .... .... Soprano, Contralto, Tenor, Bass, was on this occasion assisted by Miss Cassidy, Miss Cooper, Mr. A. H. Eosewig, Miss Jennie Cassidy, Mrs. Roberts, Mr. W. W. Gilchrist. under the direction of Mr. W. D. Dutton, organist of the church. �PROCEEDINGS. At half-past seven o’clock the exercises of the evening commenced, as follows: Music. Tenor solo and chorus, .... . Mendelssohn. “ Oh, come, let us worship,” from 95th Psalm. Mr. Henry Winsor, Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, in opening the meeting made the follow ing remarks: The occasion of our meeting here this evening is so well known to all present that there is no need of any formal announcement of it. We thought some time ago that this anniversary of our pastor’s ordination, when the half century of his ministration here is complete, ought to be in some way marked and commemorated; and as one of the things for that purpose,—as the best means perhaps to that end, we invited friends in New England and elsewhere to be with us here, to-night^ and I am glad to say that some of them have come; as many perhaps as we had reason to expect at this inclement season. 6 �42 And now, speaking for this Society, I want to say to them that their presence is a special joy to us ; a greater joy than it could be on a similar occasion to any society in New England; for there Unitarians are at home, and each society has many neighbors with whom it can com mune, and to whom it can look for sympathy, and, if need be, for assistance. But this Society of Unitarian Christians has long been alone in this great city, having no connection with any religious society here and com muning with none. And so, as I said, your presence on this occasion is a real joy to us, and, on behalf of the Society, I heartily thank you for it. But we are here— we of the congregation are here—not to speak but to listen; and I will now ask Dr. Morison, of Massachusetts, to pray for us. Prayer by Rev. Dr. John H. Morison. Almighty and most merciful Father, we beseech Thee to open our hearts to all the gracious and hallowed asso ciations of this hour. Help us so to enter into the spirit of this hour, that all holy influences may be around us, that our hearts may be touched anew, that we may be brought together more tenderly, and lifted up, with a deeper grati tude and reverence, to Thee, the Fountain of all good, the Giver of every good and perfect gift. We thank Thee, most merciful Father; for the ministry which has been mod estly carrying on its beneficent work here through these fifty years. We thank Thee for all the lives which have been helped by it to see and to do Thy will, and which have been made more beautiful and holy by being brought into quicker sympathies with whatever is beautiful in the world without, and whatever is lovely in the world within. We thank Thee for the inspiring words which have been here spoken, brought home to the consciences of this con �43 gregation by the life which stood behind them, to make men more earnest to search after what is true and to do what is right. We thank Thee, our Father in heaven, for all the sweet and tender and far-reaching hopes, too vast for this world, which have been opening here, begun upon the earth and fulfilled in other worlds, in more imme diate union with the spirits of the just made perfect; and we thank Thee for all the solemn memories here, through which the dear and honored forms of those to whom we who are aged now looked up once as to our fathers and teachers rise again transfigured and alive before us. We thank Thee for all those who have been with us in the ministry of Christ, and under the ministry of Christ, gracious souls, rejoicing with us in the work which they and we have been permitted to do, and now, as our trust is, numbered among Thy saints in glory gverlasting. And while we here render thanks to Thee for the ministry so long and so faithfully fulfilled in this place, so allying itself to all that is sweet in our human affections, to all that is beautiful in the world of nature and of art, to all that is holy in the domestic relations, to all that is strong and true in the defence of human rights, to the deepest human interests and to thy love, uniting in grateful rev erence for the past, we would also ask Thy holy Spirit to dwell with Thy servant, to inspire him still with thoughts which shall keep his soul always young, his spirit always fresh, for long years yet to come, with increasing ripe ness and increasing devotedness; and that he may long continue to walk in and out here amid the silent benedic tions of those who have learned to love and honor him. Our Father in heaven, help us that whatever may be said at this time may be in harmony with the occasion. While we here rise up in prayer and thanksgiving to Thee, grant that Thy heavenly benediction may rest on pastor and people, that Thy loving spirit may turn our �44 human wishes into heavenly blessings, and that the words and example of Him who came into the world, not to do his own will but the will of Him that sent him, may comfort and strengthen us; and that the life which has been such an inspiration and joy and quickening power to our friend may be to all of us still an incentive to holiness, and an inspiration to all pure and heavenly thoughts. And now, most merciful Father, grant to us all, that it may be good for us to be here—so gracious and so hallowed is the time—and Thine, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.’": Music. Soprano solo and chorus, .... Spohk. “ How lovely are thy dwellings fair !” Mr. Winsor then spoke as follows: At the ordination of Dr. Furness, fifty years ago, the sermon was delivered by one eminent among Unitarian Christians, ^^gtom&is memory will be long cherished and honored, Henry Ware, Jr., and for this reason I ask to speak first of all here to-night his son, Rev. John F. W. Ware, of Boston, Mass. Address of Rev. John F. W. Ware. Friends of this Christian Society: I have no other claim to be standing here to-night and participating in your service than the one just mentioned—that I am the son of the man who, fifty years ago this day, preached the sermon at the ordination of his friend, William �45 Henry Furness, and what may seem to you my fitness is indeed my unfitness. Proud as I am in being the son of a man so much honored, loved, and remembered, I never feel it quite right in any way to try to represent him, and had I known that this was to be a part of the conse quences of my journey I think I should have stayed at home. But during the hours that I have been on the way my thoughts have been busy with that fifty yea® ago, think ing of the goodly company who, “in the winter wild,” came down here from New England that they might plant this vine in the vineyard of the Lord. And none of them who came at that time to plant are permitted to be here to-night to help us gather the rich and Opened clusters. It showed, I thinaMwe love that these men had for, and the confidence that they had in, their young friend, that they should have come, in that inclement time, this long journey by stage, taking them days and nights of discomfort as it did. IBSik that there was no sweeter household word in that dear old home of mine than “ Brother Furness ”—the old-fashioned way in which ministers used to talk of one anotheAwhich we of to day have forgotten. In those times it meant something; to-day we don’t feel as if it did, so we have dropped it. I think there was no‘name so sweet outside of the closest family ties as that name, and we children grew—my sis ter and myself—to have always the deepest love for the man that our father loved; and as time went by, and young manhood came, I looked forward to the hearing of the tones of that voice, and the seeing of that smile, and the touching of that hand, as among the bright and pleasant things—a sort of condescending, it always seemed to me to be, of one who was in a sphere higher up than I ever hoped to climb to. Then, as I grew older, I re member the audacity with which I offered him “a labor �46 of love ” in this church, and I remember I trembled after I had done it; and I remember how he thanked me, and how he criticized me, and the criticizing was a great deal better than the thanking. It was very deep; it meant a good deal, and it has not been forgotten. Fortunate man! he who came into this city fifty years ago; fortunate in the place, and the time of his birth : fortunate in the education he had had and the faith he had imbibed; fortunate in the place he had gone to, not to be coddled among friends, emasculated by being surrounded by those who thought just as he did, but thrown out by God’s will into this outpost, where he could grow, as we cannot where we are surrounded by those of our own preference and method of thinking; fortunate in the bent of his study, iii the opportunity to unfold the beau tiful life of Jesus; fortunate in being of those who stood up for the slave; fortunate in having lived to see the issue of the work that his heart was engaged in; for tunate in being now crowned by the love and benediction of his people, and retiring calmly and sweetly from the work of life, still to dwell among those who have loved him these years long. Oh, fortunate man! God bless him, and continue him here many years yet, your joy, your companion, your guide, and your friend. Not many of us shall see our fiftieth anniversary, for more and more this profession of ours becomes a thing of yesterday, to-day, and to-morrow alone. Very few oc casions there will be again to meet together to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of a minister’s settlement. Let us treasure the memory of this occasion. Let it go with us who are here to our homes and our works, and may it remain here with you a thought and memory and a help; and as, in the beginning, this church drew its life and its first impulse through a little band of sturdy and steady and upright laymen, so in the time �4 47 that lies before you, lay friends of this Society, remem ber that it is not the past upon which you can lean—the work that has been done by the servant who retires. It is the future in which you are to hope, and the charac ter of that future must be largely your work. With this simple word, knowing that there are many gentle men here who are to speak, and will speak more wisely and properly than I, I ask Mr. Gannett to follow me. Rev. Dr. Furness then came forward, and said: My dear Friends : I am very doubtful about the propriety of my being present on this occasion, not be cause any deserts of mine would call forth any extrava gant eulogium, but because I know the kind hearts of my friends. They would say things which would make me very uncomfortable! But just before I came from home I got a letter from our friend, Mr. Weld, minister of the church in Baltimore. He has sent us from the church in Baltimore two communion cups—silver cups—as a token of kind fellowship and recognition of this anniversary from the church in Baltimore. They wished to have an inscription placed on them, but they had no time; in dicating that they were gifts from the church in Balti more. So I thought I would bring them down without delay, and put them upon the table, if there was any room for them. In all the kind words which my brethren say about me, I think there is a good deal put in. Just like the old man who took notes of his minister’s sermons, and when he read them over to the minister, the ministei said, “ Stop ! stop ! I did not say that.” “ I know you didn’t,” he said; “ but I put it in to make sense of it. So, I think, on this occasion, there will be a good deal put �1 48 in. If you will allow me, I will go and sit down at the other end of the room, and if they get a little too strong I can run out. I was entreated to come here and show myself. I am very grateful to you for your kind attention. Address of William C. Gannett. Like Mr. Ware, I only speak as the son of the right man. The right man stood by Dr. Furness’ side fifty years ago, and gave him the right hand of fellowship. I know not whether there are any here that saw the sight or heard the words; perhaps of all he only. The air seems full, to me, at least, of the memories of the other one. And to you who sit and listen, the air must seem full of the very spirit of communion that these cups just given symbolize. There ought to have been a white head here; there ought to have been dark eyes; there ought to have been a ringing voice; there ought to have been a voice that would have been full of tenderness as he stood at this side of the fifty years,—as he then stood at the other side,—and said the words of an old man’s fel lowship. He would to-day, as then, have been just six months Dr. Furness’ senior in the work. I suppose one can imagine anybody, any old person, as young, easier than he can his own father or his own mother. I cannot conceive the one whom I call father standing here, or in the place which this church represents, as a young man of twenty-four speaking to a young man of twentythree, and bidding him welcome into the work which he called partaking in the work of heaven; bidding him welcome into its pleasures; bidding him welcome into its pains,—for he had been six months a minister, and in those first six months of a minister’s life he knows a < �49 great deal of the pains that accompany it. It so hap pened that just after I got your kind invitation to come, I happened to lay my hand upon the manuscript of that right hand of fellowship, and not having time to read it then, I brought it with me in the cars; and only three or four hours ago I was reading the very words, and read ing from the very paper which, fifty years ago, was held and read from, and to which Dr. Furness listened. It does seem to me as if the reader were here now to say, “ God bless you, old friend, for having stood ever faithful to the end.” I almost think he is saying it; and if he is, I know it comes with just that feeling: “God bless you, old friend, for having stood faithful to the end ; for having fulfilled all and more than all the words that then I said to you.” And that is all I have to say. I was asked to pass the word along to another boy of the old men. Your father and my father and Dr. Hall were classmates. Will Edward Hall speak for his father ? Address of Rev. Edward H. Hall, of Worcester, Mass. I hardly know to what I owe this pleasure, for it is a great one to me, of joining my thoughts with others to night, at so early a point of our gathering. I believe my claim is a double one, and I am willing and anxious to make it as large as possible, both as the successor of one who, fifty years ago, was present to give the charge to the people, and, still tenderer to me, the claim which has just been presented by the friend who preceded me. In that class, which I suppose stands eminent among the graduating classes of Cambridge for the number of men it has sent into our ministry, to say nothing of their quality, were the three whose names have just been 7 �50 brought together, who had no greater pride, I believe, than to have their names in common. And it is for me one of the pleasantest memories which this hour brings that they were not only classmates—my father and our father to-night—but that for so long a time, through their college course, they were in closest intimacy as room mates. And yet I should be sorry to think that this was my only connection with this occasion. It was said, I remember, of one of the finest and noblest of our officers killed in the war, that of the many who had met him, each one seemed to feel that he had made a special dis covery of that man’s noble character and fine traits, so did the discovery overpower him, and so sure was he that to no one else had it come as it did to him; and I am in clined to think that there is no one of these ministers here to-night who does not feel as if his connection with him whom we meet to-night to honor was something special, as if the inspiration which he had drawn from that source was one which no one but himself had got. No qualification for our profession, I suppose, is higher than the power of historic intuition; the power of seeing things as they were; of reading the words and seeing be hind them; the power that reproduces the past. Our great historians are those who read the past in that way; our great theologians are those who read the past as if it were present, and feel a personal intercourse with those who walked and fspoke in those early days. They are the holy men and apostles of to-day; they will always be the apostles to the end of time, and I am glad to feel that out of our numbers has come one whose power of divining the past has shown itself so fine and true. I can hardly help speaking about another feeling. I am impressed to-night by the difference, the vast dif ference, between our fathers of a generation ago and us who are upon the stage to-day. We look back rev �51 erently to them; perhaps children always do to their fathers. It is barely possible that our children may look upon us in the same way. We look upon them as a group of men set apart by themselves—a kind of priest hood, conscious of the sanctity of their work. A sort of moral halo encircles their heads as we think of them, and we group them in just that affectionate way to which our friend before me has alluded, as a band of brothers. Will this generation of ministers ever look to their successors as they appear to us ? I cannot believe it. That will not be our claim upon their honor or their regard. Happy for us if we can have any claim upon it; if men shall see that the second generation of ministers took bravely up the work that was half done, uttered the words that were still unspoken, continued in the path which the fathers cannot longer tread, and proved that it takes more than one generation to do the work which Unitarianism is born to accomplish. But I have no more claim upon your time, and close by introducing to you, as I have been asked, the Rev. Dr. Lothrop, of Boston. • . Rev. Dr. S. K. Lothrop spoke as follows: My Christian Friends : I have but a few words to say, and I rise to say these simply that I may more fully express what my presence here implies, my deep sympathy and interest in this occasion. There are scenes and events in life which, from their simplicity and beauty, and the moral grandeur which always mingles more or less with everything simple and beautiful, can gain nothing from human lips. Eloquence can coin no words that shall impress them upon the heart and conscience more deeply than they impress themselves. This occasion is one of these events. We meet here to- * �52 5 night—this company, the members of this church, these brethren from distant and different parts of the country —to commemorate fifty years of faithful and devoted ser vice in the Christian ministry, and rhetoric can add nothing to the moral dignity and grandeur of this fact, that is not contained in the simplest statement or expres sion of it. We meet to do honor and reverence to one, who, from the earliest aspirations of his youth to the later aspirations and ever enlarging service of his manhood, has known no object but truth, no law but duty, no master but conscience, and who, under the inspiration and guidance of these has wrought a noble work in this city, made full proof of his ministry, and given a glorious illustration of the power of that faith, “ which is the vic tory that overcometh the world.” The Unitarian Congregationalists recognize a large personal freedom and individuality. Among the brethren present and all called by our name who are absent, there are wide differences of theological thought and opinion; and some of us may not entirely concur in all the con clusions—the result of Christian thought and study— which our honored brother, the pastor of this church, in his fifty years of noble service, may have presented in this pulpit or given to the public through the press. But however he may differ from him on some points, no one who has read what he has published, can fail to perceive or refuse to acknowledge the spirit of devout reverence, love, faith, the large and glorious humanity that every where breathe in his words; while every one familiar with his long life-work in this city, every one who has known him intimately, had opportunity to study and ob serve his character, to mark its mingled firmness and gentleness, sweetness and strength, its martyr spirit ad hering to conscientious convictions and carrying them out at whatever cost or sacrifice, its loyal spirit, faithful �53 to Christ and truth according to honest and sincere con viction, every one who knows and has witnessed how these things have pervaded and animated his life, char acter, work, cannot fail to cherish toward him a senti ment of reverence and honor; and amid all differences of opinion there may be between us, I yield to no one in the strength and sincerity with which I cherish this sen timent in my own heart. When I visited him at his house to-day, I could not but feel that while years had not abated one jot of the vigor of his intellect or the warmth of his heart, they had added largely to that something, I know not what to call it, that indescribable charm, which has given him a place in every heart that has ever known him, and made us his brethren (I am only uttering what they will all acknowledge) always disposed to sit at his feet in love and admiration. I am oue of the oldest, probably the oldest of our min isters present. Dr. Furness’ ordination antedates mine, which occurred in February, 1829, only by four years and a month. As regards term of service my name is close to his on our list of living clergymen, and I remem ber, as if it were but yesterday, his ordination fifty years ago to-day, and can distinctly recall the deep interest with which it was spoken of that evening in the family circle of the late Dr. Kirkland at Cambridge, of which I was then a member. I had but slight personal acquaint ance with Dr. Furness, however, till thirteen years after this, in 1838, when suffering from ill health he was unable for several months to discharge his duties. His pulpit was supplied by clergymen from Boston and the neigh borhood, and as he had many loving friends and warm admirers in Brattle Square Society, they were very will ing to release me for six weeks, that I might come to Philadelphia and preach for him. This visit and service brought me into more intimate acquaintance with him and �54 this Society. The pleasant memories of that period, fresh in my heart to this day, were prominent among the mani fold recollections that prompted, nay, constrained me to come and unite my sympathies with yours on this occasion. It is a glad occasion, yet there is something solemn and sad about it. Like all anniversaries, it has a double meaning, makes a double appeal to us. It gives a tongue to memory, calls up the shadows of the past, brings be fore us the forms of those we have loved and lost; we see their smiles; we hear their voices; and as I stand here to-night, and look back upon those fifty years, and call to mind the venerable fathers of our faith, whom I knew and loved and honored in the early days of my profes sional life, Drs. Bancroft, Ripley, Thayer, Harris, Pierce, Nichols of Portland, Parker of Portsmouth, Flint of Salem, and bring before me the Boston Association when it numbered among its members Channing, Lowell, Parkman, Ware, Greenwood, Frothingham, Pierpont, Young, and last, though not least, that great apostle who has just departed, Dr. Walker, I feel as if I had lived a century, and was a very old man. I feel, however, that life is not to be measured by years, and I hope, mean al ways to try to keep as young, bright, joyous, and buoyant as Dr. Furness seemed this morning when I greeted him in his own house. I sympathize in all that has been said here this even ing, especially in all that has been said in relation to the future of this Society and its honored and beloved pas tor. It is no longer a secret, I believe, that he intends to ask a release from further service. I am sure, my friends, that all the brethren present will leave with you their loving benediction, and the hope that something of his mantle may fall upon whoever comes to try to fill his place. The whole of that mantle, in all its beauty, grandeur, and simplicity, you cannot expect any man to �55 have or wear; if you find a successor wearing a goodly portion of it you will have great reason to rejoice, to thank God and be of good courage. As for Dr. Furness himself, we leave with him our gratitude and reverence, and our devout wish that the sweetest serenity and peace and moral glory may mark his remaining years; and for ourselves, who have come from far and near to hold this jubilee with him, we all hope to gather here to-night and carry away with us on the morrow memories, in spirations, influences that shall quicken us to fresh zeal and effort in our several spheres of work, determined to be faithful and persevere unto the end, whether that end cover twenty, thirty or forty, or, as may be the case with some of us, fifty years of professional service. Rev. Dr. James Freeman Clarke, of Boston, being called upon to read a poem written for the occasion, spoke as follows: A great many years ago I was journeying from Ken tucky to Boston, and passing through Philadelphia, I could not deny myself the pleasure of going to see our dear friend, Mr. Furness, and he was then full of the thoughts which were afterward published in his first book, concerning Jesus of Nazareth. I spent the whole morning talking with him, and when the morning was through, said he, “ Stay a little longerand I said, “ I will wait till night before I go;” and I spent the after noon talking with him, and when the night came, he had not finished speaking, and I had not finished listening. So I spent another day. We talked in the morning, we talked in the afternoon, and we talked in the evening. I still had not heard all I wanted to, and so I stayed the third day, and, of course, Brother Furness is very much associated in my mind with his studies on this subject, �56 which has led me to take the tone which you will find in these lines: Where is the man to comprehend the Master, The living human Jesus—He who came To follow truth through triumph or disaster, And glorify the gallows and its shame? No passive Christ, yielding and soft as water ; Sweet, but not strong; with languid lip and eye ; A patient lamb, led silent to the slaughter; A monkish Saviour, only sent to die. Nor that result of Metaphysic Ages; Christ claiming to be God, yet man indeed— Christ dried to dust in theologic pages; Our human brother frozen in a creed ! But that all-loving one, whose heart befriended The humblest sufferer under God’s great throne ; While, in his life, humanity ascended To loftier heights than earth had ever known. All whose great gifts were natural and human ; Loving and helping all; the great, the mean ; The friend of rich and poor, of man and woman ; And calling no one common or unclean. Most lofty truth in household stories telling, Which to the souls of wise and simple go ; Forever in the Father’s bosom dwelling— Forever one with human hearts below. Not in the cloister, or professor’s study God sets the teacher for this work apart,— But where the life-drops, vigorous and ruddy, Flow from the heart to hand, from hand to heart. �57 He only rightly understands this Saviour, Who walks himself the same highway of truth ; Unfolding, with like frank and bold behavior, Such earnest manhood from such spotless youth. ■ ' -« Whose widening sympathy avoids extremes, Who loves all lovely things, afar, anear— Who still respects in age his youthful dreams, Untouched by skeptic-doubt or cynic-sneer. Who, growing older, yet grows young again, Keeping his youth of heart;—whose spirit brave Follows with Jesus, breaking every chain, And bringing liberty to every slave. To him, to-night, who, during fifty years, For truths unrecognized has dared the strife, In spite of fashion’s law or wisdom’s fears, We come to thank him for a noble life. He needs no thanks, but will accept that love, The grateful love, inevitably given To those who waken faith in things above, And mingle with our days a light from heaven. And most of all, who shows us how to find The Great Physician for all earthly ill— The true Reformer, calm and bold and kind, Who came not to destroy but to fulfil. And thus this church grows into holy ground So full of Jesus that our souls infer That we, like Bunyan’s Pilgrim, must have found At last “ The House of the Interpreter.” Dr. Clarke called upon Rev. Dr. Bartol to speak, who said: My Friends : I certainly ought in all sincerity, and I certainly do in all humility, thank the committee for in8 �58 viting one, so devoid of all conventional virtue, with no place in any conference, standing for the desert—yet not quite, I think, belonging to the tribe of Ishmael, for my hand is against no man, and no man’s hand, I think, is against me,—to say even one word. But let me tell you there is good ecclesiastical blood in the family. I throw myself on one who is worthy, I am sure, and popular in this church, a cousin by blood. I think there is a good deal of vicarious atonement in him; and I hope his righteousness will be imputed to me, though I do not mean to make him a scapegoat for my sins. Notwithstanding what my brother has said, I shall call him not only brother but John Ware; and because of what he said we shall all be convinced that this is a real brotherhood in spirit as in name after all. I call it a very goodly fellowship, not only of the prophets but of the people to-night. And that is the thought that comes into my mind in regard to it. Here our brother and father Furness, your minister, has brought all these brethren together who stand in thought so wide apart. Is it not a real fellowship? I need not mention the names to show you how wide a space of thought they measure, and the beauty and power of a man’s fellow ship. It is not to be determined by the number of his disciples or followers, by the largeness of the congrega tion he can gather, or the crowds that hang on his lips; but by the measure which all those men, be they more or fewer, make in the world of ideas, which is also the world of love; for a man’s parallax, that twenty friends may make for him, is a larger parallax than a million friends may make. And I think it is, in spite of our dear friend’s utter modesty, an occasion of joy with him. It should be an occasion of joy that he reaches so far out on either hand, and gathers such a company together. It is a real fellowship, a real brotherhood, a real fatherhood; and while �59 these young men have been speaking—and we have not begun with the eldest, even to the last, but have begun the other way—it seemed to me as if the almond blossoms from the old heads which we remember, as well as see, have been dropping upon some of our heads, and that they have shed them upon us. We are glad for that fel lowship. It is rich beyond measure. I had a letter from our dear Brother Dewey. He says in this letter, speaking of the death of Dr. Walker, “ He seems to say to me, ‘ Your turn next.’ ” Ah, “ sad !” Did I hear that word? No, not sadtj Death is not sad; departure is not sad; ascending is not sad. Death is nothing. But what is meant by our thought? I said to my dear friend, Dr. Bellows, last night as we were talking, “ How strange it would be, when we came each one of us to die, to find that death, which we have thought so much of, is nothing to think of! Death at last and for the first time takes everlasting leave of us. Death will just so surely depart from us as we come to die. And in the article of dying, it will depart.” It is well that I should close with this single thought of fellowship. Providence has been working very won derfully and very mightily, with all these great causes which have had great sway in the modern world, through this gospel of free thought. I call it a gospel,—a gospel of humanity, this loving gospel to bring people together. I do not like the word fellowship as an active verb. I never could speak of fellowshipping one. Fellowship is the result of being true to our own conviction one to another; coming and sitting in the circle that takes in the heaven as well as the earth,—and I will finish my little talk with what perhaps is as yet an unedited fact or story, of one of those other elders, not so very old, who have gone to the majority. Samuel Joseph May illus trated this bond of fellowship ; how God will have it, that �60 we must be brethren and fellows, whether we will or not. He told me that one day, a great many years ago, it must now be between thirty or forty years, he was returning from an anti-slavery meeting, on a steamer, when a theo logical conversation arose between some parties, and one man was pleased to denounce Unitarians very severely; and perhaps some of you remember what that denuncia tion was of the Unitarian Doctrine. It was infidel, it was atheistic, it was all that was bad. Mr. May listened quietly until the man got through, who had the sym pathy of others, and then frankly, like himself, said, “ I must tell you, sir, that I am myself one of those dreadful Unitarians.” “ Indeed, indeed,” said the man. “ I have listened to you with great pleasure at the anti-slavery meeting; would you allow me to have a little conversa tion with you at the other end of the boat, privately?” “ With the utmost pleasure,” said Mr. May. They took their departure from the little circle to the bow of the boat. As the man was about to open his converting speech, Mr. May said : “ Now before we proceed to our little controversygl wish to ask you one question. Do you believe it is possible in this matter of theology, I after all may be right and you may be wrong ?” “ No, I don’t believe it^s possible,^* said the man. “Then, then,” said Mr. May, “ I think there is no advantage in our having any further conversation.” Mr. May had his place nevertheless in that man’s heart: for we do not choose our fellows. God chooses our fellows for us. A man said one day: “ I heard that transcendental lecturer speak. He got his thought into my mind, and the worst of it is, I can’t get it out.” Be true to your conviction; for that is the charm, the beauty, the holiness! And then—I must say it, yes, I must say it in spite of Dr. Furness’ presence—not your thought alone, but you will get into the heart of every man or woman who has the �61 slightest knowledge of you. And the man and the woman will love you, and the time will come when they will not want to get you out of their mind. Rev. Dr. Thompson, of Jamaica Plain, Mass., then addressed the meeting as follows: My Friends : I feel a good deal of embarrassment in taking my place on the platform, having received no hint that any word would be expected of me. If I were as old and gray as some of the brethren who have preceded me, I might perhaps follow in their severely sober strain, but you will have to take me as I am. Before touching on what more immediately con cerns the occasion, let me frankly confess to having brought with me a slight pique againsttithe venerated pastor of this church, and you shall know how it hap pened. About ten years ago—it will be ten in April—the Sunday after the first National Conference in New York, I was seated in this church. Three or four of us ministers had come on to attend the worship ; by what attraction you can well imagine. Robert Collyer preached the sermon, one of the best he ever preached, that on “Hurting and Healing Shadows.” Now you all know Dr. Furness’ great fondness for conferences and such like, only he never goes to them ! Well, I think he must have been a little uneasy while Collyer was preaching from having heard of the great enthusiasm which prevailed in the recent conference, and from regretting, though he did not say so, that circumstances, or something, had pre vented his being there to share it. While he sat in the pulpit under this “hurting shadow” he was thinking very likely—but I do not assert it as a fact—how he could extemporize something here that would bear a resemblance to what we had been doing and enjoying in New York; and he hit on a plan. So, immediately after Brother �62 Collyer had finished, our excellent friend arose, looking exactly as he does to-night, and, with that peculiar twinkle under his spectacles and expression about the mouth which none of you will ever forget, said, that it had occurred to him that, as a number of ministers were present who had attended the New York conference, it might be interesting to the congregation to hear an ac count of it from their lips ; and without further ceremony he would call upon them. When it came my turn he introduced me in this fashion; (and here comes in the pique of which I am going to free my mind). “ This gentleman,” said he (giving my name), “some of the older members of the society may perhaps remember to have heard preach here, I will not undertake to say precisely when, but it was some time within the present centuryI” Do you wonder that I have had a feeling about this insinuation ? It was true that I had preached for him while yet a young man, and he about as old to my appreciation as he is now. It is also true that in the abundance of his kindness he wanted to say a pleasant thing about the sermon ; and he did say it. And what do you think it was ? I hope it is not too flattering for me to repeat after having carried it so long in my memory. He said : “ Thompson, there was one capital word in your sermon, a capital word.” “ What was it ?” I asked, surprised. “ It was the word intenerated; where did you get it ?” “ From the dictionary,” I meekly replied ; “ and you will find it there.” And now I wish to say that if at any time within the last forty years you have heard that word “intenerated” from the lips of your minister you may know where it came from. Dr. Furness: I have never used it once. (Laughter.) What delightful reminiscences of my connection with this church! And now let me come to the matter of the jubilee. �63 It happened to me less than a week ago to walk into the sanctum of our Brother Mumford, the accomplished editor of the Christian Register. I entered expecting to see my welcome in the generous smile with which he usually meets his friends. But instead of this, his face wore a most solemn expression, and he seemed to find it hard even to look at me. “ What now ?” thought I; “ what have I been doing ?” After a minute or two of suspense, I was relieved by his lifting his eyes pleas antly and saying: “ I am doing up Dr. Furness,” or words to that effect. I instantly remonstrated, say ing it would spoil every man’s speech who goes to Philadelphia, for they are all doing just what you are. They are all searching the volumes of the Christian Register and Christian Examiner, and other newspapers and periodicals to find out all they can in relation to the man and the ordination fifty years ago. But he was in flexible, saying that - he didn’t mean that the Christian Register should be behind any of them.” So he went on, and the result was the excellent notice of our friend which appeared last Saturday. However, he did not give quite all the facts that link themselves in my mind with the ordination of Dr. Fur ness. It was a very remarkable year of ordinations in our Unitarian body, remarkable as to the number of them, and as to the character and future eminence of the men ordained, and the reputation of the ministers who ordained them. Let me refer to a few of them. Six months before the ordination here, June 30th, 1824, our beloved Brother Gannett had been ordained as the col league of Dr. Channing; and, on the same day, his lifelong friend in the closest intimacy, the Rev. Calvin Lincoln, was ordained at Fitchburg. Then came this ordination ; and in just a week after, January 19th, followed that of the Rev. Alexander Young, over the New South Church �64 in Boston. Such highly distinguished ministers as Pier pont, Palfrey, Ware Sr., Channing, Upham, and Harris, took the several parts. Of these, two only survive, Dr. Palfrey, whom several of us here remember as our teacher in the Theological School, and, remembering, have be fore us the image of a man as remarkable for method, industry, learning, and accuracy as a teacher, as he was for a conscientious fidelity in the discharge of every duty, the least as well as the greatest; and Charles W. Upham, who had been ordained but a month before, over the First Church in Salem. Mr. Upham, after twenty years in the ministry, retired and became for a time a servant of the country in the National House of Representatives. In his advanced age he has pursued his favorite historical studies, and has, as you know, recently published a Life of Timothy Pickering in four volumes, which has been received with great favor by the public. The week following the ordination of Dr. Young, came that of the Rev. Edmund Q. Sewall, at Amherst, New Hampshire, a man of rare abilities and virtues; no longer living. At this ordination we find our friend Palfrey taking part with Pierpont, Lowell, and Thayer of Lancaster. This was followed the next week, February 2d, by the ordination of Rev. John Flagg, of West Roxbury, in the exercises of which we find the names of Palfrey again, the lately deceased Dr. Walker, and Drs. Pierce, Lowell, Gray, and Lamson, all well known by those of us who are far advanced in the journey of life, and all, but the first, now gone on out of sight but not beyond the reach of our affections. The week following Mr. Flagg’s, came the ordination of that true man and faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Rev. Samuel Barrett over the Chambers Street Church in Boston; a man of clear, strong mind, devoted to his work, exercising his ministry in great patience, in great I �65 cheerfulness, with great joy in God and great love for the brotherhood. Then followed in the very next week, February 16th, the installation of the Rev. Henry Cole man in the Barton Square Church, of Salem, at which, among others, Messrs. Frothingham, Pierpont, and Brazer officiated. I ought to mention that at the beginning of the same year, 1825, if not a little earlier, our eminent brother, the Rev. E. B. Hall, a particular friend of Dr. Furness, received a call to the then new parish in North hampton, which the state of his health did not permit him at once to accept. But tima parish would not give him up; and in the August ensuing, his health being partially restored, he became their minister; the venerable Dr. Ware preaching the sermon, and Pierpont! Willard, Lincoln, and Brazer, assisting in otl^P exercises. Said I not truly that the year which gave Dr. Fur ness to Philadelphia, was memorablafor its*rdinations in our denomination ? Certainly no other has been so fruitful. And all these eminent brothers ordained, with two or three exceptions, were the coevals and intimate personal friends of him whom we have come here to night to honor with the outpourings of our respect, gratitude, and affection. Now there is one other event relating to our good friend, which I hope it will not seem improper for me to refer to, having been for twenty-seven years of my life a minister in the city where it occurred ; a very important event in the history of his singularly happy life. It occurred in the year following his ordination; and it has probably had quite as much to do with his comfort and happiness here as your unfailing kindness and sympathy. The event was of so much importance that it was chron icled in the Salem Gazette in this wise: “ In Salem, August 29th, 1825, by Rev. Mr. Emerson, Rev. William Henry Furness, Philadelphia, to Miss 9 �66 Annis Pulling Jenks, daughter of the late Mr. John Jenks.” I don’t dare to tell all I have heard about the bride, though I think from what you now see, you would find no difficulty in believing it. I refer to the event because of its influence and its long-continued charm ; and I hope the few lines from Rogers’ “ Human Life,” with which I close, if I can join them to what I have been saying, will not inappropriately relieve your attention. “ Across the threshold led, And every tear kissed off as soon as shed, His house she enters there to he a light Shining within when all without is night; A guardian angel o’er his life presiding, Doubling his pleasures and his cares dividing; Winning him back when mingling with the throng, Back from a world we love, alas, too long, To fireside happiness, to hours of ease, Blest with that charm—the certainty to please.” I am requested to introduce our Brother Chadwick, of Brooklyn. Rev. John W. Chadwick, of Brooklyn, N. Y., spoke as follows: Dear Friends : It seems to be the order of the evening for each speaker to justify in some way his presence on this sacred and beautiful occasion, and I, knowing that my turn was coming, have been not a little troubled as to what I should say for myself. But Dr. Thompson has helped me out. In the accounts of various ordinations which he has read to you, you must have noticed how few old men had anything to do with them, from which it would appear that, whether there is or is not less respect for age now than formerly, there was formerly much more respect for young men than at present. Nowadays we never take up with any �67 young men at ordinations and such times, till there are no more old men to be had. I suspect, therefore, that I have been invited to speak here this evening as a sign that respect for young men has not entirely died out. Dear friends, I saw this occasion while it was yet a great way off. When Robert Collyer said to me up at Saratoga last September, “John, we must all go to Philadelphia next January,” I answered, I have been meaning to this three years.” After your invitation came, thinking it might possibly mean that I should say something, I began to think what I would say, and all at once I found my thought was going to a sort of tune. I couldn’t account for it except by the fancy that my thought was sympathizing with the music of Dr. Furness’ life, which has been a sort of symphony—a “Pastoral Symphony ”—for has not the thought of the Good Shep herd been the central thought and inspiration of it all from the beginning until now ? Here is what came to me. W. H. F. January 12th, 1825. January \2th, 1875. Standing upon the summit of thy years, Dear elder brother, what dost thou behold, Along the way thy tireless feet have come From that far day, when young and fresh and bold, Hearing a voice that called thee from on high, Thou answeredst, quickly, “ Father, here am I.” Fain would we see all that thine eyes behold, And yet not all, for there is secret store Of joy and sorrow in each private heart, To which no stranger openeth the door. But thou can st speak of many things beside, While we a little space with thee abide. �68 Tell us of those who fifty years ago Started thee forth upon thy sacred quest, Who all have gone before thee, each alone, To seek and find the Islands of the Blest. To-day, methinks that there as well as here Is kept all-tenderly thy golden year. Tell us, for thou didst know and love him well, Of Channing’s face,—of those dilating eyes That seemed to^eatch, while he was with us here, Glimpses of things beyond the upper skies. Tell us of th®t weak voice, which was so strong To cleave asunder every form of wrong. Thou hast had good companions on thy way ; Gannett was ®rith thee in his ardent prime, And with thee still when outward feebleness But made his spirit seem the more sublime, Till, like another prophetj&mmoned higher, He found, like him, a chariot of fire. And that beloved disciple was thy friend, Whose heart was blither than the name he bore, Who yet could hide the tenderness of May, And bleaker than December, downward pour The tempest of his’Wrath on slavery’s lie, And all that takes from man’s humanity. And thou hast walked with our Saint Theodore, Our warrior-saint, well-named the gift of God, Whose manful hate of every hateful thing, Blossomed with pity, e’en as Aaron’s rod, And lips that cursed the priest and Pharisee Gathered more honey than the wilding bee. All these are gone, and Sumner’s heart beneath Should make more pure the yet untainted snow ; Our one great statesman of these latter days, Happy wert thou his other side to know, To call him friend, whom ages yet unborn Shall love tenfold for every breath of scorn. �69 All these are gone, but one is with us still, So frail that half we deem she will not die, But slow exhale her earthly part away, And wear e’en here the vesture of the sky. Lucretia, blessed among women she, Dear friend of Truth, and Peace, and Liberty. And one, whose form is as the Son of man, Has been with thee through all these busy years, Holden our eyes, and He to us has seemed As one seen dimly through a mist of tears Bl But thou hast seen him clearly face to face, And told us of his sweetness and his grace. Standing upon the summit of thy years, Dear elder brother, tbou canst see the day When slavery’s curse had sway in all the land, And thou art here, and that has passed away. We give thee joy that in its hour of pride, Thy voice and hand were on the weak® side. But from thy clear and lofty eminence Let not thine eyes be ever backward turned, For thou canst see before as cannot we Who have'^ot yet thy point of ’vantage earned. Tell us of what thou seest in the years That look so strange, seen through our hopes and fears. Nothing we know to shake thy steadfast mind Nothing to quench thy heart with doubt or fear ; But higher truth and holier love revealed, And justice growing to man’s heart more dear. And everywhere beneath high heaven’®3ope, A deeper trust, a larger, better hope. There are some here that shall not taste of death Till they have seen the kingdom come, with power. O brave forerunner, wheresoe’®| thou art, Thou wilt be glad with us in that glad hour. Farewell! Until we somewhere meet again. We know in whom we have believed. Amen. �70 Rev. Mr. Chadwick, in turn, introduced the Rev. R. R. Shippen, of Boston, Mass., who said: My dear Friends : Amid these memorials of your Christmas rejoicing, and these fresh flowers and ever greens of tropical luxuriance with which you would symbolize the fragrance of the memories that cluster round this aniversary, and your desire to keep them green, it is my pleasant privilege to speak for the Unitarian Association a word of greeting, giving you congratulations on this your golden wedding, with best wishes for the coming years. Yet as I speak for the Association, I remember that some of our noblest and best, from Channing through the list, have been some what fearful of ecclesiastical entanglements, and of hard, dry machinery, and have deemed the truest and best work in life that wrought by character and personal influence; even as Jesus himself did his work, not by organizations, but by his own personality. Permit me then to touch two or three lines of personal influence flowing forth from this pulpit, that are but representatives of many more. Let me speak for one in your city, now in her ninety-third year, kept from this meeting only by the feebleness of old age, who this afternoon told me of her fresh remembrance of the occasion of fifty years ago, vivid as if but yesterday, who has been a lifelong friend of our cause, a generous worker in this church and bene factor of the Meadville Church and. Theological School, who recognizes this pulpit as the source of some of the choicest inspirations of her life. Shall I speak for one who in a large home-circle of many brothers has been a loving, sisterly influence of sweetness and light ? who in her youth was here a worshiper, and caught the inspira tion of this place, and in her greeting sent me to-day writes that she is with us here in spirit to-night; that no one present can join in these services with a more deep �71 and tender gratitude, and no human thought can fully know what her life owes to the ministry we now com memorate ? Shall I speak for another, a younger brother, the brightest of the seven, whose youth and early manhood were spent in this city in study and practice of law ? who Sunday by Sunday learned here that blessed faith that, when in the full promise of his manly prime his last hour came, enabled him to go bravely to death full of a cheerful hope of immortality ? As to-night he makes heaven more real and more attrac tive to my thought, in his name I-pay the tribute of thanks for the inspirations of this pulpit. Shall I speak for myself ? In my early home I remember your pastor’s familiar volume of “Family Prayer” as a household word. At the outset of my ministryf at the Portland Convention, just twenty-five years ago, I first heard the genial, charming, gracious word of your minister in his prime. And as in Boston one may, day by day, correct his own timepiece by Cambridge observations of the sky, whose electric communications give us every passing hour the celestial time true to the second, so in my young ministry at Chicago,—a lonelier frontier post then than now,—when the barbarous Fugitive Slave Law passed through Congress, and the Northwest Territories were opened for slavery, and the dark days came upon the nation, if, as I tried, I bore any worthy testimony for freedom, I rejoice that I was aided in setting my con science true to the celestial time by this observatory in Philadelphia. The blessed influences of your pulpit have run their lines through our land and through the world. And, friends, what does our Association seek but to extend and multiply these lines of personal influence, to enable Boston and Philadelphia to join hands in the same noble work ? When I asked your pastor for the last book of Whittier, that I might quote a forgotten �72 line, he replied, “ All good books have feet and wings and will find their way at last.” But our Association only desires to quicken their speed, and by the people’s generosity to enlarge their wings; that as we are now sending Channing through the land, we should gladly send the noble words of Dewey and Furness flying on the wings of the wind. And what do our Association and Conferences stand for but for fellowship ? for the good-will and helpfulness of brotherly greetings ? Pennsylvanian as I am by birth and ancestry, with you I rejoice that these Boston brethren have been brought to Philadelphia. It will do us all good to know more of each other. This meeting to-night is just like our Conferences, where our hearts are warmed by words of brotherly kindness. As I recall your minister’s inspiring word at the Portland Conven tion, it has been one of the regrets of my life that we have not heard him oftener among us. But it is never too late to mend. On behalf of the Association and the Confer ence I invite our Brother Furness and all of you to at tend our meetings henceforth every time. And now, my friends, when Brother Mumford wrote that editorial last week, I said, “You are a generous fellow; why didn’tl^ou keep that to make a speech from ?” I am sure I don’t know what he is going to say. I am requested to ask him to speak. Rev. Thomas J. Mumford. Dear Friends: On account of the lateness of the hour I will only say that that was my speech. The next speaker will be Brother White, and when I say Brother White, I mean brother just as much as they did in the days of Henry Ware. Rev. William O. White, of Keene, N. H., then ad dressed the meeting as follows: �73 There is one comfort, dear friends, as I thank you at this late hour, for giving me the pleasure of being with you, and that is, that Philadelphia time is a little more generous than the time which I carry in my pocket; but I will not abuse even Philadelphia time. The word that Brother Mumford just mentioned brings up very dear and tender associations with men so closely united in my memory with our friend and brother, Dr. Furness. But I will not carry out the thought that comes to me. I would gladly help along one or two strains that vibrate in our hearts, as the words are spoken, that “the time will come when we shall take a last farewell of death,” and that other word of a younger speaker who almost felt, and almost knew that one of the long-departed friends of our Brother Furness was here./' I am glad to feel that I am here, just as some of my younger friends were, because I am the son of a friend of Dr. Furness, a layman whose tastes led him to the study of theology, and who, I think, was more attached to the studies of the ministry than many of us ministers are. I say this, because as soon as I saw Dr. Furness this morning I was greeted as my father’s son. And I would not hava spoken here at all at this late hour, but to try to fasten to those one Im two sweet thoughts that have been uttered to-night, to which I have alluded, a line of the poet-sculptor “Michael Angelo.’