iSIf? &ati!ii Bnk 
 
 ^ 
 
 COMPARATIVE STUE 
 IN RELIGION 
 
 AN INTRODUCTION TO UNITARIAN IS^; 
 
 
 ICHERS' EDITION WITH^HELPER 
 
LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 PRINCETON. N. J. 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 BX 9821 .S4 1909a 
 Secrist, Henry T. 
 Comparative studies in 
 •^el igion 
 
This Book is a part of the Beacon Series of Manuals, 
 prepared for grades I-XII, inclusive, of a Graded Course 
 of Sunday-School Lessons, an outline of which follows. 
 Each Manual is accompanied by a Teacher's Helper. 
 
 KINDERGARTEN, AGES 4, 5 * 
 
 Nature Lessons 
 
 Jesus in Story and Picture 
 
 GRADE PRIMARY, AGES 6-9 
 
 L First Book of Religion. Mrs. Charles A. Lane 
 
 IL Stories from the Old Testament 
 
 Mrs. Henry C. Parker 
 HI. Stories from the New Testament 
 
 Oliver Jay Fairfield 
 IV. World Stories. Joel H. Metcalf 
 
 JUNIOR, AGES 10-13 
 
 V. The Bible and The Bible Country 
 
 Jabez T. Sunderland 
 VI. Hebrew Beginnings 
 
 Old Testament Narratives. Part I 
 
 Edna H. Stebbins 
 VII. Hebrew History 
 
 Old Testament Narratives. Part II 
 
 Henry Hallam Saunderson 
 VIII. Jesus of Nazareth. Charles E. Park 
 
 SENIOR, AGES 14-17 
 IX. The Work of the Apostles. Henry Hallam Saunderson 
 X. Movements and Men of Christian History 
 
 Charles T. Billings 
 XI. Comparative Studies in Religion 
 
 An Introduction to Unitarianism. Henry T. Secrist 
 XII. The Bible as Literature. John M. Wilson 
 
 ADVANCED, AGES 18-* 
 
 Citizenship and Social Service 
 Studies in Ethics 
 Special Books of the Bible 
 Studies in Evolution 
 Modern Religious Teachers 
 The Philosophy of Religion 
 
 * Material for the Kindergarten and Advanced departments may be obtained through the 
 Unitarian Sunday-School Society. 
 
(lift '^tntnn S^mtB 
 
 A GRADED COURSE OF STUDY FOR THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 
 
 COMPARATIVE STUDIES 
 IN RELIGION 
 
 AN INTRODUCTION TO UNITARIANISM 
 
 BY 
 
 HENRY T. SECRIST 
 
 UNITARIAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL SOCIETY 
 Boston, 25 Beacon Street; Chicago, 175 Dearborn Street 
 
Copyright by 
 
 Unitarian Sunday-School Society 
 
 1909 
 
 f I 4 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 This book has been prepared mainly for the use of young men 
 and young women who are pursuing a regular course of re- 
 ligious study, though it may be found available for general use. 
 Such should have an acquaintance with the great religions of 
 the world: this is given in the first part of the book. They 
 should have a knowledge of the churches about them: this is 
 given in the second part. These religions and sects are our 
 neighbors with whom we are to live. 
 
 Young people should also know their own church and faith 
 well: this is described in the last part. For this some history 
 of the Unitarian Church is given, in order that one may get his 
 bearings and appreciate the sources and the cost. Some plain 
 and positive statements of belief are given; and then there are 
 a few chapters devoted to the working forces of the church. It 
 is hoped that in this way the young people will be prepared for 
 appreciative understanding and for efficient work in their 
 church. 
 
 In the Teachers' Edition suggestions are made for methods 
 of teaching and for more extensive study by means of the 
 larger works. 
 
 H. T. s. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 I. 
 
 II. 
 
 III. 
 
 IV. 
 
 V. 
 
 VI. 
 
 VII. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 IX. 
 
 X. 
 
 XI. 
 
 XII. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 XV. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 Part I.— Religions of the World. 
 
 PACK 
 
 Christianity i 
 
 Primitive Religions 3 
 
 Religions of Greece, Rome, and Eg}^pt 5 
 
 The Hindu Religion 7 
 
 Buddhism 9 
 
 Zoroastrianism 11 
 
 The Religion of the Chinese 13 
 
 Mohammedanism 15 
 
 Semitic Religions ■ • 17 
 
 Part II. — The Sects of Christianity. 
 
 Early Christian Sects 19 
 
 The Roman Catholic Church 21 
 
 The Greek Church 23 
 
 Episcopalians; Lutherans 25 
 
 Congregationalists; Presbyterians 27 
 
 Methodists; Baptists 29 
 
 Friends; Swedenborgians; Christians 31 
 
 Some Other Sects 3^ 
 
 Universalists; Unitarians 35 
 
 Part III. — The Unitarians. 
 
 Section I. History. 
 
 XIX. Ancient Connections 37 
 
 XX. Beginnings in America 39- 
 
 XXI. In England 41 
 
 XXII. In Hungary and Other Countries 43 
 
 XXIII. Channing and his Time 45 
 
 XXrV. Emerson and Parker 47 
 
 XXV. Later Developments 49 
 
CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 Section II. Belief. 
 
 XXVI. General Position • • 51 
 
 XXVII. Belief about Man 53 
 
 XXVIII. Belief about God 55 
 
 XXIX. Belief about the World 57 
 
 XXX. Belief about Immortality 59 
 
 XXXI. Belief about Jesus 61 
 
 XXXII. Belief about the Bible 63 
 
 Section III. Organization. 
 
 XXXIII. Churches 65 
 
 XXXIV. General Organizations 67 
 
 XXXV. Worship 69 
 
 XXXVI. The Fruits 71 
 
PART ONE. 
 Religions of the World. 
 
 Chapter I. — Christianity. 
 
 The Greatest Religion. 
 
 Christianity is one of the religions of the world, and it is 
 the greatest. We may claim that it is the very best religion, 
 for one reason, that it is best for us, its record is a part of our 
 near history, and its teaching is best suited to our needs ; and, 
 for another reason, that it is the religion of the most progres- 
 sive peoples, is best suited to the needs of modern life, and 
 by comparison with others we find it to contain the most 
 truth. 
 Its History. 
 
 Christianity grew out of Judaism, and it has many of its 
 roots in the Hebrew religion. The impulse toward a new 
 religion came with Jesus. He did not himself try to found 
 a religion, but his teachings and his life were such that a new 
 religion came from him and he is regarded as its founder. 
 Soon after his death, churches were organized, and Christian- 
 ity took on definite shape and became known as a separate 
 religion. Jesus bore the title, the Christ. The disciples 
 were called Christians. So came the name Christianit}\ 
 Forms. 
 
 There have been many forms under which Christianity 
 appeared. It has taken influences from the countries in 
 which it has been. It has been different at different periods. 
 At times its history has been marked by cruelty and bigotry, 
 at other times by freedom and brotherhood. There is, how- 
 ever, a common tradition which leads back to Christ. We 
 claim the right to our interpretation of Christianity and to call 
 ourselves Christians. 
 Other Religions. 
 
 Some kind of religion is found among all peoples. A relig- 
 ion may be great and may number many believers, or it 
 
may be peculiar to one small tribe. The religious sentiment 
 is recognized as universal. In some places it is very crude, 
 in others it is noble. Religions deserve to be measured by 
 their best. 
 
 We believe that there is truth in all religions. We do not 
 say that all others are false and ours only is true. God has 
 been revealing Himself to many peoples and in many ways. 
 Our Christianity is v^illing to receive any truth from any 
 source. It is, by its nature, eager to receive and use the good 
 which is found anywhere. Thus we have respect for all 
 religions and show sympathy toward them. 
 A World Religion. 
 
 Many religions are ethnic; that is, they belong to one race 
 or nation. The religion of the Greeks is such. In contrast 
 with such we call Christianity a world religion. It is found 
 in all parts of the world. It has been a missionary religion. 
 Its believers have gone out to all parts of the earth to tell 
 about it and to try to make converts to it. If no better re- 
 ligion is to appear, it is because Christianity is itself capable of 
 unlimited development and is able to assume new forms and 
 to receive new truth. 
 Religion and Religions. 
 
 This idea of the religions of the world leads us to under- 
 stand as true the sentiment, "Religions are many: religion 
 is one." It is one religion everywhere, and the religions are 
 but different forms which it takes. Christianity has such a 
 large share of this common religion as to make it worthy our 
 devotion to it. This conception of religion should be an 
 inspiring one to us. 
 
 1. How did Christianity get its name? 
 
 2. What is the relation of Christianity to other religions? 
 
 3. What Bible passages fit this view? (Malachi ii. 10; Acts xvii. 26-28; 
 Romans ii. 14.) 
 
Chapter II. — Primitive Religions. 
 
 The Ancicfil Peoples. 
 
 It is impossible to tell just how religion began or what was 
 the earliest form of it. But, wherever we find any very early 
 records, we find many evidences that the earliest people had 
 some kind of religion. These forms of religion were often 
 simple and crude, but they show that these peoples were 
 religious by nature. The objects of their worship and the 
 ceremonies they used in worshiping were often of a low 
 character, but the important thing is that they did worship. 
 The Aryans, the ancestors of many people, who came some- 
 where from the Far East, had a god called Dyaus. This 
 name came down to later times, and is preserved in the Greek 
 Zeus. The Teutonic people of northern Europe had their 
 religion, and some of the names of their deities were carried 
 over and kept when the people were converted to Christian- 
 ity. Such is the name of their deity Thor, which is kept 
 in our Thursday, and of Woden in our Wednesday. 
 Savage Tribes. 
 
 Savage and semi-civilized tribes exist to-day in Africa and 
 elsewhere, and nearly all, if not entirely so, have a religion. 
 They show us in some cases what the nature of the early 
 religion may have been; but in other cases it is plain that their 
 religion is not as noble as it was once, the tribes having deteri- 
 orated. Among these tribes the worship is very .crude. Even 
 human sacrifices are made. The gods are idols of horrible 
 shapes. Their religious sentiment is largely one of fear. 
 Primitive Beliefs. 
 
 From the great variety of beliefs among the earliest races 
 we may select a few as generally characteristic. One is fetich- 
 ism. A fetich is an object, a piece of wood, a stone, or almost 
 anything, which has seemed to harm or to bless. It becomes 
 sacred, and is set up as an object of worship. A spirit is sup- 
 posed to work through such an object. Any one may have 
 a number of fetiches. 
 
 Another belief centers in nature-worship. This is very 
 
extensive. It is the worship of a tree, a river, a mountain, a 
 beast. These are supposed to have a living spirit- in them 
 which can do harm or give a favor. So they are worshiped. 
 Naturally in practice the thought of the worshiper becomes 
 fixed on the object itself, and the ceremony is entirely empty 
 formalism. 
 
 A prominent belief finds expression in the worship oj the 
 dead. Primitive peoples believe in the soul as a separate 
 thing. It simply goes out from the body at death. It is 
 seen sometimes in dreams. It may hover about the grave, 
 so offerings are left there. It may need food, so food is put 
 away with the body. The spirits of the dead thus take the 
 form of deities to the people and receive worship. 
 
 There is idolatry, though this is more characteristic of later 
 and better forms of religion. An idol is something which is 
 made and worshiped. It may be ugly or it may be beautiful. 
 The American Indians. 
 
 These also have their religion, and certain features of it are 
 rather noble. Before the races of Indians who are familiar 
 to us, there were peoples in the region of Mexico who had 
 a highly developed ritual of religion, with evidences of many 
 sacrifices. 
 
 The American Indian generally believes in a Great Spirit. 
 It is not easy to determine just what this god is, but it is the 
 main deity, if not really the only one. The Indian has totems. 
 These are usually poles upon which some form of beast is 
 carved which is the sign of the tribe. This is set up, and 
 becomes an object of worship. The medicine- man has a 
 sacred office. Dances are features of their religious ceremony. 
 
 1. What do primitive peoples think about the soul ? 
 
 2. What is a fetich to us? Explain our use of the word in connection 
 with its origin. 
 
 3. Do you think these beliefs and practices of the lower tribes deserve 
 to be called religious? 
 
Chapter III. — Religions of Greece, Rome, and Egypt. 
 
 Greece. 
 
 The religion of Greece stands highest among national relig- 
 ions. The main characteristic of this religion was beauty. So 
 it expressed itself in its temples. It was bright and happy in 
 its outward aspects. 
 
 Many gods were worshiped. Indeed, there was a separate 
 god for almost every part of nature and every interest in life. 
 These gods are represented as like human beings. They had 
 the relations of the family. Their home was on Mount Olympus. 
 
 The chief of gods was Zeus. From him came night and 
 day. He was all-seeing. Life and death were in his hands. 
 He was the punisher. Other gods were Apollo, Ares, Hermes; 
 and among the goddesses were Pallas Athene and Aphro- 
 dite. There was a multitude of inferior deities, — Pomona, 
 goddess of garden fruits; Pan, god of the forest; Hymen, god 
 of marriage. 
 
 There were also demigods, like Prometheus, from whom 
 came the use of fire. There were great heroes, like Heracles, 
 who performed wonderful feats and became like gods. 
 
 These gods were thought of difTerently at many periods of 
 the nation's histor}-. They were thought of differently by 
 various classes of people, the poets, the philosophers, and the 
 masses. Images of the gods were made and worshiped. 
 Doubtless the many did not go beyond the image in their 
 thought, and the image, or idol, became itself the object of 
 worship. To others these images were merely symbols of the 
 powers that were unseen. To the many, doubtless, the gods 
 were separate; but, in the best conception, the various gods 
 were but representations of the one power back of all things. 
 Rome. 
 
 The religion of Rome was very similar in outward aspects 
 to that of Greece. But the characteristic of the Roman people 
 was a respect for law, and that applies to the religion. The 
 deities of Rome were generally serious, and never as light- 
 hearted as were the Greek gods. 
 
The number and function of the Roman deities were about 
 the same as with the Greeks. The names change, and the 
 Roman names are the ones by which we more commonly know 
 them. Jupiter is the chief god. Mars (Greek Ares) is the 
 god of war. Venus (Greek Aphrodite) is the goddess of beauty. 
 Hercules, not Heracles, becomes the name of the hero. There 
 were very many gods and goddesses, and statues were every- 
 where to be found. Great men, and commonly the emperors, 
 were deified. 
 
 Among the interesting customs of the Roman religion was 
 that of the sacred fire, guarded by the vestal virgins. There 
 were also household gods, the Lares and Penates, which pro- 
 tected the household. 
 Egypt. 
 
 One of the earliest civilizations was in Egypt, and here was 
 developed an elaborate religion which has some noble feat- 
 ures. The characteristic of the religion was mystery. While 
 the Greek temple was light, the Egyptian was dark. It was 
 mainly the mystery of life and death which impressed itself 
 upon the Egyptians, and it found expression in the outward 
 forms of their religion. There were many gods. 
 
 The most noted of the gods perhaps was Ra, a kind of sun 
 deity, and particularly Osiris, the personification of physical 
 and moral good. Isis was a beautiful goddess, the wife of 
 Osiris. Apis was a beast god, represented by the sacred bull. 
 Various other animals were held sacred, such as the eel and 
 crocodile. 
 
 There was early a belief in immortality. The physical body 
 was thought to have some share in this, as is shown by the 
 custom of embalming the bodies. The ancient "Book of the 
 Dead" has some noble sentiments about death. 
 
 1. What is the main characteristic of each of the three religions? 
 
 2. What is the meaning of the people's action as described in Acts xiv. 
 11-18? 
 
 3. What do you think of idol worship? 
 
Chapter IV. — The Hindu Religion. 
 India. 
 
 This country is the home of the Hindus. It has had an 
 important religious histor}'. Here religion may be traced far 
 back, and remnants of early customs remain in remote places. 
 Here the religion knowTi as Brahmanism had its home. Here 
 Buddhism arose, but was later driven out. Now Mohamme- 
 danism has a large following among the Hindus. Jainism 
 exists. There are many converts to Christianity. 
 Sacred Books. 
 
 These are called Vedas. They are written in the Sanskrit 
 language. The oldest is the Rig- Veda, composed about 1500 
 or 1000 B.C. These books are made up of hymns of praise 
 and prayer, of ritual, and of doctrinal statements. Some of 
 the hymns are beautiful in sentiment. 
 The Gods. 
 
 Almost innumerable gods are found in Hinduism. The 
 chief early god seems to have been Varuna, who represented 
 the sky. Indra is the rain god, and is also regarded as the god 
 of battles. Agni is the god of fire. In more recent times wor- 
 ship has been given mainly to Vishnu, the preserver of the 
 universe. Krishna is a representation of Vishnu, and is ven- 
 erated by the lower orders of the people. Siva, the destroyer, 
 is also worshiped widely. 
 Brahmanism. 
 
 The Brahmans were the highest caste of the people, and they 
 performed the sacred rites. They were thought to have been 
 specially created by the deity. This deity was Brahma. He 
 was the universal being. He was not worshiped directly, 
 but in the form mentioned as gods. 
 Sacred Objects. 
 
 The Hindus consider all living things sacred. So no flesh is 
 eaten by them. It is considered sacrilege to kill an animal 
 or even an insect. The river Ganges is sacred, and to bathe 
 in it is regarded an act of worship. The monkey is much 
 revered. Among the many sacred spots is Benares, regarded 
 as a holy city. 
 
8 
 
 The Worship. 
 
 The peculiar characteristic of the Oriental person is that 
 he is meditative. His religion is one of meditation rather than 
 of action. There are, however, many forms and ceremonies. 
 The priests receive the gifts at the temples, and take care of 
 the image of the god found in the temple. They recite texts 
 in Sanskrit. Many feast days are observed. 
 Transmigration of Souls. 
 
 This has been one of the peculiar ideas of the Hindus. The 
 souls that go out from human bodies take form in other bodies, 
 appearing in animals, and changing according to desert from 
 lower to higher or higher to lower forms. The doctrine varies 
 much in the way it is understood, but this is the main idea. 
 Reverence for animals comes from this idea. 
 Jainism. 
 
 This religion grew up after Buddhism was driven out. The 
 Jains have many beautiful temples. They believe that ani- 
 mals have souls, and they show marked kindness toward 
 them. They deny the infallibility of the Vedas, and are in 
 some respects modern in their customs and beliefs. 
 The Brahmo Somaj. 
 
 This is a development of Hindu religion which has been influ- 
 enced by its contact with Christianity. But it does not claim 
 to be Christian. It began with Ram Mohun Roy in 1833, 
 and was set forth mainly later by Keshub Chunder Sen. One 
 of its recent leaders was Mozoomdar. Brahmo is the name 
 for God, and Somaj is society or church. These people be- 
 lieve in one God of goodness, think that inspiration is universal, 
 and they work in practical ways for charity and reform, being 
 akin to the liberal branch of Christianity. 
 
 1. What are the sacred books of the Hindus? 
 
 2. Why are Hindus so kind to animals? 
 
 3. From what does the Brahmo Somaj come? 
 
Chapter V. — Buddhism. 
 Where. 
 
 Buddhism is found mostly in Oriental countries. It began 
 in India, but now exists mainly in Ceylon, Siam, Thibet, and 
 Japan. It differs in these various regions. The southern 
 forms are thought to be more like the original than the north- 
 ern. There are multitudes of believers in Buddhism. 
 Buddha. 
 
 The religion takes its name from its founder. He lived in 
 the latter part of the sixth century B.C. He was a young prince 
 whose name was Siddartha. Connecting him with the Sakya 
 race was his name, Sakya-muni. He was married to the daugh- 
 ter of a king, and was surrounded by every luxury. But he 
 saw much evil and suffering around him, and he wanted to 
 find out what it all meant. So he made the "Great Renun- 
 ciation." 
 
 He forsook all the pleasures of his home, and went out in 
 search of the truth. Many strange stories are told of his ad- 
 ventures. At last, after much seeking and long meditation, he 
 found what he thought the complete truth. He attained en- 
 lightenment, and became the Buddha, a name meaning the 
 enlightened one. He was sometimes called also Gautama, a 
 name which has a priestly meaning. He lived to be about 
 eighty years old. The character of Buddha was noble. 
 The Religion. 
 
 When Buddha found the truth and set out to teach it to 
 the world, there was only one person with him. The teaching 
 differed much from the prevailing religion, Brahmanism. So 
 Buddhism has been called the Protestantism of the Hindu 
 people. Soon converts were made, and the number of believ- 
 ers grew rapidly. 
 A God. 
 
 It is sometimes said that there is no deity in Buddhism, 
 But Buddha became himself a deity to his followers, and was 
 worshiped. There are many images of him as a god. 
 Beliejs. 
 
 Ceremonies were considered powerless to bring peace of 
 
mind. Such could come only by the culture of the soul, the 
 extinction of anger and illusion, and the manifestation of love. 
 
 When a person dies, he is born again. This is an evil. To 
 get rid of being born again is the aim of the Buddhist. Only 
 by becoming so virtuous and holy that he need not come back 
 for discipline will one escape the sorrow which belongs to ex- 
 istence. 
 
 There is a law of retribution which is sure in its working, — 
 punishment for sin and reward for virtue. This law is called 
 Karma. 
 
 Nirvana is the Buddhist heaven. To reach it is tiie aim. 
 When the believer reaches such an exalted state that he does 
 not need to go back to the earth, he passes out of personal 
 existence, and enters Nirvana. Some think this complete an- 
 nihilation, though there are different teachings about it. 
 Sacred Books. 
 
 Buddha left no writings. His disciples learned the teachings 
 from him, and handed them on to others until they were finally 
 preserved m written form, and became the sacred books. 
 These are called Pitakas. 
 Customs. 
 
 There is no caste among Buddhists. There are temples 
 in which images of Buddha are found, where worship is paid 
 mainly by giving offerings and by meditation. There are 
 monasteries for Buddhist monks. In later Buddhism, espe- 
 cially in Thibet, many ceremonies have grown up. Buddhists 
 are earnest teachers of their faith. 
 
 1. What similarity between the names Buddha and Buddhism and 
 Christ and Christianity? 
 
 2. What stories in the New Testament resemble Buddhist stories? 
 Angels sang at Buddha's birth. Compare Luke ii. 13. 
 Buddha had a temptation. Compare Matthew iv. i-ii. 
 
 3. What is Nirvana? 
 
Chapter VI. — Zoroastrianism. 
 The Parsis. 
 
 This religion is held now by the Parsis, most of whom arc 
 in India and a few in Persia. It was, however, the ancient 
 national religion of Persia, and held a place of much impor- 
 tance. 
 Zoroaster. 
 
 It is a personal religion ; that is, there was a person who was 
 looked to as its founder. This was Zoroaster. It is not sure 
 just when he lived, but the time was about the tenth century 
 B.C. The religion was prominent when Cyrus ruled over 
 Persia in the sixth century B.C. Not much is known about the 
 life of Zoroaster. He was a religious teacher of a noble type. 
 He is said to have passed through a temptation, and many 
 legends have grown up around his birth. For ten years after 
 he began to teach he had but one convert. Then he converted 
 a prominent ruler, and the religion spread. It is recorded 
 that he healed a blind man. 
 Sacred Book. 
 
 The sacred writings are brought together in one book, called 
 the Avesta. It is sometimes called the Zend-Avesta, the word 
 "Zend" referring to the language, which is akin to Sanskrit. 
 The book is made up of psalms and of laws. The oldest part 
 is said to contain the sayings of the great teacher himself. 
 Beliejs. 
 
 The chief feature of the belief is the conflict between good 
 and evil. This conflict is always going on. When the future 
 is looked forward to, however, it is believed that finally the 
 good will be victorious. 
 
 There are two main deities. Ahura Mazda is the god of 
 goodness. In the later forms of the religion he is called Or- 
 muzd. He is the god of light. The god of evil is Angra 
 Mainyus. He is later called Ahriman. He is the god of 
 darkness. There were other divine beings, mostly in the 
 form of angels or spirits. Divinity was attached to objects 
 of nature, such as stars and trees. In later times also Mithra 
 was worshiped, sharing the divine honors with Mazda. Mith- 
 
raism developed an elaborate ritual, and there were connected 
 with it many ceremonial mysteries. The ancient religion is 
 often called Mazdeism, from the deity Mazda. 
 The Sacred Fire. 
 
 The Parsis are often thought to be fire-worshipers. They 
 have great regard for fire, and perform rites before it. But 
 the fire is regarded by them merely as a symbol of deity, a 
 visible representation of an unseen power. It occupies much 
 the same place that the image of deity has in some other relig- 
 ions. The sacred fire is always kept burning. 
 Immortality. 
 
 There is a clear belief that men live on after death. The 
 soul after death remains three nights, and then passes on to 
 a bridge which leads to the abode of spirits. Here men's 
 deeds are weighed, and judgment is given. Those who are 
 worthy pass on to paradise, and those unworthy go into hell, 
 there to remain until the struggle between good and evil is 
 ended, when all are admitted to eternal blessedness. 
 Influence. 
 
 The conflict of good and evil is found very generally among 
 all peoples, but is nowhere so pronounced as here. Doubt- 
 less the Jewish religion was influenced in its later history by 
 its contact with Persian beliefs and customs. The belief in 
 angels was not received from the Persians, but it was increased 
 by acquaintance with them. So also the belief in good and 
 evil spirits and in paradise and hell. 
 
