But though she walk in plain attire now, She is a daughter of the king; and when Her father calls her at his throne to wait, She shall be clothed as doth befit her state. Her father sent her in his land to dwell, Giving to her a work that must be done. And since the king loves all his people well, Therefore she, too, cares for them every one. Thus when she stoops to lift from want and The brighter shines her royalty therein. For both are subject to the king's com- She need not be afraid of anything,' And name with terror, it appalls not her; breath, Thinking, "It is the royal messenger." Set round with streams, like picture in its Yet often in her heart deep longings are came." Not perfect quite seems any earthly thing; -Rebecca P. Utter. JESUS BROUGHT BACK.+ We announced two months ago that Mr. Crooker, the minister of our church in Madison, Wisconsin, was soon to give It has us a book with the above title. reached us, and fully justifies our expectations concerning it. The volume endeavors to portray Jesus the man, Jesus the great religious teacher, Jesus the inaugurator of the most fruitful religious movement in *We published this poem in the Unitarian of Oc tober, 1886, but reprodue it now by request. The +Jesus Brought Back. By Joseph Henry Crooker. human history, as he appears to rever- reasons. It would hardly be possible for an author within the same compass to make a more powerful statement of the reasons why unbiased scholarship cannot longer accept the New Testament accounts of Jesus as an infallible revelation, or entertain longer the theory concerning Jesus himself that he was both God and man. But the author does not simply make the God-man to disappear, giving us nothing in his place. The object which he keeps steadily in view is that of pushing aside the fictitious And he has succeeded. in order that he may fill its place with a better real. The picture which he draws of Jesus is not only rational and critical, it is also reverent, loving, warm. The impossible God and the ghostly speculative Christ of the theologies both disappear, but in their place appears a man, so real, so strong, so brave, so true, so noble, so great, that we instinctively feel that the title given to the book, "Jesus Brought Back," is not inappropriate. The work has five chapters: 1. The Messianic Hope; 2. How the Gospels were Written; 3. Jesus of Nazareth; 4. The Glad Tidings; 5. The Ministry of Jesus To-day. And we are glad to see that the present volume is to be followed by another entitled "The Christ Idea in Theology," which will take up certain lines of thought where the present volume leaves them and show the process by which the real Jesus became transformed in the mind of Christendom into the speculative and unreal theolog ical Christ. One of the valuable features of the present work is the list printed at the beginning of each chapter of valuable books and articles for collateral reading. Mr. Crooker gives us a piece of consciencious and careful work, the result Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co. pp. 214. Price, $1.00. at once of wide and thorough study, and much excellent thinking. It is a distinct contribution toward the clarification of the religious thought of the time. It is the best kind, indeed the only effective kind, of answer to relig. ious skepticism. It helps men to see that the outcome of the revolution in religious thinking which we are passing through is to be not the destruction of religion or worship or the church, but, more reasonable and in every way more worthy conceptions of all these. The book will render excellent service to Unitarianism. We hardly know of a book which gives a more satisfactory setting forth of the views concerning Jesus, and the essentials of Christianity held to day by the better class of radical Unitarians. It is particularly well adapted for the use of persons who are inquiring their way toward us, whether from orthodoxy or from skepticism. Such persons it will help to see that in inviting men to come to our religious positions we invite them to place their feet not upon sand but upon a rock. ONE UPWARD LOOK EACH DAY. SELECTIONS FROM JAMES FREEMAN CLARKE. SUNDAY. The Divine Protection. If we accept patiently and trustingly what comes to us from God, there comes with it an inward strength and peace. What we owe on our part is trust, submission, and fidelity. Let us be loyal to our work, whatever it is; whatever our hand finds to do, let us do it with our might. Let us forget the things behind,- disappoint Beneath the shadow of the Great Protec- ment, sorrow, the unkindness of others, Be happy, then, my heart, That thou in all hast part, remorse over ourselves. Leave these behind, and reach out to things before -- to deeper knowledge, larger usefulness, purer love. And so while the outward man perishes, the inward man will be renewed day by day. TUESDAY. Being Our True Selves. Let us understand, then, that our true self, our real self, is our best self. In our best hours, we are more truly ourselves. We are then what God made and meant us to be. We are at one with ourselves. All our faculties work harmoniously according to the true method. The soul commands, the body obeys. The conscience obeys the law of right; the appetites and desires are obedient to that obedient conscience. There is no such thing, therefore, as natural depravity, all depravity is unnatural. To be a religious man is not to be less manly, but more so. It is not to cut off In all these outward gifts of time and sense, any faculty, to deny any power, but to un In all the spirit's nobler influence, In sun and snow and storm; fold all in the light of God's truth and love. The one thing needful is to look up: to revere something above us; to desire something better; to hunger for a higher good. Call it by what name you please aspiration, love for the ideal-it is essentially and radically the same thing as love for God, for it is the love of that which is highest, truest and best; and he who loves the highest, truest, and best, is, in his heart and soul, a lover of God. To love and seek the highest goodness is, then, the