^ He is contemplating theyvasting block of marble upon which he is working; the block lessens ; lessens, lessens, continually in size; and so the years of our friend’s sweet, earnest ministry here, are fast pass ing away before our eyes. But the great lesson that I have found, as I go back to the time when I remember to have heard Dr. Furness’ voice in my father’s house, and in the old pulpit in Salem, and as I remember the week that I spent with him more than a score of years 10 �74 ago, and as I recall the tenderness of his voice, in his supplications and his preaching, only last October, the great lesson I have taken with me about him fastens itself to the line which I am now to quote of “ Michael Angelo.” As the poet and sculptor contemplated the wasting marble, he said: “ The more the marble wastes, the more the statue grows.” So, with our friend, the years are passing away ; pass ing away, soon they must be gone; but the statue grows with tenderness of heart deeper than ever; that sweet voice, rich with varied experience of the joys and sorrows of those friends of his in his flock, year after year, has acquired an added tenderness; and we feel “The more the marble wastes, the more the statue grows,” and we can welcome the time when he, or any of us, who try to live in a like spirit of devotion to the Master, shall “take an everlasting farewell of death.” I am requested to call on our friend Brother Putnam, of Brooklyn, New York. Rev. Dr. A. P. Putnam made the following address: My dear Friends : I think it must have been for a larger number of years than Brother Chadwick said for himself, that I have been looking forward to this occasion, meaning to be here not with a set speech, as you will very soon see, but because I wished to come and to say from my heart, I thank you, Dr. Furness. I remember when I was a bookkeeper in Boston, how my elder brother, who was in the divinity school at that time, used to bring me the volumes of Channing, Buck minster, and Ware, and also various pamphlet sermons of Dr. Furness. I recollect well the delight with which I read Dr. Furness’ pages, and the gospel of liberty they taught me, and the new revelation they seemed to give me of �75 the Christ. I have been a disciple following far off. Yet I know I have not lost during all these years the strong conviction I had then. It has deepened and deepened from that time until now. I have gathered his pamphlets wherever I could find them, and with not a little zeal I have searched for all his books, many of which are out of print and are not easily to be found, until, some years ago, I completed the whole list, and I cherish them as among the most precious treasures in my library. The argument which he draws from the naturalness, the simplicity and artlessness of the gospel records for their truth, and the uplifting of the curtain so that the Christ may be seen in his higher spiritual beauty! what a debt do we owe him for that. Does he know ? can he know ? can we tell him how much the members of our churches feel of gratitude and love to him for all that he has done for us in this way ? Perhaps in some far off time he may know it more fully; but it is right, dear friends, that we should come together thus and say these words which are uttered here to-night, and before he has gone away tell him how much we do love and honor him, and why it is we do love and honor him, and why it is that yve shall always revere and bless him. When I have thought what words have gone forth from that desk in behalf of liberty and right in this land, I have wished that the church might remain just as it is to-night, and that pulpit just as it is for years and generations to come. It speaks a lesson for all; those words abide with us still; they have come home to our hearts, and kindled in our souls new zeal for the truth as it is in Jesus. How many chains they have broken, and oh ! what a welcome, in comparison with which these congratulations of the hour are small indeed, is reserved for our venerable father and friend, from the spirits of �76 the ransomed freedmen who have ascended to heaven, and who will greet him there. Let me say that forty years ago it was, that Dr. Furness preached the installation sermon of the first minister of the church which I represent here ; the first society of our faith in Brooklyn. It seems a long, long while indeed. I have been over ten years there myself. Dr. Farley preceded me, and he was there twenty years or more. Mr. Holland was there several years before him; Mr. Barlow several years before Mr. Holland. Dr. Furness preached the installation sermon of Rev. Mr. Barlow, who was the first minister of our faith in Brooklyn, forty years ago the 17th of last September. Of the ministersjwho took part in the services of that occasion, all except your pastor and my immediate pre decessor, who was then of Providence, R. I., have passed away,—William Ware, John Pierpont, Caleb Stetson, E. B. Hall, and others^ Nearly ten years later, Dr. Furness was present at a| convention held there at the time of the dedication of our church, and preached the closing communion sermon. His is a familiar name with my people, who are all with you here in the spirit, and would join me, I know, in heartily saying, “God bless him and you, and the cause of humanity and righteous ness, which is so dear to you.” I am requested to call upon Rev. Mr. Ames to address you. Rev. C. G. Ames, of Germantown, Pa., said: As I am one of the younger brethren, and very much at home, I feel that I should deny myself, and take up my cross, and introduce a brother from a distance, espe cially as you have met to hear from these patriarchal ministers who can offer things which I cannot. But I may boast one advantage; they cannot see Dr. Furness �77 every day. Nor can I speak freely of what I feel; it is too much like being one of the family. I live too near, and can easily be excused. My voice is very frequently heard in this house. With a heart brimming full, I have the painful pleasure, therefore, of holding it down, knowing it will keep. I will introduce Rev. Dr. Bellows, of New York. Rev. Dr. Bellows made the following remarks: I am sure both modesty and discretion would suggest the wisdom of my being taught by my junior and friend, and in releasing you from any further attendance on this interesting service. As for myself, I feel tired as a child with the pleasures of the evening; and I can conceive that you all must be so tired that you would welcome as your best friend him who would permit you to go home and think over all the kind things you have heard here. And yet I think it is a kind of duty to say 1 word in behalf of my own people and city, and all that great community which I am privileged to represent here. New York speaks to Philadelphia; and to a good many of us in New York, Brother Furness is more than half of Philadelphia. When we think of Philadelphia we think rather of him than of anything else, and it is not for anything he has done either; not for all that great service to freedom, not for all that valuable contribution to theological speculation or criticism, but for being what he cannot possibly help, and that is, himself. It is so much more to be than to say, or even to do, that I have not always a great deal of praise for the bright things he does, or the bright things he says,—only because he is what he is and can’t help it, and deserves very little thanks for it; for God is the being we must thank, not him. It is, therefore, that I am by force compelled to thank God for him, and not thank him. �78 Good fellow! he has had it all himself. God gave him all his precious gifts; he gave him his broad and generous humanity; made him a harp for all the winds of heaven and earth to play on, not a fife, to be stopped ; gave him that benignant smile which he doesn’t know anything about himself; and gave him that delicious voice which is in itself a harmony of all his sweetest powers, an expression of the depth and clearness of his spirit. Poor fellow! he cannot help it; he has carried it with him all these seventy-two years. And, surely, the first time I ever saw him his voice was the thing that spoke to me. I didn’t care what it said; there it was, and I have often thought if a soft voice be an excellent thing in woman, such a voice as his is, is one of the most magnificent and significant gifts that God ever gives to man. Well, let us thank God for him, and then let us thank him for using those talents so well. Now let me thank you in behalf of the denomination, dear brethren, for not being able to be otherwise than so generous, so kind and faithful to a man who, for all I know, never used one particle of machinery to keep you together, has taken no particular pains to keep you together, but just stood like a kind of magnet, and drawn you to his heart. We don’t understand it all, but God does; and we see how with a witchery he has done more than most of us are able to do by getting every sort of instru mentality at work that we can possibly use to supple ment the defects of our natural constitution. I wish I could work just as Dr. Furness does, and have that same influence and power, without seeking any. If I could stand up in naked simplicity and majesty, and then win the people without using all this painful labor, this fatiguing desperately drudging machinery, I should be very glad indeed ; but for most of us poor fellows, it is a �79 necessity to resort to these matters, to supplement the defects of our natural constitution and faculties; but I think Brother Furness can do without it. One thing further I will say of Dr. Furness. It is a subject of special congratulation that he has been always himself; that no theological or critical studies have given an ecclesiastical tinge or twist to his character, or prevented the people from seeing him in his native outline. He has been a preacher and minister, but still more, a man, and although no man less deserves, in the depreciating sense, the name of a man of the world, yet in a noble sense he has been a man of the world; for he has made the world tributary to his growth; drawn in its widest culture, enjoyed its largest freedom, entered into its every day feelings and joys, and made it his own by his great enjoyment of it, and insight into its meaning. Neither ecclesiasticism nor dogmatism has been able to quench his native originality, and that is one of his chief charms to-day. Dear brethren, let me congratulate you at the close of this half century of your minister’s labors, upon what we n ow behold in the magnificent development of th e theologi cal ideas and religious temper for which our branch of the church has meanwhile stood. We expected great things, but we have seen larger ones, although of a different kind. We looked for a multiplication of our churches, which we have not seen, but how vast has been the spread of our ideas and principles? We expected to be the chief instruments in the work of liberalizing Christian thought and feeling, but Divine providence took up the work with larger methods and new agencies, and made us rather sharers than leaders in theological reform. We happened to be the first wave of what turned out to be an incoming tide, which has swept the whole church on. I think Luther did not see in his day a greater, a more �80 important reformation in theological ideas than we have realized in the last half century. Whether there be one Unitarian church in Phila delphia or more, or whether our churches in New York and Brooklyn, Baltimore and Washington, New Eng land and the West have multiplied as fast as we hoped or not, there is more liberal Christianity preached in this country to-day, than the boldest prophets could have foreseen when our enterprise started. It has advanced, and it has triumphed, by whatever way. God has taken it up, and brought the aid of a broad science, a broad philosophy, a broad reformatory influence in society, during all these last years, to bear powerfully upon it. We have seen results which may cause many of us to say, “Mine eyes have seen thy salvation; let now thy servant depart in peace.” I feel no further anxiety about the spread of liberal Christianity. It now spreads by a necessity. It is a glorious privilege to work in it and for it. But the business is essentially done. The leaven is at work, and it is working everywhere, just as much in the orthodox churches, so-called, as in our own. And very little free thinking is done in our denomination which is not just as fully represented in the old ortho doxy. We are no longer the sole officers in that great army. I thank God that the business of fighting is pretty much over’, and that we are now beginning to think more of cultivating religiously the area which has been left for us specially to take care of. Let us now look to it, as churches and ministers and parishes, and see that we produce workmen, and, finally, spiritual fruit, in the particular area over which we are set as husbandmen and gardeners. That you may succeed in cultivating your own soil, and in making the vine yard a nobler and grander one, and in bringing forth more clusters of grapes of the particular vine from which �81 you are set, is my earnest prayer. And that we may all return from these services bearing your blessings and Brother Furness’ blessing with us into our own several fields of labor, and that we may be abler and nobler and more careful shepherds, and more faithful husbandmen, is the best thing I can ask, that we may be permitted to carry away from this hour and this blessed assembly of Unitarian Christians and friends. Music. Duet for Two Sopranos and Chorus, . . Mendelssohn. “I waited for the Lord,” from “Hymn of Praise.” Chorus, . ..........................................................Spohr. “ Happy who in Thy House Reside.” Dr. Furness then addressed the meeting. Dear Friends : While I am very glad to meet here my brothers in the ministry, and am not at all insensible to their kind words, I call you all to witness that they are not here by my invitation. I never invited them to come here and talk about me. But as long as they have done so, I congratulate you all, and all who are in terested in the success of the good cause. It is, you see, in the hands of young men. Although some of your guests here show gray on their heads, they are very young men evidently, fond, especially brother Bellows, of romancing. I use the words that Dr. Bancroft used at my ordination: “ It was a comfort to him to feel that as he was going away the cause would be left in hands that would carry it on a great deal better than he could.” Some of my friends told me I had better not come here to-night; but brother Bellows intimated to me that by staying away I might seem to be bidding for praise. So I thought I would come and see whether some restraint 11 �82 could not be put upon the speakers by my presence. But I don’t think I have availed much. The day that I was ordained—but I am not going to tire you with old time stories,—when an old minister begins telling his experiences we never know when he will stop—we were all invited,—the gentlemen of the clergy, and the delegates from Boston and New York,— to dine at Mr. Thomas Astley’s, who lived at the corner of Ninth and Walnut Streets, a wealthy Englishman of our persuasion. While we were sitting waiting for dinnoy, the report came that the kitchen chimney was on fire! One of the gentlemen suggested that the fire could be put out very readily by putting a blanket before the chimney, and throwing some sulphur into the fire-place. After dinner, when the wine was passed around and the toasts were given, one of the gentlemen proposed “ the Furnace that had been kindled in Philadelphia.” And another added, “May it never be put out with brim stone.” The meeting was closed by a benediction pronounced by Dr. FurnessJfc �* LETTERS. �THE FOLLOWING LETTERS WERE RECEIVED BY THE COMMITTEE FROM PERSONS WHO WERE UNABLE TO BE PRESENT. �Sheffield, January 4th, 1875. To the Committee of the First Congregational Society of Unitarians. Gentlemen : I am obliged and gratified by the invitation. I wish that I could comply with it. It would have been a great pleasure to me, to join the friends of your honored pastor, in commemorating a ministry, not only so long, but otherwise equally remarkable. I should like to be in your church on that interesting evening of the 12th, to hear the pleasant things that will be said, and to say some, perhaps, myself. But I cannot, that is, I cannot take so long a winter journey. I am not sure enough of my health and strength to venture upon it. Will you give my love to Dr. Furness and his family, and accept for yourselves and the society, the congratulations with which I am, Very truly yours, Orville Dewey. Hazelwood, Cambridge, January 6th, 1875. Gentlemen : I feel very much honored and gratified by your invitation to be present at the commemoration of Dr. Furness’ settlement in the ministry in Philadelphia, but the state of my health forbids me to accept the invitation. My interest in your society dates from a still earlier period. I have listened in your old Octagon Church to the preaching of Mr. Taylor, and I believe of Mr. Vaughan, as well as preached there repeatedly myself. For more than fifty years I have been your pastor’s admirer and warm friend. I heartily wish him future happy years of earthly life, and I pray God that after his retirement from your service another pastor may serve you with an ability and zeal not too inferior to his. I am, gentlemen, Very respectfully, Your obedient servant, John G. Palfrey. �86 Cambridge, January 1st, 1875. Gentlemen : I regret very sincerely that college duties render it impossible for me to accept your invitation. Regard ing your pastor with equal reverence and affection, I should deem it a great privilege to he present at the commemorative services, from which imperative necessity alone would detain me. I am, gentlemen, Very truly yours, A. P. Peabody. Hingham, January 4th, 1875. Gentlemen : I thank my dear friend, Dr. Furness, and the committee for thinking of me at this time. I should he so very happy to be with you, and join in all the expressions of respect and love for one whose long and faithful ministry has earned the esteem and confidence of all who know him. Beside this, Dr. Furness and I alone continue in the ministry, of those who were classmates in th® Divinity School and, I think, in College. Give my love to your pastor. I need not wish him a happy old age. That blessing is assured to him by his fidelity to his convictions of truth and duty through life. Very respectfully, Calvin Lincoln. Cambridge, January 5th, 1875. Gentlemen : I received your invitation to be present at the observance of •the fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of your pastor, Dr. Furness* It would give me great pleasure to attend. But I do not feel at liberty to be absent from my regular duty so long as would be required. No occasion of the kind so significant has occurred for many years. For fifty years Dr. Furness has stood at his post, and manfully defended the cause of what he deemed Divine Truth and Divine Right. He has never failed to hold up the highest standard of private and public duty. He has made no abate ment from the truth in his utterance of it, nor deformed it by an immoral spirit. For fifty years he has been an untiring student of the life of Jesus Christ in the four gospels, seeking �87 to bring to light the reality of that life, the internal evidence of the truthfulness of the original record of it, and the moral grandeur and spiritual beauty of the life itself. He has followed in no servile spirit, but with original force of thought, his great teacher, Mr. Norton, from whom, differing in many things, he caught the impulse to this line of inquiry, this work of love, in which his merit has been unique, his service one never to be forgotten. To this it may be added, with Bini versal consent, that his living example has been in harmony with the great subject of his studies, and has done as much as that of any minister to show the worth of the officwaf spiritual instructor to a generation too ready to distrust those whoMbxercise it. Though not many years younger, I have the habit of looking up to him, and he is one of tho^ntjrgn whom inspiration and strength have flowed into my soul needed. I am, brethren, yours in Christian fellowships with thanks for your kind invitation, and MilEannatMbwith you in all that belongs to a most memorable occasion. Oliver Stearns. Roxbur^j Mass., January 7th, 1875. Dear Sirs : I very much regret that the state of my health forbids my being pres e® at the commemoration, not of the close, thank God! but of the close of the first fifty years of the ministry of Dr. Durness. I regret it not only on account of my personal affection for the minister, but because it has been a ministry eminently after my own heart, one th®I admire ex ceedingly. What I know of it is derived onlv from glimpses and intuitions, and will be filled out and corrected by the fuller face-to-face knowledge of the It has looked to me at this distance as a ministry of a mild and quiet type, as of one that doth not strive nor cry, neither doth any man hear his voice in the streets. Other ministries have been more effective as the multitude measures efficiency, dealing with larger crowds, using more complex agencies, and touching society at more numerous points of interest and with intenser action; but within its own sphere St has dealt with a profoundness, and fidelity not elsewhere surpassed with the soul’s greatest interests, uncom promising in its absolute loyalty to truth and right, always taking the highest ground, always elevated and elevating, �88 always searching, quickening, soothing, sanctifying to heart and conscience, a lifelong dispensary of Sermons from the Mount. The specialty of this ministry, it seems to me, has been the unfolding of the personality and character of Jesus of Nazareth. I do not believe there is a pulpit in Christendom that has done so much to penetrate the heart and life of the Master to its inmost depths, and open its riches to the sympathies and ac ceptance of men, as that Philadelphia pulpit for the last fifty' years. Every shade and turn of thought, every gleam of emotion heavenward and earthward, all the sweet humanity and grand divinity of that wonderful soul, have been discerned and delineated there as never elsewhere, I think, and dwelt on with all the earnest zeal and affectionate faith of a disciple, and all the enthusiastic appreciation of an artist—dwelt on almost too exclusively one might think, were it not done by one who knew how to draw all living waters from that one well, and bring up all the gold and gems of the moral and spiritual uni verse from that one mine. I have no doubt this has been done in this case, so far as any single mind can be comprehensive and all-sided enough to do it. The ministry which you commemorate has been singularly self-conta^ed, that is, has been carried on apart from all official and organic connection with other ministries, without denomina tional bonds, with no outside ties except those of a fraternal and genial spirit. I sympathize with the characteristics of Dr. Furness’ ministry; my own has been conducted on a similar plan, though I fear with less fixedness of principle, and less consistency»©f action. Most of our brethren will call this our fault, our limitation. Well, they are the majority, and must decide that point; only I am sure they will have the charity to own that we, being such as we are, could do no otherwise. You of Philadelphia do not need reminding; but I want to express my own appreciation of the manner in which the ministry you celebrate has all along been adorned, refined, deepened, and broadened by literary studies and artistic taste and culture, bringing to that ministry contributions, or rather an aroma and innumerable subtle and sweet influences from all realms of spiritual beauty and fragrance and sunshine. Shall I dare in such a letter as this to make allusion to the way that looks to me so felicitous, in which the church in the �89 sanctuary has been supplemented by “the church in the house?” To my eye and my remembrance the home in Pine Street, and the church on Locust and Tenth, in the hospitable, genial, cheer ful, affectionate, and ever gracious spirit that pervaded them both, were always the counterparts and archetypes of one an other, each reflecting what was best and brightest and holiest in the other. Though this long ministry has been characteristically so quiet and even and suave, it has had epochs and aspects, or one at least, of the kind, in presence of which the earth is shaken, and principalities and powers are prostrated. We may have doubted the wisdom and necessity of the course taken by our brother; but we cannot fail to recognize the sublime moral grandeur of clear and strong conviction® adhered to and acted on, with im movable persistence, at all risks and at all cost, and though the heavens fall. We should be blind B>t to discern there the stuff of which martyrs were made, and the spirit that bore the meek and gentle Jesus to his cross. Perhaps my mind has dwelt more on the jubilee from the fact that if all had gone well with me, I should have been the next among the liberal ministers, so far as I know, to have been entitled to such an occasion for myself. I have had my nine lustra, and if the tenth fail why should I complain ? I can still rejoice with all my heart in the well-earned honors and happi ness of my well-beloved friend and brother in Philadelphia. Very truly yours, George Putnam. 106 Marlborough Street, Boston, January 4th, 1875. Dear Sirs : I am deeply indebted to you for the very kind invitation to be present at the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Fur ness’ settlement. I regret to say that I cannot leave my work at that time. I am sure that you have reason to thank God and take courage as you look back upon the half century. Dr. Furness has served nobly both in Church and State, and has done much to show that the two are indeed one.^ My warmest wishes accompany him as he enters upon his green old age, which surely lacks nothing that should go along with it. May he have the out12 �90 ward strength, as he is sure to have the inward desire, to speak to you and for you these many years. Gratefully and sincerely yours, Rufus Ellis. Portland, Maine, January 4th, 1875. It is with great regret that I find myself unable to accept your kind invitation to be present at the fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of the Rev. Dr. Furness. During the whole of that fifty years, and it embraces all my life excepting the seven years of infancy, I have had near rela tions and friends among the parishioners and lovers of Dr. Fur ness, so that my interest in the occasion is almost personal. But I am obliged to be in Philadelphia a fortnight later, and cannot possibly spare the time for both journeys. With the most cordial congratulations for both pastor and people, and the hope of many happy returns of the season, I remain, Very respectfully and truly yours, Thomas Hill. Cambridge, Mass., January 2d, 1875. Gentlemen : I am very sorry that I cannot accept your kind invitation to be present at the fiftieth anniversary of the settle ment of Dr. Furness as your minister. The fact of so long a pastorship is itself noteworthy in these days of change; but, in this case, we have all a special right to be sharers in your joy, since we have received our part in the fruit of your minister’s labors during these fifty years. Dr. Furness has set an example, rare in these days of divided and superficial work, not only by his devotion to a single parish during so long a period, but also by his consecration to one chosen line of thought. He selected the noblest theme and gave his life to it, and made us all his debtors. With thanks for your kind invitation, and congratulations for minister and people, I am, yours very truly, C. C. Everett. �91 Boston, January 9th, 1875. Gentlemen : Since I heard that your jubilee was proposed I have hoped to be able to be present, but I am, at the last moment, disappointed. I think our friends in Philadelphia must under stand that they are only a very small part of the multitude of people who are grateful to Dr. Furness for the labors and the love of his wonderful life. So soon as we who were then youngsters found out how he preached, we used to say we would walk fifty miles barefoot to hear him, if there were no other way to enjoy that privilege. But even more than the preaching, it was the reading of the books, and the living picture which they gave us of the Saviour’s life, that set us on a track of preaching and of thought wholly new. Let me congratulate the congregation on his health and strength, and pray express for a multitude of us our love and gratitude to him. ' Truly yours, Edward E. Hale. Dorchester, Mass., January 10th, 1875. Gentlemen : I have delayed replying to your letter of in vitation to be present with you on the 12th instant, because, while my very earnest desire was to accept it, and my heart spontaneously said “yes,” there were circumstances making it questionable whether I could. Those circumstances, I am sorry to have now to say, have decided for me that I must deny my self the hoped-for pleasure. I can do no less, gentlemen, than express to you, and those for whom you act, my sincere thanks for this thought of me in such connection, and for including me among the friends of your minister who were considered worthy to be gathered around him on such an occasion. Though I can hardly believe that my presence would add anything to the enjoyment of it, I think no one will enter more heartily than I should into all that belongs to it for memory and sentiment and affection and benediction. Your minister seems very near to me as he is very dear. My acquaintance with him dates back to his boyhood. He is most intimately associated in memory, as he was in fact, with those nearest to me of my early home, whose love for him I shared; �92 a love joined with admiration for his dispositions and gifts. They are all gone to whom I allude; and the more tenderly for that does my heart, as if hearing their love with its own, em brace him and this occasion. And the feelings inspired by those earlier memories towards him whom in this occasion you so deservedly honor have been, I hardly need say, continually deepening, as I have followed him through his life since, and seen the promise our hearts cherished in him unfold towards a-fulfilment so beautiful and rich. Most heartily do I congratulate the members of his society in the privilege they have enjoyed in him whose very presence has been a benediction, and whose life, in its simplicity and sanctity and humble heroism and self-devoting fidelity, has given such empowerment to his words, and won for them such place in many hearts beyond those who have been the immediate re cipients of them. Much more is in my heart to say; less I could not, in justice to myself, and as a fitting response (the most so in my power to make) to your very kind invitation. If I may be allowed to add what is so wholly personal to my self, I would say that the memories which connect myself with your church as being the first I ever preached in, forty-one years ago, and the memories of those of it who so kindly re ceived me (so many of whom have passed away), have deepened my desire towards an occasion of such varied and touching interest. With the prayer that heaven’s blessing may rest upon minister and people, I am, respectfully yours, Nathaniel Hall. Baltimore, Md., January 5th, 1875. Very many thanks for your kind invitation. I havea wedding on the night of January 12th, which I fear, as I have not, so far, been able to postpone or advance, will prevent my going to Phila delphia. I have not given up all hope yet. I wish to assure you of the great pleasure I would take in witnessing the celebra tion of an event, so marked in our common history, and so full of inspiration to a young man like myself, and I hope that beautiful life which has so blessed you through these years, �93 may be spared to repeat, in your midst, that old story, which he has made so living, of God’s great mercy and love made real in the divine life on earth. With greetings and congratulations, I am most truly, C. R. Weld. St. Louis, January 4th, 1875. Dear Sirs : Your kind invitation to be present at the com memoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Furness’ settle ment in Philadelphia was to-day received, and I wish for my own sake that I could accept it. But my engagements here are such as to make it impossible for me to leave St. Louis, and I must be content to stay at home. Dr. Furness was one of my earliest friends and guides, to whom I have always looked up with sincere affection and respect. He officiated at my mar riage with the best woman that ever lived, and I associate him with all the purest happiness and success of my own life. William Henry Furness : For fifty years of faithful service, the brave and consistent advocate, in good report and evil re port, of Freedom, Truth, and Righteousness : May his last days still be his best days. I remain, very truly yours, W. G. Eliot. Chicago, January 26th, 1875. Gentlemen : When you sent me an invitation to be present at the fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of my dear friend and yours, I felt sure I should be able to come. My youngest boy had been sick then for some weeks, so that I could only leave him a few hours at a time, and for the most imperious reasons. But on the Saturday he was so much worse that I had to telegraph I feared I could not leave him at that time. There can be but few reasons in a man’s whole lifetime so strong as mine was then for coming to Philadelphia, but the poor little fellow begged I would be with him through a very dangerous operation the surgeons had to perform on the day I should have been with you, from which we were not sure he could rally. Pardon me for touching with this private sorrow your ex �94 ceeding joy, and accept this for my reason why I have not written sooner. I did not want to intrude these things at all even into the blessed after-taste of your festival. But as it seems to me no man on the earth could be so strongly drawn to that festival as I was, from any distance, I cannot say another word until you know the whole reason why I was not with