 Educated Parsis have in recent times gone back to the old 
 religion, and have taught it in a modified form. They insist 
 on purity of thought and deed, and have some beliefs which 
 make for progress. 
 
 1. In what ways is the Avesta like the Bible? 
 
 2. What is the chief belief in Zoroastrianism ? 
 
 3. What is a fire-worshiper? 
 
Chapter F//.— The Religion of the Chinese. 
 
 The Ancient Religion. 
 
 A very old form of religion is shown in the sacred books of 
 the Chinese, a religion without any specific name, but existing 
 before Confucianism, which is now the main religion of the 
 Chinese. These books are five in number, and are called 
 Kings, — the Yih King, the book of changes; the Shu King, 
 history; the Shi King, odes; the Le Ke King, ceremonies; 
 and the Chun Tseu, annals. They are of great antiquity. 
 In the ancient times there seems to have been mainly a belief 
 in one god, Shang-te, who was ruler of earth and heaven, of 
 nations, and of persons. But the idea is not distinct. 
 Conjucius. 
 
 Confucianism, the state religion of the Chinese, came from 
 Confucius, who was born 551 B.C. He has impressed himself 
 upon his countrymen as few men in history have done. He 
 was Kung-fu-tse. As a boy, he was studious and exemplary. 
 He was married early, and had one son. He held several gov- 
 ernment appomtments, such as keeper of stores and grains. 
 He was once minister of crime, and wonderful results followed 
 his wise administration. When he was without office, he went 
 about studying the condition of the people, teaching and gath- 
 ering disciples. He was without favor with the authorities 
 for a time, and was practically an exile from his province. 
 But he was at last allowed to return. He spent his last years 
 in editing the old sacred books. He died at the age of seventy- 
 two. It was said that he had then three thousand disciples. 
 He was a scholar, a statesman, a philosopher, and a sage. 
 The Teachings. 
 
 The teachings of Confucius apply largely to the regulation 
 of the affairs of the state and of personal and family life. He 
 taught the Golden Rule, expressed by him in its negative 
 form, "What you do not wish done to yourself, do not to 
 others." He gave prominence to respect for parents and to 
 filial piety. Benevolence, loyalty, truthfulness, justice, were 
 insisted upon. His teaching about deity is not very plain. 
 
14 
 
 He seems to have regarded the deity as heaven, and to have 
 
 received much help from his dependence upon the unseen 
 
 power. 
 
 Worship 0} Ancestors. 
 
 In Confucianism and in all forms of the religion of the Chi- 
 nese, as in Shintoism, the native religion of the Japanese, the 
 worship of the dead is prominent. It is something more than 
 hero-worship. The living thus gain communion with the 
 spirits of the dead, and these spirits watch over those who 
 are living on the earth. These ancestors are represented by- 
 tablets, and offerings are made before these. The result of 
 such belief and worship is a profound respect for the ances- 
 tors of the race, for patriots, and for the dead generally. It 
 has, however, worked against the progress of the people by 
 keeping out ideas and customs of other people. 
 Taouism. 
 
 A form of religion legalized among the Chinese and having 
 many adherents is that which originated with Laou-tsze, the 
 philosopher. He was born fifty years before Confucius. It 
 was a mystical religion at first, but finally degenerated into 
 a system of magic and astrology. It was put forth to oppose 
 Buddhism when that was introduced into China, but Buddh- 
 ism has maintained a rather strong position there. 
 Mencius. 
 
 This was a noted Chinese thinker who expounded the doc- 
 trines of Confucius. 
 
 1. What did Confucius do? 
 
 2. What is the negative and what the positive form of the Golden Rule? 
 
 See Matthew vii. 12. 
 
 3. What are the results of ancestor worship? 
 
Chapter VIII. — Mohammedanism. 
 
 Mohammed. 
 
 The founder and prophet of this reh'gion belonged to an 
 Arabian tribe, and was born at Mecca, 570 a.d. His parents 
 were poor, and he was early left an orphan. His uncle took 
 care of him, and trained him for a commercial life. He mar- 
 ried the woman whose agent he was. Later he married again, 
 polygamy being tolerated in his religion, 
 
 Mohammed was a meditative youth. He often went out to 
 a cave, and thought about the low condition of the people in 
 vice and idolatry. Here he had a vision in which the angel 
 Gabriel appeared and held a silk scroll before him, and made 
 him recite what was written upon it. Other revelations fol- 
 lowed until Mohammed regarded himself a prophet of God. 
 At forty years of age he began to teach. His first converts were 
 in his own family, one especially, Abu Bekr, a man of influence. 
 The Hejira. 
 
 He had little success among the people about him, and in- 
 curred their hatred. So he fled, accompanied by Abu Bekr, 
 from Mecca to Medina in 622 a.d. This flight is the Hejira, 
 and is the beginning of the Mohammedan era. He was more 
 successful now. Abandoning the peaceful methods of teach- 
 ing, he and his followers took the sword and captured Mecca. 
 He died at Medina in 632. 
 The Religion. 
 
 Mohammedanism is called by the believers in it Islam, 
 which means surrender, — surrender to the will of God. It is 
 the religion of the Turks and Arabians, of many of the inhabi- 
 tants in Africa, and it has many adherents in India, China, 
 and elsewhere. The religion does not make its way among 
 progressive peoples. 
 The Koran. 
 
 This is the sacred book. It contains the revelations sup- 
 posed to have been made by God to Mohammed, the prophet. 
 The book is divided into one hundred and fourteen suras, or 
 chapters. It is considered infallible, and even the syllables are 
 
i6 
 
 thought to be inspired. It is the one book which is studied 
 
 by young and old. 
 
 Beliefs. 
 
 The common formula is this: "There is no God but Allah, 
 and Mohammed is his prophet." That sums up the religion. 
 It is a strict monotheism. Allah is the one name of the supreme 
 being. There is a belief in angels and in a resurrection of the 
 dead. Mohammedans believe that God foreordained every- 
 thing just as it comes to pass, and this belief has led them to 
 fatalism. Other prophets are recognized, and the Old Testa- 
 ment heroes are accepted. Even Jesus is believed in as a 
 prophet. But Mohammed is the last and the great prophet. 
 Idols are denounced, and no forms or pictures of the deity are 
 permitted. 
 Customs. 
 
 Prayer is demanded of all followers. The true believer is 
 expected to pray four times a day. The places of worship are 
 called mosques, and are often very beautiful. On these are 
 towers from which the muezzin calls the faithful to their prayers. 
 In prayer the face is always turned toward the holy city, Mecca. 
 Friday is the Mohammedan Sabbath, when there are prayers 
 in the mosque, reading of the Koran, and a sermon. 
 Babism. 
 
 Mohammedanism changes little. However, there has been 
 an attempt made to purify and improve it. This effort began 
 in Persia in 1843. A new prophet was admitted, Mirza Ali 
 Kahn. He was the leader, and called himself the Bab, or 
 gate. Through him it was believed a man would gain access 
 to God. It was a kind of vague mysticism, but it made some 
 valuable reforms. The Persians checked the movement, and 
 put the Bab to death. Some believers still exist. 
 
 1. What is the main sentence in Mohammedanism? 
 
 2. What is the present year in the Mohammedan calendar? 
 
 3. What are the effects of fatalism ? 
 
Chapter IX. — Semitic Religions. 
 Judaism. 
 
 Judaism, the religion of the Hebrews, has been one of the 
 great religions of the world. It produced the literature found 
 in the Old Testament. The leaders and prophets found there 
 are its product. It developed early a belief in one God, and 
 grew to connect the qualities of righteousness and mercy with 
 its one deity, Jahweh. It originated laws which have had a 
 strong influence among Western nations. 
 
 Its best features, Christians believe, were carried over into 
 Christianity. Jesus, the founder of Christianity, came of the 
 Hebrew race and religion. We do not follow it further here 
 because we have studied it in the Old Testament, and shall 
 follow it over into our own religion. However, it should be 
 remembered that many Jews never became Christians. The 
 dividing line remains unbroken down to modern Judaism. 
 The Jews were scattered from their holy land, and they settled 
 among many different nations. Here, sometimes under perse- 
 cution, they have maintained their worship and their customs. 
 The orthodox are strict in the observance of the old rites, but 
 many Jews have become liberal in their beliefs. There have 
 been noble minds among the Jews who have remained loyal to 
 their religion. 
 Babylonians and Assyria^is. 
 
 These were very ancient peoples. Generally, we knew their 
 doings only by what was said about them in the Old Testament. 
 And such was the report of their enemies. In recent years, by 
 researches in the ruins of the region of the Tigris and Euphrates 
 rivers, men have found out more about these wonderful people. 
 Their own books, clay tablets and the like, have been found 
 which give records of their ideas and customs. Some of these 
 go back to very early periods, as far as 4500 B.C., and possibly 
 farther. Here is shown an important civilization existing long 
 before the Hebrew people came into prominence. And later, 
 during the exile, the Hebrew people came into close contact 
 with the descendants of this very ancient civilization and 
 religion. 
 
i8 
 
 Their Gods. 
 
 The religion was much the same in Assyria and Babylonia. 
 The chief god in Assyria was Assur, and there were many gods. 
 At Babylon the people worshiped mainly the god Marduk, 
 The chief of gods generally was one by the name of Bel, the 
 lord. This god was the ancestor of Baal, a god of the Pheni- 
 cians and- others referred to in the Old Testament. There 
 were many minor deities, among them Dagan, generally identi- 
 fied with the Phenician Dagon. There were still other subordi- 
 nate divine beings in the form of animals with human heads. 
 The most important of these were the angels in the form of 
 winged bulls of colossal size, which guarded the entrances to 
 the temple. 
 Their Records. 
 
 Among the interesting accounts found in the books that have 
 been discovered is one of the creation of the world. There is 
 also an extensive account of a flood, which has close resem- 
 blances to the account of the flood in the Bible. Beautiful 
 palaces and temples have been discovered. While there are 
 many crude religious beliefs and practices shown, one is im- 
 pressed with the high attainment which these ancient people 
 made. 
 Hammurabi. 
 
 As a result of the excavations on Babylonian soil, much has 
 been made known about this remarkable man and ruler. He 
 lived about 2250 e.g., about fifteen hundred years before 
 Solomon. He established a wonderful system of laws, and the 
 people under him were prosperous and enlightened. 
 
 1. What is Judaism's special contribution to the religious belief of 
 the world? 
 
 2. If the Chaldean and the Hebrew stories of the flood resemble each 
 other, what of it? 
 
 3. What is the value of excavating ancient cities? 
 
PART TWO. 
 The Sects of Christianity. 
 
 Chapter X. — Early Christian Sects. 
 Divisions. 
 
 In the world of Christendom to-day there exist many divi- 
 sions among the people who call themselves Christian. Some 
 deny that others are Christian, and claim for themselves only 
 the right to the name. The more tolerant view is to regard 
 all of these divisions of people as having the right to the in- 
 heritance of Christianity which they claim and to admit that 
 Christianity may express itself in various ways. But these 
 divisions are not confined to modern times. They appear 
 early in the history of the Christian church. 
 The Early Sects. 
 
 Christianity had hardly taken shape in any organized form 
 before there were differences of opinion, which resulted some- 
 times in contending parties. Even in the Book of Acts there 
 is an account of divisions among the apostles, the one side rep- 
 resented by Peter and the other by Paul. (See Acts xv.) 
 In a later time these differences assumed a very definite form 
 and are known by distinctive names. A few of the more im- 
 portant ones will be mentioned here. 
 Gnostics. 
 
 In the first century of the Christian era and extending on 
 to the sixth there were people among the Christians who came 
 to be known as Gnostics. These aimed to combine certain 
 speculations of Greek philosophy with the traditions of Chris- 
 tianity. The Gnostic in general believed in one Supreme 
 Intelligence, who was unapproachable to man. Between him 
 and man were spirits, or a^ons. One of these, and the chief 
 one, was Christ. Of these Gnostics there were such as Corin- 
 thians, Ebionites, Sabellians, each differing slightly from the 
 others in the way in which Christ was represented, some em- 
 phasizing his human relations and some his divine. The 
 Monarchians were a sect that denied Christ's divinity entirely 
 or regarded him as a manifestation of divinity such as all are. 
 
Arians. 
 
 This was the name of a prominent sect that denied that 
 Christ was one substance with the Father. They set forth 
 the subordinate nature of Christ in relation to God, and were 
 Unitarian in their general conception of God. They were 
 opposed by the Athanasians, who insisted that Christ was of 
 an equality with the Father. The Council of Nicaea in ^25 
 A.D. decided in favor of Athanasius and against Arius. 
 Pelagians. 
 
 This sect began in the fifth century, and had a large follow- 
 ing and influence. They believed that Adam was created 
 mortal, and that in sinning he injured only himself, and not 
 the race. This was in opposition to the prevailing belief that 
 man is naturally evil, and inherited such an evil nature from 
 the sin of Adam. The Pelagians taught that each person has 
 his own will to sin or to do right. 
 Nestorians. 
 
 This sect took its name from Nestorius, bishop of Constan- 
 tinople. He held that Christ had two natures. When born, 
 he was entirely human, and remained so until divinity en- 
 tered into him. Some of these beliefs exist to-day in Western 
 Asia in a party associated with the Roman Catholic Church. 
 The Outcome. 
 
 Many of these sects were small, and soon passed out of 
 existence. Some were voted against in the councils of the 
 church and suppressed. Doubtless many individuals kept 
 on quietly holding and maintaining their beliefs. Some have 
 long maintained themselves in remote regions. Some of these 
 questions seem trivial to us, but they were vital to them. All 
 down through Christian history there have been such sects, 
 though for a time the great Roman Catholic Church held sway, 
 and outwardly compelled uniformity and persecuted heretics. 
 
 1. What do we mean by the sects of Christianity? 
 
 2. What did the Gnostic believe ? 
 
 3. What is the good and what the evil of sects? 
 
Chapter XI. — The Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 Origin. 
 
 Among the early Christian churches founded was the one 
 at Rome. When these churches became more generally or- 
 ganized, bishops and other othcers were chosen to have charge 
 of them. The bishop of Rome took a high position among 
 the bishops because of the importance of the city. Finally, 
 temporal as well as spiritual power was assumed by the church. 
 The church established itself by means of great Councils. 
 Its sway extended far over the world, and it claimed to be 
 universal (catholic) in its rule. 
 The Pope. 
 
 The bishop of Rome became the pope. The pope is the 
 head of the church, and lives in Rome. He has lost the tem- 
 poral power, though he still claims right to it. He claims to 
 be the representative of Christ on earth, having received his 
 authority from Christ's command to Peter (Matthew xvi. 
 15-19) and being Peter's successor. He is regarded as infal- 
 lible; that is, he cannot err. It is not meant that as a man 
 he may not err, but as an official he cannot. Every member 
 of this church must obey the pope absolutely. What the 
 pope says must be accepted as the truth. One must be will- 
 ing to renounce his own opinions if the pope says they are false. 
 The Bible is considered the word of God, but it must be inter- 
 preted by the church through the pope. The pope lives at 
 Rome, and his residence is called the Vatican. 
 The Mass. 
 
 The most important feature of the doctrine of the church 
 is found in the mass. It forms a part of the worship. It is 
 claimed to be the celebration of the Last Supper. In the mass 
 the bread ani wine are supposed to be changed into the actual 
 body and blood of Christ. This is the doctrine of transub- 
 stantiation. The bread in the form of a wafer is given to the 
 people, the wine is drunk only by the priest. 
 Other Doctrines. 
 
 The general belief is that man is born in sin, through its 
 
22 
 
 transmission from Adam, and he must be regenerated. This 
 is accompHshed through the death of Christ. Infants are not 
 saved until they are baptized. Roman Catholics believe in 
 the Trinity, God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the life 
 after death there are three places, — hell, purgatory, and heaven. 
 Hell is the place of eternal torments, heaven of eternal bliss. 
 Purgatory is a place between where those go who are not con- 
 demned to hell and are not yet fit for heaven. Prayers of the 
 living may help those in purgatory on their way to heaven. 
 Orders. 
 
 Within the church are many orders of monks and nuns. 
 The main ones are the Dominicans and the Franciscans. They 
 are all ascetic, giving up their own property, being very strict 
 in discipline, and holding bodily torture to be a virtue. They 
 take the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. For chas- 
 tity they do not marry; for poverty they own nothing individ- 
 ually; for obedience they obey their superiors absolutely. 
 The order of Jesuits, the Society of Jesus, is very strict. 
 Organization. 
 
 Around the pope are the cardinals, who are appointed by 
 him. Next in order are the archbishops in the different prov- 
 inces throughout the whole world. Then come the bishops. 
 Then comes the priesthood. Thus the authority of the pope 
 is handed down directly through these officials of the church. 
 Other Characteristics. 
 
 The services are very formal and pictorial. High mass is 
 sung : low mass is read. The service is in the Latin language. 
 The image of the Virgin Mary is prominent, to whom wor- 
 ship is paid. Prayers are also made to various saints, a church 
 generally choosing some special saint, who then becomes the 
 patron saint. The crucifix, Christ on the cross, is a common 
 symbol. 
 
 1. What is the meaning of the words "Roman" and "Catholic"? 
 
 2. What is the main doctrine of Roman Catholicism ? 
 
 3. What do you know about the Roman Church in your vicinity ? 
 
Chapter XII. — The Greek Church. 
 
 A Strange Old Church. 
 
 If we should go to worship in one of the main churches of St. 
 Petersburg, Russia, we would tind a service different from any 
 with which we are commonly acquainted. It would be neither 
 Protestant nor Roman Catholic. Yet, though strange to us, 
 we would fmd it the established church of Russia, and the main 
 church in Greece and other neighboring countries of the East. 
 It is a very old church, going back in its history to the early 
 days of Christianity. It is called the Eastern Church, in dis- 
 tinction from that at Rome, which was Western. The full 
 name is the Holy Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Church. 
 History. 
 
 The difference between this and other churches is mainly 
 historical. There was no such division at first. Gradually 
 differences arose between the East, with the bishop's seat at 
 Constantinople, and the West, with the bishop's seat at Rome. 
 Into the details of those differences it is not necessary to go 
 here. But Rome began to take prominence, and the East was 
 not willing to yield to Rome's increasing authority. There was 
 also a doctrinal difference. The creeds made by the earliest 
 world councils were accepted by all. But a council in 589 a.d. 
 asserted that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son as well as 
 the Father, and to this the Eastern Church objected. Dissen- 
 tions continued, and the complete break came in 1054. 
 Government. 
 
 The Greek Church has no head, like the Roman pope. The 
 authorities of the church are called patriarchs, of whom there 
 are four, one each at Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, and 
 Alexandria. In Russia there is a Holy Synod, which has com- 
 plete control. Its members are appointed by the czar. The 
 clerg}' are divided into the Black, who are the monks, and the 
 WTiite, who are the parish priests. 
 Doctrines. 
 
 The Nicene Creed is the one of the creeds generally accepted 
 as most authoritative. The Bible and tradition are accepted. 
 
24 
 
 The interpretation of these to be received as final is given by 
 the church authorities. They believe in the Trinity,, but they 
 beheve that the Holy Ghost proceeds only from the Father. In 
 the bread and wine of the Eucharist the body and blood of 
 Christ are believed to be substantially present, but not actually 
 nor symbolically. It is the custom and tradition even more 
 than doctrine which distinguish this church from others. 
 Customs. 
 
 The liturgy is in Greek, and thus goes back to the language 
 of the New Testament. The ritual is very elaborate, and the 
 vestments are gorgeous. The forms of the service are rever- 
 enced even to the point of abject servility, especially by the 
 Russian peasants. Baptism is by immersion. The use of 
 images is not allowed, but pictures are permitted and much 
 venerated. The icon is a characteristic object. It is a rep- 
 resentation of Christ or an angel or a saint in painting, relief, 
 or mosaic. Practically, it is regarded as an image or idol would 
 be. Some of these icons are supposed to work miracles. The 
 calendar is different from ours, so that Easter, Christmas, and 
 other church days do not come on the same dates as they do 
 with us. 
 General Condition. 
 
 There has been no Reformation in the Greek Church. Some 
 attempts have been made to break away from the strictness of 
 the church, but these have been dealt with severely, and have 
 not generally been successful. There has been very little 
 progress. The clergy are, as a whole, not well educated. The 
 Greek Church has very little connection as yet with liberty 
 and modern thought. 
 
 1. What do the terms "Eastern" and "Western " mean as applied to 
 historic churches? 
 
 2. What is an icon? 
 
 3. Would progress be a good thing for the Russian Church ? 
 
Chapter XIII. — Episcopalians ; Lutherans. 
 
 EPISCOPALIANS. 
 
 Place and Name. 
 
 This important church is called in England the Church of 
 England, and in America the Protestant Episcopal Church. 
 In England it is the established church. The king must belong 
 to it, and all official ceremonies must be performed according 
 to its ritual. In the United States it is one of the many churches. 
 History. 
 
 The church itself claims to go back to the time of the apostles, 
 and to have an unbroken line of descent from them to its min- 
 isters of to-day. It claims an origin and existence independent 
 of the Roman and Greek Churches. The Roman Church 
 claims that the English Church was planted by missionaries of 
 the Roman Church, and was a part of it until the Reformation. 
 Other churches generally hold the latter view of its origin. 
 Anyhow, in the time of Henry VIII. the king was made the 
 head of the church instead of the pope, and it became dis- 
 tinctly a Protestant Church. 
 Creeds. 
 
 The Episcopal Church accepts the ancient creeds, especially 
 the Apostles' and the Nicene. The Apostles' Creed is repeated 
 regularly in the services. The beliefs of the church are authori- 
 tatively stated in the Thirty-nine Articles. These include the 
 trinity, special inspiration of the Bible, original sin, eternal 
 punishment, and the main orthodox beliefs. 
 Prayer Book. 
 
 The Prayer Book is a feature of this sect. It is noted for 
 its forms, and approaches the Roman and Greek Churches in 
 this respect. The forms of services are fixed, and are regu- 
 larly observed, in the main, in all the churches. These forms 
 are found in the Book of Common Prayer. 
 Divisions. 
 
 There are wide differences of opinion among its ministers 
 and people. The High Churchman is ver>' strict for the ancient 
 dogmas, and follows an elaborate ritual. The Low Churchman 
 
26 
 
 insists more on direct faith in Christ, and cares less for forms. 
 The Broad Churchman is rationalistic in his tendencies, and 
 believes in progress in religion. 
 
 LUTHERANS. 
 
 A Protestant Sect. 
 
 This church is the direct outcome of the Protestant Refor- 
 mation in the sixteenth century. The church takes its name 
 from the great reformer, Martin Luther. It is the established 
 church of Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and it 
 is found in the United States and other countries. 
 Doctrine. 
 
 The Augsburg Confession is a statement of doctrine which 
 Lutherans commonly accept. It sets forth the beliefs of the 
 ancient creeds, but asserts specially that man is justified before 
 God not by works nor by his own merit, but by faith in Jesus 
 Christ. Baptism is regarded as necessary for salvation. Lu- 
 therans believe in consubstantiation : the body and blood of 
 Christ coexist with the bread and wine of the Eucharist, but 
 the latter remain true bread and wine. 
 Divisions. 
 
 There are various branches of Lutherans, differing slightly 
 from each other. In the United States there are English 
 Lutheran churches and other churches in which the services 
 are in the languages of the people who have come from other 
 countries where this church is dominant. Lutherans make 
 much of liturgy and music. 
 Rationalism. 
 
 Some have carried out farther than have Lutherans gener- 
 ally the principle of liberty involved in the Reformation. 
 These have brought forth historical criticism, especially in 
 Germany, and have used rationalistic principles in the inter- 
 pretation of the Bible, the church, and in all religion. 
 
 1. What are the peculiar features of a service in an Episcopal church? 
 
 2. How came the Lutheran Church to be? 
 
 3. What are the advantages and what the danger in a liturgy? 
 
Chapter XIV. — Congregationalists ; Presbyterians. 
 
 CONGREGATIONALISTS. 
 
 Government. 
 
 The name contains the main feature of this body of Chris- 
 tians. The emphasis is upon the congregation, the people 
 who make up the church. They have the authority to decide 
 what shall be believed and done, and each church is indepen- 
 dent of the others. Some other sects also have this form of 
 government, but the name is specially used by this church 
 which has put this idea into prominence. 
 Origin. 
 
 This church grew out of opposition, in England, to the 
 established church there. Several sets of people withdrew 
 from that church. The most important withdrawal was that 
 which formed the church at Scrooby. Later these emigrated 
 to Holland, and then, as the Pilgrims, came to America, and 
 settled in Plymouth in 1620. Other separatists were the Puri- 
 tans, many of whom also settled in America. 
 Beliefs. 
 
 As each church is independent in government, so each church 
 is supposed to shape its own creed. Each church forms a 
 covenant about which its membership gathers. Yet there are 
 associations of churches for mutual help, and these have formed 
 statements which are accepted by most of the churches. There- 
 fore, in general, Congregationalists are believers in the trinity. 
 The Bible is held to have special inspiration and authority. 
 Man inherits sin from Adam, and is thus alienated from God. 
 He was redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ. 
 Liberal Orthodoxy. 
 