one thing needful, for in this is the deepest root of all true religion. To look up to something higher than ourselves, better than ourselves, is the spring and source of all progress, and constitutes the chief distinction among men. The Cross. FRIDAY. To believe in the cross is to believe in the reality and the power of love - that is, of goodness; for all goodness partakes of the nature of love. It is not self-absorbed, but goes out in quick, vivid interest, ardent sympathy, instinctive acts of generosity; self-sacrifice, impulsive and inevitable; selfdenial which does not appear like selfdenial, does not appear to fast, but is radiant with joy, and cheerful as a summer's morning. Now, to believe in the cross is to believe in the reality and the power of this principle. It is to believe that men are capable of this self-forgetfulness, that they are not all selfishness; and that where this generous enthusiasm goes it is like an auroral light, kindling at once with warm red flames the whole dome of the wintry sky. SATURDAY. The Conversions We Need. Let us not believe less in conversion, but more. We need to be converted, not only once, but often. Whenever we forget these sacred and solemn hours, and are caught up again by worldly cares, we need to turn round again in order to see the kingdom of Heaven. How often we suffer our hearts to go astray and forget our heavenly Friend! We are bitter to those who injure or dislike us, being unable to forgive them. Meekness and patience go out of our heart, and we think we have a right to complain, that we do well to be angry, that we are very badly treated, and that God has gone away from us. It is not so. We have gone away from him, and need to be once more converted, once more to become like little children. ILLUSTRATIONS OF UNITARIANISM. A SERVICE USED AT THE ORDINATION AND INSTALLATION OF HENRY H. BROWN, PETERSHAM, MASS. Pastor.-Brethren, for what purpose are we met together? People. To pledge ourselves unto the Lord, now, in the presence of His people. Pastor. In what spirit shall we do this? People. In love, out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned. Pastor.-Shall we pledge ourselves to walk by the Spirit, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit-love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, good ness, faithfulness and self-control? People.-Be Thou our strength, O God. the service of Truth that maketh free, Pastor. Shall we pledge ourselves to to Love that fulfilleth the Law, that we may here be a guide to the erring, a strength to the tempted, a light to those in darkness? People.-A new Commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another. Pastor. Shall we pledge ourselves to the Gospel of Universal Brotherhood, to the bearing of one another's burdens, to the memory of dear ones, of patriot and prophet souls of all ages, and to the memory of him who died upon the cross? People. To the sanctity of home ties, to the honoring of our country, to an ever growing Christianity, and to the cause of Universal Religion, we pledge ourselves anew. Pastor. Then I, for my part, shall be ready always to put you in remembrance of these things. For I am a steward of the mysteries of God, and it is required of a steward that a man be found faithful. Yet neither is he that planteth anything, nor he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. People.-And we, on our part, would remember to be doers of the word and not hearers only. Withal, praying for you, that God may open unto you a door of utterance, through his inspiration. Together. So may God sanctify us to one another, and to His work, through the power of the Divine spirit. Amen. PUBLISHED STATEMENT OF THE UNITARIAN CHURCH, TORONTO. We have no fixed creed in this congregation, but we accept the teaching of Jesus as our guide in the study and practice of religion; and our bond of fellowship is the desire to unite for the worship of God, and the service of man. Some of the principles of Unitarianism may be briefly stated as follows: We believe in one God, the Universal Father, who is above all things, and in all things, and whose righteousness, wisdom and love rule the worlds. We believe that the Fatherhood of God implies the Brotherhood of man, and that we show our love for God by helping to uplift and bless his children. We believe that by nature we are God's children, made in his image, divinely inspired and endowed; that our life is God's life; that therefore we are immortal, and capable of unlimited possibilities in character here, and of infinite hereafter. progress We believe that to obey the voice of reason and conscience in the soul is our highest duty, and that the office of religion is to help and inspire us in this obedience; that no one can do wrong and not suffer harm; but that no real harm can befall the righteous, in life or death. We believe in the religion of cheerfulness and peace, truthfulness and in tegrity, generosity and purity; and we welcome all who wish to join with us in establishing the cause of rational Christianity in this city. STATEMENT OF MR. KNAPP. Rev. Arthur May Knapp, who is a missionary to the Empire of Japan under the auspices of the American Unitarian Association, epitomizes Unitarianism thus:- "An individuality like that of Christ, a devotion like his to the loving service of man, a union like his to the very life of God-this is the whole of Unitarianism. It is the whole of Christianity. It is the whole of religion." 