you. For my debt of gratitude to Dr. Furness takes precedence of my love for him asone of the truest friends a man ever had, and as my peerless preacher of “ the truth as it is in Jesus,” some years before I emigrated to America, my soul clove to him as I sat one day in a little thatched cottage in the heart of Yorkshire and read “ The Journal of a Poor Vicar.” I never expected to see him in the flesh then, but I remember how I cherished that exquisite little thing among my choicest treasures ; read it over and over again; spoke of it to other lads of a like mind with my own, and got a worth out of it I had not then begun to get out of sermons. I knew also, when I got to Philadelphia, that I could hear my man preach if I wanted to, and made out where the church was; but I had been taught from my childhood to give such churches a wide berth, and had not the sense to see that the well, out of which I had drawn such sweet waters in England, must still be flowing with some such blessing in America. So that mighty movement that ended in breaking the fetters from the slave, had to break mine, and then it was not very long before I stole into theltdjhurch one dismal Sunday night, when being good Unitarians, all but about a dozen of you, you had your feet in slippers on the fender. It was not a sermon, but a talk about Jesus; and how he washed their feet, and what they saw, and what he said, and how it all came home to the preacher; but as I went home I thought, as so many have done time and time again, if that is Unitarianism I am a Unitarian. When again I met my author and preacher at the house of my friend, Edward M. Davis, it did not take long for my gratitude to grow into love. He was positively the first minister of the sort we call “ ministers in good standing,” except Mrs. Lu cretia Mott, who had not tried to patronize me, and put up the bars of a superior social station. If I had been his younger brother, he could not have been �95 more frank and tender and free of heart and hand. I suppose he never thought of it for an instant, and that was where he had me, or I should have put up my bars. For, in those days, I guess I was about as proud as Lucifer. So, it was a great pride and joy in 1857, to be invited to preach in his pulpit, while he went off to marry another son in the faith, Moncure D. Conway, to be the guest, for that day, of your minister’s family, to have Mrs. Furness and the children treat me like a prince and a preacher all in one, and to have a glorious good time altogether, as any man ever had in this world. Being good Unitarians again in those days, at least half of you ran off to hear Brother Chapin in the morning, who was preaching somewhere round the corner, just as my people run now to hear Brother Swing when I am away, and have to sup ply with some man they never heard of. I have never quite forgiven Chapin for preaching there that Sunday. But Annie Morrison was there, and the very elect, who are always there, and on the next Sunday, when I preached again, the rest were there, and the glory of the Lord seemed to me to fill the house, and so your church is to me one of the most precious places on earth. I came to it as the men of Israel went to Zion, and all these years have but deepened and purified my love for the good old place. Where I first heard the truth which met at once my reason and my faith, and where, within a church, for the first time I felt I was perfectly free. And so it is, that I dare not write down the sum of my love for my friend and his family, as 1 could not have told it if I had come down. I feel I am under bonds not to do it; I can only hint at it. He got used to blame in the old sad days, when he could not count such hosts of lovers and friends outside his own church as he can now, but he will never get used to praise. Some men don’t. I must say, however, that I do not see how I should ever have made my way into our blessed faith, had he not opened the door for me; or found my way to Chicago but for his faith that I was the man they wanted here ; or done anything I have ever been able to do half so well, but for his generous encour agement, or found my life at all so full of sunshine, as it has been so many years, had he not given me of his store. Now and then, the ways of God do visibly strike great har monies in life and history, and this perfecting of the circle of �96 fifty years in the ministry of my dear friend, is one of the har monies of life. He has seen the travail of his soul for the slave, and is satisfied. He has lived through the days when the majority of Uni tarians were content with being not very unlike the Orthodox, into the days when the Orthodox are not content, if they are not very like Unitarians, and he has done one of the heaviest strokes of work in bringing this resolution about. And he has lived to prove to those of us who may wonder sometimes, what is coming when we have preached to our people a few more years; and it gets to be an old story, how a man may preach right along, just as long as he can stand, and then sit down to it as Jesus did on the Mount; grow better all the time; win a wider and truer hearing at the end of fifty years than he has at the end of twenty-five ; and then, when he is “ quite worn out with age,” may cry, “ Lord, now lettest thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.” Surely yours, Robert Collyer. �97 The following extracts are taken from the Liberal Christian and Christian Register : “ On Tuesday of next week, January 12th, there will be a very simple celebration of a deeply interesting occasion. It will then be fifty years since Rev. Dr. Furness was installed as pastor of the First Congregational Unitarian Church in Phila delphia. Next Sunday the venerable pastor will deliver an appropriate discourse. Tuesday he will receive callers at his house, and in the evening therecwill be a meeting at the church. Brief addresses are expected from friends, whose homes are in Missouri, Illinois, Maryland, NeiB, Yor^j, and New England. “ At the installation^^; the 12th of January, 1825, Rev. Wil liam Ware, of New Yo^, aged tflfent^fevayyears, offered the introductory prayer and read from the Scriptures ; Rev. Henry Ware, Jr., of Boston, aged thirty years, prfegghed the sermon, mostofwhich we intend torepringpext week; Rev. Dr. Bancroft, of Worcester, in his seventieth year, offered the ordaining prayer and gave the charge ; and Rev^Ezra’jj'. Gannett, aged twentythree years, gave the fellowship of the chUBches and offered the concluding prayer. Dr. Furness himself wasBisiffigaty-two years old, having been graduated at Harvard College when he was only eighteen. None of those who took the prominent parts in the service are now living pH^Kirth. Dr. Gannett and the Wares, though then in all the strength and promise of their early manhood, have followed good old Dr. Bancroft to the heavenly home. “ Dr. Furness was installed a few weeks before the ordinations of Rev. Drs. Alexander Young and Samuel Barrett. Th<aservices were reported in the first numb^ of thdjpecond volume of the Christian Examiner, and in the fourth volume of the Chris tian Register. It was four months before the organization of the American Unitarian Association. James Monroe was Pres ident of the United States. Boston had been a city only three years, and had about fifty thousand inhabitants ; New York had about a hundred and sixty thousand, and Philadelphia about a hundred and forty thousand. It was the same year in which the first public railway in England was opened, the passengers being drawn by horse-power, although locomotives were soon introduced. It was five years before Dr. Putnam’s settlement 13 �98 in Roxbury, nine years before Dr. Lothropwas called to Brattle Square, ten years before Rev. N. Hall became junior pastor of the Dorchester First Parish, and twelve years before Dr. Bartol became Dr. Lowell’s colleague. Dr. Bellows, aged ten years, and James Beeman Clarke, fourteen, were school-boys. Rev. E. E. Hale was scarcely old enough to go to school, and Prof. C. C. Everett had not been born. It was less than half a century since the battles Lexington and Concord, and Thomas Jeffer son and John Adams did not die until eighteen months after wards. President Grant was then two years old. “ During the whole of the last half century Dr. Furness has remained faithfully at his lonely post. He has had no colleague and no very long vacation, we believe. In addition to his pul pit work he has written some admirable books, besides trans lating others. Great changes have occurred in public opinion. Eight years after the beginning of his ministry in Philadelphia the American Antislavery Society was formed in that city. He did not join it immediately, but before long he enlisted in the ranks of the abolitionists, and neither blandishments nor threats ever caused him to desert from the forlorn hope of free dom. For many years, when almost every other pulpit of that great town., so near the borders of Slave States, was dumb concerning the national sin, Dr. Furness’ silver trumpet gave no uncertain sound. Whoever might come, and whoever might go, he was resolved to be |aithful to the slave. The despised and rejected champion®of liberty were always sure of his sup port. When Charles Sumner, struck down by the bludgeon of the slave power, needed rest and healing, he sought them in the neighborhood and society of Dr. Furness. Together they visited the hill country, and mingled their congenial spirits in high discourse of truth and righteousness. We are glad that at last, with grateful ears, our venerated brother heard liberty pro claimed throughout all the land to all the inhabitants thereof. To know that he contributed to this blessed result must be the grand satisfaction of his life, more precious than any pride of authorship or professional success. His whole soul must respond to Whittier’s declaration that he set a higher value to his name as appended to an early antislavery declaration than on the title-page of any book. ‘ I cannot be sufficiently thankful to the Divine Providence which turned me so early away from �99 what Roger Williams calls “ the world’s great trinity, pleasure, profit and honor,” to take side with the poor and oppressed. Looking over a life marked by many errors and shortcomings, I rejoice that “ ‘ My voice, though not the loudest, has been heard Wherever Freedom raised her cry of pain? “ But while Dr. Furness must look back with profoundest gratitude upon the great triumph of justice which he helped to secure, he cannot be indifferent to the theological progress which has led to wide and cordial acceptance of many of his dearest opinions. Once he was one of a small number of Humanitarians associated with a great majority of Arians. Now the Arians are nearly extinct, and the divine humanity of Jesus is almost orthodox Unitarianism. No other individual has done more to bring this about than the Philadelphia pastor who has made it the study of his life to understand the spirit and to portray, in glowing yet truthful tints, the matchless character of the Son of man. He has been well entitled ‘the Fifth Evangelist.’ None of the ancient narrators ever lingered so fondly over every trait of him who was touched with a feeling of our in firmities, and made perfect through suffering. He has rendered the sympathy of Christ so actual and available that it is a familiar help to thousands of tried and lonely human souls, to whom traditional dogmas could give no comfort or strength. “ We have heard that Dr. Furness is about to retire from the professional responsibilities which he has borne so long and so well. It will be a richly earned repose, and yet we cannot endure the thought that he is to desist wholly from preaching while his eye is undimmed and his natural vigor scarcely abated. We heard him last summer with rare satisfaction and delight, and we wish he could be induced to speak oftener at our general gatherings. We have thought a great many times, and perhaps we have said so before, in these columns, that, owing largely to force of circumstances, Dr. Furness has borne too close a resemblance to Wordsworth’s Milton whose ‘soul was like a star, and dwelt apart.’ It is too late now for him to be in the slightest danger of becoming too social or gregarious. We wish, most heartily, that he would sometimes meet with the thousands of our laymen and the hundreds of our ministers �100 to whom he is personally a stranger, never seen, and never heard, and yet they regard him with affectionate gratitude and veneration which it would do them good to express, and not harm him in the least to receive. Let us fondly hope, then, that at the semi-centennial celebration of the American Unitarian Association, or at the next National Conference, we may hear from this beloved father in our Israel some of those words of wisdom, truth, and beauty which it is still his mission to speak.” —Christian Register. ' “ Philadelphia, January 12th, 1875. “ It is safe to predict that not even the powerful attractions of the National Centennial Exposition will call to this city as many of our UnitaSwn clergy as gathered here to-night to cele brate the semi-centennial of the settlement of Dr. William H. Furness. It is an went to which for some time past many of his absent friends have looked eagerly forward in anticipation of its peculiar interestA«gnifi<^nce. Pastorates of fifty years can never be common, and have rarely furnished the necessary materials for the heartiest and sincerest sort of congratulation. But here was an occasion of which the anticipations were all of the pleasantest and most unclouded kind, where everybody felt that it would be a personal privilege to say a congratulatory Amen with everybody else, and to say it heartily and sincerely. Dr. Furness' quiet but intensely individual ministry in this city of Brotherly Love is too widely known among Uni tarians to m®ke any merq mention of the fact at all necessary, but to speak of and justly would be to write a vol ume; ample materials Hr which, however, are, we are glad to say, not wanting. But our word must be only of the event of to-day. “ The celebration began, we hear, early in the morning at the pastor’s house, where he^g® delightwlly surprised by the sweet carols of children’s voices. In the afternoon a large concourse of friends went to greet him at his home, where beautiful flow ers scented the air and smiling faces vied with each other in the expression of sincere respect and love. “ This evening the old church is beautifully and richly dressed with evergreens. Below the pulpit is a solid mass of rare trop ical plants most tastefully arranged, the whole surmounted by �101 baskets of the choicest flowers. The most conspicuous features of the decorations are the significant numbers 1825-1875, worked in small white flowers on either side of the pulpit. “The old church is full of the Doctor’s parishioners and friends, the front seats beingpccupied by the invited guests from abroad. Among the clergy present we Noticed Drs. Lothrop, Morison, Clarke, Bartol, Bellows, Thompson, A. P. Putnam, and Rev. Messrs. White, E. H. Hall, Shippen, Ware, Ames, Israel, Mumford, Gannett, Chadwick, a®t’.®®s®ral others. “ Dr. Furness had protested against hispersfljnal participation in this elaborate and deliberate feasit of Prai,s^,. bisfrl the timely suggestion that his absence might be^|nterprS$ed as a quiet ‘ bid ’ for unlimited adulation proved too atiMSging lferthe equanimity of even his modesty, so he came and occupied a retired seat near the door. “The proceedings were of the^^^^>lesit'^ttd most informal kind—a genuine love-feast, with more fullness of heart than of utterance. Yet there was nrf ladfflaf pleasant, hearty words. After an anthem, with soloi by the accomplished ^hoir, which seemed to have been augmented and specially drilled for the occasion, the Chairman of the C®amittee of Arrangements wel comed the guests and assembled company, and asked Dr. Mor ison to offer prayer. After a sopfafto solo, the first speech of the evening was made by Rev. J. F. W. Ware|(whose father, Henry Ware, had preached Dr. Fu3FBessM®rdination Sermon. Dr. Furness then came forward^ bearing two communion cups which had just been recededasa token .^•'remembrance from our church in Baltimore. He expressed his pleasure at this expression of affectionate sym|fet'hy, psfetring, incidentally, to the peculiar method of celebrating the communioffifin his church, bread and wine not being partaken of, but being placed on the table only as symbols of the preci«0&things they stand for. “ William Gannett, whose father gave the right hand of fel lowship at Dr. Furness’ ordination, said that this was the principal reason for his presence here to-night. His modest, cordial words were followed by others, from Rev. E. H. Hall and Dr. Lothrop. Dr. J. F. Clarfe thqnWead an original poem, in which, in strong and eloquent words, he commended Dr. Furness’ earnest and persistent efforts to present more clearly to the world the living Jesus as distinguished from the �102 theological or sentimental Christ. Dr. Bartol and Dr. Thomp son then added their cordial testimony of appreciation. Mr. Chadwick read a lovely original poem, full of appreciative references to some of Dr. Durness’ more distinguished cotem poraries. Messrs. Shippen, Mumford, White, and Ames, each said a few words, and Dr. Bellows finished the sweet symphony of praise with a genial portraiture of Dr. Furness, thanking the Lord that no amount of culture had in any respect weak ened the vigorous manhood of his friend, and that God made him just what he is. “ After music, and a benediction by Dr. Furness, the large company separated, evidently deeply pleased by the many hearty testimonies of the evening.”—Liberal Christian. “Yesterday morning, at seven o’clock, the pupils of Madame Seiler, an accomplished teacher of music, and author of several excellent text-books '(gave a serenade to Dr. Furness and his household. It must have been a delightful surprise to the awakened family when the sweet sounds began to ascend from the hall below, where the singers, according to the RwWe&n, stood 1 candle in hand,’ and paid this delicate and welcome complimenMin the good old German style. Between the hours of twelve and six, hundreds of parishioners and friends called to congratulate the honored pastor upon the successful comple tion of his half century of service. Most of the time the rooms were thronged, and such an array of bright and happy faces is seldom seen. Anfc®fi?he guests who were present during our brief stay we noticed the Doctor’s children and grandchildren, Prof. Goodwin, of Harvard University, and Mrs. Eustis, daughter of Rev. Dr. W. E. Channing. “ Last evening there was a driving storm of sleet and rain, hut the church was packed again. The floral display was equal to that of Sunday. Among the changes we observed that the large figures ‘1825’ and ‘1875,’ above the pulpit, were made of pure white flowers instead of white and red as before. After prayer by Rev. Dr. Morison, Mr. Henry Winsor, Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, made a felicitous welcoming and introductory speech. “The first clerical speaker was Rev. J. F. W. Ware, son and nephew of the young Wares who, fifty years before, had taken �103 prominent parts at the installation service. His remarks were full of the warmest affection for Dr. Furness, and the tenderest allusions to the love cherished for his Philadelphia ‘ brother ’ by Henry Ware, Jr. Agreeably to the request of the com mittee, Mr. Ware asked Rev. W. C. Gannett to follow him. Mr. Gannett’s father gave Dr. Furness the right hand of fellow ship, and Mr. Gannett had just been reading the manuscript copy of that earnest address, on his way to Philadelphia in the 'cars. His speech was eminently appropriate and impressive. He was followed by Rev. E. H. Hallflof Worcester, suc cessor of Rev. Dr. Bancroft, who gave the charge at the in stallation half a century before, and son of Rev. Dr. E. B. Hall, who was Dr. Furness’ townsman friend, classmate, and room mate. After most appreciative mention of the noble labors of our fathers, Mr. Hall spoke eloquently*<of the peculiar work which each generation has to do for ’jtSelf and the world. Rev. Drs. Lothrop, Clarke, Bartolj Thompson, A. P. Putnam, and Bellows, and Messrs. ChaAwick, ShippenMWhite, Mumford, and Ames were called upon, and the most of them responded; but we have no space w*tl®H remarks this week. Next week wTe hope to find rooni for a report, but now we must content ourselves with copying from the Bulletin the poems which were read. “ Before quoting them, however, we must not forget to say that Dr. Furness spoke twice in the course of the evening, the first time acknowledging the gift ®f some communion cups from the church in Baltimore to the church in Philadelphia. It was hard to believe that thif graceful and happy speaker, with as fresh a voice as that of the youngest man heard that evening, and saying the brightest and merriest things of the hour, could be the venerMfflpastog whose semi-centennial we were celebrating ; but we presume that there is not the slightest doubt of the fact. And we must also remember to state that among the gifts from parishioners and friends were some elegant mantel ornaments, and the complete and original manuscript of Charles Lamb’s 1 Dissertation on Roast Pig.* The Bulletin says that this unique and interesting present was ‘ secured as a Christmas gift at a recent sale in London, and handsomely mounted and bound in large folio form.’ Christian Register. �104 W. H. F. “ THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY.” BY WM. C. GANNETT. Fifty times the years have turned Since the heart within him burned, With its wistfulness to be An apostle sent of Thee. Closely in his Master’s tread Still to follow, till he read, Tone of voice and look of face, Print of wound and sign of grace. Beading there for fifty years, Pressing after, till the tears And the smiles would come and go At the self-same joy and woe-^ Sharing with him shouts of Mad ! ” When the bold front to the bad Bent to pluck the “ little ones ” From the feet of fellow-sons— Sharing in his inner peace, But not sharing the release, He is with us while thglchimes Ring his “ Well done” fifty times. Listening boys across the field Pledge a hope they may not yield : Are they listening from the air — Boys who started with him there ? �REV. DR. FURNESS’ RESIGNATION. 14 �On Thursday, January. 14th, 1875, Dr. Furness sent the fol lowing letter/<to the Society, resigning the charge of the pulpit into their hands— �107 TO THE MEMBERS OF THE FIRST CONGREGA TIONAL CHURCH. My very dear Friends : While the measure of health and strength still granted me demands my most thankful acknowl edgments, and while I ^jgaMinexpressib wwat.efnl for the re cent manifestations of your affectionate regMkll admon ished by the ending of fifty years of service as your minister, and by the time of life that I have only a little while remains to me at the longest. I am moved, therefore, to resign the charge of the pulpit into your hands. How could I have borne it Mog bwM|r your fetjj^^^ManidBsteadfast friendship ? I recogniz® a salutary discipline in the necessity which I have been^nde® al 1 EgSaSpars of ^^MjmBIpsaat.ion for the Sunday sHg|age. It is good, as I have learned, for a man to bear the yoJke in and even in middle age ; but now, when only a fragment of lim^remafes.^jte^^pyould fain be released from thl^fe Jwhwi neither timp^or custom has rendered any ligMbdpnan Mm v With the surrender of the pulpit you will understand of course that I decline all farther pecuniary support. I beg leave respectfully to suggest thatjiMsome time«ome the pulpit be supplied by settled ministers, so that nothing shall be done hastily in the matter of deciding upon my successor. More over, for all other pastoral offices, I shall be at your service, remaining always your devoted friend, and in undying affec tion, Your pastor, : W. H. ^Furness. January 14th, 1875. �108 At a meeting of the Society held in the church Saturday evening®January 23dSjl871Wt was voted that the following letter should be sent to Dr. Furness, accepting his resignation, andiffigBthe Trustees should sign the same oh behalf of the Society. �109 FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITARIAN CHURCH. Philadelphia, January 25th, 1875. Dear Dr. Furness : The members of this Society have re ceived with sorrow your letter of the 14th inst., in which you resign the charge of the pulpit which you have filled so long, with so much ability and so much to their satisfaction. Although we deeply regret the existence of the circumstances, which in your opinion have made the step necessary, we ac knowledge the justice of permitting you to judge freely of the force of the reasons in its favor, which have governed you in coming to your decision; and though we feel it would be a great privilege to us to have the pastoral relation continued through the coming years, during which we fondly hope you may be spared to us, yet we acquiesce in the propriety of promptly acceding to the wish for relief which you have so decidedly ex pressed both in your letter and verbally to the committee ap pointed at our meeting on the 19th inst., to ask you to recon sider your action and to withdraw your resignation. It would he ungrateful for us to do otherwise, and would show on our part a want of proper appreciation of the value of your longcontinued labors thus to make what must be to you in itself a painful act still more painful. We cannot fully express in words our thankfulness that the relation between us has remained unbroken through so many years, and that, though the formal tie may now be severed, we are yet permitted to see you face to face, to hear your voice, to press your hand, and to know that you are among us. For the reasons which you have presented, and because you so earnestly desire it, because it is our wish to do, at whatever loss to ourselves, that which will bo most grateful to you, and thus to manifest in the strongest way wo can our appreciation of our privileges in the past, and with the hope that for years �110 to come you may be with us and of us, we regretfully accept your resignation, and remain, on behalf of the Society, Your affectionate friends, Henry Winsor, Lucius H. Warren, Dawes E. Furness, Joseph E. Raymond, John Sellers, Jr., Enoch Lewis, Charles H. Coxe, Trustees. This letter was read at the meeting of the congregation, held on Saturday evening, January 23d, 1875, was approved, and the Trustees were instructed to sign it on behalf of the Society and forward it to Dr. Furness. Charles H. Coxe, Secretary. �INDEX. PAGE Preliminary Meetings, . Dr. Furness’ Fiftieth Anniversary Discourse, Extract from Forty-ninth Anniversary Discourse, Commemorative Meeting,....................................... . Prayer of Rev. John H. Morison, D.D., Remarks of Rev. J. F. W. WarM “ “ Rev. W. C. Gannett, . “ Rev. E. H. Hall, flHH “ “ Rev. S. K. Lothrop, D.D., “ “ Rev. J. F. Charlie, D.D., “ “ Rev. C. A. Bartol, D.D., “ “ Rev. J. F. Thompson, D.D., “ “ Rev. J. W. Chadwick, . “ “ Rev. R. R. Shippen, . “ “ Rev. T. J. Mumfor^^JI “ “ Rev. W. O. Whitey . “ 11 Rev. A. P. Putnam, D.D., “ Rev. C. G. Ames, . . “ “ Rev. H. W. Bellows, D.D.I “ “ Rev. W. H. Furness, D.D., Letters, Extracts from the “ Liberal Christian ” “ Christian Register,” . . Poem, by W. C. Gannett, Resignation of Rev. W. H. Furness, D.D., Letter of the Trustees, , 3 9 28 41 42 44 48 49 51 55 57 61 66 70 72 72 74 76 77 81 83 AND 97 104 105 109 �I � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Victorian Blogging Description An account of the resource A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes. Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk. <img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conway Hall Library & Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Conway Hall Ethical Society Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Pamphlet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Exercises at the meeting of the First Congregational Unitarian Society, January 12,1875, together with the discourse delivered by Rev. W.H. Furness, Sunday, Jan. 10, 1875 on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination, January 12, 1825 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Furness, W.H. First Congregational Society of Unitarian Christians in the City of Philadelphia Description An account of the resource Place of publication: Philadelphia Collation: 110, [1] p. : ill. (with tissue guards) ; 23 cm. Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Contains index. Includes poem by W.C. Gannett and resignation of Rev. W.H. Furness. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Sherman & Co., printers Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1875 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context G5366 Subject The topic of the resource Unitarianism Sermons Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a> This work (Exercises at the meeting of the First Congregational Unitarian Society, January 12,1875, together with the discourse delivered by Rev. W.H. Furness, Sunday, Jan. 10, 1875 on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination, January 12, 1825), identified by <a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a>, is free of known copyright restrictions. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Conway Tracts First Congregational Society of Unitarian Christians in the City of Philadelphia Sermons https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/acfde1b7bfec41018e49d5dfbcb172ca.