 Among Congregationalists is a considerable and an increas- 
 ing number of people who reject the stricter doctrines about 
 the infallibility of the Bible, future punishment, and the like, 
 and are liberal in their beliefs. They generally call them- 
 selves Trinitarian, however, and keep rather closely to what 
 is called Evangelical, the essence of which is that Christ has 
 some unique and necessar}- relation to man's salvation. 
 
28 
 
 PRESBYTERIANS. 
 
 Name. 
 
 Here also the distinction of the denomination is in its form 
 of church government, and is found in its name. The pres- 
 byter is regarded as the main official of the church, and is 
 beheved to have sanction for his authority from the New Tes- 
 tament. The bishop there referred to is considered the same 
 as presbyter. This form of church government, set forth by 
 John Calvin, was used effectively in opposition to the Roman 
 Church. It had its stronghold in Scotland, where it was up- 
 held by John Knox. 
 Beliejs. 
 
 Calvinism is the basis of Presbyterian doctrine. This doc- 
 trine was proclaimed at Westminster in 1643, and is known 
 as the Westminster Confession. Presbyterians are generally 
 strict in their interpretation of the Bible as the infallible 
 word of God. 
 
 The doctrine takes shape as the five points of Calvinism. 
 These are: total depravity, all men naturally sinful as the re- 
 sult of Adam's fall; unconditional election, some men chosen 
 by God to be saved and some to be lost; particular atone- 
 ment, Christ's sacrifice effective for those only who were chosen 
 to receive it; effectual grace, man not saved by anything he 
 can do, but by God's grace working in him; perseverance 
 of the saints, those chosen never falling from grace and surely 
 eternally saved. There have been attempts made to change 
 or supplant these doctrines, and there are many Presbyterians 
 who are looking for a modern and more humane statement 
 of belief. 
 Divisions. 
 
 There are a dozen and more kinds of Presbyterians, the 
 United Presbyterians, Reformed, etc. These differ about 
 minor points of government and belief. 
 
 1. What mean the names "Congregational" and "Presbyterian"? 
 
 2. What is the substance of the belief of both these churches? 
 
 3. Wliat are the present tendencies in these churches in beliefs? 
 
Chapter XV. — Methodists; Baptists. 
 
 METHODISTS. 
 
 John Wesley ( 1 703- 1791). 
 
 The founder of their church, John Wesley, is of peculiar 
 importance to Methodists. In college, at Oxford, Wesley 
 formed a society for the cultivation of the religious life. On 
 account of the fixed rules of discipline the members of this 
 society were called, rather derisively, Methodists. Later the 
 name became attached to the church, and was accepted as 
 a name of honor. Wesley came to America for two years, 
 and preached in Georgia. After going back to England, he 
 and others promulgated their beliefs, but were excluded from 
 the churches of the Church of England, to which they still 
 belonged. So they went out wherever they could find people 
 to hear, and preached their gospel in houses and barns and 
 open fields. Finally, the movement took shape in a separate 
 church. It is known in the United States as the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church and in England as the Wesleyan Methodist. 
 Beliefs. 
 
 The Methodists are Arminian rather than Calvinistic. The 
 Arminian, and so the Methodist, believes in free grace. Not 
 merely a chosen few, but any and all can be saved who are 
 willing to accept the atonement of Christ. In other matters 
 the Methodists' belief is much the same as that of the other 
 evangelical sects. They emphasize the conversion of the 
 sinner. This may be very sudden, and each one has evidence 
 in his own experience that he is saved. 
 Characteristics. 
 
 The Methodists are very earnest in preaching and prayer. 
 The lay person is of much importance in their churches. 
 The class meetings are characteristic of Methodist cus- 
 toms, groups of members with leaders holding meetings for 
 relating experiences and for counsel. The general con- 
 ference has final authority in church government. In this 
 conference the bishops are elected, who oversee the work of 
 
30 
 
 the church and assign ministers to churches. The , church 
 
 discipHne forbids such worldly practices as card - playing, 
 
 attending theatres, though many Methodists are working 
 to have this rule repealed. 
 
 BAPTISTS. 
 
 Baptism. 
 
 The distinguishing feature of this church is found not in 
 doctrine or in church government, but in a rite. Baptism is 
 regarded as necessary for a behever, and immersion is consid- 
 ered the only true form of baptism. In the main body of 
 Baptists those only are admitted to communion who have 
 been immersed. This has been called close communion. 
 History. 
 
 Certain sects similar to Baptists existed early and for a long 
 time. Later, Baptists appeared in England, where they met 
 with persecution until the Act of Toleration passed in 1689. 
 In America the church originated with Roger Williams. 
 He was driven from the Massachusetts Colony by the Puri- 
 tans, and went to what is now Rhode Island. Baptist 
 churches are independent of each other, and they have been 
 influential in securing and maintaining religious liberty. 
 General Beliefs. 
 
 Aside from the matter of baptism the Baptists are usually 
 Calvinistic in doctrine. They accept the doctrines about the 
 innate sinfulness of man, the atonement of Christ, and like 
 evangelical beliefs. There are many among them who work 
 for progress in religious beliefs, and hold to views of the Bible 
 according to historical criticism. 
 Branches. 
 
 Besides the General Baptists there are the Free Baptists, 
 or Free-will Baptists as they are sometimes called. The latter 
 are Arminian in doctrine, asserting the free will of man to 
 accept or reject salvation. They practise immersion, but do 
 not insist on it as necessary. 
 
 1. Who was John Wesley? 
 
 2. What do you know about Methodist and Baptist churches near you ? 
 
 3. If you do not believe in immersion, what is your reason ? 
 
Chapter XVI. — Friends; Swedenborgians; Christians. 
 
 Friends. 
 
 The Society of Friends, sometimes called Quakers, believe 
 in the Inner Light, — a light in every person which is sufficient 
 to guide him in all things. This is the Holy Spirit which is 
 present in people, and moves them to speak and to act. The 
 Friends began in England with George Fox in the seventeenth 
 century. They came early to America, and were severely per- 
 secuted by the Puritans. William Penn, who settled Pennsyl- 
 vania, was a Friend, and Friends became numerous there. 
 They generally accept the orthodox views of the Bible, Trinity, 
 salvation, etc. However, under Elias Hicks, early in the 
 nineteenth century a division took place. The Hicksite Friends 
 became very liberal, being practically Unitarian in their be- 
 liefs. 
 
 The Friends' customs are peculiar. Their services are plain. 
 They sit in silence until some one is moved by the spirit to 
 speak. They are plain in dress and in language. They avoid 
 show and worldly things. They use " thee" and " thou" in 
 addressing each other. Such customs are being changed in 
 these days, and dress and language and services are coming 
 to resemble those of other people. They do not take the oath 
 in court, and they are earnest advocates of peace. Their 
 church buildings are without much ornament, and all their 
 rites are simple. 
 Swedenhorgians. 
 
 Emanuel Swedenborg, a native of Sweden, is the teacher and 
 founder of this sect. It was about 1745 when, as he claimed, 
 spiritual sight was given him, so that he had a view of the world 
 beyond. He held conversation with angels. He then saw and 
 understood about the future life and also the present. Then 
 he began to tell what he had seen and to publish writings. 
 His followers accept his vision as a real one, and take their 
 beliefs directly from his teachings. They call themselves the 
 Church of the New Jerusalem, or sometimes simply the New 
 Church. 
 
32 
 
 Swedenborgians believe that God has three forms, -not of 
 persons, to set forth and manifest the divine love. The Bible 
 is specially inspired, and treats everywhere of eternal things. 
 Its outward form is only a symbol of its spiritual meaning. 
 Man has tendencies to evil, but is a sinner only when he yields. 
 Man does not die. The material part alone dies. After what 
 is called death, new senses are opened. In heaven the law of 
 affinity works, souls going in the directions in which their qual- 
 ities naturally lead. In the other life, souls are at work and 
 find something to do to develop their powers and to help 
 others. 
 Christians. 
 
 A large body of believers in the United States refuse to take 
 any particular name, and wish to be known only as Christians. 
 They do not want to be considered a sect and separated from 
 other Christians. This is their distinguishing characteristic. 
 One branch of these came from people who withdrew from the 
 Method sts of Virginia, the Presbyterians of Kentucky, and 
 the Baptists of Vermont. They are often known as the Chris- 
 tian Connection. They take the Bible as their only creed, and 
 they allow each one to interpret it for himself. They empha- 
 size the desire for a union of all Christians. Character is their 
 only test of church fellowship. Generally, but not always,, 
 they practise immersion as the form of baptism. 
 
 The other branch is known as the Disciples of Christ, some- 
 times as Campbellites, after Alexander Campbell, their founder. 
 They are the more numerous body to-day, and have recently 
 made large gains in membership in the western parts of the 
 United States. They hold much the same views as the other 
 branch, but they insist on baptism by immersion as necessary 
 for salvation and for church membership. They observe the 
 Lord's Supper every Sunday. 
 
 1. What is the central belief of the Friends? 
 
 2. What do Swedenborgians believe about heaven? 
 
 3. Why do the Christians call themselves only by that name? 
 
Chapter XVII. — Some Other Sects. 
 
 Moravians. 
 
 In Germany, England, and in certain parts of the United 
 States is a body of Christians known as Moravians, from Mo- 
 ravia in Europe, where they originated. They come from the 
 work of the martyr John Huss. The Bible is taken as their 
 rule of faith, and they are generally evangelical. Moravians 
 emphasize the personal Christ and show a deep religious feel- 
 ing. This devotion is expressed in their Hturgy and music. 
 The Reformed Churches. 
 
 These are Protestant churches which have a Dutch or German 
 origin. They are generally Calvinistic in doctrine, though 
 there are tendencies towards liberalism. The church govern- 
 ment is somewhat like that of the Presbyterians. The Dutch 
 Reformed Church is strong in New York, having been planted 
 there by the Dutch settlers. The German Reformed Church 
 is found in Maryland and Ohio. 
 Mennonites. 
 
 These believers have existed in Holland, Switzerland, Ger- 
 many, and Southern Russia. Many have come from these 
 regions and have settled in America. They believe in non- 
 resistance, that one should not strike back when struck. They 
 refuse to take oaths, believing that Jesus prohibited it. They 
 baptize by pouring, though some branches of the main move- 
 ment baptize by immersing three times. Some of them prac- 
 tise feet washing. They wear the plain dress. But among the 
 younger generations these customs are being reformed. 
 A dventists. 
 
 The Adventist doctrine is similar to that of Baptists. Their 
 peculiar idea is that Christ is yet to come a second time, and is 
 to reign on the earth. This is the second advent. The Seventh- 
 day Adventists think the Mosaic law about the Sabbath is still 
 binding; so they observe Saturday as the Sabbath. 
 Christian Scientists. 
 
 These have come into existence only in later years, but have 
 increased rapidly. They take their doctrine from Mrs. Mary 
 Baker G. Eddy, who wrote a book, "Science and Health," 
 
34 
 
 which her followers read along with the Bible. The essential 
 idea is that sickness and sin are but an illusion. One is always 
 well, if he is free from the illusion of sickness. They think 
 that there is no physical world, and that the spirit is the only 
 reality. They teach that, since God is all and is love, there 
 can be no pain or evil. 
 Mormons. 
 
 Mormons call their church the Church of Jesus Christ of 
 Latter Day Saints. It began with Joseph Smith in 1830. 
 He is believed to have had a special revelation from God, or 
 to have discovered a revelation which had been written on 
 golden plates by a prophet named Mormon. This now makes 
 the Book of Mormon, which is accepted as divine along with 
 the Bible. They believe in polygamy, and practise it unless 
 forbidden by the laws of the nation. The head of the church 
 is regarded as having divine authority. 
 Spiritualists. 
 
 That the spirits of the dead can and do have communication 
 with the living is tiie special belief of Spiritualists. This com- 
 munication is made through some person peculiarly suscep- 
 tible to spiritual influences, known as the medium. There are 
 organizations of Spiritualists in the United States and Europe. 
 The Salvation Army. 
 
 This is not strictly a church, but it has its own organizations 
 and workers. It was founded by William Booth in England 
 in 1865. Its organization is in the military form, with generals, 
 captains, and uniform. The effort is to reach the lower classes 
 of society by out-of-door meetings and novel methods. 
 Ethical Culture Society. 
 
 A noble company of people, not calling themselves Christian 
 or even religious. They are associated together under leaders 
 to study and teach ethics and to work for the social welfare. 
 
 1. What is the character of the Moravians? 
 
 2. If people have separate churches, what only should separate them? 
 
 3. What sects can you name? 
 
Chapter XVIII. — Universalists; Unitarians. 
 
 UNIVERSALISTS. 
 
 Origin. 
 
 There were in early Christianity believers in the essential 
 features of Universalism, but the doctrine was lost sight of 
 generally until it found expression in special preaching and 
 organization in the latter part of the eighteenth century. John/ 
 Murray, of London, came to believe that Christ's death was': 
 for the purpose of finally saving all. Murray came to America ji 
 in 1770, and formed the first Universalist Church in Gloucester, 
 Mass. The most honored name among Universalist founders 
 is Hosea Ballou. He differed somewhat from Murray, and 
 preached what came to be the prevailing doctrine of Univer-f 
 salists. Ballou began his preaching in 1790. 
 Beliefs. 
 
 The Universalists differ among themselves on some points, 
 but the Winchester Confession, adopted at Winchester, N.H., 
 in 1803, long stood as the most authoritative statement. This 
 brief profession is as follows: 
 
 "Article I. We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old 
 and New Testament contain a revelation of the character of 
 God and of the duty, interest, and final destination of mankind. 
 
 "Article II. We believe that there is one God, whose nature 
 is love, revealed in one Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit 
 of Grace, who will finally restore the whole family of mankind 
 to holiness and happiness. 
 
 "Article III. We believe that holiness and true happiness 
 are inseparably connected, and that believers ought to be care- 
 ful to maintain order and practise good works, for these things 
 are good and profitable unto men," 
 
 Later Universalists found these somewhat inadequate to 
 express their beliefs. So at Boston, in 1899, the General Con- 
 vention adopted the following as their principles : The universal 
 Fatherhood of God. The spiritual authority and leadership of 
 His son, Jesus Christ. The trustworthiness of the Bible as 
 containing a revelation from God. The certainty of just retri- 
 bution for sin. The final harmony of all souls with God. 
 
36 
 
 They also declared that neither this nor any other precise 
 form of words should be required as a condition of fellowship. 
 Organization. 
 
 The churches belong to the Congregational order, managing 
 their own affairs. Conferences are for mutual counsel and for 
 work. Many people in other sects hold similar views, but 
 these organize and work to defend and to promote them. 
 
 UNITARIANS. 
 
 Characteristics. 
 
 Standing at the farthest point from such believers as Roman 
 Catholics is a company of people who have been called Uni- 
 tarians. They emphasize freedom of belief. Each one is to 
 ,choose his own belief. His reason is to be his guide, his con- 
 science is his authority. The name "Unitarian" came to be 
 applied to them because they believed in God as one and not 
 I three, — ^unitarian, not trinitarian. They have no creed, but 
 certain common beliefs and aims join them together in worship 
 and work. 
 Common Beliefs. 
 
 Unitarians believe in the unity of God. God is the same 
 everywhere, and is everywhere revealing Himself to men. God 
 is love and goodness. Unitarians accept in fulness the father- 
 hood of God and the brotherhood of man. The two great 
 commandments, love to God and love to man, are set forth as 
 the main things. They believe in the dignity of human nature. 
 Man is divine, not sinful, by birth. They accept Jesus as leader 
 and inspirer. His life and teachings are studied and empha- 
 sized. The Bible, as a record of religious history and life, is 
 regarded of great value, though not infallible. They believe 
 that man is immortal, and that the future life is to be one of 
 progress. Such makes the substance of their faith. 
 
 1. What is the significance of the name "Universalist"? 
 
 2. In what do Universalis ts and Unitarians agree ? 
 
 3. How do both diflfer from churches called evangelical? 
 
PART THREE. 
 
 The Unitarians. 
 
 SECTION I. HISTORY. 
 
 Chapter XIX. — Ancient Connections. 
 
 Early Religions. 
 
 Though the Unitarian form of rehgion is very modern, it is 
 also, in certain ways, very ancient. Indeed, in the thought 
 that man has ever been seeking after God and God has ever 
 been revealing Himself to man, there is a sympathetic kinship 
 with the earliest forms of religion. Wherever there has been 
 an honest, even if crude, effort to come into relation with the 
 Unseen Power and to do what is demanded by such a belief, 
 a Unitarian would find a real, even if partial, expression of the 
 religious spirit, and would honor it as akin to his own. 
 The Hebrew Religion. 
 
 The Hebrews developed a belief in one God. With their 
 God they came to connect the ideas of righteousness and mercy. 
 They even came within sight of God as a Father. In regard 
 to these ideas of the oneness of God and of his qualities, Uni- 
 tarianism agrees to a large extent with Judaism. Such an 
 agreement may perhaps better be regarded as with mono- 
 theism. And, wherever monotheism is found, there is at leasti 
 an elementary likeness to the beliefs of Unitarians. There isj 
 this connection also with Mohammedanism. ' 
 
 Apostolic Christianity. 
 
 Unitarians would not claim that their Christianity is identical 
 with that of the earliest Christian churches, but they would 
 claim that they more nearly represent it than did the Roman 
 Church into which Christianity after a time issued. Uni- 
 tarianism is not an exact copy of the religion represented in 
 the New Testament, but it claims a close likeness in spirit to 
 what is found there. There are some features of the earliest 
 Christianity which belonged to the times and are not suited to 
 
38 
 
 other and modern conditions; but the essential spirit of the 
 New Testament religion Unitarians would claim as theirs to-day. 
 
 Among the early Christian Fathers, certain ones are shown 
 by their writings to be of the Unitarian way of thinking. Justin 
 Martyr, in the latter half of the second century, said, "Some 
 there are among ourselves who admit that Jesus is the Christ, 
 while holding him to be a man of men." Some of the early 
 sects, like the Monarchians, taught the idea of the humanity of 
 Jesus. 
 
 And Arius, who opposed the doctrine of the trinity which 
 was put into a creed in 325 a.d., presented a view of God of 
 such a nature as to link him closely with Unitarian traditions. 
 These Arians were a type of Unitarians, though of course they 
 differed from modern Unitarians in many ways. All that is 
 claimed is that there are noticeable resemblances and close 
 connections between Unitarian and Apostolic Christianity. In 
 going forward, Unitarians have found many thoughts among 
 early Christian thinkers which they cherish, and a simplicity 
 of custom and organization which they have found helpful to 
 them in their work. 
 The Reformation. 
 
 There was a spirit shown in the great awakening of Europe 
 called the Renaissance which made for toleration and freedom, 
 and so became an antecedent of that rational spirit which is 
 characteristic of Unitarians. Then came the Reformation of 
 the sixteenth century, with the breaking away from papal 
 authority and with the Protestant note of freedom. Not in 
 the outward form of the Reformation, but in its inner spirit, 
 is the connection with Unitarianism to be found. Unitarians 
 claim that they are only carrying the Protestant principles to 
 their natural conclusions, and so they claim a close connection 
 with the reformers of those days. 
 
 1. In what ways are Unitarianism and Judaism alike? 
 
 2. What are some evidences of a Unitarian spirit among the apostles? 
 Acts X. 34, 35; I Corinthians xiii. 
 
 3. How is the Reformation connected with Unitarianism? 
 
Chapter XX . — Beginnings in America. 
 
 Gradual Growth. 
 
 Unitarian sentiment can nowhere be traced to any clear 
 point of beginning. \'arious tendencies existed which resulted 
 finally in a definite movement bearing the Unitarian name. 
 There seemed to be something in the condition of the times 
 and in the American soil which produced a liberal sentiment as 
 a natural growth. It even came out from the strict Puritans, 
 who adopted a covenant for each church rather than a creed 
 for all the churches. No one can tell when Unitarianism began 
 in America, but the latter half of the eighteenth century found 
 many who were inclined in this direction, and after the Revo- 
 lution the names of ministers preaching the so-called heretical 
 doctrine were numerous. ' 
 
 Early Unitarians. 
 
 Among the outspoken men at first was Rev. John Wise, of 
 Ipswich. He was a Puritan rationalist, and in his writings set 
 forth the value of progress and of the use of reason in religion. 
 Dr. Gay, settled at Hingham in 171 7, was among the strong 
 advocates of opinions that were contrary to Calvinism. He 
 believed fully in free inquiry. Dr. Mayhew, of the West 
 Church, Boston, has been called the first Unitarian because of 
 his open repudiation of the doctrine of the trinity and of his 
 preaching along the lines later followed by Unitarians. Dr. 
 Chauncey, of the First Church, Boston, was one of the leaders 
 in the movement away from orthodoxy toward liberalism. 
 Many other prominent ministers were openly preaching the 
 new ideas. President John Adams, himself a Unitarian, said 
 that he knew many holding like sentiments with him among 
 laviTcrs, physicians, and business men even before the Revo- 
 lution. 
 Doctrinal Tendencies. 
 
 In the early developments in America, as in later times, 
 there were no fixed beliefs which could be called Unitarian. 
 But the tendency was unmistakable. Arminianism had been 
 prominent a long time in opposition to Calvinism. Arminians 
 
40 
 
 taught that man was able to accept or reject the means of 
 salvation. There was an element of freedom in man. - Armini- 
 anism also represented more of democracy in religion. It 
 implied a faith in man, and that idea grew to be an essential 
 one with Unitarians after Arminianism had passed away. 
 There was no complete break with the old theology, but grad- 
 ually the emphasis came to be placed upon life and upon the 
 nature of Jesus as subordinate to God and of his greater worth 
 to man in that position. After a time the controversy centered 
 about the doctrine of the trinity or the unity of God. The 
 liberal people accepted and taught the divine unity, and in that 
 way came to be known in America as Unitarians. 
 Churches. 
 
 King's Chapel, in Boston, was the first church to ally itself 
 definitely with the Unitarian movement. It had been an 
 Episcopal church, established for those in Colonial times who 
 were adherents of the Church of England. James Freeman 
 had become a Unitarian, but notwithstanding that fact he 
 was ordained minister of this church in 1787. The Prayer 
 Book was changed so as to exclude the trinitarian ideas, and 
 was then used for a book of worship as it is used still. 
 
 Dr. Joseph Priestley, an English Unitarian, came to this 
 country, and through his efforts a church was established in 
 Philadelphia, which was the first to take the Unitarian name. 
 
 Many of the old Puritan first parishes became Unitarian, 
 such as those in Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester, Hingham, 
 Dedham. The church founded in Scrooby, England, and 
 estabUshed by the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Mass., became Uni- 
 tarian, and has so remained. Many Boston churches so changed. 
 Other Changes. 
 
 Henry Ware, a liberal, was appointed professor of divinity 
 at Harvard. Various societies were formed, and papers were 
 published. The movement assumed organized shape. 
 
 1. How did the name "Unitarian" come to be used? 
 
 2. What happened at King's Chapel ? 
 
 3. What is the story of the Plymouth church ? 
 
Chapter XX I. — In England. 
 
 Preparing the Way. 
 
 Bernardino Ochino was an Italian preacher of liberal senti- 
 ments. The Inquisition pursued him until he left his home 
 and finally reached England, where he preached his doctrines 
 of the love of God and of the authority of the spirit within 
 man. He left an influence among the English people. 
 
 About the middle of the sixteenth century a "Strangers' 
 Church" was organized in London, where people were per- 
 mitted to worship according to the customs of the countries 
 from which they had come. With the Catholic reaction under 
 Queen Mary this church was broken up, but under Queen 
 Elizabeth it was again permitted to exist. 
 Founders. 
 
 John Biddle was the first to state publicly his beliefs as a 
 Unitarian. He suffered for his honesty and boldness. He is 
 known as the father of English Unitarianism. Mistreated and 
 persecuted in many ways for his opinions, he could say, "I 
 have suffered the loss of many things, but I do not repent." 
 He was finally put into a loathsome prison, where he soon died, 
 a martyr of the liberal faith. Others succeeded to his beliefs. 
 
 In the latter part of the eighteenth century Theophilus 
 Lindsey resigned his charge in the established church, and 
 founded a chapel in Essex Street, London,— the first organized 
 movement of Unitarianism in England. 
 
 About this time, also, Joseph Priestley, who is knowm not 
 only as a preacher of radical religion, but as a man of science 
 also, the discoverer of ox}'gen, came into prominence. His 
 bold statements aroused feeling against him. His house was 
 sacked by a mob. He left England and came to America, 
 where, as we saw in the last chapter, he carried on his work 
 for Unitarianism. Such eminent Englishmen as John Milton, 
 John Locke, and Isaac Newton are known to have held 
 beliefs essentially Unitarian. 
 The Steps to Freedom. 
 