66 MR. MAY ON "CHURCH LOYALTY.'" On the 4th of November, Rev. Joseph May, pastor of the first Unitarian church in this city (Philadelphia), delivered a discourse to his people on Loyalty to the Church," which has just been published in pamphlet form. It is not, as the name would seem to indicate, a plea for the peculiar doctrines of Unitarianism, but rather for charity and love. Hence the author cites their practical exemplification in works of his text from Matthew VII, 21, "By their fruits ye shall know them." Perhaps the following paragraph from the sermon will indicate his object better than any words of mine: "We demand the proofs of religion, not in easy assent to doctrine, but in life and character. We demand uprightness, we demand active service, we demand love. And therefore such works of love as helping the old women you gather about you weekly, teaching those little girls lessons in domestic art and order, opening your doors to that multitude of poor, ragged, untidy boys, that they may be warm, may taste a little of our own comfort, may be happy for an hour, all this is characteristic of our Church it is of our Church in the truest and strictest sense. All this is an integral part of the ideal we are trying to realize." But our friend does not entirely ignore doctrine, for without this, he could not have made so good a plea for the noble work in which he and his people are engaged. While he is in no sense a Sectarian, he yet believes that "God is our Father," and "Man our brother," which seems to us to be the real ground work of all true morthere can be neither theology, morality nor without these fundamentals, ality, for religion. In speaking of Jesus he says: "His theology was as simple, as broad, as practical, as could well be conceived. 'God is our Father,' is about all there was of it. Add 'Man is our brother,' and you have com pendiously his religious system. The two great Commandments contain all of both." All this is very true, and all consistent. Both Unitarians and Universalists will endorse our author's testimony. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy might, mind and strength, and thy neighbor as thyself," is the whole of it "on these two Commandments hang all the law and the prophets." But, there is a form of Christianity which leaves out all charity, which would consign very many of us to endless, unspeakable tortures for the mistakes of three score years and ten. With this theology Mr. May has no sympathy. His faith is in a loving Father, who in the fulness of time will bring all to himself; and hence it is that he is encouraged to labor in faith and hope to bring about that desirable consummation. Our author makes a noble plea for works of charity and love, which he contends are the legitimate fruits of the liberal church, and in which our people should take the lead. the Emperor, and outwardly recognized by him only on a few occasions, as at the Summer Solstice, when public thanksgiving to God for all his mercies was given. China is the only great empire in which there never was a priesthood standing between God and man. The Emperors became the religious teachers, who acknowledged that they had the right to remain Emperors only for the good of the people, bodily and mentally. Confucius believed the place of spirits to be Heaven, in the presence of God. The spirits were thought to dispense blessings for well-doing and calamities for evildoing. Confucian literature nowhere says anything about a hell or a purgatory; but Confucius taught the general principle that "it shall be well with them that fear God, but it shall not be well with the wicked." Prof. Legge thinks it a misfortune that other systems have sown their tares in the teachings of Confucius; for thus the religion taught by him has been rendered less productive of good than it otherwise would have been. TURY. The circulation of such sermons does good in any locality, or among any people, RELIGION AT HARVARD LAST CENand we thank our friend for publishing this one of his. Although his name is on a Unitarian church book and mine on a Universalist, I believe we are very nearly one in faith, hope and charity. Philadelphia, Pa. JAMES SHRIGLEY. PROF. LEGGE ON CONFUCIANISM. It has long been a disputed question whether or not the Confucianism of China may properly be called monotheistic. Prof. James Legge, than whom there is no higher authority, in a lecture recently delivered in London (reported in the Inquirer), answers the question in the affirmative. He says that the religion of China consists in worship of the Supreme Being, and in sacrificial services rendered to the spirits of the dead. But the sacrifices offered to the departed are offered in grateful recognition of the benefits rendered by them to their fellow men when living. This kind of homage does not interfere with the Monotheism of the Chinese, says Prof. Legge; it is only the homage of gratitude. From God, they believe, descend all their material blessings. They generally refer to God, however, as "Heaven," precisely as Englishmen do in the phrase, please Heaven," a practice which has given many writers the erroneous impression that they do not believe in God. Prof. Legge thinks it may be safely affirmed that the religion of China as it was taught by Confucius was a monotheism, based upon the belief in one Supreme Being, "by whom are all things and through whom are all things." Afterward religion became a State affair, mostly conducted by The liberty accorded to Harvard students now in the matter of chapel and church attendance is in strange contrast with the rigid requirements of the olden time. The following are a few of the laws in force in the college in the year 1734. The capitals and spelling here given are as printed in the collection of those laws: Section vi. All the Scholars shall at Sunset in the evening preceeding the Lord's Day, retire to their chambers, and not unnecessarily leave them; and all disorders on said evenings shall be punished as violaAnd every tions of the Sabbath are. Scholar, on the Lord's Day shall carefully apply himself to the Duties of Religion and Piety. And whosoever shall profane said Day by unnecessary Business or Visiting, walking on the Common or in the Streets or Fields in the town of Cambridge, or by any sort of Divertion before sunset shall be punished, etc., etc. Section vii. Also whoever shall be guilty of loose or vain behavior, or of playing or sleeping at public Worship, shall be punished, etc., etc. Section ix. Undergraduates shall in their course repeat at least the Heads of the forenoon and afternoon sermons on the Lord's Day evenings in the Hall, and such as are delinquent, shall be, etc., etc. Sabbatarianism meant in the "good old This gives us a hint of what Puritanic times!" |