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=Fd39XnrtYBeGZabb2kxIP-OzEAqoRlqjgu0BF9lrkBgvosMcel3H2zyksYWmchjxfxraA4aNHjZE6w9sXufZodW0ig%7Ej5JgiMBbl7lIf8ej3hQrQ6SVUdonWjSR9nOtf9NOHuBrD86swEXw1YvxjYpUGncxysxuZ40L82GcGsaG9H%7ESM-UJooBck12jh9WpdlsjrerIquffSBuRreKzF17zY9dlI6S%7ENKH4UKBanQ5ANxJRBOLBAywdfvt585iVa0GW6D2rhtMkMpV3C7%7E2cX6WHyKtc28sViZ%7ER2e-IQW0KZEz9TDJs7vxaaD8lyuJS0ce8CkBxB1elqQqj5KJeJw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM b28ca6a2d16a7096ceb19e43c47da4e7 PDF Text Text f ��MEMORIALS OF THE OF THE First Congregational Church OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, JANUARY 21st, 1880. PRINTED FOR THE UNITY CLUB. ��D * OTe^ ^IDWDU£TORY The Fiftieth Anniversary of the First Congregational Church of Cincinnati was observed by a special service of com memoration in the church building, corner Plum and Eighth streets. The altar had been beautifully decorated with green garlands and flowers. A large company was in the pews and participated in the printed order of service. The historical review, communications, and letters read are included in this memorial volume. At the conclusion of the very interest ing and impressive exercises, the congregation repaired to the parlors below, where a collation had been spread by the ladies of the society, the older members occupying a table together at the upper end of the room. The walls and tables were decorated with evergreens and flowers. There was also exhibited a collection of portraits of former ministers and mem bers of the church, which included an excellent pencil sketch of the first church edifice of the society on the corner of Fourth and Race streets (since demolished), drawn by Mrs. Ephraim Peabody in 1832, and kindly loaned by her for this occasion. Brief addresses were made during the evening by the pastor, who presided over the feast; by John Kebler, Esq., who made tender reference to various deceased mem bers of the church, and spoke enthusiastically of its prospects for the future ; by Capt. Robert Hosea on “The Unitarian Outlook”; by Judge Manning F. Force, who paid a warm tribute to the laborsand sacrifices of the women of the church ; Hon. Alphonso Taft, who affirmed that a free and rational religion was a necessity for a free state; by Mr. Edward Goepper, on behalf of the younger members of the society; Rev. T. M. Johnson, who extended a greeting from the Universalist connection; Michael Tempest, Esq., Dr. Seth Salt marsh, and other friends. At a late hour the meeting broke up with the hearty singing of “Auld Lang Sync. " �1880. 1830. ^ordcr*of*cxcr<ji$c$^ I. II. HI. Organ Voluntary, by Theodore Stanwood, Esq. Rev. C. W. Wendte. Prayer by the Pastor, Hymn, by Rev. A. A. Livermore. 1. A Holy air is breathing round, A fragrance from above ; Be every soul from sense unbound, Be every spirit love. 2. O God, unite us heart to heart, In sympathy divine, That we be never drawn apart, And love not thee'nor thine. 3. But by the cross of Jesus taught, And all thy gracious word, Be nearer to each other brought, And nearer to the Lord. IV. A Historical Review of The First Congregational Church, by V. VI. Reading of John D. Caldwell, Esq. Communications from former Pastors and Members. Hymn,................................................... by Rev. Jas. H. Perkins. 1. It is a beautiful belief, When ended our career, That it will be our ministry, To watch o’er others here. 2. To lend a moral to the flower: Breathe wisdom on the wind ; To hold commune, al night’s pure noon, With the imprisoned mind ; ' �5 3. To bid the mourners cease to mourn. The trembling be forgiven; To bear away from ills of clay The infant, to its heaven. 4. Oh! when delight was found in life, And joy in every breath, I cannot tell how terrible The mystery of death. 5. But now the past is bright to me, And all the future clear; For ’tis my faith that after death I still shall linger here. VII. Religious Poems written by Rev. John Pierpont, D.D., Rev. C. G. Fenner, VIII. IX. . read by and Miss Clara E. Nourse. Congratulatory Letters. Original Hymn—Tune, “Fair Harvard.” 1. They are gone, the first laborers, earnest in toil Who tilled for the Master the field; Through their furrows we tread as we cast o’er the soil The seed that rich harvests shall yield. Refrain. • Rejoicing, not weeping, we fare through the land, And scatter our handful of seed : Of each earnest effort, of each ready hand, The Lord of the Harvest hath need. z 2. We sow as we go what we stay not to reap, “God giveth the increase” alone. Will His harvest ungarnered be, e’en though we sleep When the ripe golden grain shall be grown ? Refrain.—Rejoicing, etc. 3. The night cometh swiftly—then work while we may At this task we are trusted to do: With light hearts at sunset we’ll lay it away If our toil has been faithful and true. Refrain.—Rejoicing, etc. Alice Williams Brotherton. X. The Benediction. A Social Re-Union and Collation in the Church Parlors immediately after the conclusion of the Exercises. �6 ->-Li$T+OF+çommiTTees^ On Invitations. Edward P. Cranch, Robert Hosea, Ai.phonso Taft, John W. Hartwell, John Kebler, George H. Hivl, John K. Coolidge, Rowland Ellis, Manning F. Force, Fayette Smith, Richard B. Field, Michael Tempest, John D. Caldwell, Charles W. Wendte. On Exercises. The Pastor, Mrs. George Hoadly, Miss Sallie Ellis, W. H. Venable, On Social Re-Union. Mrs. Anne Ryland, Mrs. H. C. Whitman, Mrs. Caleb Allen, Mrs. Josiah Bridge, Mrs. William H. Sampson, Mrs. Jeremiah Peters, Mrs. Theodore Stanwood, Mrs. Elihu Green, Mrs. Seth Evans, Mrs. Mary Russell, Mrs. Chas. Truesdale, Mrs. A. O. Tyler, Mrs. E. G. Leonard, Mrs. J. O. Eaton. On Decorations. Wm. Bellows. �RISTCWAL SK6TCR OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF CINCINNATI. �THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, N. E. Cor. Plum and Eighth Sts. �T513CORKZAL SKCCCB OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF CINCINNATI Bv JOHN D. CALDWELL. ‘Aready it is history— We may tell what, our fathers did.’ Three generations have arisen in Cincinnati since the organization here of the First Congregational Church. But a few survivors of that pioneer band remain to unite with us in the felicitations which the attainment of its Semi-Centennial evokes. It is from their reminiscences and the somewhat scanty memorials contained in the written records of the ^society, that the following brief account of its destinies for half a century has been prepared. One of the founders of the First Congregational Church in Cincinnati, Hon. Wm. Greene, late Lieut. Governor of Rhode Island, who was, in a peculiar sen^e, the Father of the Church, and who is—thank Heaven—still spared to add his testimony and congratulations to our festival of commemoration, writes us: “ The first decisive step in the Unitarian movement in Cincinnati, more than half century ago, was the assembling at the City Council Chamberpot a large number of citizens in favor of the establishment of a Unitarian Society in Cincinnati. This meeting was held in response to an invitation published in the Cincinnati Gazette, at the instance of several gentlemen who were prominently favourable to the object. At the meeting thus assembled, a conv mittee was appointed to take the necessary steps for the procurement of a charter. This was obtained at the next subsequent meeting of the Legislature of Ohio, and bore the date of January 21 st, 1830. The corporators and first trustees named in said charter were Elisha Brigham, Jesse Smith, Nathan Guilford, George Carlisle and Wm. Greene. “For some time previous to their action at the Council Chamber, those favourable to and interested in the undertaking had been kindly favoured with �IO professional visits by distinguished Unitarian clergymen from New England. This kindly interest was long continued after the establishment of the church. I cannot speak too strongly of the great value and constantly encouraging in fluence of the generous services of our Eastern Brethren.” Among these Eastern brethren, thus gratefully referred to, were the Rev. Charles Briggs, of Lexington, Mass., the agent of the American Unitarian Association, and the Rev. John Pierpont, D.D., both of whom were deeply interested in the New West as a field for missionary operations in behalf of Liberal Christian principles. Mr. Pierpont, at that time pasitor of the Hollis Street Church, in Boston, made a report to the Association in June, 1828, of his.five weeks’ stay in Cin cinnati, in which he says, “You ask me what judgment I formed of that city. I shall tell you as briefly as possible. It is one of the most flourishing and rapidly increasing cities of our country. The material for building up a Unitarian Society in this place I believe to be abundant and of good quality. The most enlightened among the different sects are fast becoming at odds with the exclusive and horrible systems of Calvin and his would-be followers. And if a Unitarian Church could be built and a pastor settled, there is all good * reason to believe that the society woûld soon be, to say the least, as numerous and respectable as any in the city. In every place there seemed to be a growing dissatisfaction with the religious sentiments generally preached. The people . .. are getting tired of hearing changes rung on *he sublime t mysteries of the Westminster Catechism. They want some thing more simple and practical ; something whose tendency is bodi to enlighten the understanding and to purify the heart, and we believe that the doctrines of Unitarianism, which are those of pure Christianity, are every way calculated to supply this want and to effect those all important purposes for which they were designed by the Author and Finisher of our Faith. ” Mr. Pierpont spoke wisely and truly. At Cincinnati clustered a cultured few of New England blood, who were the active movers in initiating Common Schools and educational institutions in the city and State, and were notably efficient also in benevolent enterprises. It is not invidious to mention �I I here the names of Nathan Guilford, Micajah J. Williams, Charles Stetson, Timothy Flint, George Carlisle, John C. Vaughan, William Goodman, James H. Perkins and William Greene, early members of the Unitarian Church, who were eminently devoted to such works of culture and philanthropy. Carrying this spirit of enlightenment and good will into the realm of religious thought and feeling they speedily became dissatisfied with the popular theology and preaching of their day, and for a time met on Sundays at each other’s houses for conversation and discussion of ethical and religious topics. These private gatherings led in turn to public meetings at the City Hall and elsewhere, and finally resulted, as Mr. Greene has concisely stated, in the organization of the First Congre gational Church and its subsequent incorporation. During a part of the year 1830, the Rev. Charles Briggs, who had been sent out by the American Unitarian Association, officiated as pastor to the young society, which was‘ under obligations to thè Universalist and New Church or Swedenborgian societies for the use of their rooms for its public worship. In the meantime, a lot of land had been purchased, at a liberal rate, »¿from Elisha Brigham, on the south-west corner of Race and Fourth streets, and on the 23d of May, 1830, the society, with thankfulness and joy, dedicated its newly built temple to the worship of the One God. The sermon for the occasion was preached by the Rev. Bernard Whitman, of Waltham, Mass. An ode had been written by Rev. John Pierpont (see appendix), and an original hymn by Timothy Flint, Esq. The young society flourished abundantly. In September, 1830, the Rev. E. B. Hall (later stationed at Providence, R, I.), became its first regular pastor. Concerning his vigorous and hopeful ministry, but few memorials are found in the church records, but his son contributes a genial word to our Semi-Centennial festival, which will be found in the pages fol lowing. Mr. Hall also formulated a declaration of principles which held its own in the church for some years, and was signed by a number of the members. On the 20th of May, 1832, the Rev. Ephraim Peabody, a man of singular purity and loveableness of character, a scholar �12 and a poet, was installed as minister. Rev. James Walker, D.D., preached the sermon, and Rev. Francis Parkman, of Boston, gave the Charge and the Address to the People. In the course of his discourse Mr. Walker said: *‘I believe that Unitarianism will prevail in the West. Not that I expect its spread here or elsewhere will depend wholly or chiefly on the abilities or exertions of Unitarians themselves. Its spread, like that of the truth generally, must depend on the progress of civilization, the diffusion of useful knowledge among the people, and the general assertion and application of the great principles of religious liberty and free inquiry.” The original hymns sung on this occasion, and which were doubtless written by Mr. Peabody himself, are preserved in the appendix. Among the activities in which the newly-set tled minister was engaged was the publication, in 1835 and following, of “The Western Messenger,” a monthly which contained valuable contributions, especially those from the pen of James H. Perkins. Soon, however, this fresh tie was sev ered by the ill health of Mr. Peabody, and the beloved pastor was transferred to another field. The tender word his son gives in another place in this memorial volume, fitly describes the sentiment still felt towards his gracious memory by all who came within the circle of his influence. For some time coming the church had to content itself with pulpit supplies mainly from the East. Among others, the veteran Rev. Aaron Bancroft; father of the historian, preached here in 1836. For some six and nine months respectively, the Revs. C. A. Bartol and Samuel Osgood ministered to the shepherd less flock. Revs. James Freeman Clarke, Wm. Silsbee and Christopher P. Cranch (now the poet-painter of Cambridge), preached before the society during a part of 1837, until, in August of that year, Rev. B. Huntoon was settled as pastor. But it was only to resign his post again in the year 1838, when the Rev. Henry W. Bellows, of New York, filled the pulpit for six weeks and was succeeded by others. In March, 1839, a call was extended to Rev. Wm. H. Channing, who had preached with great acceptance during the previous win ter, and on May 10th his ordination took place; the sermon �i3 being preached by Rev. F. A. Farley, of Providence, R. L, the Charge and Address given by Rev. W. G. Eliot, of St. Louis, and the Right Hand of Fellowship by Rev. J. Free man Clarke, of Louisville. The hymns were written by James H. Perkins, and are reprinted in the appendix. Of Mr. Chan ning’s bénéficient ministry hè has sent a too modest account, which is given in its proper place. His resignation in Febru ary, 1844, from conscientious motives, though honorable to himself, was a severe blow to the society. For some time after the pulpit was occupied by James H. Perkins, a mem ber of the society, and a man of brilliant gifts and lofty char acter. The Rev. C. J. Fenner, a talented and poetic mind, returning from a southern trip, was invited to the pastorate, and, although in very precarious health, accccpted the call, serving the society faithfully from June to November, 1846, when he relapsed, and a few months later died. In 1847 we find Mr. Perkins again occupying the pulpit of the society, this time as its regular pastor, a position he held with the unbroken respect and love of his people until his too early death in December, 1849. During his ministry the society became noted for it$ benevolent activities, and rendered good service in the many noble causes of which he was the inspirer, and for which his previous experience as a minister among the poor had so admirably qualified him. Thus, on the first of January, 1848, a meeting of citizens was held, at his call, in the City Council Chamber, and the Cincinnati Re lief Union inaugurated, of which noble charity he was the first president and efficient manager. He may also be considered the father of the House of Refuge for children (in which enterprise he was greatly aided by the labors of a good woman, Mrs. R. B. Field, a member of the Unitarian Church), as well as of other good institutions. His last sermon was an appeal for the poor, and although eminent as a lawyer, editor, teacher, essayist, poet, lecturer and preacher, it is this sanc tified labor for the unfortunate and destitute that best keeps his memory green among his parishioners and fellow-towns men in Cincinnati to-day. In 1850, Rev. A. A. Livermore accepted the pastorate �T4 and began a useful and beneficent work among us. Thank God, he is yet spared to gladden us from time to time with his apostolic presence. Under Mr. Livermore the society was thoroughly organized for efficient service and made liberal donations of time, labor and money to good causes. The various city charities and missionary enterprises of the denom ination were recipients of its bounty. In 1852 the Western Unitarian Conference was „organized at Cincinnati. Mr. Liv ermore felt constrained, however, in 1856, to resign his charge on account of ill health, and the society chose as his successor in November of the same year, the Rev. Moncure D. Conway,, of Washington, D. C. Mr. Conway’s ministry began most auspiciously. His vigorous, fearless style of preaching, the literary finish and freshness of his discourses attracted a large following. In 1859, however, the increasing radicalism of his utterances from the pulpit sorely troubled some of his par ishioners of more conservative opinion, and a difference arose, which, although causing a deal of unpleasant feeling at the time and for long years after, there is no occasion to dwell upon here, since it has been quite, if not entirely, out lived on both sides, and a cordial unity of feeling restored. The immediate result of this difference of opinion in the church was the withdrawal of a minority of its members, who soon after organized a second Unitarian society under the name of the Church of the Redeemer. The new congregation purchased from the Second Universalist Society the edifice on the south-west corner of Mound and Sixth streets (since demolished). Disappointed in their efforts to secure as pastor the Rev. Thos. Starr King, which at first seemed likely to be successful, their pulpit was filled for some time by various Unitarian notables, among whom were Revs. Dr. H. W. Bellows, Dr. A. P. Peabody, Dr. Oliver Stearns, Dr. Wm. -G. Eliot, Dr. Thomas Hill, J. H. Heywood and Horace Mann, Esq. In January, 1863, the Rev. A. D. Mayo was settled over the society and remained in Cincin,nati for ten years, a hard-working pastor, a gifted preacher, and rendering great services to the community as a member of the Public School Board. In 1872 he accepted a call to Spring �i5 field, Mass., and was succeeded on January 5th, 1873, by Rew ‘Charles Noyes, whose ministry was marked by great fidelity to his trust, while his catholicity of spirit and geniality of nature did much to bring about a better understanding between the two branches of Unitarianism in Cincinnati, and prepared the way for the coming re-union. Returning from this necessary digression to the history of the parent church, we find Mr. Conway continuing his ser vices as pastor until his resignation in November, 1862, to accept a charge elsewhere. A call wa% extended to Rev. C. G. Ames,-who occupied the pulpit during the greater portion of the year 1863. In February, 1864, the church building was sold, and the site is now covered by a huge block of stores. An excellent representation of this simple, but his toric, structure, in which R. W. Emerson, Theodore Parker, Orville Dewey and so many other eminent men first uttered their radical thought in our city, is given as a frontispiece to this volume. It has been prepared from a pencil sketch made in 1832 by Mrs. Ephraim Peabody, and kindly loaned by her for this purpose. The society now migrated to Library Hall on Vine street. As Mr. Ames was not able to remain per manently with them, a number of preachers distinguished for their progressive and radical views, as well as for their pulpit ability, ministered for longer or shorter periods to the church. Among them were Revs. Sidney H. Morse, David A. Was son, Edward C. Towne and H. W. Brown. On the 19th of September, 1865, the trustees were authorized to purchase the lot and dwelling on the north-east corner of Plum and Eighth streets, the site of the present church. January 26th, 1866, a call was extended to Rev. Thomas Vickers, then studying at Heidelberg, Germany. Pending his acceptance, the pulpit was occupied by A. Bronson Alcott, Revs. Samuel Johnson, John Weiss, D. A. Wasson, Robert Collyer and others. On the 6th of January, 1867, Rev. Mr. Vickers preached his first sermon and began his pastoral relation. Services were held for some years thereafter in Hopkins Hall, on the south-west corner of Elm and West Fourth streets, but it was now determined to erect a suitable house of worship, �16 and on the 6th of November, 1870, the present building, on the corner of Plum and Eighth streets, was dedicated, Rev. Robert Collyer, of Chicago, preaching the sermon, and the dedicatory prayer being from the lips of Rabbi Dr. Max Lilienthal. Mr. Vickers remained with the society until he accepted the post of Public Librarian of the city, and on Easter Sunday, April 5th, 1874, preached his farewell ser mon. A man of scholarship and radical opinion, he also took a prominent part in civil affairs, leading the opposition to the retention of the Bible in the Public Schools, and conducting a controversy with the Catholic Archbishop of this diocese with signal ability and success. For some months during the year 1874 the pulpit was filled by Revs. A. W. Stevens and J. S. Thomson, after which services were, in a measure, sus pended. In the meantime, the pulpit of the Church of the Redeemer had also become vacant, Rev. Charles Noyes having resigned. With considerable differences of theological opinion, there yet existed a very kindly feeling and pleasant social relations between the members of the two societies. Both flocks were pastorless, both burdened with a heavy indebted ness. Under these circumstances their consolidation into one society seemed in every way advisable, and was a subject of discussion. In November, 1875, Rev. C. W. Wendte, of Chicago, having received a call from the Church of the Redeemer, and an informal invitation also from the First Congregational Society, the opportunity for the union seemed to have arrived. At his suggestion, which was cordially seconded by Mess. John Kebler, Robert Hosea, M. F. Force, Seth Evans and J. W. Harper, trustees of the Church of the Redeemer, and Alphonso Taft, Thomas Vick ers, Wm. Wiswell, John D. Caldwell and John F. Dair, trus tees of the parent society, several consultations were held to consider the consolidation of the two churches, and on the 29th of December, 1875, a plan of union was unan imously adopted by the two corporations under the original name, “The First Congregational Church of Cincinnati.” Trustees were chosen equally from each of the societies, and �17 Rev. C. W. Wendte was called as pastor, preaching his first sermon before the re united flock in the Church of the Re deemer on the 9th of January, 1876, following. By a happy coincidence, Rev. M. D. Conway, being in Cincinnati on a visit, had occupied the pulpit for one Sunday by invitation of the Church of the Redeemer, and expressed his felicitations at the re-union. The formal installation of Mr. Wendte took place on the 19th of January, 1876. Rev. Robert Collyer, of Chicago, preached the sermon, Rew J. H. Heywood, of Louis ville, Ky., offered the prayer, Rev. Chas. Ames, of Bos ton, gave the Right Hand of Fellowship, and Rev. Thomas Vickers the Address to the People. For two years or more the society continued to worship in the Mound street temple, but this edifice having been disposed of, the church on the corner of Plum and Eighth streets was refitted and refurnished, and on Easter Sunday, April 13th, 1879, was re-dedicated with appropriate services in the presence of a crowded con gregation. The re-united society has already reaped the goodly fruits of its forbearance and catholicity. During the past year, 1879, two-thirds of its indebtedness has been paid off, and extensive repairs made in its church edifice, a new organ purchased, and liberal contributions made toward good causes. Notwithstanding considerable difference of opinion on points of theology, there is a remarkable unity of religious spirit in the membership. It is not claiming too much to say that the latter day of the First Congregational Church of Cincinnati is worthy of that brave beginning and notable history of which we have given this fragmentary account, and of which the communications and letters that follow in this volume are the commentary and elucidation. May we be worthy of our trust, and another half century find this church still a power unto salvation to its members and the larger community. 3 �Congregational Unitarian Ctynrcl), cusroinsrisr^LTT. CHAS. W. WENDTE, Minister. 1 S'T'S-SO. Regular Sunday Morning Services I Special Sunday Evening Services at ii o’clock. | at o’clock. Sunday School at 9^ o’clock a. m. TRUSTEES. Fayette Smith, Theodore Stanwood, M. E. Ingalls, Zeph. Brown. Michael Tempest, John D. Caldwell, 4-CRG+UnirWLllB-F A society for self-culture, social entertainment and helpfulness, holds its meet ings at the church parlors, North-east corner Plum aud Eighth streets, on alternate Wednesday evenings, at 8 o’clock. * OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES FOR 1879-80. Edward Goepper, President, W. H. Taft, 1st Vice-President, J. B. Stanwood, 2d Vice-President, Stephen Wilder, Secretary, W. H. Williamson, Treasurer, Miss Annie Sampson, \ j f Executive /committee. \ / ^CBe+LADieS’+AID+ASSOPIACIOD^ Mrs. Henry C. Whitman, . • . . Mrs. Mary Russell, ..... Miss Lizzie Allen, ..... President. Vice-President. Secretary and Treasurer. Meets every Wednesday afternoon, at 3 o’clock, in’ the vestry of the church. All ladies attending services at this church are invited to join this society. *CR6+mmiODARY*$O(UeCY* Manning F.. Force, ..... Alphonso Taft and George Thornton, . Miss Sallif. Ellis, ...... President. Vice-Presidents. Secretary and Treasurer. �(jommunitfÄTions FROM FORMER Pastors and Early Members of the Society ��FROM REV. WM. H. CHANNING. Accept my hearty thanks for your welcome to the SemiCentennial Festival of the “First Congregational (Unitarian) Church of Cincinnati.” It would be a high gratification to be one of. your guests on so encouraging an occasion. For, although it has never been my happiness to re-visit the “Queen City” since the resignation of my ministry in 1841, yet all associations with Cincinnati are brightly beautiful, and their freshness will never fade. But, as it will be out of my power to be present in person, let me avail myself of your invitation—as one of the Early Ministers of your Society—to speak a few words of Good Cheer through the medium of this note. And in beginning my pastoral leisure, the memory can not but move me, that nearly forty years have swept by since the publication of a “Farewell Letter” to your congregation explaining the motive for withdrawing my ministry, and ex pressing deep regret that a sense of honour had compelled me to loose so dear a tie. That printed “Letter” now lies open before me, and it would please me to learn that copies of it are still kept among your elder members and in the archives of your Society. For that “Confession of Faith” was written in heart’s blood—to use the common symbol of emotion—and the purest life of my spirit was infused through its pages; so truly, indeed, did it express convictions, which have been growing ever more vivid, that it i^my hope, ere closing, to re affirm them in a slightly altered form. But how few of the Elders to whom that “Farewell” was addressed, survive among you. Other generations have entered into their labors, to garner rich harvests from fields which their toils reclaimed, and to pluck ripe clusters from vineyards which their hands planted. Your people and you are co-heirs in a �22 domain bequeathed by a noble band of pioneers. And to some representatives among these prime missionaries of Lib eral Christianity, it would gladden me, if time allowed, to pay a transient tribute. First, however, let me bear a brief testimony of personal regard to the two friends whose advice brought me to Cincin nati—one a predecessor, the other my immediate successor in the ministry - of your congregation—Ephraim Peabody and * James H. Perkins. Both were highly endowed, most earnest and widely useful men, and their images yet remain undimmed in the records of your Society. Ephraim Peabody was, at that time, a poet in character and conduct, even more than in his fervid eloquence and literary compositions. He fold thrown his ardent sympathies into the heroic life of ’ the vigorous West, and his imagination was all aglow with visions of the giant young commonwealths, which, with hands interlinked, and shoulder to shoulder, were bearing triumphantly onward Christian civilization beyond the broad prairies and across the Rocky Mountains to the shores of the Pacific. Most justly did it appear to him t’hat the generous form of religion called “Liberal Christian” was the very inspiration fitted to purify, enlarge and elevate this conquering host of Pilgrims of Hope. And most lucidly did he expound the Affirmative Doctrine and Practical Principles of this large type of Christian Faith and Life, till he not only won the loving reverence of his own people, but also of the Orthodox Communions, who honoured his cheerful humanity and lofty trust, while rejecting what they deemed his heresies. He confided to me, afterwards, that, according to his own estimate, his tone of thought at this era was too ideal, and his style of address too strictly intel lectual. But this self-criticism sprang from his own modes.ty. For, though aeach year of spiritual struggle, doubtless, served to refine his religious character, yet from the first shone forth the devout enthusiasm, luminous wisdom and hallowed serenity which overspead with softened lustre his sunset years. Of my cousin, James Perkins, who from childhood was like a twin brother, as we were of the same age and bred in close intimacy, it would be delightful to write at length, but �2$ your ciders, and, let me hope, some of your younger mem bers, have probably read the Memoir which it was my privi lege to prepare after his lamented departure; and to that let me refer as the truest portrait in my power to paint of his genius and virtues. Like Ephraim Peabody, James Ferkins’ soul was kindled with anticipations of the magnificent future opening before the people of the West, and being, like Pea body, also a fervent Liberal Christian, he was pre-eminently qualified to spread a quickening influence through the city and State of his adoption. Already distinguished as a sagacious and well-read lawyer, an effective speaker and a brilliant