 It must be remembered that in England the liberal people 
 
42 
 
 have had to meet the opposition of the established church, 
 which has the power of the state back of it. In the sixteenth 
 century a number of people were burned at the stake for deny- 
 ing the doctrine of the trinity. The Toleration Act was passed 
 in 1689, legalizing the non-conforming churches, except Bap- 
 tist and Unitarian. Ten years later an act was passed depriv- 
 ing the Unitarians of civil rights and prescribing three years in 
 prison for them. For a long time they were met by such 
 hindrances from the state in connection with the church. It 
 was not until 1813 that the penalties for denying the doctrine of 
 the trinity were removed, and it was not until 1848 that Uni- 
 tarians secured their full rights to property in their chapels. 
 The prestige of a powerful state church still makes the Uni- 
 tarian way not easy in England. 
 Recent Times 
 
 English Unitarians have numbered some great men and 
 women among them. James Martineau was one of the greatest 
 thinkers and writers of modern days. He was a minister of 
 churches, head of the Unitarian theological school in England, 
 and author of many religious and philosophical books. Among 
 honored Unitarian ministers in England are Brooke Herford, 
 Stopford A. Brooke, Richard A. Armstrong. 
 Elsewhere in Great Britain. 
 
 In Scotland there are a few prominent Unitarian churches. 
 In Ireland there are about fifty churches, mainly in the north- 
 ern part. There are churches of the Unitarian faith in Wales, 
 some also in Canada and other English colonies. 
 Organization. 
 
 Great Britain has some four hundred churches. These have 
 mostly come from Presbyterian lineage, and often do not bear 
 the name " Unitarian." Many of them have also a Presbyterian 
 form of government. There are various bodies for carrying on 
 general work, and considerable gain has been made in recent 
 years. 
 
 1. Who was John Biddle? 
 
 2. How did the first Unitarian church in England come to be ? 
 
 3. What has made progress in England specially hard? 
 
Chapter XXII. — In Hungary and Other Countries. 
 
 To-day. 
 
 There is a company of people in Hungary now which is in 
 spirit and in name Unitarian. This body has come out of 
 many changes and heavy persecutions, but now it enjoys full 
 tolerance and is engaged in regular worship and active work. 
 These people number about seventy-five thousand, and they 
 have more than a hundred and fifty churches. They have a 
 Divinity School at Kolozsvar, and they maintain other schools. 
 Several religious papers are published. 
 
 Among these Unitarians are scholars and men of note in the 
 state. The majority of them, however, come from the ranks 
 of the common people. 
 
 Unitarians in England and America have maintained a close 
 and friendly relation with those in Hungary, and have assisted 
 in their enterprises. For many years their honored bishop 
 was Joseph Ferencz. 
 
 The Unitarian Church in Hungary differs from the church 
 in other countries mainly in its form of government. This is 
 something like episcopacy. There is a bishop over all the 
 churches. The official bodies have a more direct authority in 
 the control of the churches and in the management of the 
 property. 
 Unitarianism in Poland. 
 
 There is now no Unitarian Church in Poland, and there is 
 no Poland as a separate nation. But once Unitarians were 
 prominent in the Polish nation. 
 
 Laelius and Faustus Socinus were natives of Italy. They 
 were of liberal mind, and taught doctrines that were known as 
 Socinian, — a name which has a close kinship with the name 
 "Unitarian." Faustus Socinus came to Poland, and taught his 
 beliefs in opposition to the doctrine of the trinity, the depravity 
 of man, eternal punishment, and in favor of more humane and 
 reasonable ideas. Churches were established in Poland, and 
 some existed for about a century. But Poland was mainly a 
 Catholic country, and the Jesuits instigated a persecution 
 
44 
 
 against Socinus, maltreated him, and destroyed many of his 
 papers. Finally a decree was passed to expel all Socinians. 
 Transylvania. 
 
 Many who fled from Poland settled in Transylvania. Here 
 Unitarian ideas had been proclaimed by Laelius Socinus, the 
 uncle of Faustus Socinus. Blandrata, a noted physician, who 
 helped to spread the new faith in Poland, came to Transylva- 
 nia. The court preacher, Francis David, became a convert, 
 and preached that the Father only was God. There was toler- 
 ance in Transylvania even when there was oppression in many 
 other European countries. But the tolerance did not last. 
 There were also some differences among the liberals them- 
 selves. Francis David became a martyr to his faith. He died 
 in prison in 1 579. The Unitarians were robbed of many of their 
 churches through the intrigues of the Jesuits. They were op- 
 pressed for nearly a century, but regained their liberty under 
 the more liberal emperor, Joseph II., in 1780. Transylvania 
 became a part of Hungary in 1868, and since then their privi- 
 leges have been generally maintained. 
 Other Countries. 
 
 In Germany there is no church bearing the name "Unita- 
 rian," but many people there hold liberal views and are in 
 sympathy with Unitarians. The Protestantenverein, estab- 
 hshed in 1865, is such a liberal organization. 
 
 In Holland there are many people holding rational ideas in 
 theology, and many churches are openly in sympathy with 
 Unitarian principles. 
 
 In Switzerland there has been for some time a distinct ten- 
 dency toward liberal views. The Theological School at Ge- 
 neva is now largely liberal, and there is a society which seeks to 
 promote free Christianity. 
 
 In Italy and France there are many individual liberals who 
 are preaching and believing what is essentially Unitarianism, 
 though the name is not taken. 
 
 1. Where are the countries named in this chapter? 
 
 2. Who was Francis David? 
 
 3. What of Unitarianism in other European countries? 
 
Chapter XXIII. — Channing and his Time. 
 
 Conditions. 
 
 We have seen that in America changes had been going on. 
 Dififerences arose between churches, and there were differences 
 within many a church. The spirit of free inquiry was at work. 
 Opposition to Calvinistic doctrines was growing. The name 
 "Unitarian" was much used. Many hoped that there would 
 be no break and that the churches would gradually include the 
 liberal ideas, but this proved impossible. The time came when 
 sides had to be taken. The Unitarian name had come to 
 stand for so much that was valuable that it could not be al- 
 lowed to be maligned. There must be those who would carry 
 on the spirit of the brave souls that had dared and worked 
 thus far. In the fulness of time Channing^_appeared, 
 William Ellery Channing. 
 
 The story of Channing's life is not long, but he was one of 
 the commanding men of his time. He was born at Newport, 
 R.I., in 1780; was educated at Harvard College; at the age 
 of twenty-three became minister of the Federal Street Church 
 in Boston. He was physically of slight stature, and during 
 most of his life he was in poor health. He became known as a 
 powerful preacher, and was ranged on the liberal side. An 
 attack on Unitarians had been made. Channing felt it neces- 
 sary to answer the attack. The occasion was the ordination of '> 
 Jared Sparks in Baltimore in 181 9, where Channing preached ' 
 the sermon. This Baltimore sermon is counted usually as a '^ 
 religious declaratio n of i ndependence. It was an open 
 espousal of the Unitarian cause. Channing there accepted 
 the name and defended it. 
 
 Channing also spoke on subjects of general public interest, 
 and in that way had a wide influence. He addressed working- 
 men on self-culture, spoke against war, was a stern opponent of 
 human slavery. He died in 1842. 
 Beliefs. 
 
 The main doctrine with Channing was the dignity of human 
 nature. This was maintained in opposition to the old view of 
 
46 
 
 the sinfulness, or depravity, of human nature. "The greatness 
 of the soul, its divinity," he called his one sublime idea. He 
 urged the use of reason as a faculty given by God. The best 
 way to reach God is through our own souls. In nature God is 
 the living part of a living universe. Because God's will is the 
 perfection of virtue, we owe Him allegiance and worship. Re- 
 ligion is not something foreign entering mto us: it is the soul 
 lifting itself up toward God. The spirit of piety is devotion to 
 the moral good. 
 
 Channing thought that Jesus respected human nature, and 
 he saw nothing to prevent our becoming whatever was good 
 and great in Jesus. The cross of Christ meant the spirit of 
 self-sacrifice. Jesus was the Saviour in the simple sense that 
 he was the great emancipator. 
 Organizations. 
 
 Not only was the Unitarian name accepted and defended, 
 but organizations were formed. The first of these was the 
 Berry Street Conference, made up of the liberal ministers in 
 and about Boston. It was formed in the Federal Street Church 
 in 1820. A paper, the Christian Register, was begun in 182 1. 
 The most important step was the organization of the American 
 Unitarian Association in 1825. 
 Other Men and Movements. 
 
 Ezra Stiles Gannett was the colleague and successor of Dr. 
 Channing. He was an earnest worker in the eflfort to organize 
 the Unitarians into a working force. He was the first secretary 
 of the American Unitarian Association. As a young man 
 James Walker, later president of Harvard College, was active 
 in the same direction. The Unitarians began early to work in 
 philanthropy. This work was led by Dr. Joseph Tuckerman. 
 The Benevolent Fraternity of Churches was founded for this 
 purpose in 1834. 
 
 1. What were some of Channing's ideas? 
 
 2. Why were organizations necessary? 
 
 3. Why have Unitarians honored Channing? 
 
Chapter XXIV. — Emerson and Parker. 
 
 New Forces. 
 
 Unitarians came to be recognized as a separate company of 
 Christian people, and they carried on various church activities. 
 As the time went on, new influences, particularly German phi- 
 losophy and criticism, came to affect individual Unitarians and 
 to lead them in the direction of greater rationalism. This led 
 to differences between the conservatives, who generally held to 
 the miraculous elements in the Bible, and the radicals, who 
 rejected the miracles as records of fact and found no need for 
 them. As the more radical element prevailed and finally gave 
 the main direction to the movement, it is along this line that 
 we trace the thought and life of Unitarians. 
 Ralph Waldo Emerson. 
 
 Emerson was born in Boston; he died in Concord, Mass., 
 in 1882. After he had gone through school and college and 
 had taught school and had also taken a course at the Divinity 
 School, he was chosen minister of the Second Church in Boston. 
 He remained as minister only three years. He resigned be- 
 cause he could not conscientiously administer the communion 
 according to the manner in which it was observed in the church 
 at that time. He seldom preached afterwards, but became a 
 public lecturer and writer. Vet his lectures and essays were 
 essentially sermons, and in that way he continued his liberal 
 ministry. He maintained his connection with the Unitarians, 
 and in succeeding years most Unitarian ministers found his 
 writings one of their main guides to faith. 
 
 In 1838 Emerson delivered the annual address at the Divinity 
 School in Cambridge, From the position there taken and 
 from the opposition which was shown by some and the approval 
 by others, this became a noted address. Emerson there set 
 forth the naturalness of the religious sentiment. God is, not 
 merely was. Each person should acquaint himself directly 
 with God. Man is more than books, and so more than the 
 Bible. Jesus serves us by his holy thoughts. No form of 
 words can take the place of the spirit. Like sentiments are 
 
48 
 
 found also in such essays as "Self-reliance," "The Over- 
 Soul," and in his poems. 
 Theodore Parker. 
 
 Parker preached from his pulpits practically the same mes- 
 sage as that of Emerson, but he put it into a shape which made 
 it more immediately effective. He was born at Lexington, 
 Mass., in 1810. He had to work his way through school, but 
 passed at last through Harvard College and Divinity School. 
 In 1837 he became minister of the Unitarian church in West 
 Roxbury. His preaching showed the more radical character 
 of what was coming, and some of his fellow Unitarians were 
 suspicious of him. But his influence increased, and there was 
 a demand that he should be heard in Boston. There he 
 preached in Melodeon Hall, and later in Music Hall. Ill- 
 health came, and he went abroad for rest. He died in Flor- 
 ence, Italy, in i860. 
 
 In 1 841 Parker preached in Boston his great sermon on the 
 Transient and Permanent in Christianity. It took a place 
 like Channing's Baltimore sermon and Emerson's Divinity 
 School address. There he showed how there were some things 
 connected with Jesus and with Christianity which were peculiar 
 to the times and had to pass away, but he showed, also, how 
 there were elements suited to all times. 
 
 Parker had no place for miracles in his faith. He had no 
 need of them to support a truth. God's regular order was 
 beautiful and sufficient. Immortality was the continuation of 
 the life of the spirit already in the soul of man. Such was the 
 drift of Parker's ideas. 
 
 He was a bold opponent of human slavery, preaching and 
 working against it. Though so outspoken in great causes, he 
 was one of the most reverent of men. And his radical preach- 
 ing is matched by his piety, expressed and preserved in his 
 prayers. 
 
 1. What about Emerson as a Unitarian? 
 
 2. What is meant by the transient and permanent in Christianity? 
 
 3. Are miracles necessary to support a truth ? 
 
Chapter A' AT. — Later Developments. 
 
 The National Conference. 
 
 In order to create more general interest in Unitarian work, 
 the National Conference of Unitarian and Other Christian 
 Churches, composed of delegates from each church, was organ- 
 ized at New York in 1865. Rev. Henry W. Bellows, who had 
 been at the head of the Sanitary Commission during the Civil 
 War, was influential in organizing this national body. There 
 were Unitarians who believed that the distinctly Christian 
 character of the Conference should be set forth in its constitu- 
 tion, and this was done. Others wanted a fellowship which 
 did not insist even on the Christian name, and these orga- 
 nized the Free Religious Association in 1867. 
 
 The Western Unitarian Conference, organized at Cincinnati 
 in 1852, later put forth its declaration of fellowship as inde- 
 pendent of all dogmatic tests, and welcoming all who wished 
 to work with it in advancing the kingdom of God, or, as still 
 later expressed, in promoting truth, righteousness, and love in 
 the world. This discussion of the Christian position kept up 
 for some time. 
 
 At the session of the National Conference at Saratoga, 
 N.Y., in 1894, an agreement was reached, and the follow- 
 ing expression, by unanimous vote, was made a part of the 
 preamble of the constitution: "These churches accept the re- 
 ligion of Jesus, holding, in accordance with his teaching, that 
 practical religion is summed up in love to God and love to man." 
 The preamble also contains this statement: "We cordially in- 
 vite to our working fellowship any who, while differing from 
 us in belief, arc in general sympathy with our spirit and our 
 practical aims." 
 Scholarship. 
 
 Largely through the influence of Dr. F. H. Hedge there was 
 brought to America an acquaintance with German literature 
 and philosophy. A more sympathetic knowledge of the non- 
 Christian religions of the world was brought by James Freeman 
 Clarke through his work, "Ten Great Religions." Ad- 
 
5° 
 
 vance was made also in Biblical criticism, and among Biblical 
 scholars were Dr. George R. Noyes and Dr. Ezra Abbot. 
 The doctrine of evolution had a strong influence upon later 
 Unitarian thought. This theory was advocated by John Fiske, 
 and especially set forth in the Unitarian pulpit by Minot J. 
 Savage. And literature was so strikingly sympathetic with 
 Unitarian sentiments that almost all of the group of most famous 
 American poets and essayists were known as Unitarians, and 
 contributed to the propagation of that kind of religion. 
 Education and Philanthropy. 
 
 j The influence in this direction continued to grow. The Uni- 
 tarian has had a place of prominence in the history of Harvard 
 University, President Eliot and other presidents before him 
 being Unitarians. Dr. S. G. Howe was the leader in the edu- 
 cation of the blind. Dorothea Dix received from Channing's 
 teaching the inspiration for her noble work for the insane. 
 The Children's Mission grew out of the Howard Sunday School. 
 Henry Bergh, the organizer of the Society for the Prevention 
 of Cruelty to Animals, was a Unitarian. The Boston Young 
 Men's Christian Union was formed in 1852, being the first 
 work of the kind for young men. It was through Unitarian 
 influence that Horace Mann led his educational reform, and 
 through the same that the kindergarten movement was started 
 in America. From the opposition to slavery on down through 
 civil service reform there can be traced the distinctive work of 
 Unitarians. The Lend-a-Hand Club is one witness to the 
 great heart of Edward Everett Hale. 
 An International Movement. 
 
 The Unitarians were in hearty sympathy with the World's 
 Parliament of Religions held at Chicago in connection with 
 the World's Fair in 1893. It was directly to Unitarians, also, 
 that the impulse can be traced which resulted in the organi- 
 zation of the International Council of Unitarian and Other 
 Liberal Religious Thinkers and Workers in 1900. 
 
 1. How did the National Conference settle its controversy? 
 
 2. Why would Unitarians generally welcome the theory of evolution? 
 
 3. How would Unitarian principles specially lead to philanthropy? 
 
SECTION II. BELIEF„ 
 
 Chapter XXV I. — General Position. 
 Freedom. 
 
 It would be impossible to understand the belief of Unitarians 
 if we did not take full account of their insistence on freedom. 
 Each one has entire right to choose what he will believe. There 
 is no person with power to try any one for heresy. There is 
 no fixed creed by which one may be so tried Each one is to 
 seek for what is most true to him, and each one is to be loyal 
 to his own convictions. Each one is free to change his belief 
 whenever he finds anything better. This freedom is not merely 
 permitted by Unitarians, it is openly accepted and advocated. 
 Unitarians believe in freedom of belief. 
 Relation to Creeds. 
 
 The various creeds of the Christian Church, such as the 
 Nicene, made in 325 a.d., were formed at times when freedom 
 of belief was not so much thought about. It was thought 
 necessary to have some fixed belief to which all should conform. 
 These creeds represented the prevailing belief of their time. 
 Unitarians respect them for their historic interest, but refuse 
 to consider them as binding upon the people of another time. 
 Nor do Unitarians believe in accepting and repeating such 
 creeds when the language does not express their convictions. 
 Aiithority. 
 
 To secure uniformity of belief, there are various kinds of 
 authority. In the Roman Catholic Church, the pope is the 
 final authority. In some churches a creed, or some statement 
 based upon a creed, is made to which all are expected to con- 
 form. The Bible has been, by many, regarded as an infallible 
 rule to which all must agree. The Unitarian uses none of 
 these forms of outward authority. His authority is an inward 
 one. It is the reason or the conscience that alone tells him 
 what is true for him, and he holds himself accountable to the 
 dictates of the reason and conscience. He takes help from any 
 source whatever, but what is accepted must at last appeal to 
 his own mind and heart. 
 
. 52 
 
 Attitude. 
 
 Thus we see that a characteristic of Unitarians is to be found 
 in their general attitude toward beUefs as much as in any par- 
 ticular beliefs which they may hold. It is the attitude of the 
 open mind. Truth is to be received in many ways. The Uni- 
 tarian would find truth which he may use in all the Christian 
 sects. He may find such truth in the non-Christian religions. 
 He may find it revealed in literature or science or philosophy. 
 It may come out of his own experience. Honest doubt is 
 respected by him. He realizes how great the truth is, and 
 knows that at best any one can have only a partial view of 
 it. Yet the faith he has he holds firmly, and he seeks to 
 increase it. This attitude of respect for truth is a source of 
 reverence and proves useful in life. 
 Common Beliefs. 
 
 Holding to such freedom, Unitarians have held many opin- 
 ions in common, and have agreed to such common methods as 
 to make it possible for them to worship and work together. 
 In this common eftort, statements of belief have sometimes been 
 made as representing Unitarians in a general way. Such state- 
 ments are helpful to themselves and informing to others. They 
 give an idea of what Unitarians individually accept and em- 
 phasize. But in no case are such statements intended to be 
 binding or final. They are for use. Whenever any one sets 
 forth a statement of belief among Unitarians, it is to be under- 
 stood to be his own, or his interpretation of the things that are 
 commonly believed among them. 
 
 One statement which is in very common use is in the form 
 of five articles, and is called "Our Faith": the Fatherhood of 
 God, the Brotherhood of Man, the Leadership of Jesus, Sal- 
 vation by Character, the Progress of Mankind onward and 
 upward forever. 
 
 1. What is meant by freedom of belief? 
 
 2. What is the inner authority? 
 
 3. Of what use are statements of belief? 
 
Chapter XXVII. — Belief about Man. 
 
 Human Nature. 
 
 So marked are the convictions of Unitarians about 
 human nature that many consider this beUef the most char- 
 acteristic one of the Unitarian faith. The behef is that human 
 nature is essentially good. It is directly opposed to the doc- 
 trine held by many that human nature is essentially evil. Man 
 is not born in sin, but in innocence. Human nature is not 
 ruined, but is incomplete. Man is not by nature at enmity 
 with God. Indeed, it is in the soul of man that the very like- 
 ness to God is found, man made in the image of God. The 
 dignity, the worth, the capability, the divinity, of human nature 
 is insisted upon by Unitarians. 
 
 It is in connection with such a fundamental conception that 
 all ideas of sin are to be made. There is evil in the world. 
 Man does what is wrong. There is punishment for wrong. 
 Punishment works according to law. All punishment for sin 
 is for the purpose of bringing the wrong-doer back to virtue. 
 Sin is a part of the incompleteness of human nature. 
 
 So Unitarians prefer to emphasize the inherently good 
 nature of man. He has religious powers and aptitudes, and 
 these are to be educated. The reason is a divine gift. So of 
 all the human faculties. With much significance and with 
 profound reverence Unitarians may say, We believe in man. 
 Development. 
 
 Man has come to his present position by a process of devel- 
 opment. In long ages he has been coming up from the lower 
 orders of life. This process is evolution. Man's present 
 position has been gained by struggle. The evidences of this 
 development are found written in nature, and Unitarians read 
 it there as the word of God. 
 
 There was thus no "fall of man," as others have believed. 
 It has been a rise of man from lower to higher conditions and 
 attainments. This progress is to go on, and here comes in a 
 great incentive to man. He can now co-operate intelligently 
 in his growth and betterment. He can help God. He is 
 
 \ 
 
54 
 
 needed by God, and is a co-worker with God. The aim is 
 to get rid of the lower, animal nature, and to win more of the 
 spiritual nature. No one can tell what powers are yet to be 
 developed. But to look forward is appropriate for such a 
 believer. 
 The Soul. 
 
 Man has become endowed with a spiritual nature. There 
 is a law of right which must be recognized and obeyed. There 
 is love which unites in groups and families, and is the strong- 
 est element in one's nature. There are hopes and aspirations. 
 In these ways, man has been growing more divine. Unita- 
 rians recognize in all this process the working out of the won- 
 derful plan of God. 
 
 This spiritual nature is what is called the soul. Man has 
 powers which are intimately connected with his physical 
 body, but are stronger than the body. The soul has won the 
 capacity for continued existence, and lives on after the body 
 decays. The soul is the real man. 
 Brotherhood. 
 
 The brotherhood of man is a cardinal doctrine of Unita- 
 rians. It follows from the fatherhood of God; or, if one 
 chooses, he may look in the other direction, and say that the 
 fatherhood of God follows from the brotherhood of man. 
 Man is thus a child of God. We are by nature brothers. 
 We are parts of a great whole in which each one has interest 
 and responsibility. We must not live for ourselves alone, but 
 for the common life of which we are parts. To establish more 
 fully the brotherhood of man is the purpose that the Unita- 
 rian finds in his idea of man. 
 
 1. Why are the ideas about human nature so important? 
 
 2. What is meant by the rise of man? 
 
 3. How can brotherhood be promoted? 
 
Chapter XXVIII. — Belief about God. 
 Believers. 
 
 Unitarians are believers in God. The conceptions of God's 
 nature differ as held by different people, but they arc all be- 
 lievers in that ultimate Reality and that spiritual Presence 
 which men have called God. They are not atheists, those 
 who find no God. They are not agnostics, those who think man 
 incapable of knowing whether there is a God or not, who 
 say neither yes nor no. They are not infidels, those who are 
 without faith in the beneficence of a Supreme Power, Uni- 
 tarians do not attempt to define God and to describe His nat- 
 ure as much as some other believers do. They recognize 
 the limitations of man's mind. Yet they look in the direc- 
 tion oi positive belief, and give ready assent to the belief in 
 God. 
 The Unity of God. 
 
 The belief in the unity of God has been a prominent feat- 
 ure of Unitarian history, and it is held strongly by them. The 
 unity of God stands mainly in opposition to the trinity, which 
 represents God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
 Unitarians find no warrant for such a belief, and accept the 
 simpler and more reasonable idea of the unity of God. 
 
 The unit}' also means monotheism, a belief in one God as 
 opposed to the many gods of other religions. 
 
 The unity implies that it is one deity which all worship. 
 Believers may think of Him in various ways and in many 
 forms, they may give Him many names, but in and through 
 all He is one God, revealing Himself in many ways accord- 
 ing as man has been able to understand Him. 
 
 The unity asserts one plan and one purpose in all the proc- 
 esses of creation. The one purpose which has been working 
 out in the infinite past is now being worked out, and is to 
 continue in the infinite future. The God who has caused 
 things to be, the First Great Cause, is now causing things 
 to be, and is day by day carrying on His work. What this 
 plan of the one God is will be understood better in the future 
 than in the past or now. 
 
56 
 
 Nature oj God. 
 
 It is necessary for the believer to think of his Goci in the 
 highest way possible for him. So God is believed to be a 
 personal being who thinks and wills and works towards ends. 
 We shape our ideas of God after the best we know, and that 
 is man himself. Unitarians do not pretend to be able to 
 describe God adequately, yet they attach some definite and 
 helpful ideas to His personality. 
 
 God is spirit, an unseen but real presence. God is infi- 
 nite perfection. Into this perfection are put the highest qual- 
 ities known, — righteousness, justice, mercy, goodness, and, pre- 
 eminently, love. All these are summed up in the name 
 most often used, — Father. The name is opposed somewhat 
 to the kingly idea: it is also opposed to the idea that God is 
 a creature of wrath, and is at enmity with man. God as 
 Father is one who loves and cares for us who are His chil- 
 dren. Here is the parental idea of deity: it is the fatherhood 
 of God. The idea of the mother as well as of the father is 
 included in the title which means loving care. 
 Attitude toward God. 
 