his torical and critical essayist, many friends were expecting a high career for him as a statesman. But, though ambitious to bear a patriot’s part in enlightening the minds and mould ing the wills of the young around him, his fine-toned con science and scrupulous sense of personal dignity repelled him from the sphere of partisan politics. And at the time of my arrival in Cincinnati he had made arrangements to settle him self on the soil as a nursery gardener in the neighborhood of the city. It is one of my happiest Western remembrances, that very much through my urgent encouragement, my cousin was diverted from pursuits, which, however honourable, would have too much have absorbed his rare intellectual and moral powers, and was impelled to consecrate them to the ministry among the poor, for which he became so tenderly loved and trusted. It was his admirable usefulness in these disinterested services that led your congregation so unanimously to elect him as my successor. And then it was that he first became conscious of his wonderful gift as a pulpit orator. As a lec turer before literary societies and in platform addresses, indeed, he had often held large audiences spell-bound by the charm of his clear, terse, energetic and commanding speech. But it was only when under the sway of religious emotion, he sought to reveal to tried and tempted, struggling, yet aspiring, fellow beings, the Spiritual Laws of which he had caught a glimpse, that he disclosed that penetrating reason, soaring imagination, wide-embracing mercy and awe-struck reverence which lay hid, even from the eye of friends, beneath his �24 stoical reserve. They, whoever listened to one of these effu sions, will bear witness with me that there were seasons when the poet in James Perkins wore the prophet’s robe. From these slight notices of two esteemed associates, my impulse is to make mention, next, of the crowd of affection ately remembered friends, whose images throng round me as the happy years of ministerial intercourse are recalled. But discriminating sketches of the chief of these even would carry me too far, while to omit any would be ungrateful. No doubt, Brother Wendte, you and our fellow-ministers as sembled at your festival, would echo my words in regard to your own Societies, when I say that my old congregation in the “Unitarian Church of Cincinnati,” appear, on looking back, like a company of the “Elect,” so unaffectedly devout were they, so free-thoughted to receive the newest truth, so closely knit together iri kindly fellowship, and so ready for good works. Turning then, though reluctlantly, from the persons and families who re-appear in that Palingenesia of memory, which is the pledge of immortal Re union, let me note a few of the specially bright remembrances of our Congregational Life. And first rises the recollection of our well ordered Sunday School. How radiantly from the past shine forth the expect ant faces of the Bible Class which each Sunday morning con versed with me and one another on the lesson for the day; and of the eagerly attentive congregation of little ones who listened so responsively to my familiar talks. Those refresh ing half hours of communion with the young come back to me like a breath of Spring over an orchard in bloom. Your seed plot of blossoming Trees of Life thrives richly, let us trust. Next seem tore-gather our weekly Conferences for study ing the solution of Theological problems, discussing the prin ciples of Christian Ethics, and planning methods for applying these to the needs of the community. Your Committees, it gratifies me to observe, are admirably organized and doubtless they are efficient workers. But, believe me, the essays, de bates and consultations of your predecessors, in our time, �would not have been unworthy of the notice of this genera tion, accomplished as it is, for the depth of philosophic thought, fervent religious feeling, frank sincerity of criticism, openmindedness to the last result of scientific inquiry, earnestness in reform, and undaunted hopefulness which characterized them. In a word, our Conference was a company of fellow seekers after truth and righteousness, wherein every honest conviction was hospitably welcomed, and whence intolerance alone was expelled as intolerable. My next cheerful memory is that the brotherly kindness kept alive by. our conference and social meetings prompted a successful effort to clear off an accumulated load of debt which had long burdened the energies of the Congregation. The sacrifices, gladly borne, and the genuine sympathies thus awakened, not only revived the religious life of the society within, but attracted members from other communions and newly-come strangers to join us, until, with well filled pews, we felt that exhilarating consciousness of vigorous growth which is- the sure sign of spiritual health in a society. Indeed, we were bound together in perfect harmony, ex cept in regard to the two practical reforms of Temperance and Anti-Slavery. As to the first of these, a passing reference alone is needed. For, although not a few in those days re garded my principle of Total Abstinence as ascetic to the verge of fanaticism, yet no attempt was made to check my most earnest advocacy of the Temperance Cause. But in re gard to Anti-Slavery, any one who will recall the temper of Public Opinion as to the constitutional relations between the Free States and the Slave States all along the Ohio Valley at that critical period, will readily comprehend how difficult Was the position of a minister in Cincinnati who uncompromisingly avowed himself an Abolitionist. It gave proof of the remark able liberality of the “First Congregational Church,” and of the genuine friendship between them and their preacher, that no remonstrance was made against the emphatic declaration from the pulpit, that the law of Christian Brotherhood com manded “Immediate PLmancipation. ” But when their pastor proceeded to read announcements of Anti-Slavery Meetings— 4 �26 when, claiming his right as a pew-holder, he voted in a small minority that the use of the church should be granted for Anti Slavery lectures —when, in company with Rev. Wm. H. Bris bane, from South Carolina, and Rev. Mr. Blanchard, of the Or thodox Congregationalists, he addressed crowded assemblies, and finally, when, with the far-famed Editor of the “Philanthro pist,” Dr. Bailey, he took a stand-on the platform beside Salmon P. Chase, when that great-hearted Statesman devoted his whole political influence to the cause of Liberty for all men—the indignation of not a few waxed warm. And the crisis came when, amidst the impassioned excitements of the Presidential Election, when nearly all of my best friends voted for General Harrison, my ballot was cast for James G. Bir ney. Then, for a few days, it did look probable that, for the sake of peace, it might be wise to resign my post. But before the week was out it was candidly recognized that my course as a Citizen had been guided by the conscience of a Christian Freeman, and my hold on the confidence of the society grew firmer than ever. My chief reason, indeed, for re-awakeriing these long buried trials is, first, to encourage your young people to follow the Flag of Duty at all risks, and next, to place distinctly on record this Fact in the history of the ‘ ‘First Congregational Unitarian Church of Cincinnati,” that a score of years before the era of our Nation’s redemption from the crime and curse of Slavery, its pulpit stood before Ohio as the representative of impartial Equity, Mercy and Brotherly Kindness, and as the advocate of Universal P'reedom within the United States. And now it may well be asked, “How could you bear to break a fraternal bond which such trials had only served to seal?” My answer will be found in the “Farewell Letter” already referred to. From its’pages it may be learned, how, under the lead of Transcendental Philosophy then prevalent in New England, and the ultra-rationalistic criticism imported from Germany nearly forty years ago, I had become what is now called a “Theist,” and how, having assumed aground widely different from that held by the Unitarian denomination which had ordained me, and from that avowed by myself, �when the “First Congregational Unitarian Church” had en trusted their pulpit to my charge, I felt it to be right to resign my ministry, and with “a sad heart, though a clear con science,” to bid my Cincinnati friends “Farewell.” But, from the “Confession of Faith” contained in that “Letter,” it will also appear how prolonged studies, conference with wise scholars, calm thought and devout aspiration had brought me up into a purer, spiritual atmosphere, and into a bright Faith in Jesus as the Son of Man, transfigured into the Son of God, which was like the dawn of a new day. Half a life time has rolled by since that turning point in my ascending path. And now, at the age of three score and ten, thanks to “The Father of Lights,” I re-affirm the main doctrine of that “Credo” with all my heart, and mind, and soul, and strength. So nearly, indeed, does that Declaration embody my present convictions in regard to the Character and Life of the Beloved Son, his Central Relation to the Heavenly Father and to Hu manity, and his Providential Function in evolving the destiny of our Race, that I should rejoice to reprint it, with a few modifications, and place it in the hands of every member of your society. The chief difference between the views declared in that “Letter, and to which exhaustive study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy and History have enabled me to attain, is that now from serener heights, with vision commanding a wider horizon, and as in noon-day splendour, I behold realities which in my early progress were discerned from afar, half-veiled in morning clouds beneath the flush of sunrise. [Note by the Editor of the Memorial Volume.—Mr. Channing con cludes his admirable letter with a philosophic and brilliant exposition of Spir itual Christianity as the one, universal, world-redeeming religion of humanity. It is impossible, from want of space, to include in this pamphlet the balance of his communication, which, however, appeared in the Christian Register for February 21st, 1880. We have room only for its closing sentences.] * * * And now, Brethern and Sisters, Co-citizens of our Freed and United Republic, could you but behold the unequaled privileges and possibilities of our people as they appear to an exile, who follows with longing eyes the descending sun as he sinks to shed noon-tide on the lands of the west, �28 you would rejoice and take courage. Receive, then, my Ben ediction across the seas. Be worthy of your heritage of hope. There is coming, swiftly coming, to repeat my refrain, a New Era of Christendom, the celestial signs of which will be the Revival of Real Christian Life. Henceforth, the United Christian Church Universal can be content with nothing less than Living Communion with the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit of Holy, Heavenly Human Love. Consecrate your whole being to receive this influx of the Real God with us. Give your best energies heartily up to the currents of Charity pulsating through our communities. But clearly comprehend that this blessed Beneficence, beautiful as it is, serves but as a John the Baptist to proclaim the advent of the Real Christ. Does there not flow through you, like a cleansing fire, the consciousness that the Son of Man, in His Perfect Manhood, made glorious as Son of God by the Father’s In dwelling Presence was the Adam of a New-born Race? That one Transfigured Man was the ideal prophecy and pledge of a Transfigured Humanity! Brethern, Sisters! Co-sovereign children of God! Our Nation of United Freemen may be, if only wise enough to will it, the elect People to realize that Divine Ideal, and so fulfill the “desire of all Nations" by or ganizing in every township of our Christian Commonwealth perfect Societies as Heavens on Earth. With Christmas and New Year’s Greeting, Yours, in Good Hope, William Henry Channing. Harrogate, England, December ioth, 1879. �29 FROM REV. CYRUS A. BARTOL, D.D. I am so over-pressed with cares, I can but send to your church God-speed for the future, with congratulations for the past. I had a happy six months’ work in the dear old temple on the corner, hard by where Lyman Beecher preached, and where he was tried for heresy by the Presbytery. My heart has lost none of its warmth for the friends of nearly forty-four years ago, but runs deep and steady as the Ohio River, and never to be frozen as that was, so that I crossed into Covington, Kentucky, on the ice. But I bear in mind, too, the flowers I picked with beloved companions—one of whom at least, ever precious to my heart, still lives—on the the 1st day of January, 1836. There is something in a memory—there is a hope in it. A great and good one may there be in your commemoration, prays, Your cordial friend, C. A. Bartol. Boston, January ist, 1880. FROM REV. SAMUEL OSGOOD, D.D. Your Committee on Invitations have kindly remembered me in your arrangements for your Church Semi-Centennial, and it would be to me a most interesting festival could I be present. Great would be the satisfaction of meeting the few members of the congregation whom I remember and who remember me/ Equally great would be the surprise at noting the new faces in the assembly, and the marvellous growth of your noble city, and all its good institutions, and beautiful arts. I have a very humble claim to a place on your list of preachers, for I occupied your pulpit from May 1st, 1836, till the end of November, and again from February 5th, 1837, to the middle of March. I did what I could in the pulpit, the �Sunday School, and in parish work, but I was conscious of being too green in experience and too crude in culture to meet the demands of so important a post. There was great kind ness on the part of many of the people, whilst I was aware that the need of a popular preacher who could build them up at once by mingled wisdom and eloquence, was not met by the raw youth who went West from the Cambridge Divinity School. I am sorry to find so few names that are familiar to me on your list of representative parishioners. E. P. Cranch, Rowland Ellis, Ryland, Hartwell and Fayette Smith are all that I am sure of recalling, but there may be others. * * Mrs. Charles Stetson, to whom, with her husband, I owed so much for their great kindness, I saw a few days ago in the repose of death in All Souls’ Church—the same delicacy and peace in her features as in her hospitable home forty-four years ago. So the years pass. God’s blessing be with your church and with you all. Your friend, Sam’l Osgood. New York, January 19th, 1880. FROM REV. A. A. LIVERMORE. I thank the committee of the First Congregational Church of Cincinnati for its kind invitation to attend the Semi-Cen tennial Re-union of the church on the 21st inst. My duties here, however, will necessarily prevent me from enjoying that very great pleasure. But I am glad to send my word of greeting, and to respond, with all my heart, to your invitation. It will be thirty years—one whole generation, as time is reckoned—on the 15th of next May, when my dear wife and I, having descended the Ohio from Pittsburg, in the Keystone State, Capt. Stone, landed in Cincinnati and were welcomed by brother Kebler and wife to their ever hospitable home. �3i We were both wholly strangers to the West, as it was then called. I had b6en settled in a quiet £Jew England town, Keene, New Hampshire, for thirteen years arid a half. But chronic bronchitis required a change of climate, and a spon taneous call from your society brought us to the Queen City. It was a great change for us, greater than we knew then. Eloquent and devoted pastors had preceded me, among whom were the apostolic Peabody, the enthusiastic Channing, and the philanthropic Perkins. The fermentation of many new opinions was going on here, both in politics and religion Different national elements entered into the composition of society. It was the eventful era of the Anti-Slavery discus sion, of the rise of Spiritualism, of radical and free religious opinions, and. of the first mutterings of the thunder cloud which soon broke forth in civil war. Th'e old church, at the corner of Race and Fourth, now occupied by a splendid dry goods store, was a dear place to our hearts. Home is home, however homely, and that was our religious home. It was ancient and dingy, but it was clothed over, within and without, with hallowed associations. There noble men had lifted up their voices—Emerson, Walk er, Bellows, Dewey, Parker, Gannett, Hosmer, Mann, and others of the great liberal household. Th'e only sketch of ■the building, I believe, in existence, is one made by Mrs. Ephraim Peabody, and now in her possession. I wish I had it to send you. The first summer was a cholera season, less fatal than 1849, but sweeping off thousands. I attended five furierals of those who died of this disease—Mr. Pollard, Mr. Bates and child, Mrs. Dr. Price, and Mrs. Lemaire. But we and our people staid in the city all through the hot weather, and had three services every Sunday—Sunday school at nine o’clock and preaching in the forenoon and evening. Unitarians were stal wart in those days, and minded not wind or weather. And I am glad to see that of the Committee of Invitation, on your card sent me, twelve are active still, who belonged to the society in my day. Happy men, who, after dwelling in tent and tabernacle, and the wanderings in the wilderness, have �32 lived to enter the promised land, and even-to behold this fair temple on Mount Zion. We did what we could in those days of transition and crisis. We kept the fire lighted on the altar. We drew as near Christ and His Father—and our Father—as we could, feeling that for a working principle and every day religion, lofty prin ciples and ideals, plus these mighty personalities, were better for us than the grandest truths, if they were merely abstract and unsymbolized. In 1852 we organized here the Western Conference, which has flourished since and become a power in the land. We reached out a helping hand to Antioch Col lege and over to Meadville Theological School, when those institutions were getting under way. We did something in the book business and circulated several hundred volumes of Channing’s works and memoirs, and other liberal books in this community and through the West. More or less of us worked for the anti-slavery cause, and united in those charm ing re-unions at the annual spring time in the hospitable Ernst mansion at Spring Garden, where we met such historic characters as Garrison, Mrs. Stowe, May, Phillips, Adin Ballou, and others. The Ladies’ Art Association, the Relief Union for charity, and the Kossuth frenzy came in for a share of attention and work. Hearts that are dust now, spirits that burn pure in heaven now, kindled then with sacred fire for the cause of God and man. If the fuel of the fire was not always free from earthliness and grossness, the fire itself flamed pure to heaven, transforming all to its own celestial essence. So we worked, and so dreamed, as the years rolled by. It was a sweet and happy society, that old Cincinnati brother hood and sisterhood. There was the old Book Club Sociable. There was the great hospitable Stetson mansion , and other hospitable mansions. There were lectures from Parker and Emerson and Mann. There was Madame D’Arusmont, whose, funeral I afterward attended, insisting on woman’s rights and wrongs. There were many eccentrics in Western society at that time, and the race is not yet wholly extinct, but they added interest and piquancy to what otherwise might have proved tame and prosaic. �33 But at last the work grew heavy. Illness of a sad type invaded the household. There must be another change, and on July 6, 1856, I performed the last service as the pastor of your church, after a ministry here of six years and two months, and removed to Yellow Springs, O., and the same fall to New York to take charge of the Christian Inquirer, and the parish at Yonkers for seven years, and thence removed to Meadville, in 1863, where my duties are still in the Theolog ical School. It was a rupture of many tender and endeared ties to break away from Cincinnati; but short ministries have been the customary rule there. I received always from your church and society the most kindly consideration and generous treat ment, and not a word or act, so far as I know, ever broke the charm of a perfect friendship. And whenever, from time to time, I have visited Cincinnati, I have always met friends and only friends, and have been made glad with the old love and the ancient friendly greeting. I wish I could say this face to face, but as that cannot be done, the next best thing is to write it. And now that a great blow has fallen upon me that stuns me to the earth, I find a sweet, sad pleasure in recalling those past days, when we, who are now parted, labored together here and had such blessed communion in duties, anxieties and trials as must fall to the lot of all who are engaged in the ministry of Christ. And now, to bring these desultory reminiscences to a close, may your re-union be a happy and encouraging one ; gain say it who will, the work which this church has done in your city and in the larger community of the State and the Ohio Valley has not been in vain. It has sowed many a good seed and reaped many a golden harvest. Noble men and sainted women have been in your household of faith. The record is on high and it is one we need not be ashamed of. In how many things we might have done better is not the thought for this evening of commemoration, but it- is fervent gratitude to God that His grace has enabled us to do as we have and as much as -we have. So we will thank God and take courage. 5 �May your history for the next fifty years round out the century with still better service to God and man and still nobler achievements than any you have yet seen or realized. Your position is a glorious one—to act on the heart and cen ter of a great and growing nation. Let the heart and soul of every young man and every young woman of this church, or at this re-union, catch the fire of a holy resolution to unite to do something worthy and substantial to help on the Christian culture and civilization of the great coming nation that is here to exceed all the other nations of the earth. But to give solidity and incisiveness to this resolution they need to re member that only on these eternal paths of righteousness can our beloved America hold her way in safety, and not go down, as so many kingdoms and empires before her have done, in irre trievable ruin. * * * All earthly interests, all worldly ambitions are but as the small dust of the balance compared with the eternal truths and the heavenly aims of which your church stands as the representative, and which will still rise and shine bright as ever when a thousand ages are past. Peace and love be with you all! Ever, most affectionately, Your old pastor and constant friend and brother, A. A. Livermore. Meadville, January 17, 1880. FROM REV. MONCURE D. CONWAY. Hearty thanks for your good kind letter and your remen?brance of me in connection with the Semi-Centennial of the First Congregational Church of Cincinnati. But it astonishes me! I never had a notion that the church was such a young thing. I thought it belonged to the pre-historic bronze age of Cincinnati, or at least sprang up along with the first catawba vine planted by Nicholas Longworth. I knew it was very much evolved when I went to it, and, some may add, �35 considerably involved when I left it. At any rate, I am sure its present prosperity is an example of the survival of the fittest. When I come to think of it, there is a good long stretch of years since the first Sunday I entered the pulpit at the corner of Fourth and Race streets. I have on my wall now a photograph of that pulpit with an evergreen arch in front of it and large lilies each side. Dear Mr. Hoffner sent them. If my memory does not deceive me, it was on the occasion of the minister’s marriage, a ceremony in which I participated. How well I remember the old days! Now and then, when I meet the eminent London composer and conductor, Danreuther, I wonder if he recalls my end of the old church as vividly as I do his thin, small form at the other end, struggling with the organ keys, which he mastered, and the pedals which almost mastered him. There were some happy years at the old corner. No misunderstandings, or differences which followed them, and no changes since have ever made me forget any of the brave, earnest, and able men and women who used to gather with me there, most of whom I am glad to hear of standing by you now. Goethe says: “All things would be done so nice, Could we only do them twice,” and I sometimes think that if I had my life and ministry at Cincinnati to live over again, with as many gray hairs as I have now, I should be able to make it a pleasanter page in the history of the First Congregational Church. * * * * I have seen by the papers that your minister has been sug gesting to the chimneys how they may burn their own smoke, and trust that the Orthodox steeples will learn the same les son. The smoke of their torment ought not to ascend up for ever and ever. I hope that beautiful Cincinnati will become clean of both coal and dogmatic soot, and as fair as the Queen of the West should be. My heart will be with you at the banquet of your year of jubilee, and I shall think of it as a golden wedding, the fiftieth anniversary of a union of faithful hearts, based on a profounder union of reason and religion in earnest minds. May you still be present when the diamond �5 * 3 wedding arrives to lay on the society’s brow the crown of a higher success, shining with brilliants yet to be won from the mines of truth and freedom 1 And, if I may be allowed to change the similitude, may our children and our children’s children remember this Semi-Centennial festival as but a vig orous leaf on a flourishing stem when they gather around the century blossom whose glory will surely crown our cause. Across sea and land I pledge the old First Congregational with the bumper of a full heart. Ever yours faithfully, Moncure D. Conway. London, Christmas-time., 1879. FROM REV. C. G. AMES. * * * I was prevented by a sudden call out of the city and to the sick chamber of one very dear to me from answer ing your kind note of invitation. The impulse was strong to send you a telegram merely to say, “The communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all,” but I had a little fear that by the time it got to your meeting it would sound canting. But it is just what I want to say to the dear folks and to you, my friend and fellow servant. Charles G. Ames. Philadelphia, Penn., January 24, 1880. FROM REV. A. D. MAYO. My Dear Friends: When I read your kind invitation to be present at the anniversary of the First Congregational Church, I was sorry that in spite of telegraphs and telephones a thousand miles �37 are not yet as one mile, that I might be with you. It is true I was never settled over your church, but was pastor of our dear buried Church of the Redeemer. But in the Christian faith, in which I rejoice, there is no death or burial, but what seems to be the going out of one good thing is only the birth of another. Whatever of the true church of love to God and man was formed in those eventful years in the breasts of the men and women and children who used to assemble in that plain tabernacle at the corner of Sixth and Mound streets, still abides, and has passed over into the new congre gation, which gathers about the new minister and approves itself by its work. # << ^4 ^4 ^4 jj; My best wishes are with you, however. I have not forgot ten one of my old parishioners and I wish I could become acquainted with all your parish I have not seen. I have never wavered from my conviction, always expressed while in Cincinnati, that your city is one of the few strategic points for Christian work in America. In no American city are the elements of our nationality so evenly mated and so in want of a final moulding into a true American type. No where does the community suffer so much from the violence, on the one hand, of an intolerant conservatism, and on the other, from an implacable antipathy to all forms of organized Christianity. So far the Protestant church in Cincinnati seems to have failed to reconcile these warring elements and lead this new metropolis as it should be led in the highway of public purity and private and social morality. The present condition of your city is the reproach of the Protestant church that for a hundred years has stood at the sources of its spirit ual and moral life. Whether from a theology too scholastic and impractical, or a want of spiritual tact to seize upon decisive moments in the life of the city, or from want of courage to face the insolent Romanism and blatant Atheism that have filled your streets with a strange clamor of discordant voices, or from all these combined, the Protestant church of Cincinnati has not yet come up to the full measure of her responsibility. I believe nothing but a truly Liberal Christianity can save �óur American cities, East and West, from a more dangerous than Roman or Asiatic corruption. Much as I rejoice over your growth in wealth, in social refinement, in music and art, * and highly as I esteem your admirable system of free educa tion, I have no faith that any or all of these can make of Cin cinnati the city any truly wise and virtuous citizen desires her to become. Religion always was and always wilt be the root of every great and beneficent community, as of every great and beneficent life. And the religion that seems to me given by God especially for the healing of a distracted nation is that absolute, universal faith in a God of infinite love ; a humanity cradled, trained and disciplined in God’s love. This religion I find set forth best in the words and person of Jesus of NazHFCtll I hope there are plenty of men and women in your congre gation who believe this and that you are working in that faith. That your counsels may prevail, and your broad and beautiful hope for man may be realized, in the life of the present church,, is the fervent prayer of, Your friend, A. D. Mayo. Springfield, Mas&, January 18th, 1880. FROM REV. CHARLEIS NOYES. We rejoice with you that the Semi-Centennial comes to find Unitarian Christians of Cincinnati of one mind and one heart, one spirit and one purpose, and that the favorable auspices for their future are the result of their mutual toils and sacrifices. You are to be congratulated that the debt which was so heavy an incubus has been so nearly paid, and that young and old, forgetting the things that are behind, are looking forward with so much confidence and courage to the things that are before. May pure religion and undefiled lead you from victory to vic tory ! Let us hope you may solve the question, so difficult of i �39 practical solution, how to bring the many elements of liberal .strength that are now with you, but in a certain indefinite and hazy sympathy, to join their forces with yours in an aggressive warfare against sin, and keeping each to absolute individual liberty, work together, each with each, and all together with 'God. Could this result be reached, no building in your goodly city could hold the thousands who are to-day theoretically with you, but, for various reasons, have not put their hands with you to the plough of reform. Shall it continue ever to be true that Unitarian laborers are few, or that they stand all the day idle ? The divine voice should be heard all along the line. Skirmishing enough has been done; the nature of the ground and the position of the enemy is known. The battle should begin in faith in our principles strong to move mountains, and victories manifest in works ■ought to be the result Remember me to all the friends gathered together on the 21 st for council and rejoicing. One body may they ever be, ■“joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth.” Truly your friend, Charles NoyesClinton Mass., January i6th, 1880. FROM HON. WILLIAM GREENE. The valued favor of your committee is duly received. I beg to thank you and all my old friends of the First Congregational Church that I am so kindly remembered. I would most gladly accept your invitation to join you in your proposed Semi-Cen tennial celebration did my advanced years admit of it. All that I can say is that my heart is as warmly interested in your church as ever, that I rejoice in the present prosperous con dition of an organization of which I still consider myself a �40 member, and that you have my cordial best wishes for its con tinued success and usefulness. Appended you will find a short statement, as desired by you, of the first steps taken toward the formation of a Liberal church in Cincinnati. Very truly yours, W. Greene. East Greenwich, R. I., January 15th, 1880. FROM JOHN ROGERS, ESQ. I thank you for your kind invitation to be present at the celebration of the half-century anniversary of the First Con gregational Church in Cincinnati, on the 21 st inst., which I would gladly accept, and be present, did circumstances favor. Be assured, I still feel much interest in the little church under whose “droppings” I was said to live, (my house being next door) and where I listened to Whitman, and Clarke, and Hall, and Peabody, so many years ago. But half a century!