 Prayer is one of the attitudes which we take toward God. 
 It is as the child speaking to the father. Prayer is the aspi- 
 ration of the soul ; and, when prayer is spoken, it is the expres- 
 sion of the aspiration. Prayer as communion with God is a 
 vital element in the Unitarian form of religion. 
 
 Worship is natural and fitting to the believer in the Eternal 
 God. Forms are useful, in so far as they help in sincere wor- 
 ship. But forms are dangerous when they shut out the free 
 expression of thought and feeling. We serve God best by 
 noble living and by helpfulness to each other in the common 
 life. Such are indications as to how Unitarians think about 
 God and feel toward Him. 
 
 1. What do we mean by the unity of God? 
 
 2. What qualities do we connect with God? 
 
 3. What do we owe to God? 
 
Chapter A'A7A'. — Belief about the World. 
 
 What It Is. 
 
 It is a large world in which we live. Man is a part of it. 
 The earth belongs to it. The sun, the planets, the stars, are 
 parts of it. It reaches out into infinite space. 
 
 More particularly we call our world that system of which 
 the sun is center and about which the planets, including 
 our earth, revolve. The sun gives light and heat to our earth. 
 But the stars are also suns, and there are other systems out 
 beyond our own. 
 
 It is a universe in which we live, a system with a center about 
 which it moves. Now this world is all God's world, and is 
 essentially good. Just as we said of man, who is a part of this 
 world, that his nature was not evil, but good, so Unitarians 
 would say of the world that its nature is divine. 
 How It Came. 
 
 All processes reach back into mystery. No one can explain 
 the beginnings of things. Yet the methods of world making 
 can be somewhat traced out in the records left in nature. Mill- 
 ions of years in the past the sun threw off a part of itself, and 
 this cooled and became the earth. Here life developed, and 
 finally man came to be. This process is called creation. It is 
 God's way of making the world. It is in accordance with the 
 plan of the Eternal. But no final explanation can be given, 
 and we would say, as the ancient Hebrews said in their account 
 of creation, "In the beginning God." 
 Law. 
 
 Our world is under the control of law. Universe means 
 order. The physical worlds are held in their courses by an in- 
 visible power whose working is set forth as the law of gravi- 
 tation. Law runs through all physical and spiritual life. It is 
 so ordained of God. This law is God's law. It is the means 
 of order in the world. Only by the working of these laws are 
 we assured of safety. A Unitarian would emphasize the neces- 
 sity and the beauty of this law. Some people have believed in 
 miracles, by which is meant the breaking of law. It is thought 
 
58 
 
 that God would break a natural law to show His power or 
 make known a truth. But God does not and cannot break 
 these laws. They are the laws of His own being and nature. 
 Whatever wonderful things have happened have all come to 
 pass in accordance with the laws we know or of laws which 
 have not yet been fully understood. 
 Mail's Home. 
 
 Man Hves in this large world. He should have a feeling of 
 wonder toward the Supreme Power who controls it. On the 
 earth man's own life developed. It would seem that it was in 
 the divine plan that man should find here a home. Here he 
 has formed institutions and governments. Out of the instincts 
 of his soul and his thoughts about the world he has shaped 
 religions. And although there are many things which he can- 
 not understand and many things that are cruel, he thinks of 
 this world as his home during his physical life. Here he has 
 found another law, the moral law. To this he must give obe- 
 dience. And, as he discovers and obeys these higher laws, he 
 grows more worthy and more divine. 
 A Better World. 
 
 But we need not think this world perfect because it is essen- 
 tially good. It is imperfect. God's creation is not finished. 
 To the Unitarian's view, creation is still going on. God is 
 working out toward some end which we cannot as yet see. 
 And it is for man to take his place as a helper in this world- 
 making. He must reclaim deserts and make them fruitful. 
 What seems wrong he must make right. The conditions of 
 living in the world are to be improved. The Unitarian finds 
 an explanation of the imperfect conditions in the thought that 
 God's work is not yet finished and that we may help in making 
 this a better world. 
 
 1. What is a universe? 
 
 2. What is meant by law and miracle? 
 
 3. Is the world finished? 
 
Chapter XXX. — Belief about Immortality. 
 
 Ajter Death. 
 
 Unitarians hold firmly to a belief in a life after death. They 
 \ary much as to the reasons for so believing, and also as to 
 just what we may expect that life to be, but these are non- 
 essentials. Death is not the end: it is an incident in the con- 
 tinued existence of the soul. This continued existence is a 
 personal one. The individual lives. 
 
 This belief docs not depend upon a physical resurrection. 
 The body decays and returns to its elements in nature. But 
 there is in man a soul which can exist separately from the body. 
 It is in this direction that Unitarians look for the sources of 
 their hope and faith. 
 
 To most Unitarians this is a matter of reasonable faith. 
 Such a hope of another life exists, and it seems only reasonable 
 that it should be satisfied. There are hints and suggestions 
 from nature and from our own selves which issue in a strong 
 conviction that there is life after the change which is called 
 death. Some believe that they have evidence in the form of 
 communication between those who have died and those who 
 are still living. 
 The Immortal Life. 
 
 But our attention is directed to the future life not merely or 
 mainly as a continued existence, but to that life as a continua- 
 tion of this life. There is a great change indeed, but there is 
 also an intimate connection with what we are here. The im- 
 mortal life is a present reality, to be lived and felt in this world. 
 It is eternal life, life now and forever. 
 
 So the idea of the divineness of the soul, so much emphasized 
 in Unitarian belief, is closely connected with the idea of im- 
 mortality. The immortal life is not something given to us at 
 death, but is the continuance of what has already been in the 
 soul, only under new conditions. The general belief would 
 be summed up in this statement: We are immortal souls. 
 What Is To Be. 
 
 Here, generally, Unitarians do not dogmatize or profess 
 
6o 
 
 knowledge of the unseen world. They are content to rest 
 with the conviction that we shall live, and then to trust God 
 for doing what is best for His children. Certain thoughts, 
 however, come out into prominence. 
 
 The word "heaven" is often used as a name for the future 
 life. No place is meant, but the term expresses the idea of 
 blessedness. The word "hell" has no place in the Unitarian 
 vocabulary except as a description of bad conditions. The 
 Unitarian knows nothing of an absolute separation between 
 the saved and unsaved, the good and the bad. Souls somehow 
 go on together, and none are cast out from happiness. And 
 such a life would not seem to fulfil the reasonable hopes of 
 man nor fit the idea of God unless it could be a hfe in which 
 we remember, know each other, and have something to do. 
 Progress. 
 
 In this way it has come about that a very definite idea of 
 progress has been connected in the minds of Unitarians with 
 immortality. The life is not to be one of idleness or of entire 
 rest, but there will be something the doing of which is worth 
 while. We are to improve there as here. The highest ideals 
 of the present life are carried over into what is called the other 
 life. Instead of a fixed condition, in which everything ends 
 as it is left here and remains so forever, the Unitarian believes 
 that progress must go on there as here. The details no one 
 assumes to know, but the idea is accepted as reasonable. In 
 "Our Faith" the belief in immortality is described as "the 
 progress of mankind onward and upward forever." And it is 
 for us, in the light of this faith, to improve and to cultivate 
 the spiritual qualities as the best preparatiop for what is to 
 come. 
 
 1. What is death? 
 
 2. How do the beliefs in man and immortality agree? 
 
 3. What do we want in the future life? 
 
Chapter A'A'AY. — Belief about Jesus. 
 
 Leader, Teacher, Inspirer. 
 
 In some such words Unitarians would express their behef 
 in Jesus. They make much of him; they study the records 
 of his life and his teachings; they honor him by special ob- 
 servances; they profess themselves his followers; and, after 
 the name of Christ given to him, they call themselves Chris- 
 tians. Though they must differ widely from many other 
 Christians in their beliefs about him, they claim the right to 
 place him before them as a leader, to get directions for liv- 
 ing from his teachings, and to feel the inspiration for all life 
 which comes from acquaintance and companionship with 
 him. 
 His Humanity. 
 
 Others have set forth so prominently the doctrine that Jesus 
 was God that it has been necessary for Unitarians to say that 
 to them he was not God. The idea of the unity of God has 
 excluded Jesus from the godhead. Instead they have be- 
 lieved in his humanity. This has seemed not only more rea- 
 sonable, but more helpful as well. What he did was real, 
 and so he becomes an example to men of what they may do. 
 He was a master of spiritual things, and showed to man what 
 he may become. 
 
 But Unitarians mean very much when they think of him 
 as a man. Some have thought of him as a man specially 
 endowed with supernatural powers. But most Unitarians 
 claim for him a strict humanity. It should be remembered, 
 however, that they believe in humanity not as depraved, but 
 as noble and divine. The powers of a normal man are great, 
 and no one can describe their limits. Jesus had the spiritual 
 power wonderfully developed. The greatness of human 
 nature has given significance to the humanity of Jesus. 
 
 We may regard Jesus as divine without believing that he 
 was God or without denying his humanity. Divinity repre- 
 sents humanity at its highest, where it is in touch with the 
 infinite; and many would want often to speak of Jesus as 
 divine. 
 
62 
 
 Names. 
 
 The simple name "Jesus" is the one most commonly used. 
 The Messianic title "Christ," is also used because of its historic 
 connection and of the ideal conception suggested by it. He 
 may be called Saviour in the sense that he helps men out of 
 their difficulties and sins. He is son of God in the sense in 
 which all are children of God. God was incarnate in him 
 in the sense in which God is incarnate in every one or in all 
 humanity. He is called Lord by some who use it as a title 
 of great honor. Yet to most Unitarians these titles do not 
 appeal as strongly as do the simpler ones, like brother and 
 friend. 
 His Life. 
 
 It is upon his life, rather than in any mystical way upon his 
 death, that Unitarians would place the emphasis in their faith. 
 It was his loyalty to the truth which led to his death by cruci- 
 fixion. The cross is a symbol of utmost loyalty and self- 
 sacrifice. 
 
 Jesus found his strength in his religion. God was very 
 near to him; and he prayed to God as his Father, and taught 
 others so. His teachings grew out of his life, as it was thus 
 closely related to God. He helps us through his teachings and 
 through the wonderful life which he lived. 
 A Christian. 
 
 To be a Christian is certainly not merely to name his name 
 and to make a public profession. It may not be in doing just 
 what Jesus did in Palestine. Times have changed, and new 
 conditions have come. But the principles of love and good 
 will taught and lived by Jesus are suited to any age and are 
 needed in the complex life of our day. To be a Christian is 
 to catch the spirit of Jesus and to devote one's self to wor- 
 ship and service, to God and humanity. 
 
 1. What is meant by the humanity of Jesus? 
 
 2. What is the cross? 
 
 3. How does Jesus help us to-day? 
 
Chapter XXXII. — Belief about the Bible. 
 
 A Sacred Book. 
 
 The Bible is regarded by Unitarians as one of the sacred 
 books of the world. It is given supreme regard because it 
 is the sacred book of their religion. And this holy character 
 is thought of by them as derived not from any supernatural 
 origin or official act, but from its inherent worth and from 
 its personal and historical associations. These scriptures are 
 far nobler than the other great scriptures. So Unitarians 
 give to the Bible a unique place among books and make special 
 use of it in their study and in their public services. 
 Private Judgment. 
 
 Unitarians are among those who believe in the right of pri- 
 vate judgment as to the meaning of the words of the Bible. 
 No authority is to interpret it for us, but each one has the right 
 to form his own judgment. Reason is to them here, as every- 
 where, the supreme guide. They try to find out and accept 
 the plain and natural meanings. 
 
 But private judgment with Unitarians goes beyond the 
 covers of the Bible, and seeks to find the word of God which 
 is written elsewhere as well as in the Bible. Against the 
 doctrine that we may accept what we will as long as we accept 
 what is in the Bible Unitarians would here, as everywhere, 
 assert that we may accept what we will as long as we accept 
 what we think true, whether it is in the Bible or out of it. 
 Interpretation. 
 
 The Bible is not an infallible book, — a book without error; 
 and so it cannot be an infallible guide in faith and conduct. 
 To try to make it such injures the Bible itself. It has so much 
 wisdom in it that it becomes a most helpful guide. 
 
 It must be interpreted by the same methods which are used 
 in all writings. Historical criticism must be applied to it. 
 Such methods find some errors, some crude conceptions, many 
 legends. But it is the record of a life of a peculiarly religious 
 people, the Hebrews, who gave great ideas to the world. They 
 were not perfect, and so the story of their religion is not per- 
 
64 
 
 feet. The New Testament is an account of the life of Jesus 
 and the beginnings of, Christianity. Here also are features 
 which belong to the times. But throughout the whole of the 
 Bible there is much that is of permanent value and peculiarly 
 fitted for guidance in faith and conduct. To a Unitarian a 
 thing is not true because it is in the Bible: he reveres and 
 studies the Bible because there is so much truth in it. 
 Revelation. 
 
 The Bible may be regarded as a revelation of God. But 
 revelation does not belong only to one people and one book. 
 Revelation of God has always been made and is being made 
 to-day. The Bible is thus a part of the revelation of God, 
 the making plain of what God is and what He would have 
 us do. 
 
 So the writers of the Bible were inspired, were peculiarly 
 gifted for their task, but only as others have been peculiarly 
 gifted for their tasks. The Bible holds its place of deserved 
 prominence because of the intensity of the inspiration felt by 
 its writers, — not a different kind, but stronger. 
 Using the Bible. 
 
 Unitarians do not put as much weight as some others do 
 upon the verses or texts of the Bible. These are helpful for 
 illustration, but not for proof. Yet there are certain texts 
 which they emphasize as representing their faith. They would 
 cite such passages as Micah vi. 8; Psalms xxiii. and cxxxix. ; 
 Mark x. i8, xii. 29-31; John iv. 24; i Corinthians xiii.; 
 James i. 27. These, and many others like them, represent 
 their faith. And whole sections may be chosen for a like 
 purpose: the Sermon on the Mount, the parables of Jesus, 
 the stories of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan, the 
 Ten Commandments. But it is the main spirit of the Bible, 
 rather than texts or chapters, which is accepted and used as 
 a help in living. 
 
 1. In what way is the Bible a holy 000k ? 
 
 2. What is private judgment? 
 
 3. What passages in the Bible do Unitarians emphasize ? 
 
SECTION III. ORGANIZATION. 
 Chapter XXXIIL—Cbjirckes. 
 
 Where. 
 
 In America the largest group of Unitarian churches is in 
 New England, and the largest group there in Massachusetts. 
 This is due to the fact that here is where the movement began 
 in this country. 
 
 In the Middle States there are a few Unitarian churches 
 which were early organized, and many have been added by 
 missionary efforts. Dr. Channing preached in a parlor in 
 New York, and a church was organized in 1819, now All 
 Souls' Church, of which Henry W. Bellows was for a long time 
 minister. Under Dr. Priestley a congregation was gathered 
 at Northumberland, Pa., in 1794. 
 
 In the western part of the country a few churches were started 
 in the first half of the nineteenth century. The church in Cin- 
 cinnati was started in 1830, the church in St. Louis, of which 
 Rev. William G. Ehot was long minister, in 1834, and the 
 first church in Chicago in 1836. Other churches followed 
 gradually, but many are of recent growth. 
 
 In the South, which is very conservative, there are only a 
 few Unitarian churches. The Charleston (S.C.) church was 
 started in 181 7. The churches in Baltimore, New Orleans, 
 and Washington, had their beginnings about the same time. 
 
 In the farther West many churches have been started in 
 recent years. The first church in San Francisco was formed 
 in 1850. Its minister, Starr King, is said to have saved Cali- 
 fornia to the Union at the time of the Civil War. Dr. Horatio 
 Stebbins was minister of the church for many years. 
 
 There are also Unitarian churches in important places in 
 Canada. 
 Names. 
 
 Unitarian churches have various names. In many the 
 name "Unitarian" does not occur. Some are called Congre- 
 gational. In England the name "Presbyterian" is used in 
 
66 
 
 the same way. The names "Unity," "All Souls," "Channing," 
 and the like are found. There is no fixed custom. 
 Government. 
 
 In the older churches the dual form of organization exists. 
 In this the society or parish represents the pew-holders as 
 subscribers, and the church is the spiritual body, made up of 
 those who have joined by profession of faith, and are communi- 
 cants, or those who have signed the covenant or bond of fel- 
 lowship. In the newer churches this double form of organi- 
 zation docs not exist, and efforts have been made to do away 
 with it in the older churches. 
 
 Each church is independent, and conducts its own affairs. 
 •.This is done usually under a constitution and by-laws and by 
 means of officers and a standing committee or board of trus- 
 tees. 
 Covenants. 
 
 The bond which unites the church is called a covenant or 
 bond of fellowship or union. The covenants of some of the 
 first churches were very simple, and have been retained. The 
 covenant of the First Church of Salem, formed in 1629, is as 
 follows: "We covenant with the Lord, and with one another: 
 and do bind ourselves, in the presence of God, to walk together 
 in all His ways, according as He is pleased to reveal Himself 
 unto us in His Blessed word of Truth." 
 
 A bond of fellowship which is in common use to-day was 
 (originally shaped by Rev. Charles G. Ames: "In the freedom 
 of truth and in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, we unite for the 
 Worship of God and the Service of Man." 
 Membership. 
 
 This is not so exact or so much insisted upon in Unitarian 
 churches as in others. But it is a growing custom to make 
 more of such membership, and many churches rightly urge 
 the importance of definitely joining the church and of publicly 
 showing loyalty to it in this way. 
 
 1. Why are there so many Unitarian churches in New England? 
 
 2. What is the use of a covenant? 
 
 3. Should new churches be started? 
 
Chapter XXXIV. — General Organizations. 
 
 National Conjcrcnce. 
 
 The National Conference of Unitarian and Other Chris- 
 tian Churches is mainly a deliberative body. It represents all 
 the churches. Each church may appoint delegates not exceed- 
 ing three in number. It meets every two years at places ap- 
 pointed by the Council, which is its governing body, it ap- 
 points fellowship committees for different sections of the 
 country, and with these committees rests the decision as to 
 the acceptance of men and women into the ministry of the 
 denomination. 
 Unitarian Association. 
 
 The American Unitarian Association is the business and 
 missionary society in America. Its headquarters have been 
 for many years at 25 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. It has 
 permanent funds, and is also supported by yearly contribu- 
 tions from the churches. Contributing churches are entitled 
 to be represented by delegates at its meetings. The object 
 of the Association, as expressed in its by-laws, is "to diffuse 
 the knowledge and promote the interests of pure Christianity." 
 British and Foreign Association. 
 
 The British and Foreign Association is the corresponding 
 society in Great Britain, and is engaged in similar work. Its 
 headquarters are on Essex Street, London. 
 Sunday-School Society. 
 
 The Unitarian Sunday-School Society was organized in 
 Boston in 1827. Its aim is to promote the interests of Sunday 
 Schools and to furnish materials for religious education. Lesson 
 and service books are published, as well as a paper, Every 
 Other Sunday. The headquarters are at 25 Beacon Street, 
 Boston, and Western headquarters are maintained at 175 
 Dearborn Street, Chicago. 
 National Alliance. 
 
 The National Alliance of Unitarian and Other Liberal Chris- 
 tian Women is a very efficient organization of Unitarian women. 
 It was formed in 1890. The peculiar feature of the work is 
 
68 
 
 called the Post-office Mission. By this is meant the sending 
 of Unitarian literature by mail to those who are interested in 
 it. A great work for liberal religion has thus been done. 
 Young People. 
 
 The Young People's Religious Union is a national body in 
 America, and was formed in 1896. The cardinal principles of 
 the body are Truth, Worship, and Service. It is composed 
 of the individual societies of young people in the churches. 
 Conferences. 
 
 There are sectional conferences devoted to the interests of 
 the various parts of the country and working with the national 
 organizations. 
 
 The main ones are the Unitarian Conference of the Middle 
 States and Canada, with headquarters in New York; the West- 
 ern Unitarian Conference, with headquarters in Chicago; the 
 Pacific Unitarian Conference, with headquarters in San Fran- 
 cisco; the Southern Conference and the Rocky Mountain Con- 
 ference. There are also many state and local conferences. 
 Papers. 
 
 The Christian Register is the main denominational paper, 
 and is published weekly. The Unitarian is a monthly, the 
 Pacific Unitarian is a monthly. There are other papers of 
 a more local character. 
 {Schools. 
 
 Unitarians have no denominational colleges. There is a 
 Unitarian Theological School at Meadville, Pa., and one at 
 Berkeley, Cal. The Harvard Divinity School produces many 
 of the Unitarian ministers. 
 Other Bodies. 
 
 There are many other organizations, such as The Unita- 
 rian Temperance Society, Society for Ministerial Relief, The 
 Historical Society, men's clubs devoted to special purposes. 
 
 1. What is the Unitarian Sunday-School Society? 
 
 2. How is your church connected with the national organizations ? 
 
 3. How are organizations useful? 
 
Chapter A'A'Al'. — Worship. 
 Forms. 
 
 Like the other branches of the Christian Church, Unitarians 
 maintain pubhc worship, generally on Sunday morning and 
 sometimes both Sunday morning and evening. The forms of 
 worship vary. Here, again, in custom, as in belief, there is 
 no authority to compel uniformity, even if it should be wished. 
 The unity is one of spirit. In some churches the order of 
 service is very plain, according to the old Puritan tradition: 
 in others various forms of responsive readings and choral 
 responses have been used. Unitarians naturally avoid any- 
 thing that is mainly for the sake of the form, but there is 
 among them a wholesome tendency to make the service more 
 beautiful and more shared by all the people. 
 Special Observances. 
 
 The Communion Serv^ice, or the Lord's Supper, is observed 
 by many Unitarian churches, but not by all. Those observing 
 it use different forms, some holding the service even without 
 the use of bread and wine. Those who celebrate it in any 
 way regard it as a service of remembrance and as a helpful 
 symbol. It is not obligatory upon church members, and all 
 are invited to take part in it who find it significant and help- 
 ful to them. 
 
 Baptism is also a custom in the use of which churches vary. 
 When practised, it is regarded solely as a symbol. At the pres- 
 ent time, baptism among Unitarians is commonly confined to 
 the christening of children, where the form is one in which the 
 sacredness of the child is recognized. 
 
 Christmas is almost universally observed among Unitarians 
 because of their devotion to Jesus and as a festival of good 
 will and the giving of gifts. Easter is also celebrated in 
 the churches as a festival of life and immortality. Other 
 days and customs are observed by individual churches accord- 
 ing to their tastes. 
 The Sermon. 
 
 In the service of worship, in which prayer and song and 
 reading have their places, an important feature is the sermon 
 
70 
 
 by the minister. The motives and methods of preaching 
 must vary, but the essential purpose of it is to interpret life, 
 to recognize and explain the spiritual realities, to inspire faith, 
 to bring the truth into the service of personal and social life. 
 Music. 
 
 Unitarians have found difficulty in using much of the great 
 music of the world because words have often been such as they 
 could not accept. Sometimes they can give their own mean- 
 ing to the words, and sing them because of the music. But 
 efforts have been made to select and produce musical pieces 
 more in conformity to the beliefs of Unitarians, and the need 
 is being supplied. Some books of anthems for use in liberal 
 churches have been published. 
 Hymns. 
 
 Unitarians have it to their credit that they have produced 
 some of the best hymns, and especially so in recent years. They 
 have avoided a certain kind of music called "gospel hymns" 
 as being sentimental and unworthy a dignified worship. They 
 use many of the great hymns of the church in all its branches. 
 The well-known hymn, "Nearer, my God, to Thee," was 
 written by an English Unitarian woman, Mrs. Sarah Flower 
 Adams. Edmund H. Sears wrote two Christmas hymns which 
 are widely used, "Calm on the listening ear of night" and "It 
 came upon the midnight clear." Julia Ward Howe wrote 
 "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," a national song in Amer- 
 ica. Many noble hymns have come from Samuel Longfellow, 
 John W. Chadwick, Frederick L. Hosmer, William C. Gan- 
 nett, and others of later times. Unitarians have produced 
 many hymns and prayers which give expression to a sincere 
 and rational piety. 
 
 Much attention has also been given to the music and forms 
 of worship for Unitarian Sunday Schools. This feature is 
 considered very valuable in religious training. 
 
 1. What is characteristic of Unitarian forms of worship? 
 
 2. Why is Christmas observed? 
 
 3. What are some hymns written by Unitarians? 
 
Chapter XXXVL—Tw£. Fruits. 
 Thought. 
 
 Unitarians have felt themselves a part of the general move 
 ment toward liberal thinking. They have taken active part 
 in the movement, welcoming and promoting new ideas as well 
 as carefully preserving valuable old ones. They regard this 
 as a valuable service. In such a way other churches have 
 been made broader and more humane in their doctrines and 
 practices. And many outside of all churches have been shown 
 that there may be thorough critical inquiry with attendant 
 doubts, and at the same time a firm faith. 
 A Church. 
 
 A church has been preserved and built up. This free church 
 has offered a place for some to worship who had come to hold 
 rational beliefs and could worship only according to the dic- 
 tates of their consciences. Thus the church has maintained 
 and fostered the spiritual life. 
 
 The church has offered a means for efficient work in ac- 
 cordance with the humanitarian principles of its members. 
 Through its influence important institutions have been founded 
 and maintained. 
 
 Their beliefs about other great religions have kept Unita- 
 rians from engaging in foreign missionary work to any large 
 extent. At the request of some Japanese people a mission 
 was started at Tokio, and this was finally taken charge of by 
 the Japanese themselves. 
 Great Names. 
 
 As fruits of the Unitarian faith, there are many great men 
 and women who can be named in America and elsewhere. 
 Some of these names have already been mentioned in connec- 
 tion with the history of the church. Added to them may be 
 the names of statesmen, John Adams, John Q. Adams, Thomas 
 Jefferson, Edward Everett, Charles Sumner, Daniel Webster, 
 George W. Curtis, George F. Hoar, Dorman B. Eaton, Joseph 
 Story, John A. Andrew, John Marshall, Carroll D. Wright, 
 John D. Long, William H. Taft, and many others. 
 
 Among men of science and educators are such names as 
 
72 
 
 Horace Mann, Louis Agassiz, Charles W, Eliot, Edward C. 
 Pickering. 
 
 Among philanthropists are Mary Carpenter, Dorothea Dix, 
 Samuel G. Howe, Peter Cooper, Ezra Cornell, Enoch Pratt, 
 Mary A. Livermore, Mary Hemenway, Julia Ward Howe, 
 William H. Baldwin, and very many others. 
 
 In literature the list is long. Some of the names are Long- 
 fellow, Lowell, Holmes, Bryant, Emerson, Helen Hunt Jack- 
 son, Edmund C. Stedman, Bayard Taylor, Louisa M. Alcott, 
 Margaret Fuller, Hawthorne, J. T, Trowbridge, Thomas 
 Wentworth Higginson, Bancroft, Motley, Prescott, Parkman^ 
 Sparks, John Fiske. 
 The Measure of Success. 
 
 The number of Unitarians has always been small, and they 
 rank now as one of the smallest denominations. They have 
 disliked certain methods which tend to gain numbers. They 
 have neglected to press their beliefs forward as much as 
 the beliefs deserved. But even such a small body has had 
 a strong influence upon the nation and the world; and this is 
 the finest of fruits. 
 Present and Future. 
 
 Unitarians in England, America, and elsewhere, are de- 
 voted to their faith. They are growing in a conviction of the 
 usefulness as well as the reasonableness of their faith. They 
 are organizing their free churches for more efficient work and 
 for making their principles more widely known and better 
 understood. Other churches are showing more fellowship 
 toward them, and their own sympathies and co-operation are 
 extending over the world. In every sense Unitarians may 
 present their cause as one in which an earnest young man or 
 young woman ma^ enlist. 
 
 1. How have Unitarians helped the world? 
 
 2. What are some of their great names? 
 
 3. Will you take your place within the ranks? 
 
HELPS FOR TEACHERS 
 
HELPS FOR TEACHERS. 
 
 Chapter I. — Christianity. 
 
 1. The aim of this course is to get such a view of the great 
 reUgions of the world and of the sects of Christianity as to 
 appreciate them in themselves and as to prepare the way for 
 an understanding of our own faith. To know others, and in 
 comparison with others to know our own better, is the under- 
 lying motive. It is well to explain to the pupil the whole plan, 
 that he may know where he is going and that he is going 
 somewhere. 
 
 2. Assume by attitude and word that the course is worth 
 while. The value of what is to be studied is so great that we 
 can afford to give time to it. 
 
 3. The lessons put into the hands of the pupil are simple 
 and short. Only such material is placed there as the pupil 
 can handle, and such as he should learn. If what is there is 
 learned, the main points will have been gained. It is better 
 to learn a few things well than to go o\'er much ground care- 
 lessly. The teacher should see that the lesson is known by 
 not merely one in the class, but by all. Go over the same 
 thing with different pupils, varying the manner of approach. 
 
 4. Get the pupils to do as much as possible themselves. 
 This is always a good plan. And to go over the ground again 
 and again is valuable at this age as well as for the younger 
 pupils. 
 
 5. A lesson has been given here on Christianity that we may 
 start from what we think best, and that we may show how the 
 attitude of sympathy towards other religions is Christian. 
 
 6. A map might be used to show the extent of Christendom, — 
 the regions in which Christianity is found. Comparison might 
 be made by map, also, of the regions known where Christianity 
 began, and of its present extent. 
 
7- A great modern event was the meeting of the World's 
 Parliament of Religions, held at Chicago in 1893, in connection 
 with the Columbian Exposition or World's Fair. Here repre- 
 sentatives from all the religions of the world, and from all 
 Christian sects, met together and spoke from the same plat- 
 form. The two large volumes of the records of these meetings 
 will be interesting material for this course. They may be 
 found in some hbraries. They are "The World's Parliament 
 of Religions," edited by J. H. Barrows. They contain the 
 addresses and pictures. 
 
 8. The best small books for the first part of this course are 
 Everett's "Religions before Christianity" and "The History 
 of Religions," by E. D. Price. Clodd's "The Childhood of 
 Religions" will be found of service. James Freeman Clarke's 
 "Ten Great Religions" was one of the first attempts to treat 
 the world religions fairly and extensively. It is in two volumes, 
 the first one of which is more useful here. Bousset's "What is 
 Religion?" is valuable. "The Sacred Books of the East," 
 containing translations of some of the sacred books of Oriental 
 religions, are expensive, but may be found in the better libra- 
 ries. "Religions Ancient and Modern" is a recent series of 
 small handy books which treat accurately many of the subjects 
 of this section. There are many works on the various religions, 
 and these are increasing. The teacher may well collect articles 
 and pictures from magazines, which will prove helpful in teach- 
 ing. 
 
 Chapter II. — Primitive Religions. 
 
 1. We are here dealing with religion in its lowest forms. It 
 ought to be respected by the pupil. The savage even is coming 
 in contact with the unseen forces of the world, and is trying to 
 explain them and to do what he thinks is required. Religion 
 has developed, as have all things, from rude beginnings. The 
 thought of evolution will here produce the interest and respect 
 required. 
 
 2. Have the pupils mention the peoples and tribes with 
 which they may have made acquaintance in their general 
 
study. The Hottentots and KalTirs are African tribes. The 
 Sioux, the Iroquois, arc tribes of American Indians. The ones 
 that some in the class know about will serve best for examples. 
 
 3. As information about Indians is rather common, some 
 pupil might be asked to look up their customs and tell about 
 them in the class. There might be classes, perhaps of boys, 
 in which some might be asked to bring in something about 
 Livingstone and Stanley and their travels in Africa. 
 
 4. In some cases the teacher may find it advisable to begin 
 with some idea of our own, which links us with the lower 
 forms. Take something which is a fetich to us, a book for 
 example, and show how it becomes to a person an object of 
 such regard as to be almost worshiped. To some people the 
 Bible becomes a fetich. 
 
 5. Various words and their meanings may be cited, and their 
 meanings made plain. A good dictionary will be all that is 
 needed. For instance, the Century Dictionary will explain the 
 totems. And in Indian scenes pictures of such objects may be 
 found. 
 
 6. A fetich mentioned by Bousset is a small piece of an 
 anchor broken from a ship. It had done some injury, and was 
 soon set up as an object of worship. The evil spirit in it, to 
 the believer in it, had to be appeased. 
 
 7. The whole region of magic as connected with religious 
 beliefs and ceremonies may be taken up. It should not, how- 
 ever, be allowed to get too far away from the main purpose 
 of the lesson. Many people use charms to-day, and believe 
 in them. 
 
 8. For the teacher's guidance. Chapter II. in Bousset's 
 "What is Religion?" will be helpful. The first two chapters 
 of Dr. Everett's "Religions before Christianity" will be found 
 valuable in this lesson. Clodd's "Childhood of Religions," 
 Chapters V. and VI., and Gould's "Beginnings," will be 
 useful. 
 
Chapter III. — Religions of Greece, Rome, and Egypt. 
 
 1. Abundance of material is within reach to describe the 
 gods of Greece and Rome. Any mythology (Murray or Bul- 
 finch) will give information. The pupil will probably have 
 some knowledge of these religions gained from his general 
 study. But the pupil should be led now to see that we are 
 studying something more than mere mythology: we are study- 
 ing the religion of these peoples. This is the way in which 
 they found God, in which God revealed Himself to them. The 
 opportunity is here to give a deeper meaning to the facts which 
 the pupils may have gained in their other studies. 
 
 2. Only a few of the names of deities are given in the lesson. 
 Ask for others from the class, and, if some one is able to de- 
 scribe some special god, or hero, or feature, let him do so, and 
 then go on from there to cover the whole ground. 
 
 3. Come to an understanding about idolatry. The old idea 
 that this is an utterly false and degrading worship must be aban- 
 doned. The Hebrew religion spoke against the making of 
 idols very strongly. See Exodus xx. 4 and Isaiah xliv. Art 
 has been encouraged by the making of images, and sincere 
 worship has been offered. But spirituality has been hampered, 
 and the Hebrews developed their wonderful idea of the one 
 God and His spiritual nature in opposition to the many gods 
 and the worship of their images. 
 
 4. Paul at Athens, as described in Acts xvii., should be 
 mentioned. Use the Revised Version. Paul compliments the 
 Greeks on being so religious. He connects the God whom he 
 would make known with the unknown god whose altar he had 
 seen. Diana of the Ephesians might be described, Acts xix. 24. 
 
 5. The interest of some pupils may be gained by asking 
 where we get the name of January. It comes from the name 
 of the Roman god, Janus, the god of the years. Likewise 
 March comes from Mars. 
 
 6. The Egyptian religion has forceful representations in the 
 well-known Sphinx and Pyramids. The Pyramids are tombs, 
 mostly for royal personages. 
 
7- The following description of some person whose worth 
 is sanctioned is given in the Egyptian "Book of the Dead": 
 "He hath given bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, 
 clothes to the naked; he hath given a boat to the shipwrecked; 
 he hath given the offerings to the gods and paid due rites to 
 the departed." 
 
 8. Pictures are available for this lesson, of temples, gods, 
 and places. Some classes may be interested in collecting 
 pictures for all these lessons, A collection of permanent value 
 could be made. 
 
 Chapter IV. — The Hindu Religion. 
 
 1. To get our bearings, it is well to know the region about 
 which we are studying. India is a large country, and its pop- 
 ulation numbers millions. There are educated people among 
 the natives, and there is much gross ignorance. The country 
 is under British rule. Important cities are Calcutta on the 
 eastern coast and Bombay on the western. 
 
 2. We are now studying Oriental people, the people of the 
 East. They are so different from Western people that it is 
 necessary to try to see things from their point of view if we are 
 to understand them at all. Thus has come the expression, to 
 orient one's self; that is, to put one's self in the other's situa- 
 tion, and try to see things from his point of view. 
 
 3. The appropriate chapters in the general works already 
 mentioned may be consulted. Other works are Barth's "The 
 Religions of India" and Williams's "Hinduism." Some in- 
 teresting descriptions of people and customs may be found in 
 M. D. Conway's Autobiography. In using James Freeman 
 Clarke's "Ten Great Religions," the teacher might mention 
 to the pupils the value of the work of this Unitarian minister. 
 It was among the first attempts to study and present the great 
 religions sympathetically and fairly. 
 
 4. The Sacred Books of the East have been translated, and, 
 if they are accessible, selections from the Vedas might be read 
 here. In his book Dr. Everett gives a translation of a hymn 
 to Agni, page 18. 
 
5. Hinduism is full of caste. This is the division of the people 
 into different classes according to the laws of Brahmanism. 
 There are four main castes. The privileges and hindrances 
 are inherited, so that no one can pass from one caste to the other. 
 Caste has a blighting effect on the people, and efforts are being 
 made to free the Hindus from this self-inflicted slavery. This 
 is coming about by education and by reform movements. The 
 Brahmo Somaj works against caste. 
 
 6. Emerson's poem "Brahma" gives an interpretation of 
 the idea of the deity of Brahmanism. It is mystical, but the 
 Oriental is mystical. Brahma is all things, and the human 
 soul finds its heaven in being absorbed in him. The Chris- 
 tian God is one of love, and the Christian hope is of con- 
 tinued personal existence. 
 
 Chapter V. — Buddhism. 
 
 1. The good there is in Buddhism should be shown and the 
 attitude of respect kept. But it has its defects, and these should 
 be made clear. The Buddhist looked upon the present life 
 with disgust. His effort was to escape from suffering and evil. 
 We look upon life as good and to be made better. We seek to 
 mend the evil and to alleviate the suffering and to remove the 
 causes of it. Buddhism is not suited to our active Western 
 world. We may learn much from it, but need not become 
 Buddhists to do so. Some of the Buddhist priests and teachers 
 are examples of what the best in their religion can produce. 
 
 2. Locate on a map the places where Buddhism is found. 
 It has been said that a third of the people of the earth are 
 Buddhists. In these regions the population is dense. There 
 are some Buddhists in Europe and America, but not many. 
 
 Pictures of Buddhist temples and of images of Buddha are 
 easily found, and would add a tangible interest. See Perry 
 Pictures, number 1900. 
 
 3. An Indian ruler Asoka was the Constantine of Buddhism. 
 He made it powerful in the state. Under him a council was 
 held at Patna, 243 B.C., when it was decided what books 
 should be regarded as sacred. 
 
4- The tree under which Buddha sat when he attained en- 
 lightenment was the Bo-tree, in Gaya. It is a sacred spot to 
 the Buddhist. A supposed rehc of Buddha, a tooth, is pre- 
 served in Ceylon, and is worshiped. 
 
 5. The resemblance suggested in question one is that both 
 Christ and Buddha are titles. Siddartha received the title 
 Buddha, and Jesus received the title Christ. As Christianity 
 took its title from the name of its founder, so Buddhism. In 
 question two some resemblances are mentioned between 
 stories. It is not meant that either religion knew about the 
 stories of the other. Christianity did not copy from Buddhism. 
 Such stories grow up about great characters, and like con- 
 ditions bring somewhat like results. But it is impossible for 
 us reasonably to say that the stories are true in one place and 
 not in another. They are legends which have tended to exalt 
 the great characters. 
 
 6. The story of Buddha is beautifully told in Edwin Arnold's 
 "The Light of Asia." His other work, "The Light of the 
 World," refers to Christ. "The Gospel of Buddha" and 
 "Karma," a story, both by Paul Carus, are interesting. See 
 also chapters in general works mentioned. 
 
 7. A thought from the Dhammapada: "All that we are is 
 the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our 
 thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or 
 acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel 
 follows the foot of him that draws the carriage. ... If a man 
 speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like 
 a shadow that never leaves him." 
 
 8. An interesting service on Saints, Sages, and Seers \\'ill be 
 found in "Unity Services and Songs." There are notes on 
 the great religious leaders. 
 
Chapter F/.— Zoroastrianism. 
 
 1. Each of these religions has distinct characteristics. The 
 pupil should get hold of these, so that he may know one re- 
 ligion from another, and not have the beliefs and customs all 
 mixed up. The lesson itself aims to be clear: let the teacher 
 care for the distinctions between the lessons. It is better to 
 go over and over these few main points than to try to give a 
 large amount of information. The teacher's work is mainly 
 to have the pupil get hold of the information that is given. 
 Here the leader, Zoroaster, the struggle between good and evil, 
 as suggested in question two, and the customs about fire may 
 well stand forth as features surely to be kept in mind. 
 
 2. Zoroaster had an earlier name, Zarathustra. It may 
 have been some kind of a title. It has been held that 
 Zoroaster never really existed, that he was a myth. In the 
 lesson the positive statement is left that he was an historical 
 person. The weight of evidence is strongly in favor of that 
 position, and one is safe in deahng with him as a man, Httle 
 as we may know about him. 
 
 3. The struggle between good and evil is dualism. There 
 is something of truth in it which must be recognized. We see 
 that struggle about us, as the Persians saw it about them. 
 The belief of the Christian is that God is over all, and that, 
 though we cannot always see how, the evil must range itself 
 under the control and direction of God, who is, as Whittier 
 called him, "The Eternal Goodness." 
 
 4. The Ceremonial law in the Avesta resembles the book 
 of Leviticus. It is not possible to tell just how much our 
 religion has taken over from Persian thought. Certainly, the 
 angelology was developed by contact during the latter part 
 of the Exile with Persians. So came satan and much of 
 demonology. Possibly some ideas of the resurrection may be 
 traced to this source. 
 
 5. In later traditions of Zoroastrianism there are found 
 birth-stories which are like some of the legends about Buddha 
 and Christ. All nature rejoiced at his birth. The child 
 
laughed when it was born. All this legendary matter is the 
 result of the homage paid by the believers, who thought that 
 their great leader could not have come into the world in the 
 usual way and that wonders must have attended his birth. 
 These legends are found in the Bundehcsh. 
 
 6. Some references to the New Testament may add interest 
 and be appropriate. "God is light," i John i. 5. Against 
 ceremonial, Matthew vii. 16, xx. 28. There is some likeness in 
 various places, but the spirit of Jesus is immeasurably nobler 
 than anything in Zoroastrianism, fine as much of that religion 
 is. 
 
 Chapter VII. — The Religion of the Chinese. 
 
 1. It is not necessary that the teacher follow the lesson through 
 always as it is given in the pupil's lesson. It is well to vary 
 sometimes. For instance, this lesson might be started at once 
 by some question about Confucius or about ancestor-worship. 
 Then from these points the teacher may lead the lesson on to all 
 the points. 
 
 2. Beginning with what is near at hand, one could almost 
 anywhere now ask about the possible religion of some Chinese 
 near at hand. It should be remembered, however, that many 
 of these Chinese in the Western countries are not of the best 
 classes and may not represent Chinese religion at its best. 
 
 3. In China, as in other countries, there are Christian mis- 
 sionaries and converts to Christianity. The question about 
 missionaries may come up. It will be seen that our view of 
 these religions will not allow us to send missionaries to tell 
 believers in them that their religions are false and Christianity 
 only is true. Some of these religions are better than the crude 
 Christianity which the missionaries have preached. Still, 
 missionaries have done good by their schools, their doctors, 
 and other social influences. In recent times also the general 
 attitude of missionaries has changed, so as to judge more 
 fairly and kindly these great religions. 
 
 4. All Chinese students must be familiar with the teachings 
 of Confucius. An examination in them must be passed before 
 
lO 
 
 one enters public service. Some of the questions asked are 
 very trivial, and show a wide departure from the spirit of Con- 
 fucius himself. 
 
 5. The Golden Rule should be talked about. It does not 
 hurt this rule for it to be stated in the negative form. It 
 means essentially the same as the positive statement given by 
 Jesus. Jesus did not copy it from Confucius, for he knew 
 nothing about Confucius probably. It is a noble sentiment 
 reached by both great teachers and set forth as a short rule of 
 life. 
 
 6. There is a Confucian temple in every Chinese city of a 
 certain rank. Each family has a shrine for ancestral worship. 
 The burying-grounds are visited frequently. 
 
 7. Comparison with events elsewhere will help in giving the 
 proper setting. For instance, Confucius died nine years before 
 Socrates was born. He was contemporary with Buddha. 
 
 Chapter VIII . — Mohammedanism. 
 
 1. See the part of history in which we now are. All the 
 other religions studied began before Christianity: Moham- 
 medanism began after. We have changed from B.C. in the 
 origins to a.d. Mohammedanism came about as long after 
 Christ as Buddhism and Confucianism came before Christ. 
 Modammedanism accepts the main part of Judaism and some 
 of Christianity, but it claims to add another and a greater 
 revelation. 
 
 2. The name of the prophet is spelled in various ways, 
 Mahomet, Muhammed, etc. The common form is used in 
 the lesson. So Koran is sometimes Qurdn. Islam is accented 
 on the first syllable; so also Hejira. Moslem, Muslim, 
 Mussulman, are names given to the follower of Mohammed. 
 
 3. The Koran, accented on either the first or last syllable, 
 is the one book of Mohammedans. It contains all kinds of 
 rules as well as religious beliefs. Some of Mohammed's preach- 
 ing is undoubtedly preserved in the Koran. If the teacher has 
 access to a copy, let him read from it to the class. The first 
 
sura is said to contain the essence of the whole. There are 
 some good teachings and interesting stories, but on the whole 
 it is a rather dreary waste to an intelligent person to-day. 
 
 4. Mohammed had a dream in which he was carried by 
 Gabriel on a winged horse to Jerusalem, and there he was in 
 the presence of all the prophets, who welcomed him to their 
 number. He maintained that this dream w^as reality, and that 
 he had actually visited Jerusalem and heaven. Many strange 
 stories have grown up around him, such as that trees went 
 forth to meet him. 
 
 5. This religion has had a wide sway. Doubtless it has 
 done some good. It has also done much harm. Probably 
 at first Mohammed was sincere, but he was led astray by his 
 own success. His laws were made for a rude people and are 
 not suited to a progressive people. It has been called the 
 religion of the sword, and it has used the sword fiercely. But 
 Christianity has sometimes used the sword also. At first the 
 religion had a purifying effect. In Mecca, where it began, 
 the temple Kaaba contained six thousand idols, one a black 
 stone which had fallen from heaven, probably an aerolite. 
 Against such worship Mohammed carried his strict mono- 
 theism. 
 
 6. There are several lives of Mohammed, — Muir's, Well- 
 hausen's, B. Smith's. Besides the general works already 
 used, there are many valuable books and articles. Gibbon's 
 "The Roman Empire," Vol. V., Chapter 50, is a famous 
 account. 
 
 7. Pictures of mosques, of the muezzin, and of the faithful at 
 prayer are generally accessible. The artist Gerome has painted 
 a beautiful picture of the interior of a mosque. 
 
Chapter IX. — Semitic Religions. 
 
 1. So much study has been given to the Hebrew religion in 
 the Old Testament that we need not go into detail about it here. 
 But it should find its place among the religions of the world 
 and have its position recognized even independently of Chris- 
 tianity. Then Judaism exists about us to-day and has its 
 temples of worship. Examples of the two types of Jews 
 may be found in the larger cities, the one type very strict in 
 the old customs and the other looking upon religion as some- 
 thing natural and casting off many of the racial and religious 
 peculiarities. 
 
 2. The word "Semitic" is used as a name for the classifica- 
 tion of peoples. It refers to the supposed descent from Shem, 
 though that is, of course, legendary. The main contrast is 
 with the Aryan race, the race to which Europeans belong. 
 
 3. Babylonia and Assyria have come close to Hebrew his- 
 tory. But the references to these people and their gods in 
 the Bible can hardly be taken as a fair description. It is 
 better to look from the inside and see how the people tell of 
 themselves. And this more correct view has been gained 
 through the excavations of the ruins of the ancient cities. 
 
 4. For the stories of creation and the iiood there is a similarity 
 which is noticeable. Whether the Hebrew stories are to be 
 traced back to the older accounts is not easy to determine. There 
 may have been some memorable flood in that region which 
 gave rise to both accounts. And these similar peoples naturally 
 might think in somewhat similar terms about the beginning of 
 things. The Hebrews did borrow some ideas from other 
 peoples, as we have seen in relation to the Persians. It is not 
 impossible that there has been some borrowing here also. 
 
 5. Some account might be given of the explorations that are 
 being made in Egypt, Babylonia, and Palestine. Large ruins 
 are uncovered and many valuable relics discovered. These 
 help to determine historic events and to show the beliefs and 
 customs of the people, and are thus highly valuable. 
 
 6. There is a Semitic Museum at Harvard University, a 
 
13 
 
 visit to which would repay much ctTort. Delitzsch's "Babel 
 and Bible" is a valuable little book. Layard's "Nineveh," 
 R. Smith's "The Religion of the Semites," and G. Smith's 
 "Chaldean Account of Creation" will be ser\'iceable. 
 
 Chapter X. — Early Christian Sects. 
 
 1. Keep the plan clearly in the pupil's mind. We are more 
 interested when we know where we are going. Here we start 
 on the second division of our study. The same method and 
 spirit are kept. These churches about us, what are they ? 
 Where did they come from ? Why do people go to them ? 
 It is a very practical study. Why are we in our church rather 
 than in others? We ought to know something about other 
 churches as well as much about our own church. 
 
 2. These are comparative studies. At many points the 
 opportunity may come to compare the other sects with our own. 
 But the thorough study of our own is to come later, and it is 
 well to keep closely to the study of the others here. 
 
 3. There are doubtless too many sects, and the attempt at 
 union is commendable. Yet each one must be true to his light. 
 These sects have set forth different phases of belief, and so they 
 have often done good. 
 
 4. x\n interesting reference is Acts xxiv. 14. See the Revised 
 Version, in which heresy is translated sect. The root idea of 
 sect is to choose. And a heresy is what one chooses to believe 
 even against what is prevailing or is sought to be enforced by 
 authority. Honest heresy is one of the noblest things in 
 history. 
 
 5. The fact may be recalled that other religions than 
 Christianity have sects. We have not been able to study 
 these in the brief view of the religions which we made. They 
 are not so conspicuous elsewhere, but they do exist. 
 
 6. It was by a vote that the doctrine of Arius did not become 
 the accepted doctrine of the organized church. A vote does 
 not necessarily settle the truth of a matter: it shows that the 
 larger number favor a certain side. The trinitarian view pre- 
 
14 
 
 vailed in the council: it was not proved that the unitarian 
 view was wrong. But unitarian and trinitarian did hot mean 
 then altogether what they mean now. 
 