—what changes does it make? How few, probably, are left of those I remember among the wor shipers of 1830 to 1835. I should be a stranger there and feel the awkwardness of one, should I come to your meeting. In spirit, however, I will be there, and assuring you of my sym pathy, and rejoicing in the prosperity of the old church, I am very truly yours, John Rogers. Boston, January 17, 1880. �4i FROM MRS. ANNE RYLAND. I received your note of invitation, a few days ago, to the Semi-Centennial celebration of the church, and should have answered it sooner had I not hoped that my health would have permitted me to join your circle in that happy hour, but as that cannot be, allow me to send you my most sincere sympathy and congratulations on this occasion, with wishes that the church and all its members may continue to increase in prosperity and well-doing. Being the oldest participant, in this city, in its first organ ization, and a regular attendant till ill health and weakness prevented, I have watched its growth with the greatest inter est and love as each year has rolled round, and can hardly realize that fifty of them have passed. As I cannot be with you in bodily presence, rest assured that my heart is there, as warm towards you, as sincere as ever. That your meeting may be one of joy and happiness to all is the earnest prayer of, Yours truly, Anne Ryland. Cincinnati, January 21, 1880. FROM EDW. P. CRANCH, ESQ. I am prevented by indisposition from attending the jubilee at the church this evening. I wanted to come, for I was a nursling of the church myself, and was married in it. Pea body, Channing, Perkins, Silsbee, Osgood, Bulfinch, Eliot and I were young men together, friends and companions, and I owe it to them and the charm of their society, that as a youth I was kept away from many things. But as for me, I do but count one out of thousands who have to thank God for the splendid influence of such men and many others like them. My grandfather, my father and myself have been, in our time, which covers about a century and a half, avowed 6 �42 and active Unitarians; and, looking back simply to my own humble experience, I can form a pretty correct judgment of what must have been the experience of thousands of Amer ican youth who have been, during that long period, and are still, cast loose in the whirling current of life, and who have found in the companionship of some Unitarian pastor, per haps as young and untried as themselves (some spiritual friend, perhaps, like James H. Perkins or Ephraim Peabody), that which removed their deepest doubts and kept alive in them a spark of honest religious conviction. I do not hes itate to say, from what I know, that the influence of the Unitarian clergy upon the minds of young men of education has been an important factor in the progress of civilization during the last hundred years. When our little congregation first came together it was predicted by our orthodox friends that it would not hold together for ten years, but our fiftieth anniversary finds it flourishing, and healthy and influential, and it has become a necessity to our city. As an old member, I delight to add my heartfelt congratulations, and to express my belief that there is in its present organization the germ of still greater things. Very sincerely yours, Edw. P. Cranch. Cincinnati, January 21, 1880. �(JOHGRÄTULÄTORY LETTERS. ��FROM REV. JAMES FREEMAN CLARKE, D.D. I heartily wish I could be with you at your celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of your society. I did not know that when I first saw it in 1833, it was only an infant three years old. It seemed already hardened into the sinew of manhood. The society to which I went at Louisville was founded in the same year, but was not so strong. The Cincinnati church, at that time, had Ephraim Peabody for its minister, who was surrounded by a noble body of men and women—among whom how well I remember Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Stetson, Mr. and Mrs. William Greene, Timothy Walk er, the Pomeroys, James H. Perkins, and a multitude of other bright men and women, of whom the greater part have fallen asleep. What brilliant meetings were held at the houses of Mr. Foote, Mr. Stetson and Mr. Greene, which stood side by side on a lofty terrace overlooking the city, the river, and the hills of Kentucky! There met the famous “Semi-Colon,” where so many witty men and bright women made a focus of literature in the midst of the business life of the young city ! There are some still left among you who can remember and describe those meetings. There, too, originated our famous monthly, “The Western Messenger,” edited by Peabody, Per kins, Cranch, Gallagher and others—until our dear brother Peabody was obliged to go away from impaired health. The spirit of the Unitarian Society in those days was full of life. How glad I was, once or twice a year, to come to Cincinnati and have the satisfaction of meeting all these generous and noble souls. And, though years and distance have separated us, I have never forgotten your society nor lost my interest in its welfare. I have sorrowed with it in its trial's and rejoiced in its prosperity. My good wishes and prayers will be with you on your anniversary, and my congratulations on the present prospects which open before you. May the next fifty years see fifty more societies around you, and you the �46 Mother-Church of the valley, the most active and useful of all. The church in Pittsburgh was, I think, older, but I fear that its work has, for the present, ceased ; and the Meadville (Penn.) Church, founded in 1825, can hardly be considered as in the Ohio Valley. When I went down the Ohio, for the first time, in 1833, the Unitarian churches west of the Alleghanies were only five—being those in Meadville, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Louisville. There was then no society in St. Louis nor in Chicago. Now the number of the churches given in the Year Book is 57, of which 47 have settled preachers. And yet, during all this time, we have been told that Unitarianism was “dying out!” Let us hope that it it may long continue to die out in the same way. Very sincerely yours, James Freeman Clarke. Jamaica Plain, Mass., January 17, 1880. FROM REV. H. W. BELLOWS, D.D. Your letter, announcing the coming celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Unitarian Society in Cincinnati, arouses a multitude of pleasant memories in my mind. In my early life the Cincinnati church was the very out-post of our cause, and a sort of a Mecca for Western bound folk who left the East and never felt at home until they had made the acquaintance of the delightful little circle that gathered about that “live coal” that had been taken from the Eastern altar to kindle the flame of our Unitarian culture and piety in what was then a wilderness. A venerable uncle of mine—who died, ninety-six years old, some ten years ago—told me that he saw Cincinnati when it was a village of 3,000 people, and when the first experiment to conquer the Ohio by steam power was being tried at the river’s shore. Even in my recol �47 lection it was a town of gardens, with outlooks from many places quite inland to the Kentucky shores and hills. Coal smoke had not then enveloped it. But, besides its charms as a beautiful rural town of irregular and varied surface, and all beflowered with shrubs, it had then a circle of choice spirits —hospitable, touched with a culture then rare, in music, and art, and literature—hungry for the sight of faces that came from the East, which was then “the home" of all Western hearts. You have, doubtless, fifty times the number of liter ary and public spirited persons of the same type now—but “familiarity breeds contempt.” People do not go through a wilderness now to get to Cincinnati, nor come upon its little circle as upon a spring in a dry land, an oasis in the desert, as they did then. Nor was that little circle one that can be copied or repeated. It had the mingled charm of exile, of pioneer life, of rarity in tastes, of domestic familiarity, and of a relig ious bond. These things no longer enter into any life in America since railroads and telegraphs have put an omnipres ence, or home-i-ness, everywhere, into all persons at all points. It meant something to find yourself in Cincinnati after a week’s travel over the Alleghanies, an upset in the stage, and two days on a sandbar in the Ohio! And then, to get a welcome into that charmed circle, small but so kind, intelligent and hospitable, of which your church was the one center, was one of the most delightful of surprises, and the most memorable of experiences. I recollect thinking the dozen families I knew, all eminently cultivated, and humane and progressive, were only a sample of the population. Really, they were the cream, and I found it out by noticing that they rose to the top every time. At intervals of a year or two, I visited the place, and always the some clot. There are advantages in not having too many people to admire. You have the time to ad mire the few, and appreciatively and at leisure. I arrived in Cincinnati the first time in the year 1834. My principal recollection is that I was traveling at twenty years of age, and had spent more money than I ought, in the cities then new to me—New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washing ton—in which I had lingered. A few years later, 1838, I re �48 member that I arrived at Cincinnati in early May, I think, just in time to hear Rev. Mr. Huntoon preach his farewell sermon on Sunday morning. I was asked to preach in the evening and I filled the vacant pulpit for six weeks. They were among the most delightful weeks of my life, for I was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Stetson, whose house was then almost the public hotel of the Unitarian stragglers, in black coats or black gowns, who wandered into the city. Childless them selves, they became father and mother to all, with or without a claim, who needed furtherance or shelter. How delightful that hill, vheie the Stetsons, the Footes, the Greenes so long lived side by side in a sort of garden! I shall never be young again in this world, and so I shall never bring the sauce of youth to the viands that society spreads before me. And who can tell whether the sauce or the fish makes the feast? And so I cannot tell how much my recollections of the Cincinnati circle owe to the period of life they recall. I knew very little of the man of genius and lofty humanity, whose memory is still precious among you, James H. Perkins. But of your saintly minister, Ephraim Peabody, I am not likely to forget much, now that his daughter cultivates his memory at my own hearth! He preached my ordination ser mon in New York. His portrait looks down upon me as I wiitc. What a charm of countenance, of speech, of charactei and piesence he had ! The wisdom of this world was never more completely blended with the wisdom that.is from on high. He was a wondrous judge of character, and his slow, delayed and sententious wisdom usually ended with a snap like the sound of a whip. He had a genius for morals and religion. He looked, and he was, saintly. His memory is cherished by his old flock in New Bedford, in King’s Chapel, Boston, and by the \ ery few who remain who knew him in Cincinnati and in Meadville, still earlier scenes of his fascinating and always elevating influence. My v ife s kinsman, Rev. A. A. Eivermore, I have known foi nearly fifty years, and always to love and honor. Thank God, he still remains to receive the respect and love of all the people who were ever blessed with his transparent purity' of �49 heart and his calm wisdom of head in Keene, in Cincinnati, and in Meadville. I rejoice to hear such excellent and en couraging accounts of the parish health and prospects. Your church has never wanted hard-working ministers, or devoted people in the pews. Rev. Mr. Mayo will always be remem bered for,the unflagging zeal he brought to every one of his various spheres of ministry. If I should name the good men and women who have adorned and blessed your church—and whose connection with the parish is as old as my first knowledge of it—I should be afraid of injuring the modesty of those I recall, and wounding the pride of those I should be sure to for get and omit. . In such a case silence is golden. But when I speak of noble men and lovely and faithful women in your church whom I have known these------ ? years—I mean—well, they know and I know—and that is enough—and I won’t say I mean—and I really mean everybody who honestly thinks he is meant or that she is thus delicately referred to ! How I wish I could be with you, but I can't! A great company of our ministers will be in spirit with you, for how many have enjoyed your hearty semi-Southern hospitality! Commend me to any old friends who Will care to hear that I still remember them, and believe me, Very affectionately and fraternally yours, Henry W. Bellows. New York, January i, 1880. FROM REV. GEO. W. HOSMER, D.D. With all my heart I rejoice with you. I remember the establishment of the society. It was the spring-time of our hope for the spread of Liberal Christianity in the West. We were looking for great things, and we young theological stu dents were girding ourselves to go into the fields ripe for the ■harvest. 7 �50 At that time Dr. Walker was in Cincinnati, and some man who had heard him once was invited to go and hear him again. “No,’ said he, “why, I will not be a Unitarian, and if I hear that man again I shall .be obliged to be one.” Five years from the beginning of the society I was in Cin cinnati, the beautiful, terraced garden city, as it then was— and how the names and faces of the dear old friends come up to me now; Ephraim Peabody, my classmate, the pastor, so wise and loving, the Stetsons, the Greenes—but I must not write all their names, nor attempt to tell what a charming, earnest, happy society it was; so young, bright and hopeful. There were many remarkable persons among them. I have known much of the Unitarians of Cincinnati from that day to this, and the memories are bright spots in my life. While at Antioch College, Cincinnati was one of my homes, and those good friends there—God bless them!—were always ready to give help and cheer out of their generous hearts and pleasant homes. Your society has been very rich in fine characters and noble lives. What a line of ministers, the living and the dead! Perkins and Peabody, so unlike, but in each what con secrated genius,—prophet and saint. Your society has much to think of and to rejoice in. I am glad you arc all one again and can rejoice together, and as your second half-century is knocking at your door, in one mind and heart may you wel come it, and with reverent, prayerful aspiration try to make even a better half-century than the last has been. With earnest congratulation and God-speed, I am with you. Geo. W. Hosmer. Salem, January 19, 1880. FROM REV. WM. SIESBEE. In the spring of 1837 I first turned my steps Westward. I he circlet of hills which graced the Queen City was green then and no pervading smoke soiled her fair robes. The �51 society was the most charming, take it all in all, that I had ever known. And the dear church sent out an influence to gladden and elevate the whole place. It is enough to recall the memory of one who ministered to them, now long since passed away, in that remarkable man and preacher, James H. Perkins, whom I should in vain attempt to describe to those who never heard him. I cannot refrain from adding my hearty congratulations to your church on its present bright prospects. I have great confidence that you will prove not unworthy of the founders. Such, at least, is the earnest prayer of, Your sincere friend, Wm. Silsbee. Trenton, N. Y., January 19, 1880. FROM REV. ROBERT COLLYER. Your circular came at breakfast this morning, and I make haste to send congratulations and good wishes to the golden wedding to be celebrated by your church on Wednesday. It is an event of the most genuine interest in the history of our faith in the West. Only our church in Louisville runs back to 1830, and if you are not twins—also as twins have never been the good fortune of our Unitarian household, so far as I know—your happy advent in January of that year will make you the oldest church of our order in the West. I wish I could be with you to witness your joy, to hear the story of the day of small things and see the nobler promise with mine own eyes, and to wish for you the great career you are sure to carve out by God’s blessing and your own faithful striving in the Athens of the West. In France, they say there is a rose rooted down in sacred ground, they can trace backward for 400 years, abloom still, with no sign of decay about it, but every year roses foaming over the old walls, covering them with beauty and making the whole neighborhood fragrant. �52 So may it be with the fair rose the fathers and mothers planted in Cincinnati. May the centuries endow it with an enduring beauty and fragrance from God, is the prayer of, Your ever loving brother, Robert Collyer. New York, January 19, 1880. FROM REV. E. H. HALL. I have been delaying my answer to your note, trying to delude myself into the idea that I might accept your very cordial and attractive invitation. Unfortunately, I must de cline, as it is impossible tor me to leave home at this season, for so long a time ; but, nothing could have given me greater pleasure than to have celebrated with you an anniversary that has almost as great an interest for me as for you. As I left Cincinnati at the early age. of two months, I can not retain many personal recollections of the town or parish in those days; but I remember well my father’s continued affection for the little church which he helped to found, and I can imagine the vivid interest he would have taken, if he were still living, in your, commemoration. In a letter, which lies on my table, written by him to Rev. E. S. Gannett, and dated Cincinnati, February 21st, 1831, he speaks in the strongest language, of the importance and promise of thè new move ment, and of his regret at abandoning it, as his health com pelled him to do. “A more important, place-than this,” he says, there is not,-1 believe, in the land. This is often said of many places, by those who live in them ; but I do think it may be said pre-eminently of this. This society and its pastor are to give the character of Unitarianism in the whole wide and growing West.” I congratulate you that during the half century which has passed since these words were written, thè Liberal cause has been bravely maintained in Cincinnati, and that you can cele- �53 brate your anniversary with such' bright and cheering pros pects before you. With many regrets that I can not be with you, and with sincerest good-wishes for the future, I am, Yours, with great regard. Edward H. Hall. W orcester, Mass., January 7, 1880. FROM REV. FRANCIS G. PEABODY. I am too late to use your very kind hospitality offered to my father’s son at your Love Feast. Thank you none the less for thinking of it, and may you begin to-morrow another long term of prosperity and power. When I was in Cincinnati, a few years ago, I was much struck by the lesson which the reminiscences of my father contained. All who had known him spoke of him to me; but when I recalled this series of conversations, I discovered that not one had said a word of his preaching, so absorbed were they all in the memory of his character and personal holiness. This was wl'at was left after forty years, and it was a living force still; the sermons, which seemed to him, no doubt, his central work, were dead long ago. I suppose human nature and needs are much the same still. Faithfully yours, Francis G. Peabody. • Santa Barbara, California, January 20, 1880 �54 FROM REV. HENRY W. FOOTE. * * * To one who is looking forward to keeping the two hundredth anniversary of his church before long, your Semi-Centennial seems to cover but a brief span; but it has been long enough to give a goodly show of souls who have made a record for your church in Cincinnati whereof it may be proud. King’s Chapel shares with you one of the holiest and purest memories that either church can have in all their history. As the successor of Ephraim Peabody here, I send this belated greeting to his successor in his early parish. May his spirit, purpose and reward be ours. Truly your friend, Henry W. Foote. Boston, January 23, 1880. FROM H. P. KIDDER, ESQ., President of the American Unitarian Association. * * * Let mc congratulate you and your society on your present prosperous condition, adding the hope that it may never be less. Yours most truly, H. P. Kidder. Boston, January 17, 1880. �appgiídix. �F ,1 •I là �in memoRiAm MRS. CHARLES STETSON. This beloved and venerated woman—so long the centre of hospitality to Unitarian visitors in Cincinnati—died on the evening of January 6, 1880, in New York, where for ten years past she had resided. She had been declining for two or three years, but her death was very sudden, as she had been at the family tea-table at 6 p. M., and died of a paralytic stroke before 9 P. M. Being at or about eighty, her departure may be regarded as not untimely, and her state of health did not make life sufficiently desirable to allow her friends any other regrets than those awakened by the memory of her useful and benevolent life, and the thought that her gentle face and lovely smile can no more be seen! She has gone to a great reward, if heaven gives the heartiest welcome to those who have rendered the law of kindness most honor and obedience here on earth. To those who never experienced the charm of the Stetson home—open for nearly half a century with almost boundless hospitality to all homeless vis itors with the shadow of a claim on the attention of Mr. Charles Stetson and his wife—it is difficult to tell the emotions awakened in the hearts of the few who survive among the hundreds who once knew the loving kindness and care and delicacy of that noble pair, as they hear that the last of them has gone heavenward! Rich, childless, unpretending, public-spirited, simple in personal tastes, refined and cultivated, lovers of music and the arts, fond of good people and admirers of genius and worth, the Stetsons made their beautiful and generous home the centre of a copious, yet simple hospitality, which has rarely been exceeded, either in sum or quality, by any house known to the somewhat wide experience of the writer. One in feeling and action, agreeing in a curious fondness for promoting the comfort and pleasure of those neglected by others, they made it the main business of their lives to do good as they had opportunity, and to do it, not at arms length, but by per sonal service. Their house was always full of guests; they welcomed our Unitarian clergy, artists, philanthropists, strangers from abroad, and rising aspirants at home, besides doing their full part towards the general society of Cincinnati. Their horses and carriages were always carrying round others to see the beautiful country about their city ; and to many Eastern folk the Stet sons’ home was the largest part of Cincinnati. �58 How many of our ministers, young forty years ago, must be thrilled with tender gratitude as they hear of Mrs. Stetson’s departure, and recall the thought fulness, heartiness, and simplicity of her hospitality to them, when they were unknown and without any claim except that of their profession and their soli tude ! We should, perhaps, never have had a Unitarian society in Cincinnati but for their interest, liberality and hospitality to our ministers. At any rate, the fiftieth anniversary of our church there, celebrated on the coming 21st of January, will date back to a time when the Stetsons were better known in connection with our cause than any household in the West. Mr. Stetson died about five years ago. He was very unfortunate during the last decade of his life, and earned his living, after a long career of prosperity, by the performance of a clerk’s duties in the New York Custom House. But his sweetness, his wit, his love of children, his pride of character, his charm of sympathy, his childlikeness of heart never left him ; and he bore his crush ing misfortunes with manly courage, broken and infirm as his body was, and wounded and sick as his heart must have been. Mrs. Stetson, just gone, was a woman who united a sort of Quaker sim plicity of face and costume with a decided originality of thought and a very marked individuality. Strength and self-respect were beautifully blent with modesty, genuineness and unworldliness of nature. She lived in the world and enjoyed and used it, but she never allowed it to use her. She had not a particle of cant or sanctimoniousness about her, but she was spiritually-minded in the truest sense, and religious to the core. Free, and without dogmatic fetters, she was Christian in spirit and faith. For a woman who had so little love of change, and so little intellectual ambition, she was singularly courageous and independent in her opinions. Though childless, she carried an atmosphere of universal motherliness about her, and a purity and sympathetic ardor that mixed affection and simplicity with insight and freshness of judgment. She loved many and much, and was greatly beloved by many who must associate the happiest years of life with her image. The beloved sister, who shared her home and became at last the watchful guardian of her decline, is worthy of the respect and honor she now inherits as the sole survivor of all the memories of the Stetson household. May every consolation wait upon her loneliness, and faith and patience attend her remain ing days! H. W. B. �59 5Ymn ujRiTTen for trg dcdioatiod OF THE JANUARY 18TH, 1880. By W. H. Venable. Our Father, we would consecrate This organ to Thy righteous name ; The conscious reeds expectant wait, Thy solemn praises to proclaim. Oft may these sacred keys prolong Devotion’s calm, celestial mood ; Oft lead the glad thanksgiving song, And melt the soul to gratitude. Long may returning Sabbaths greet Our choral joy in things divine, Prelusive to the doctrines sweet, Of him who taught in Palestine. Yea, let the organ’s solemn breath Resound Thy praises, Holy One ! Thy grace surviveth sin and death, Forevermore thy will be done. The venerable Western poet, Wm. D. Gallagher, whose name is identified with the early history of the society, also sent to the festival a poem, entitled “In Exaltis,” whose length, unfortunately, precludes the insertion here of more than the following fragment: “And I cried out, O man to the House of Prayer, Made with hands—go up, for Thy God is there ; And, in the days of thy beautiful youth, Bow down, and worship in spirit and truth ; In the mightier years of thy ripening age, There still against Sin in the battle engage; But say not of him who goes out and stands In that grand old Temple noi made with hands, And hungers and thirsts, and worships and waits, And for righteousness strives and supplicates. 