 7. The book which every teacher should have for this division 
 of the course is Dr. W. H. Lyon's "A Study of the Sects." 
 It may be used in the class with profit, in many cases along 
 with these lessons. Price's "The Story of Religions" is valu- 
 able here also. It has brief treatments. For this lesson, see 
 the latter book, pages 108 to 137. See also the church his- 
 tories. A large work is American Church History. The 
 sects are treated in separate volumes. Volume one is general, 
 and will be useful here. 
 
 Chapter XL — The Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 1. Almost every pupil will have some idea about the Roman 
 Catholic Church. Let him have a chance to tell what he 
 knows. Possibly he may have some idea of the merit of the 
 church and may also see its faults. The teacher is bound to 
 see that the main points are understood, those about the pope 
 and the mass. We must always try to understand and do full 
 justice: then we are ready to show the errors. 
 
 2. Subjects might be assigned beforehand to members of the 
 class to look up and report about, — the mass, the crucifix, the 
 confessional, the Virgin Mary. A good dictionary will give 
 information, and members of the church might be asked. Some 
 one might find out about some historic matter, like the In- 
 quisition, or some one might attend a service at a Catholic 
 Church and report what he saw. 
 
 3. Generally, children and even older young people are 
 much impressed by the formalides of the church. They 
 should be made to think what such mean, and be asked whether 
 they are true. It is not enough that a thing be attractive 
 or showy. 
 
 As to the claims for papal authority, it is doubtful whether 
 Peter ever was in Rome or had anything to do with the found- 
 ing of the church there. We do not put much weight upon 
 
IS 
 
 the statement in ihc Xcw Testament about this matter. It 
 may be a reflection of a late opinion or it may be of some 
 symboHcal meaning, the word "Peter" meaning rock. There 
 have been good popes, but some very bad ones. At one time 
 there were two rival popes. The line of descent is not un- 
 broken, and that spoils the priest's authority. 
 
 4. The New Testament idea about the body and blood is 
 purely symbolical. Mark xiv. 22, 23. It is not only unwar- 
 ranted to believe that the real body and blood are present in 
 the mass, made so by the priest's act, but it is abhorrent. 
 
 5. In the United States the Roman Catholics are made up 
 largely of the immigrants from European countries. In such 
 countries as Spain and Italy this church is the dominant one. 
 In France the church and state have only recently been sepa- 
 rated. 
 
 6. Catholic schools may come up for discussion. These 
 are maintained in order that Roman Catholic ideas may be 
 directly taught to the children. 
 
 7. "The Story of Religions" and "A Study of the Sects," 
 already used, will be the best references. The Century Dic- 
 tionary gives much information. There are Catholic books 
 by Catholic writers, but these are hardly to be trusted. 
 
 Chapter XII. — The Greek Church. 
 
 1. It would be unadvisable to go far into the early history 
 of the Greek and Roman churches here. Recall what was 
 studied in last year's course on Christian history. Just 
 enough need here be given to show that there were differences 
 and what in a general way these were. Our main interest is 
 in the church as it is to-day. 
 
 2. There are a few Greek churches in Western countries, 
 especially in large cities, where believers have emigrated. 
 Find out whether there is one near you. 
 
 3. This is one of the best existing examples of a state church. 
 A state church is one which is adopted by a nation as its 
 church. All public rites must be by that church. The rulers 
 
i6 
 
 must belong to it. Other churches may be permitted, but 
 only by acts of toleration. In the United States there is com- 
 plete separation of church and state. And this is the general 
 tendency in all countries. The state church gets the prestige 
 and obedience which the state can give, but it loses in genuine- 
 ness and in progress. Here is a good chance to discuss the 
 state church. 
 
 4. There may be occasion to mention the Jews, many of 
 whom are in Russia. There have been cruel massacres of 
 them there. However, this persecution and this anti-Semitism 
 are not due wholly to religious prejudices. Financial and 
 political features belong to these disturbances and to this race 
 hatred. 
 
 5. Mention Tolstoi here. He once belonged to the orthodox 
 Greek Church, but was excommunicated because of his pub- 
 lished beliefs. He left his social position and his financial in- 
 dependence to lead the life of plain labor. He believes in the 
 carrying out of the exact words of Jesus, and always returns 
 good for evil. He is a noble man, and his opposition to the 
 church is justifiable. His interpretation of the teachings of 
 Jesus is not always acceptable. 
 
 6. Pictures of Greek churches in Russia and elsewhere 
 can be had and should be shown in the class. Magazine articles 
 in current numbers may have something relating to the coun- 
 tries where this church is dominant. Encourage looking out 
 for such things and finding pictures. 
 
 7. Such references may help as Dr. Lyon's book, Chapter 
 IV.; The Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. XL; any church his- 
 tory, as Kurtz's; Palmer's "Russian Life in Town and 
 Country." 
 
17 
 
 Chapter XIII. — Episcopalians; Lutherans. 
 
 1. More than one church is described in this and succeeding 
 lessons in order to cover the whole field. There is no neces- 
 sary connection between those in any one lesson, except a 
 resemblance or historic association. 
 
 2. Study these churches as they are about you. Let the 
 pupils be familiar with the names and locations of such churches. 
 These churches all have things in common; but the aim has 
 been in the lesson to describe the peculiar features of any 
 church, the things which make it be separate. In cities the 
 High Church Episcopalians may be found in one church and 
 the Broad Churchmen in another. 
 
 3. The creeds will be found in the Prayer Book. It would 
 be well to have a copy of this book in the class. If there is 
 time, there might be some explanation of how the services are 
 carried on according to the order of this book. If one is not 
 owned, it could be borrowed, doubtless. 
 
 4. The beauty of the form and liturgy should be shown and 
 acknowledged. But the limitations should be brought out, 
 especially so in regard to the liturgy. The forms impress 
 young people, as they should. But the necessity, first of all, of 
 following the truth and of asking not merely what is attractive, 
 but what is true, should be made clear. In prescribed forms 
 of prayer there is possibly more uniformity and better expres- 
 sion; but there is loss of originality and the opportunity for 
 the free expression of one's own feelings and thoughts. 
 
 5. The great characters of the churches might be looked up. 
 In the English Church these might be such as Wyclif, the 
 reformer, Maurice, Kingsley, Farrar, Phillips Brooks. Among 
 the Lutherans it would be well to choose Luther himself and 
 get as much as possible about him. 
 
 •6. Pictures of English and German cathedrals will be ap- 
 propriate. The Episcopal Church has produced and en- 
 couraged beautiful church buildings. St. Paul's in London is 
 to the English Church what St. Peter's at Rome is to the 
 Roman. 
 
i8 
 
 7. Martin Luther's hymn, ''A mighty fortress is our God," 
 will be found in many hymn-books. Have it read in the class. 
 
 8. For references see the appropriate chapters in works 
 already noted. 
 
 Chapter XIV. — Congregationalists; Presbyterians. 
 
 1. The students in America will find a close connection 
 between the Congregationalists and their national history. 
 Especially is this so in New England. The old first parishes 
 are Congregational of one type or another, Trinitarian or 
 Unitarian. Many of them, such as those at Plymouth, Boston, 
 Dorchester, Roxbury, Dedham, are now Unitarian, having 
 changed from the views at first held. 
 
 2. The teacher may have in some sections to explain the 
 difference between the church and the parish or society. 
 The division comes down from the early days. The church 
 consists of those who accept the declaration of faith. They 
 are generally communicants. The society or parish is made up 
 of those who contribute to the support of the church and own 
 the property, or are in a general way associated with the organ- 
 ization. New churches seldom have this division. 
 
 3. Names associated with Congregationahsts and worthy 
 of study are John Robinson, Brewster, of the Pilgrims, Cotton 
 Mather, of the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards, the strict believer, 
 and Bushnell, of the liberal wing. 
 
 4. Much of general interest will be found in the histories 
 of John Fiske or in any history of New England. 
 
 5. As opposed to the five points of Calvinism given in the 
 lesson are the five points of the liberal faith as stated by Clarke 
 and as found prominently in Unitarian churches in the form 
 "Our Faith." 
 
 6. In regard to the presbyter the comparison may be made 
 with the Episcopal Church, which puts the bishop in authority, 
 and the Congregational Church, which places the authority 
 in the individual church. The Presbyterians take the refer- 
 ence in Acts xiv. 23 for supporting their form of organization. 
 
19 
 
 As a matter of fact, the organization of the earliest Christian 
 churches is very much in doubt. And, even if we did know 
 what it was, it would not be necessary to adopt the plan of 
 those early churches as ours. We must fit organizations and 
 forms to the times and conditions in which we live. 
 
 7. It would not be difficult to borrow from a Presbyterian 
 the book containing the Confession and the Catechism. Then 
 read from it to the class. 
 
 8. In the United States Congregationalists are strong in 
 the East, and Presbyterians in the West. 
 
 Chapter XV. — Methodists; Baptists. 
 
 1. There will be few places where Methodists and Baptists 
 may not be studied close at hand. Both are large bodies of 
 people. Study what is near at hand as much as possible. 
 Get the substance of the lesson, but do not merely recite it. 
 Study your class and the individual members of it to see how 
 you can get them interested. Prepare pointed questions 
 beforehand, beginning with something pertinent that has 
 come up or is near you. If there has been something special 
 about these people in the papers, speak about it. It is in 
 place to ask one's neighbor, Methodist or Baptist, what he 
 believes. But there must be caution, for he may not always 
 know accurately about his own church. 
 
 2. The Methodist Church had to come, for there was no 
 longer room for Wesley in the Church of England, He was 
 interested in reaching everybody and the very humblest. He 
 was on fire with enthusiasm. 
 
 3, The Wesleys were noble men. Their father was a 
 rector of the English Church. There are several biographies 
 of John Wesley. Some of Charles Wesley's hymns may be 
 found in most hymn-books. George Whitefield was an impor- 
 tant preacher in early Methodism, 
 
 4, The Epworth League is the name of the young peoples' 
 society in the Methodist Church, Epworth was the small 
 town in England where John Wesley was born. 
 
20 
 
 5- Show how it was the Puritans, those who sought freedom 
 of worship in America, who in turn drove out Roger Wilhams. 
 All have changed now, and there should be full appreciation of 
 the religious freedom enjoyed almost everywhere, and par- 
 ticularly in the United States. 
 
 6. The New Testament Greek word for baptism is to dip, 
 to immerse. It is hardly to be doubted that this was the form 
 of baptism as described in the New Testament. It would 
 seem that Jesus was baptized in this way. See Mark i. 9, 10. 
 Jesus did not himself baptize, according to John iv. 2. 
 
 Those who believe in baptism by sprinkling or some other 
 form must say that, while immersion may have been the one 
 described in the New Testament, it is not binding now; and, 
 while immersion may have been appropriate there and in warm 
 countries, some other form may be more appropriate and 
 just as significant in other times and places. Quote 2 Corin- 
 thians iii. 6. Baptism is only a symbol, but it is a worthy one. 
 
 7. In the American Church History Series the Baptists 
 are treated in Volume II., and the Methodists Volume V. 
 
 Chapter XVI. — Friends; Swedenborgians; Christians. 
 
 1. The name "Quakers" came from the statement of George 
 Fox before the judges in England, that they should tremble 
 at the word of the Lord. They should not be confused with 
 the Shakers, who are an entirely different set of people, and 
 get their name from the peculiar agitations of the body which 
 they have in their religious services. 
 
 2. The persecutions by the Puritans in America were not 
 mainly due to beliefs. The Friends were sometimes guilty 
 of unseemly practices, such as interrupting meetings. They 
 thought they were moved by the Spirit to do such things. So 
 they met with opposition and persecution. Four Quakers, 
 including Mary Dyer, were hanged on Boston Common. 
 
 3. Have the pupils describe the plain dress, and have them 
 understand the purpose of it. Of course the plain dress often 
 develops its own fashions, and so the worldly element is not 
 
escaped. The dress was of drab, and hooks and eyes were 
 used instead of buttons. The women wore bonnets instead 
 of hats. All ornaments were discarded. Show the contrast 
 between a plain mccting-housc of the Friends and an ornate 
 cathedral. There may be genuineness in the one as in the 
 other. The Quaker has often been narrow and queer, but 
 there is something very fine in his belief and the character 
 produced has been truthful and substantial. 
 
 4. Besides Fox and Penn there were such noted Friends as 
 Elizabeth Fry, who did much for prison reform, and other 
 great leaders. John G. Whittier was a liberal Friend. Read 
 his poem, "First Day Thoughts." 
 
 5. Swedenborg was a scholar, and was proficient in mechanics 
 and mathematics. He also held a position in the Swedish 
 Senate. His followers, however, look mainly to his visions 
 and the revelations of truth which they think were made to 
 him. Of course we cannot think he had any such view into 
 what is beyond. Swedenborg's main books are "Arcana 
 Coelestia," "The New Jerusalem," "Heaven and Hell." 
 
 6. The principles of the Christians have been broad, but 
 there has been considerable narrowness in applying them. 
 The emphasis on the Bible rather than the historic creeds has 
 developed some liberality for which they have at times stood 
 boldly. Though they avoid sectarian names, yet Christian 
 even to them and in designating them becomes a sectarian 
 title. 
 
 Chapter XVII. — Some Other Sects. 
 
 1. According to the plan it is impossible to go into detail 
 in the study of the numerous sects. In this lesson have been 
 gathered several which should be mentioned. Let it be known 
 that there are many minor sects which have not even been 
 mentioned here. In the United States alone there are between 
 one hundred and fifty and two hundred sects. Some are very 
 small and of no general importance. Look up the census 
 reports for the names and numbers of these many divisions. 
 If in any community any special sect exists, it should be 
 studied, even if it has not been included here. 
 
22 
 
 2. The Moravians have many attractive features. It was 
 probably his contact with them which changed the course of 
 Wesley's career and made a Methodist of him. They give 
 much attention to music, and at Bethlehem, Pa., they have 
 musical festivals. John Huss was a reformer who lived in 
 Bohemia in the sixteenth century. He was burned at the 
 stake as a heretic. 
 
 3. In the region of New York the teachers should give special 
 attention to the Dutch Reformed body, as there are prominent 
 churches of that sect there. 
 
 4. The second coming of Christ was believed in by the 
 early Christians. But as the time went on, and Christ did not 
 appear, the idea was gradually put aside and the second coming 
 was regarded as relating to the spiritual rule and influence 
 in the world. The Adventists, however, cling to the older idea. 
 
 5. Probably Christian Science can be studied by cases near 
 at hand. Those who are not believers in it recognize the nat- 
 ural laws of God as divine and believe in the reality of pain and 
 of the physical world. The means of cure by physical methods 
 may be divine as well as the spiritual means. 
 
 6. Many have been at Salt Lake City, and have seen the main 
 institutions of the Mormons. Let the pupils tell what they 
 have seen and show any pictures they may have. Polygamy 
 is sanctioned in the Old Testament, but it has been cast aside 
 in the development of the family life and under Christian 
 guidance. The practice of polygamy is forbidden by law 
 now in Utah. 
 
 7. There may be found too much material in this lesson for 
 most classes. Either only the main points under each division 
 must be taken or else the teacher should make a choice of what 
 will be of most interest and value to the class. 
 
23 
 
 Chapter XVIII. — Universalists ; Unitarians. 
 
 1. The churches grouped here represent the Hberal element 
 in Christianity. It is not meant that there is not Hberahsm in 
 other sects; but these have stood specially for it and have 
 worked to promote it. The number of members of either 
 sect is not large, but each has had a greater influence upon 
 thought and life than have some sects having many adherents. 
 
 2. The word " Universalist " applies to the idea of universal 
 salvation, — no one finally lost. Many to-day prefer to make it 
 equally or even more applicable to brotherhood, all as brothers, 
 and to inspiration, God revealed everywhere; that is, universal 
 brotherhood and universal inspiration. 
 
 3. Both Unitarians and Universalists have met with much 
 opposition. There are those who deny that they are Christians. 
 But they themselves rightly insist that they are Christians, and 
 hold that they represent both the spirit of Jesus, as shown in 
 the New Testament, and the best development of Christianity 
 as it has come up to the present day. They see plainly also 
 that many of the other sects are preaching now what they have 
 preached for a long time. 
 
 4. All that need be done here with the Unitarians is to rec- 
 ognize their place among the Christian sects and to make the 
 connections between them and other Christians. In the next 
 section we shall study the Unitarians more fully. What should 
 be brought out here is that they occupy a legitimate place in 
 the study of the sects of the Christians. 
 
 5. The comparison of the Unitarian with the Roman Cath- 
 olic has been made in the lesson. The difference is there be- 
 tween the outward, official authority of pope and priest and the 
 inner authority of reason and conscience in each individual. 
 The comparison might be made with evangelical Christians, 
 These mainly hold that man is born sinful and is saved only 
 through the death of Christ. The Unitarian believes that 
 man's nature is essentially good and that Jesus' value is as a 
 helper in living. 
 
 6. The differences between Universalists and Unitarians are 
 
24 
 
 becoming less. They have been mainly of history and method. 
 The Universalists have been generally more conservative and 
 have claimed a more special influence for Christ and the Bible. 
 The Unitarians have cared less for theological discussions. 
 It has been said that the Universalists emphasize most the 
 goodness of God, the Unitarians the divinity of man. 
 
 7. Various tracts and books may be had from the Universalist 
 Publishing House, Boston, and the American Unitarian Asso- 
 ciation, Boston. 
 
 Chapter XIX. — Ancient Connections. 
 
 1. Keep the sections and divisions clearly in mind. Teacher 
 and pupil alike will be more interested if they see clearly 
 what the plan is that is being followed. We are now starting 
 upon the second half of the year's work. The study of the 
 preceding chapters ought to make a good introduction to what 
 is now coming. This is the continuation of the road along 
 which we have been traveling. 
 
 2. Books available and specially useful for this part of the 
 course are Cooke's " Unitarianism in America"; Mott's "A 
 Short History of Unitarianism since the Reformation"; the 
 volume in the American Church History Series which treats 
 of Unitarians, by J. H. Allen; "The Flowering of Christianity," 
 by W. C. Gannett; "Unitarianism, its Origin and History," by 
 several writers. "The Unitarian Church," by Crooker, is 
 an excellent short statement, published (free) by the American 
 Unitarian Association. The teacher would do well to get 
 many of the free tracts published by the American Unitarian 
 Association for use throughout the course. 
 
 3. For this lesson "Unitarianism," a tract by R. R. Shippen, 
 will be found helpful, the first part of it. It is tract 71 in the 
 American Unitarian Association list. 
 
 4. It may as well be remembered at the start that not only 
 do Unitarians of any time differ as to what they believe and as 
 to what the origin, nature, and purpose of Unitarianism have 
 been, but also that as a movement it has changed from time 
 
25 
 
 to time. That is its glory. But there is sufficient similarity in 
 spirit and method as well as in form to make the connection 
 with the earlier history which is here made. And it is worth 
 while for the student to have in mind this ancient lineage. 
 
 5. In regard to Servetus we might recall that the descend- 
 ants of Calvin in Geneva recently erected an expiatory monu- 
 ment there, expressing thereby their regret for what wrong 
 had been done by their ancestors in authority in the burning of 
 Servetus. A monument to Servetus has also been erected by 
 liberal people of many lands. 
 
 6. As representing some extra-Biblical literature of the 
 apostolic times, the teacher might use "The Teaching of the 
 Twelve Apostles," a document discovered in recent years. It 
 is published as a free tract by the American Unitarian Asso- 
 ciation. It is No. 8^ in the list. It contains explanations. 
 
 Chapter XX. — Beginnings in America. 
 
 1. Use the books referred to in the last chapter. Cooke's 
 " Unitarianism in America" will give full information. Dr. 
 A. P. Peabody's lecture on "Unitarianism, its Origin and 
 History," will tell about early New England Unitarians. 
 Crooker's and Shippen's tracts will give information in brief. 
 
 2. The oldest Unitarian churches have usually published 
 their own histories. In some cases pamphlets relating to 
 these churches can be had. These should be secured and 
 used where possible. The Unitarian Historical Society seeks 
 to preserve the history of our churches. 
 
 3. It will be well to use your own church as an illustration 
 of the growth of Unitarianism if it is in any way historic. 
 Or a noted church may be near your own. Perhaps interest 
 may be added by getting some sermons or books published 
 in this early period and showing them and reading from 
 them directly. 
 
 4. Pictures of historic churches, or meeting-houses as they 
 are called in Puritan phraseology, should be brought to the 
 class. Pictures of King's Chapel and other historic buildings 
 may be had in postal-card form. 
 
26 
 
 5- The American Unitarian Association has a set of lantern 
 slides illustrating Unitarian history. They are loaned for use. 
 It might be interesting for the class to arrange for an evening 
 when these slides could be used and a talk given. Arrange- 
 ments for the slides should be made some time beforehand. 
 
 6. It will hardly be worth while to go into the legal ques- 
 tions involved in the divisions of some of the property of 
 churches where part of the people became liberal and part 
 remained orthodox. The matter as to the rights in property 
 was taken into the courts and there settled. If this is dis- 
 cussed, the teacher will find full information in George E. 
 Ellis's lecture in the book " Unitarianism, its Origin and 
 History." The lecture is entitled "The Church and Parish 
 in Massachusetts." It was a fair settlement for all concerned. 
 
 7. It should be clearly understood that the change to Uni- 
 tarianism was a gradual growth. The leaders did not want 
 to separate. But the time came when they could not work 
 peaceably together. 
 
 Chapter XXI. — In England. 
 
 1. It is difficult for Americans to understand the over- 
 powering influence of the established church in England. 
 But, when it is remembered, all the more credit should be given 
 to those who have dared to come out of it and to stand by their 
 convictions. 
 
 2. The young people of our day should be made to appre- 
 ciate the fact that religious freedom has cost much. In this 
 lesson the spirit of martyrdom is to be brought out. Uni- 
 tarians trace their origin back through those who endured 
 great hardship. There are Unitarian martyrs. Many doubt- 
 less retracted or kept silent and so escaped, but others refused 
 to conceal their light. 
 
 3. It is to be understood here and everywhere that Unitarian 
 views are not alike. But there is a central unity and a 
 common trend. Arian, Socinian, Arminian, Unitarian, — these 
 words represent a community of ideas and a common ten- 
 dency toward the last and largest term. 
 
27 
 
 4- By all means secure fresh knowledge from England 
 about these matters where possible. Has some one in the class 
 known an English Unitarian church or minister ? It might be 
 interesting to get some English tracts or copy of an English 
 paper. Perhaps some new movement or some meeting there 
 may make an attractive starting-point at the time when this 
 chapter is studied. The main papers are the Inquirer and 
 the Christian Life. 
 
 5. The Unitarian headquarters are on Essex Street, Strand, 
 London. Here the British and Foreign Unitarian Association 
 has its offices, as well as other societies. It is the historic site 
 of Lindsey's Chapel. 
 
 6. James Martineau's main books are "Types of Ethical 
 Theory," "A Study of Religion," "The Seat of Authority in 
 Religion." These are generally beyond the class. But the 
 teacher may find something in his books of sermons suitable 
 to read to the class, "Endeavors after a Christian Life" 
 or "Hours of Thought." See Unity Mission tract on Marti- 
 neau for selections. 
 
 7. Churches are usually called chapels in England. This 
 is because the word "church" has been so monopolized by the 
 established church. 
 
 8. The churches in Canada are in close affiliation with the 
 Unitarians in the United States. 
 
 9. Brooke Herford's book, "The Story of Religion in Eng- 
 land," is a full treatment of the subject. His lecture in the 
 volume "Unitarianism, its Origin and History," will be found 
 more useful. Herford was an Englishman, but spent a large 
 part of his life in America. See Lesson XI. in Gannetts' 
 "The Flowering of Christianity. 
 
28 
 
 Chapter XXII . — In Hungary and Other Countries. 
 
 1. Not so much to learn the facts in this chapter is the pur- 
 pose, as to get a sense of the presence of Unitarians outside 
 the regions most famiUar and of those who are one with Unita- 
 rians, even though they do not bear the name. 
 
 2. Use a map and trace out the regions that are here talked 
 about. Hungary is not so well known as other countries, but 
 for Unitarians it ought to have a peculiar interest. The race 
 there to which the Unitarians mainly belong is the Magyar. 
 If possible, show pictures of the country. Pictures of such a 
 city as Buda-pesth, the capital, may be found in collections of 
 pictures. Possibly some pupil can get pictures from some 
 one who has traveled in that region. 
 
 3. The name to bring out into prominence is Francis David, 
 preacher, bishop, martyr. His is the great name to the Uni- 
 tarians there. 
 
 4. Current information should be used when there can any 
 be found. The Christian Register or other church papers 
 may have news from these countries at the time when the 
 lesson is studied. The teacher should be on the lookout for 
 such current news and look ahead for it. Possibly at some 
 time a visitor may be in one's own country from Hungary. 
 Professor Boros was such a visitor in recent years and became 
 known to many. 
 
 5. Information about Socinus may be found in encyclo- 
 pedias and general church histories. See also Mott's book 
 on Unitarianism. 
 
 6. The International Council is a body made up of repre- 
 sentatives of liberal religion in many countries. It was pro- 
 jected by Unitarians. It has held meetings in Boston, Am- 
 sterdam, London, Geneva; and the meeting in 1910 is to be 
 in Berlin. The addresses at these sessions have been pub- 
 lished at reasonable prices and are valuable books. 
 