1'hat he errs: for Christ and his Cross are there, And God’s angels come to him unaware.” �6o ODE FOR TFjG DCDICATIOD TO THE O UNTIE ALMIC3-HTY GOD, COMPOSED FOR THE OCCASION, By Rev. John Pierpont, of Boston. I. To Gon, to God alone, This temple have we reared ; To God, who holds a throne Unshaken and unshared. Sole King of Heaven Who’st heard our prayers And blessed our cares, To thee ’tis given. II- < > thou, whose bounty fills This plain so rich and wide, And makes its guardian hills Rejoice on every side, With shady tree And growing grain, This decent fane We give to thee. III. Thou, who hast ever stooped To load our land with good, Whose hand this vale hath scooped, And rolleth down its flood To the far sea— This home we raise, And now, with praise, Devote to thee. IV. To all, O God of love, Dost thou thy footsteps show— The white and blue above, The green and gold below, The grove, the breeze, The morning’s beam, The star, the stream,— They’re seen in these. V. Where now, in goodly show, Thy domes of art are piled. Thy paths, not long ago, Dropped fatness on a wild. O let us see Thy goings here Where now we rear A house for thee. VI. Nursed by the blessed dew, And light of Bethlehem’s star, A vine on Calvary grew And cast its shade afar. A storm went by— One blooming bough Torn off, buds now Beneath our sky. �61 VII. O let no drought or blight, This plant of thine come nigh ; But may the dew, all night, Upon its branches lie ; Till towards this vine All flesh shall press, And taste and bless Its fruit and wine. VIII. Because, O Lord ! thy grace Hath visited the West, And given our hearts a place Of worship and of rest; Old age and youth, The weak, the strong, Shall praise in song Thy grace and truth. May 23rd, 1830. IX. The grace and truth that came By thine Anointed Son, H ere let such lips proclaim As fire hath fallen upon From out the high And holy place Where dwells in grace Thy Deity. X, To thee, to thee alone, This temple have we reared,To thee—before whose throne Unshaken and unshared, Sole King of Heaven, With thanks we bow-^ This temple now For praise is given. �62 ORIGIRAL BYIRRS WRITTEN FOR THE Ordination of As Pastor of the Rev. Ephraim Peabody First Congregational Church, IN CINCINNATI, MAY 2Oth, 1832. I. Oh ! Thou before whose glorious brow, With veiling wings Archangels bow, • May our deep, trembling prayer To mercy’s ear accepted rise, Through the rich music of the skies, And blend harmonious there. Thou wert not in the earthquake’s crash, Nor in the bannered lightning’s flash That flamed o’er mount and grove ; But in the low, soft breath that stirr’d The conscious leaves, Thy voice was heard In mercy and in love. Lord! let that sweet and holy strain Breathe through this dedicated fane, Thy bessing here descend, While praise and incense heavenward roll, Fill with thy glory every soul, Our Father and our friend! May he whose pastoral hand shall guide This flock where living waters glide, Here, angel-strengthened be; With unpolluted lips impart Immortal truths, and lift each heart Adoring unto Thee. �63 II. That voice which bade the dead arise, And gave back vision to the blind. Is hushed but when he sought the skies, Our master left his word behind. ’Twas not to bid the ocean roll,— ’Twas not to bid the hill be riven; No,—’twas to lift the fainting soul, And lead the erring mind to heaven. To heave a mountain from the heart,— To bid those inner springs be stirred : Lord, to thy servant here impart The more than wisdom of that word. Dwell, Father, ’round this earthly Fane. And when its feeble walls decay, Be with us as we meet again, Within thy halls of endless day. Note.— These hymns were presumably written by Mr. Peabody. �64 ORIGIDAL RYmnS WRITTEN BY JAS. H. PERKINS FOR THE Ordination of William H. Channing, AS Pastor of the First Congregational Society, CIXTCIXTXT-a.T’T. IML AY IO, 1839. I. Almighty God ! with hearts of flesh, Into thy presence we have come, To breathe our filial vows afresh, And make thy house once more our home. We know that thou art ever nigh ; We know that thou art with us here; That every action meets thine e.ye, And every secret thought thine ear. But grant us God, this truth to feel, As well as know ; grant us the grace, Somewhat as Adam knew thee, still To know and see thee, face to face. Here, while we breathe again our vows, Appointing one to minister In holy things within this house, Grant us to feel that thou art here. �65 II. The storm-shaken winter Has passed from earth’s bosom, And spring to our borders, Brings back bird and blossom— Through all her sweet life-strings, Through all her glad voices, In daylight and darkness, Old Nature rejoices. And we have known winter, The dark storm hath swept us ; But God, our preserver, Hath graciously kept us ; The winter is passing, The spring bursts around us, And he has with new bands Of brotherhood bound us. To thank him, our Father, As brethren we come here ; Our hopes and our wishes— Henceforth be their home here ! Almighty Redeemer, We ask not to fear thee,— But, like our Great Teacher, To know, love, revere thee. �CONTENTS. PAGE. Introductory Note, ------- 3 Order of Exercises, ...... 4 ....... 6 List of Committees, Historical Sketch Communications of the Congratulatory Letters, 9 First Congregational Church, - from former Pastors and Members, -• - 21 45 ------ Appendix, --------- 55 « In Memoriam, Mrs. Charles Stetson, b Hymns for Various Oc casions, - - - - - * T( ; � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Victorian Blogging Description An account of the resource A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes. Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk. <img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conway Hall Library & Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Conway Hall Ethical Society Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Pamphlet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memorials of the celebration of the First Congregational Church of Cincinnati, Ohio, January 21st, 1880 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource First Congregational Church of Cincinnati Description An account of the resource Place of publication: [Cincinnati] Collation: 65 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Printed for the Unity Club. Contents listed on back page. Includes a letter from Moncure Conway p. 34-26 dated 'Christmas-time, 1879'. Appendix I: In Memoriam, Mrs Charles Stetson. II. Hymns for Various Occasions. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available [s.n.] Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource [1880?] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context G5615 Subject The topic of the resource Unitarianism Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a> This work (Memorials of the celebration of the First Congregational Church of Cincinnati, Ohio, January 21st, 1880), identified by <a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a>, is free of known copyright restrictions. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Church history Conway Tracts First Unitarian Church Memorials Unitarianism https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/25778/archive/files/28d881944bb3466c13616bfee1116710.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=OngrYLsKU-Cm4hpCYfDzXIVx9ELHPXvIGxe%7EEISJ8l27heGBgbGWUeEjTTMJRWjnbUtLEBvnS8YGg%7EaMHgyFi1-W4Z6zJLEb1LmsOioHAxknc949zodSAiZqi8CYbWDOsBPZ4FXlMar8pTW4Zb%7EvqAoBkmDttzykX6pjFZLrXlGPaNeRa%7EwQVp6PoHDx6OeaWp8YviQBVDI3TTRA4%7ESKTn7suMQLQzOKkzZ6FFW8SunYcCNCGModaixlVY6NHZggLGd3k2kA4jQGL8xGYJ95GU-Gmc80JdUNe%7Ec3CDpqBXXu8PwaTeBthZLrGghYLEDwH2rRYMuHhTtrFU9gNFt62A__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 311a91f4f5fc47c9561049f9b91ec013 PDF Text Text SHALL WE NOT GO FORWARD? A DISCOURSE DELIVERED IN THE UNITARIAN CHAPEL, BRIDGEWATER. BY WILLIAM CHATTERTON COUPLAND, B.A., B.Sc. LONDON: TRÜBNER AND CO., 60, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1 8 6 5. �“ Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I DECLARE : BEFORE THEY SPRING FORTH I TELL YOU OF THEM.” �A DISCOURSE. I it a privilege to live in this age, when temporal and spiritual empires which have done good service in their time, but now cumber the earth, totter towards their grave; when ancient systems of thought which have outlasted the cen turies, refusing to adapt their garb to the altered circumstances of the time, are fading peacefully away; when old Jerusalems are melting into the mist of memory; and new temples rising out of the deep. A few years ago many must have thought that all was over with this terrestrial sphere; all the great men were dead and buried, the highest minds were given up to restoring and criticising the works of their predecessors, building “ the tombs of the prophets” and garnishing “ the sepulchres of the righteous;” for the world had entered on its dotage, but a few hours more and the archangel would sound his trumpet, and Past and Present would cease to be. But the world was mistaken, and that not for the first time in its biography. Amidst' all that slum count �4 berous period a few lamps were burning brightly, and 11 while their companions slept” some “were toiling upward in the night,” sowing new seed and planting fresh trees, which are even now beginning to sprout, and yet shall grow into stout trunks and leafy branches. The Head-Master of Rugby School declares at Whitehall that the beginning, as the end, of the Bible is poetry, not fact; and the Dean of West minster, not without a merry twinkle one may fancy, preaches in the venerable Abbey from the text of Ezekiel, “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley, which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about; and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, 0 Lord God, thou knowest.” Dean Stanley knows very well that the bones are very dry, and is doubtful whether even a divine breath can re-enliven them. But yet, somehow or other, people do like the dry bones; and there is something to be said for them ; for is not a bone a relic ? and whatever has once been holy surely never can lose its virtue ? To hang up a prophet’s bone over your mantle-piece, for instance, what an in fusion of spiritual vigour would not that afford ? Why, your room would be a shrine of divinity, �5 whither a thirsting and weary people might crowd to inhale inspiration for the loftiest battles of lifeI So the Catholic Church lives by its bones, and he must be a bold man who denies the Catholic Church to be still living. The Protestant Church yet not less thrives upon its bones, though unfortunately the vessel in which it holds them is so very fragile that it is in constant danger of spilling them. But Ezekiel was doubtful as Stanley whether the bones could ever live again. It is the essential dis tinction of the prophet to have no faith in dry bones ; for I define a prophet to be the living voice of a nation. He is that organ raised up by God to keep alive a spirit of hope in the age. Lose your prophet, or kill him, and you destroy the heart of your nation. That was the function of the Hebrew prophets through out the long period of the reign of the kings, and the Babylonian exile. From Elijah to Malachi it was the never-sleeping prophet who kept the Hebrew nation breathing; and when Judaism cruci fied its last prophet, it sounded its own knell. Is not that the word which our great English seer, Thomas Carlyle, has been thundering in our ears, that the great prophetic man, the hero, is the desideratum of every age—a man who shall be shackled by no routine of predecessors, who shall start the world afresh on its journey, and point its eyes to the future,—the man who shall dare to think and do, as if no one had ever thought and �6 done before; a new creation; no puny dependent child who ever leans on his grandsire’s arm ? And Thomas Carlyle has not spoken in vain; I fancy all the life which this English generation possesses comes from Carlyle. The burning torch was taken up by Emerson, and from Emerson passed to Parker, and kindled an undying flame on the other side of the Atlantic. So in France, Ernest Renan has lately revivified the theologic dry bones by publishing that glowing life of Jesus which has electrified this time—a work full of errors, doubtless, but which must be measured by its life-breathing spirit. Strauss is far sounder, but Strauss gives no life. The English Unitarians have never been very wake ful, they have nursed their dry bones from the beginning; but the Church of England is now warming a little, and if it were not for its narcotic of a prayer-book, and that sleep-giving ritual, would soon wake up into a living life. Politics are slumberous enough, but when our present leaders die, having served their term, we may expect a regeneration there. I hope great things when Gladstone is prime minister. He will shake the dry bones, or I am much mistaken. We live, therefore, in a favoured age, but I do not think we make the most of it; nor can we, until we unreservedly place ourselves in the pro phetic rank. We must discard all traditions, set no store by precedent, work out anew for ourselves. �7 So we go through the routine of all the sects, though we have no affinity with them. We are not a more liberal branch of the Church of England, or the Congregationalists, or the Methodists, but we are a new Church, whose rock is human nature, and whose temple is the personal soul. In affirming this, we by no means cut our connection with the past—that were impossible : as surely as we are the descendants of our parents, are we the offspring of the past; the organic bond no power in earth or heaven can sever; but we must not look to our sires to show us the way our feet should tread in the future. All our sires can teach us is what they have experienced, but their experience only corre lates their circumstances; but our circumstances have never pre-existed, therefore our experiences have to be shaped anew by ourselves. Popes and Bibles were indispensable and valuable under the then conditions of society; but now those conditions are changed, Popes and Bibles rather hinder than help us. It is only the Absolute which endures. And when we say Popes and Bibles have done their work, we by no means intend to affirm there is nothing valuable even for us in Popes and Bibles. The essential truth in the Papal function is, that every organism must have a head; thus a “minister” is a Pope—but the idea of a Pope is something more than that, viz., that one man has the authority and power to make declarations, which others have only �8 implicitly to receive, possessing no right to test or question. That the “ Bible ” is a collection of facts, truths, ethics, and religious sentiment, is indis putable ; but that is not what Protestantism means by a “Bible.” Protestantism means thereby a docu ment containing a set of divine commands, necessary for all time, and a set of beliefs which it is abso lutely incumbent upon us to believe, whether our reasons say “ aye”, or “no.” Protestantism repudi ates all homage to a Catholic Pope, and we repudiate all homage to a Protestant Bible • but neither Pro testantism surrenders its episcopal establishment, nor do we refuse to work up into our thought and life all the good things we find in Jewish-Christian literature. It is curious how reliant man yet is. We like to follow our fathers’ steps as long as we can, and I verily believe would hold our mothers’ dresses to this day if we might. Man is naturally a timid animal. But great deeds were never achieved by fearful men. What enabled Napoleon to accom plish his main victories was that he had no fear. But the many are easily panic-stricken. A sentence of excommunication uttered amidst blue lights and ghostly intonations will scare many hearts; and to fling “infidel” in a man’s face is as effective as to stab him in the side. Fear is the real “ dweller of the threshold,” and we must conquer fear before we can make a step in advance. “Yes, but if we �9 turn over a new leaf, what will Mr. and Mrs.------? say?” Are you afraid of the opinion of Mr. and Mrs.------ ? Then you will never leave the Valley of Destruction and set out on the way towards the Eternal City. Thus, I would have our Sunday services utterly remodelled myself, permit a greater elasticity in the arrangement, abolish the stereotyped monotony of hymn, prayer, biblical chapter, hymn, prayer, sermon, etc. time after time. I would have absolute liberty here as in the thought; but do I not know that if I were to advocate such a change I should bring down on my devoted head all the tumultuous shriekings and anathemas of a hundred congrega tions and the religious newspapers. I suppose there would be a rain-shower of 11 Iconoclast” and “Atheist,” “Desecrator of the Pulpit,” and what not! But this is only applying on a small scale what occurs on the large. The world has to fight against that base tendency in its nature to stand still and be contented. Contentment is false. You ought not to be contented: everything is imperfect, and will be so for many a long day,—I had almost said for ever. And as the infant when it can run alone puts off its long clothes, and the child when it be comes a man exchanges the school-boy jacket for the coat; so, as the world becomes maturer, must it leave on one side the apparel of its youth, and take to itself better-fitting raiment. And if any one �10 blames this procedure as iconoclastic and revolu tionary, he is only blaming the baby for growing to be a boy, and the boy for maturing into a man. “But,” say some, “what a harassing time you are making for us ! Are we never to have any rest and peace, but always to be reforming ?” No, I answer, you are never to have rest and peace in the sense of being permitted to sleep half your time, and turn your tramp-mill the other half, but you are to move on as Time moves, imperceptibly but surely; and as it does not harass you to change your skin through every seven years, and to pass through the stages of birth, marriage, and death ; so, if you are liberal at the very core, you will naturally doff the out grown garments and array yourselves in the bright robes of the Present. One sees therefore I have little sympathy with our Conservative gentlemen. I abhor Conservatism; it is to stop short at animal existence, it being the great characteristic of brute as differentiated from man. But of course there is always the response, “but the time is not ripe.’’ And when, pray, in your wisdom, will the time be ripe? When will the time be ripe to say, “We have no need of Popes,” and “ a Bible is a hindrance to human life” ? Who does not see that each generation puts up the same plea, and will put it up as long as the world lasts; but it is evident that if the plea had never been disregarded, we should have had no Christianism, no Protestantism, and no �13 and social imperfection. When we have such a “Church” as that, I think the nations will flock thereto as to the prophetic 11 Hill of the Lord,” and malice and uncharitableness will die away. In such a community the spirit of God must be permitted to blow where it listeth; yes, even though it be doubted to be a spirit of God at all, and through every story of earth and heaven shall the human mind press, proving and questioning. In such a society, nought shall be secular and nought be sacred, the triumphal march holy as the hymn, and the silent meditation grateful as a prayer. Chiefest of all, shall the thoughts of great men of all time and every clime be spread before a hungering people, and whoever in India or Arabia, England or Syria, have stood closest to the skies shall be esteemed venerable, and be listened to as a heavenly seer. You smile perchance at this dream, but is it to be ever a dream ? and must the world wait another millennial cycle till the thought become a deed? Who knows ? I think we should not wait long if some amongst us were more earnest. When the idea does become an act, it needs no very prophetic eye to scan the consequences. Instead of the ghastly hymn which makes our flesh creep, or the lugubrious psalm which compels us to think our selves in a funeral vault instead of a sun-lit hall; I imagine a melody of inspiration, and a multitude with beaming faces and joyous hearts, shining like �14 the teachers of righteousness transplanted to the skies, feeling at last one with man, and all the universe. The tendency of man to seek his paradise in the past is of old standing—a dream more oriental, how ever, than western; a thought, too, which could only be very vivid where trust in an immortal future was weak. Besides, the problem of evil seemed to necessitate such a conception: there must have been a time when sin was not, when man stood still a erect as a sunbeam,’’ and as yet no lawless passion had darkened the fair face of nature. Although we may not have advanced much beyond those early theories in solving that great problem, still we have no longer any doubt at which end to place the true Paradise. Seeing by the light of Darwin and Lyell, no naturalist may place his Eden-garden at the dawn of human history. How ever fair nature might then have been, man could not have been very lovely. I have never hesitated to avow the conviction that the only conceivable explanation of man’s creation lies in regarding him as the progressive child of the highest Catarhine primates; I cannot conceive for a moment of any other origin, corroborated as it is, too, by his whole physical structure. But, even if that be not con ceded, evidence is slowly accumulating of the barbaric beginnings of human history, and our Eden vanishes more and more into the mist. The growth �15 of man has been upward from the commencement— incredibly slow, but ever to a better from a worse. After much toil we are come at length to a highlyimproved link in the chain, but we have by no means entered upon Paradise. Our Paradise still lies before us, the El Dorado of our hopes lies far beyond the furthest mountain-peaks, and probably each pilgrim, as he attains a new height, will descry yet stretching beyond glorious snow-clad summits. The end is far distant, the way is long, but the sky is not dark. That consolation we have to sustain us. The sun is still shining overhead, and will shine; the birds will still sing gladdening hymns; and though humanity will reel many times back ward and forward with passionate folly and mad ness, beyond the blood-stained battle-field, and the fierce strifes of parties, lies the chosen country, the milk-and-honey-flowing Land of Promise. This is our faith, firm and rooted. But if this be our belief, does it not shape our duties ? does it not summon us away from the tombs to the busy throbs of instant life; from laudation of departed saints, to live out our lives, and leave our footprints on the temporal sands? Does it not tell us how futile it were to grow up under the shadow of any by-gone heroic or holy soul, there being as great souls now, and greater probably to come ? The Eden of Adam, naturally fair as it is deemed; the Eden of Moses, morally fair as it appears; the Eden of Jesus, radiantly �16 beautiful as it unquestionably was,—are but Edens whose memory will never utterly perish, but which by no means exhaust all natural and divine creation. We do not add to our capabilities, we only quench our own powers, by breathing in the atmosphere of a foreign community. I do not stand one inch taller for walking always at the heels of some by gone chief. A superinduced righteousness is no righteousness worth having; and to put on “the garment of Christ,” I must put off the “garment” of personality. I do not want to walk thus masqueraded. Truly none will be so foolish as to refuse assistance; the entire human race is mutually dependent for much, but we only seek the disciple’s stool to receive suggestions which we must work forward in our own way. A man forfeits his personality when he be. comes an echo. And the more intimately we know any great man the less shall we be disposed to call him “master.” We see that he can be no autocrat of our soul. And what is true of a man or series of men is true of countries and ages. Palestine is no norm for England, nor St. Paul for Western Republicans. Paul may have fancied he laid down the law for all time, but only impersonal minds will credit him. What, then, is the moral of this argument ? That we are to speak our speech, think our thought, do our deeds, as being our own speech, thoughts, and deeds, and without ceaselessly affirm �17 ing it is somebody else’s thoughts, speech, and deeds that we are to think, speak, and do. They may be Christian, they may be Brahminic, they may be Confucian, they may be Hellenic, or what not; that is not our concern: are they true, right to us ? Are they the best realization we can give to the floating ideals of our minds ? That is all we have to ask, and all that we need be concerned in the world’s knowing. Before the bar of inner con sciousness each man must be brought to trial, his own consciousness and not another’s. Drop then the skirts of by-gone prophets, and become yourselves prophets. Be in your generation the kindling fuel which shall keep alive the dull embers of earthly love, hope, and truthfulness. Men walk as in a strange stupor; they know not the joy they might possess were they only content to trust themselves to the swaying waters. Have no Fear; exorcise that phantom, the direst that ever infested the human heart. Why should we fear? The stars will not fall from the skies and crush us; the old destroyer of earnest pilgrims has no longer any teeth to devour, and can only mock. Let her mock; her heaven, her hell, does not invite nor terrify us. The Diabolus of the legends may go about still “ like a roaring lion,” but his fangs are powerless. The only Devil, and an ugly one sometimes he is, who has any power, is Public Opinion, and he who is not prepared to brave public opinion may as well �18 at once withdraw from our communion; he has no part with us, nor have we aught to do with him; he has yet to learn the first lesson in the alphabet of Right. Nor turn your gaze too regretfully towards the fair cities of the plain which duty orders you to quit. Bright they were, I know; beautiful those fretted arches, and venerable those long-used rites. Many a good man knelt upon this pavement, and pious lips kissed that book. Yet, beautiful as it all was, to us it is but a memory; it speaks no longer our faith, it rolls no longer our anthem; our eyes gleam on another world, and the past is a corpse no more to be awakened. “Must I leave thee, Para dise?” Yes, for even “Paradise” does not endure for ever; nay, it will be no Paradise to a new world, who sees with other eyes, and beats with other throbs. The vows which no longer bind we do not snap, and it is a puerile thing to mourn when the destiny is inevitable. Vain is it to put back the dial. Pleasant it was, doubtless, to sail on that shining water, glorious to be the sharer of a mar tyr’s agony; the Olive Mount is ever sacred, and storied Nazareth fair with verdant glades. But well-nigh nineteen hundred years stand between us and that halcyon time; the sun has gone down upon that fairy land, and has arisen upon a world whose aims, thoughts, and aspirations were then undreamed. Awake, 0 monk! from that childish �19 trance; here is thy work-day world, here thy Olive mountain, and Golgotha hath still its counterpart. Nor, had we trod that fairy-land, should we pro bably have found it so fairy-like as we imagine. Gazed at through the mists of time all scenes look brighter than they actually were; our minds tinge them with colours which they may never have possessed, mingling with the actual ideal beauties flung from the absolute, and lighting with a glory what then was human, but what we fain would have divine. Fair and best; yes, if, once for all, the superhuman flood of light suffused the earth, and never reappeared. But it is not so: I can see already a future grander than was ever hoped, which shall dwarf the splendour of any single age, and inaugurate a Paradise on earth. There is a Gospel for us as there was a Gospel for the Jewish-Roman world; a Gospel, too, born of hours of prophetic vision, and nights of solemn wonder; a Gospel which also tells of a kingdom of heaven, or, may be, kingdom of earth; and which, if we have only faith, shall not disappoint us. “ Not where long past ages sleep Seek we Eden’s golden trees ; In the future, folded deep, Are its mystic harmonies. “ Eden with its angels bold, Trees, and flowers, and cooling sea, No less ancient story told, Than a glowing prophecy, �20 “ In tlie spirit’s perfect air, In the passions tame and kind, Innocence from selfish care, The true Eden shall we find. “ It is coming, it shall come. To the patient and the striving ; To the quiet heart at home, Thinking, wise, and faithful living. “ When all error is worked out From the heart and from the life, When the sensuous is laid low By the spirit’s holy strife. “ When tlie soul to sin hath died. True, and beautiful, and sound : Then all earth is sanctified, Up springs Paradise around. “ Then shall come the Eden days, Guardian watch from seraph eyes, Angels on the slanting rays, Voices from the opening skies. “From that spirit-land afar, All disturbing force shall floc. Sth nor toil, nor hope shall mar Its immortal unity.” STEPHEN AUSTIN, PRINTER, HERTFORD. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Victorian Blogging Description An account of the resource A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes. Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk. <img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conway Hall Library & Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Conway Hall Ethical Society Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Pamphlet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shall we not go forward?: a discourse delivered in the Unitarian Chapel, Bridgewater Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Coupland, William Chatterton Description An account of the resource Place of publication: London Collation: 20 p. ; 22 cm. Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Printed by Stephen Austin, Hertford. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Trubner and Co. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1865 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context G5263 Subject The topic of the resource Unitarianism Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a> This work (Shall we not go forward?: a discourse delivered in the Unitarian Chapel, Bridgewater), identified by <a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a>, is free of known copyright restrictions. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Conway Tracts Unitarianism