 7. It was in Germany that Protestantism took its beginning. 
 There, too, the forms of radical Biblical criticism appeared. 
 Unitarians in America and England have been much influ- 
 
29 
 
 enced by the scholarship of Germany. The same may be 
 said of Holland's influence. 
 
 8, There is a leaflet compiled by the Unitarians of Hungary 
 under the direction of Bishop Ferencz. It is called "A Short 
 Account of the Unitarian Church in Hungary." The tract 
 by R. R. Shippen is specially valuable for this chapter. See 
 the American Unitarian Association tract, "Three Centuries 
 and a Half of Unitarianism in Hungary," by J. T. Sunderland. 
 
 Chapter XXIII. — Channing and his Times. 
 
 1. Be sure that the pupils know Channing's name, even 
 how to spell it. As Methodists know Wesley, Unitarians 
 should know Channing. 
 
 2. Distinguish William Ellery Channing from his nephew, 
 William Henry Channing, also a Unitarian minister. The 
 latter's "Symphony" has been widely published, and is often 
 attributed to the greater Channing. 
 
 3. Objects of interest about Channing are the statue and 
 memorial church in Newport; his grave in Mt. Auburn 
 cemetery, Cambridge; the fine statue in the Public Garden, 
 Boston, opposite the Arlington Street Church, which is the 
 successor of the Federal Street Church, and in which are tablets 
 to the memory of Channing and Gannett. Some churches are 
 called Channing churches. 
 
 4. Has your church a picture of Channing in it anywhere ? 
 If not, why not undertake to get one? The best one is to be 
 had in the form of a photograph of the Gambardella portrait, 
 which is in Channing Hall, in the Unitarian Building in Boston. 
 Small pictures can be had in the series "Great Leaders," pub- 
 lished by the Unitarian Sunday-School Society. 
 
 5. Tributes to Channing might be read, such as those by 
 Whittier, Longfellow, and Lowell, to be found in their volumes 
 of poetry. 
 
 6. There was some difference of opinion about forming the 
 American Unitarian Association and other societies. Some 
 feared that liberty might be infringed upon. But others saw 
 
3° 
 
 that organizations were necessary, if the cause was to be 
 maintained, and the truth was to be spread by starting new 
 churches. 
 
 7. Read something from the writings of Channing or of the 
 men of his time in the class. The best short collection for 
 such use is Unity Mission tract, No. 18, price five cents, and to 
 be had at Unitarian headquarters. Some member of the class 
 might give an outline of Channing's address on "Self-culture." 
 
 8. Berry Street was the street from which was the entrance 
 to the vestry of the Federal Street Church. The conference 
 was organized in the vestry. 
 
 9. Channing's works are published in six volumes. There 
 is a cheap one-volume edition issued by the American Unitarian 
 Association. There is a three-volume memoir. There is a 
 "Life of Channing." A later life of him is by Chadwick. 
 The life of Ezra Stiles Gannett by his son, William C. Gannett, 
 is a valuable book. "Channing and the Unitarian Movement 
 in America" is short, and is published by the Sunday-School 
 Society. 
 
 Chapter XXIV. — Emerson and Parker. 
 
 1. Anything should be used that will help to make these 
 men more real. Pictures of the men and places will help in 
 this direction. Emerson's face should be familiar to every 
 pupil. Pictures of Emerson and Parker may be found in the 
 series on "Great Leaders," published by the Unitarian Sunday- 
 School Society. Pictures of Concord, Emerson's home, and 
 Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where he was buried can be had in 
 various forms. 
 
 2. The meeting-house in West Roxbury, where Parker first 
 preached, is still standing, though unused. The society has a 
 newer church near by. An effort is being made to preserve 
 the old church on account of its historic interest. Music Hall, 
 where Parker preached, still exists, just off Tremont Street, 
 Boston, but is now used as a theatre. 
 
 3. The Unity Mission tracts on Parker and Emerson will 
 
31 
 
 be very useful. They contain sketches of the lives and selec- 
 tions from the writings. Pupils might be given selections to 
 read in the class. 
 
 4. The claim that Emerson is a Unitarian is not lessened 
 much by his withdrawal from the pulpit. It was some of the 
 customs connected with the communion that he disliked rather 
 than the observance itself. And he was one who would under- 
 estimate the worth of forms. But the honor in which he has 
 been held by Unitarians is sufficient evidence that he has been 
 by right among the Unitarians all along. 
 
 5. Emerson's Essays, especially the first and second series, 
 are generally accessible and may be had in cheap form. No 
 better service could be done a young person than to start him 
 in reading Emerson. Begin with "Self-reliance" or "Compen- 
 sation." Read some of his poems, "The Problem," "Each 
 and All," "Monadnock." Be sure that all know these lines 
 from his "Voluntaries": 
 
 So nigh is grandeur to our dust, 
 So near is God to man, 
 \\Tien Duty whispers low, Thou must, 
 The youth replies, / can. 
 
 6. There is a two-volume life of Emerson by Cabot. There 
 are lives of Parker by O. B. Frothingham and by J. W. Chad- 
 wick. Parker's works are now published in full. There is a 
 cheap, one-volume edition, published by the American Unitarian 
 Association. There is also a volume of his prayers. 
 
 7. Theodore Parker's hymn, "O thou great Friend to all the 
 sons of men," referring to Jesus, is found in most Unitarian 
 hymn-books. Read it in the class. 
 
 Chapter XXV. — Later Developments. 
 
 I. This chapter is intended to bring the Unitarian move- 
 ments up to the present time. The teacher may have other 
 achievements in mind which he would like to describe as 
 typically Unitarian, and of course he should do so. There may 
 be new undertakings as the times come on when these things 
 
32 
 
 are studied. Such should receive notice. The teacher of 
 this course should keep posted on the religious news. There 
 will be a later chapter in which the various Unitarian organiza- 
 tions will be described as they are at work. Here the connec- 
 tion is with the history. 
 
 2. The connection between Unitarian faith and philan- 
 thropy is natural. Unitarians had their attention directed 
 mainly to this world and to the good they could do here. They 
 believed in man, and so set about to help him. Good deeds 
 were for them the natural expression of their faith. 
 
 3. Reports of the various philanthropies mentioned will be 
 the best sources of information about them. What is your 
 church doing in the way of expressing its faith through the 
 natural channel of human helpfulness? 
 
 4. It is the glory of Unitarians that they did not settle down 
 into a fixed condition of thought and that they were themselves 
 ready to make advances. This is particularly noticeable and 
 creditable in the way in which they generally welcomed the 
 doctrine of evolution. To Unitarians there has never been 
 much of a conflict between science and religion. Their way of 
 interpreting the Bible did not make it hard for them to accept 
 the doctrine of development, even if it did not fit the first chap- 
 ters of Genesis. 
 
 5. The best reference for this chapter is Cooke's "Unita- 
 rianism in America." 
 
 6. As this chapter closes the short historical account, the 
 teacher may do well to go back over the historical chapters in a 
 brief review. The facts presented are so few and so distinct 
 that the pupil ought to have most of them clearly in mind. How 
 Unitarians came to be ought to have distinctness to the one 
 who has given careful attention. And Unitarianism cannot 
 be understood or appreciated without some such knowledge 
 of its history. With such knowledge we may be ready to study 
 the beliefs. 
 
33 
 
 Chapter XXVI. — General Position. 
 
 1. It is very important to set forth clearly the freedom of 
 Unitarians. Most Unitarians would claim this personal free- 
 dom as their most valued possession. This very freedom joins 
 them closely together. Recall the attempts to enforce uni- 
 formity and conformity to some fixed belief, — the Inquisition 
 of the Roman Catholics, the church trials for heresy in recent 
 times. Show how Unitarians have no such power and do not 
 want it. This lack of such official power may mean smaller 
 numbers and less sho^^T results, but Unitarians are willing: to 
 accept such consequences, if they are necessary, 
 
 2. The pupil should be impressed with the fact that each one 
 should believe something. It is not the outcome of our freedom 
 that one should be idle and careless. He must try to find the 
 best and believe it. Freedom in a church, as in a country, is 
 a means and not an end. And freedom of belief fits well a 
 free country and is in accord with the spirit of democracy. 
 
 3. It is worth while to know some of the common statements 
 of belief which represent a consensus of Unitarian opinion. 
 These statements help to make more clear and forcible one's 
 own belief, and often ser\^e as a helpful expression of one's 
 own convictions. 
 
 4. The statement "Our Faith" is in xery common use. It 
 is taken from a sermon by James Freeman Clarke, "The 
 Five Points of Calvinism and the Five Points of the New 
 Theology." That is how the five articles come, and how, 
 also, the expression comes. This sermon is published in tract 
 form, and the teacher should see it. 
 
 The statement is printed in various forms by the Unitarian 
 Sunday-School Society. Most Sunday Schools have a framed 
 copy of it on the walls somewhere. It should be known by all. 
 
 5. There are various other statements made by local con- 
 ferences. If there is such in your region, use it here. There are 
 many statements of Unitarian belief by individuals in tract 
 form. These are useful for missionary purpose and may be 
 had free. 'Things Commonly Believed among Us" is a 
 
34 
 
 short statement, and is published by the Western Unitarian 
 Conference, Chicago. Crothers's " The Faith of a Free Church " 
 shows well the spirit which should be in this chapter. It is 
 published (free) by the American Unitarian Association. 
 
 6. Many teachers will find it an advantage, especially in 
 this section of the course, to speak beforehand about what is 
 to come, and to encourage the pupils to do some thinking for 
 themselves as well as to learn what is prescribed. 
 
 Chapter XXVII. — Belief about Man. 
 
 1. The ideas set forth by Unitarians about human nature, 
 cannot be emphasized too strongly. From the first they have 
 been recognized as vital in matters of belief, and the later knowl- 
 edge of the evolutionary process has verified and enforced 
 them. They stand in contrast with the ordinary evangelical 
 ideas still prevalent. 
 
 2. Confidence in human nature enables one to work hope- 
 fully with the worst people. The worker believes there is 
 something good in the sinful person and tries to appeal to 
 that and bring it out. Recall how this thought of human 
 nature has made Unitarians specially interested in reform and 
 philanthropy. 
 
 3. Some classes may take peculiar interest in the subject of 
 evolution. The religious side of this subject will be found 
 treated in sermons and books by M. J. Savage, and also in the 
 catechism made by him. A lesson on Charles Darvdn will 
 be found in "Life Studies," published by the Unitarian Sun- 
 day-School Society. It should be remembered, however, that 
 these ideas of human nature were taught long before the 
 theory of evolution was known. 
 
 4. Somewhere with young people the subject of conversion 
 may come up. The view taken by many is that our natures 
 are thoroughly evil and must be completely changed before 
 we are saved. This, they think, can be done only by some one 
 bearing our sins for us. This is Christ, who must be accepted. 
 No such change is possible or necessary in the belief of human 
 
35 
 
 nature held by Unitarians. It is all a process of education in 
 the spiritual life. One must choose between higher and lower 
 things and give himself to the choice for the better. 
 
 5. Unitarians do not minimize sin and wrong. They see 
 it is here. They see the terrible nature of it and know that it 
 must be overcome. But with them the insistence is upon the 
 greater ideas of goodness and justice and love. 
 
 6. Selections might be read from various writers about man 
 and brotherhood. Such selections will be found in the Unity 
 Mission tracts on Channing, Parker, Martineau, and Emerson. 
 Dr. C. C. Everett's tract, "Human Nature not Ruined, but 
 Incomplete," is directly useful here. 
 
 7. For brotherhood some Bible references may be pertinent. 
 My brother's keeper. Genesis iv. 9; thy neighbor, Matthew 
 xxii. 39; members one of another, Romans xii. 5. 
 
 Chapter XX F///.— Belief about God. 
 
 1. Here and in the following chapters on beliefs it is recog- 
 nized that the views of all may not be represented. All that 
 is attempted in the pupil's part is to give the main features of 
 the belief. If the teacher has preferences for putting other 
 beliefs forward in his class, he is authority there and may feel free 
 to do so. But Unitarianism would hardly be fairly treated by 
 the teacher if he did not take account of the beliefs here dealt 
 with and commonly held among us. 
 
 2. The teacher should abound in questions made for his 
 own class. These questions should be in the mind and ready 
 for free use. Each teacher can make such questions for his 
 own use better than any one can make them for him. A teacher 
 might well begin the present lesson with a question thrown out 
 at some member of the class, What is an atheist ? 
 
 3. Words sometimes have special interest for young students 
 of the languages. Theism is a belief in God, coming from the 
 Greek word for deity. Then the prefix a means without: thus, 
 atheism. So might be treated agnostic and infidel. 
 
 4. Notice that the unity of God means more than mere op- 
 
36 
 
 position to the trinity. There should, however, be a clear 
 conception of the contrast with the trinity. Unitarians do not 
 find the doctrine of the trinity in the Bible. Jesus had no idea 
 of it. It grew up later in connection with Greek speculation. 
 The unity of God is the simpler and more natural way, to-day, 
 of describing the nature of God, and Unitarians use it. There 
 are Unitarian churches called by the name of Unity to express 
 this great idea. 
 
 5. The teacher should get for the whole course some of the 
 many tracts published by the American Unitarian Association. 
 They are free. Secure a list, and select the ones wanted. 
 "Unitarian Theology," by several writers, is very good for this 
 purpose. "The Unitarian Catechism," by M. J. Savage, and 
 "A Catechism of the Liberal Faith," by C. F. Dole, published 
 by the Sunday-School Society, will afford a question and an- 
 swer treatment. The teacher will find helpful both grades of 
 the lessons on "Foundation Truths in Religion," published 
 by the Sunday-School Society. 
 
 6. The result of the study should be to fix at least a few 
 ideas clearly and firmly in the pupil's mind. Discussion is 
 good, but it may lead too far unless carefully guided by the 
 teacher. See to it, if possible, that each member of the class 
 understands. This will mean something of drill as well as 
 explanation. 
 
 7. With the helps suggested and with careful preparation, 
 the teacher should not hesitate to give instruction in these 
 beliefs. 
 
 Chapter XXIX. — Belief about the World. 
 
 1. Approach this lesson with the feeling that, if you can 
 make the pupil see and feel the truth in it, there will come a 
 sense of wonder and usefulness which will be valuable to him 
 all through his life. 
 
 2. Picture more in detail the parts of the world, — planets, 
 stars, nebulae, etc. Ask the pupil to think of our system, and 
 then of that as part of another greater system, and that of 
 
37 
 
 another, and so on, until the mind fails to grasp it. Some 
 sense of infinity will be gained. What is the infinite ? That 
 which is without limits. Ours is an infinite universe. Ours is 
 an Infinite God. To awaken wonder is directly to cultivate the 
 religious spirit. Ask the pupils to look up at the stars at night. 
 Many of them will not think of it unless asked specially to 
 do it. 
 
 3. There may be some discussion as to whether other planets 
 are inhabited. Eminent astronomers now believe that Mars 
 may be inhabited, and think they have discovered evidence of 
 the work of human intelligence on that planet. See books of 
 Percival Lowell. 
 
 4. As an illustration of a miracle, cite the account of the 
 sun standing still. Joshua x. 12. The sun cannot stand still 
 and not break a law of nature. There must be some other 
 explanation. Of course, early peoples did not understand the 
 uniformity of God's laws, and readily thought that Joshua 
 might make the sun to stop in its course. This account is a 
 part of the legendary belief of a primitive people. We do not 
 believe in miracles. They cannot be, and we do not want them. 
 Order and law are surer evidence of God than miracles. 
 
 5. The accounts of creation in Genesis will come up. It will 
 be remembered that there are two accounts there, one in 
 Genesis i. to ii. 3, the other ii. 4 and following. The latter is 
 the more primitive : the first one represents an orderly process, 
 but is, of course, not to be accepted as correct. They are to 
 be regarded as Hebrew accounts of the origin of the world and 
 for what worth they may have in themselves. They may be 
 taken as an illustration of how the early peoples looked out 
 upon the world and naturally tried to account for the world 
 as they saw it. Nearly all early races have some accounts of 
 the origin of the world. 
 
 6. Browning's "Saul," XVIII., may make an interesting 
 reading, as interpreting the Unitarian view. 
 
 7. See the books already mentioned, especially "Foundation 
 Truths," I. and II., and IX. and X. See a tract on "God," 
 by S. R. Calthrop; "Unending Genesis," by H. M. Simmons; 
 "Beginnings," by A. W. Gould. 
 
38 
 
 Chapter XXX. — Belief about Immortality. 
 
 1. There are many points on this subject which individual 
 Unitarians would want treated differently, but the consensus 
 of opinion has been presented and the essential ideas mentioned. 
 The teacher should have the liberty to present other convictions 
 or to place a different emphasis. The lesson is intended mainly 
 as a guide. The teacher should be careful, however, about 
 trying to force some peculiar views of his own upon the pupil. 
 There is room for diversity of teaching and yet for the defi- 
 nite instruction that Unitarians believe strongly in immor- 
 tality. 
 
 2. Easter is the festival of immortality. It is an observance 
 older than Christianity, and it took account of the spring and 
 the suggestions of new life coming out of what seemed dead. 
 With it the Christians joined the story of the resurrection of 
 Jesus. Whatever we may think about that story in the New 
 Testament, we do not make immortality depend upon it for 
 proof. 
 
 3. The communications between those who have died and 
 those who are living are believed in by some who do not call 
 themselves Spiritualists. There is a society, called the Society 
 for Psychical Research, which has investigated such questions. 
 Some believe that there is safe evidence to show that a com- 
 munication has in some cases been established. The best 
 treatment of the subject will be found in Savage's "Life be- 
 yond Death." 
 
 4. If any one is particularly interested in the point of view 
 of evolution, as related to immortality, he will find it carried 
 out in the idea of progress. The best treatment of this phase 
 of the subject is John Fiske's little book, "The Destiny of 
 Man." 
 
 5. For readings the teacher can hardly do better than choose 
 from Tennyson's "In Memoriam," the whole of which was 
 written in memory of a friend who had died. See also Emer- 
 son's "Threnody." See poems by Chadwick, Hosmer and 
 Gannett. 
 
39 
 
 6. Various tracts on the subject of immortality will be found 
 among those published by the American Unitarian Association. 
 
 7. The "IngersoU Lecture" is given by some eminent man 
 each year at Harvard University, on the subject of immor- 
 tality. These lectures have all been published. All of them 
 are interesting, and some of them may be found of value by 
 the teacher. 
 
 Chapter XXXI. — Belief about Jesus. 
 
 1. The belief about Jesus has been set forth mainly in the 
 positive form. If the teacher thinks it necessary for the sake 
 of clearness, he may state the negative side. That Jesus did 
 not come to appease an angry God by his sacrifice, that it was 
 not a part of a scheme of salvation for him to die, that he is 
 not coming again to earth, — such views may be presented ac- 
 cording to the temper and needs of the class. The blood of 
 Christ was probably meant to refer to the life and not as ortho- 
 dox}' has regarded it. 
 
 2. It is understood here that the life of Jesus has been 
 thoroughly studied in the preceding courses. Here the aim 
 is to get a few ideas about the way Jesus is regarded where mat- 
 ters of doctrine are considered. He has been made such a 
 part of a doctrinal system that Unitarians, who do not accept 
 that system, must have some ideas to present about him to 
 take the place of those they are bound to deny. 
 
 3. That Jesus as a human leader may be helpful has been 
 proved by the examples of those who have lived noble lives 
 under such a belief and those w-ho have found in this Jesus 
 the incentive to special devotion to charity, reform, and good 
 works generally. 
 
 4. The mission of Jesus is well expressed in the Gospel of 
 John X. 10. The first three Gospels abound in descriptions of 
 Jesus which Unitarians accept. The description in Acts x. 38 
 is a favorite one. 
 
 5. Compare the two hymns, "All hail the power of Jesus* 
 name" and "O thou great Friend to all the sons of men." 
 Unitarians, as Dr. Everett said, care less for prostrate angels, 
 
4° 
 
 diadems, etc., and more for the friendliness, sympathy, and 
 helpfulness spoken of in Parker's hymn. 
 
 6. Use pictures which represent Christ best to the class. 
 Which do they prefer? What best pictures him as the heroic 
 Christ? What of the halo? Take the pictures by Hoffman 
 and Tissot. What of the modern pictures representing Jesus 
 in the midst of modern surroundings? Such a one is L'Her- 
 mitte's in the Boston Art Museum, and in the Metropohtan 
 Museum in New York. Goetze's "Despised and Rejected of 
 Men" is another of this kind, but more extreme. 
 
 7. The In His Name Club, in the name of Jesus, is an 
 organization for human helpfulness among Unitarians, grow- 
 ing out of Dr. E. E. Hale's story, "In His Name." 
 
 Chapter XXXII. — Belief about the Bible. 
 
 1. The belief about the Bible would follow naturally from 
 the beliefs about man and God which have already been 
 explained. But the Bible has been so regarded by others 
 that it seems necessary to treat it as an object of belief in order 
 that the pupil may understand why Unitarians cannot accept 
 it as others do and why they still give it a peculiar place. 
 
 2. As evidence of our regard for the Bible, call attention 
 to the study which is given it in this course. But we have 
 some non-Biblical courses, and even the study of science and 
 secular history may have a religious significance. The Bible 
 is a book of religion, and, besides, it is a book which cannot 
 be studied in the public schools. So special study should be 
 given it in Sunday Schools and churches. 
 
 3. Make it plain that a thing may be true even if it is not 
 in the Bible. But make it clear also that the Unitarian beliefs 
 have strong support in the Bible. The teacher will find other 
 passages and texts which he may prefer to use. There is a 
 tract published by the American Unitarian Association which 
 gives scriptural references for various beliefs. But show dis- 
 tinctly the danger in the use of texts. It is well said that any- 
 thing can be proved by texts in the Bible. Slavery was thus 
 
41 
 
 sanctioned. It all depends upon what texts are chosen and 
 how they are interpreted. 
 
 4. It is often said that we must take all the Bible or none. 
 It is said to be all truth or none. But we choose everywhere 
 else, and have the right to do so here. Then even with the 
 legends there is often truth connected, and the legendary 
 accounts are interesting and valuable as representing the 
 thought and life of early peoples. We may get help from 
 such records even if we do not accept them as facts. To Uni- 
 tarians, however, the parts of the Bible do vary in importance 
 and worth, and they exercise their right to choose what appeals 
 to them. 
 
 5. For Unitarians it does not interfere with the worth of 
 the Bible to revise its language and to apply the methods of 
 criticism to it. We have none of the first manuscripts of the 
 Bible. Even if the Bible was all true, we have no way of 
 getting at just what was first written. 
 
 6. For the idea of universal revelation read Lowell's poem 
 "Bibliolatres." 
 
 7. See Sunderland's small tract, " What Unitarians Believe," 
 for other Biblical references. See also many other tracts on 
 the Bible, revelation, etc. 
 
 8. Call attention to the year of study of the Bible as litera- 
 ture which is to follow. 
 
 Chapter ZZX/7/.— Churches. 
 
 1. The purpose of this section about organization is to 
 acquaint the pupil with the working forces. He should be 
 familiar with these in order that he may have interest in them 
 and be ready to take his place as a worker in his church and 
 denomination. This study is of great importance, and the 
 course would not be complete without it. 
 
 2. In this chapter the main thing is to study your own 
 church and to lead out from it to the other churches. Who 
 are its officers? How is it governed? What is its covenant 
 or bond? How does one become a member of it? In any 
 
42 
 
 historic church the study of the home church should be thor- 
 ough. Get pictures of the former buildings. But in any 
 church, even the newest, the history ought to be known and 
 the management understood. 
 
 3. The list of churches in America can be found in the 
 Year Book of the American Unitarian Association. This gives 
 names, dates of founding, and other information. A list of 
 Sunday Schools is published by the Unitarian Sunday-School 
 Society. 
 
 4. In 1 901 the American Unitarian Association published 
 a report concerning the covenants and statements of faith in 
 Unitarian churches. This will be valuable for the teacher. 
 
 5. The pupil may wonder why there are not more Uni- 
 tarian churches. Bring out the reasons they can give. Lib- 
 eral views have not always been popular. They make their 
 way slowly. Then other churches have become more liberal 
 than they once were. Unitarians have disliked to press their 
 beliefs forward. They have often lacked missionary zeal. 
 They have put money into philanthropy and education. But, 
 where there has been organized effort, churches have been 
 established and have often become centers of good influences. 
 Show that we ought to do more in this direction to spread 
 our faith. 
 
 6. Young people should join the church when they come 
 to the age of decision. Some churches plan a special time 
 for receiving members, such as Easter. A class for prepara- 
 tion for membership is sometimes conducted by the minister. 
 
 7. Of course numbers are not the main thing, and Unitarian 
 churches are few and small in comparison with some others. 
 But they have had a large share in shaping the thought and life 
 of the country. 
 
43 
 
 Chapter XZX/F.— General Organizations. 
 
 1. A teacher who is familiar with the things noticed in this 
 chapter should not assume that the young people are. To 
 bring out the value of these organizations so as to enlist the 
 interest and support of the class will require some of the 
 teacher's best resources. But be assured that it is worth 
 while. 
 
 2. The organizations of the local church should be studied 
 in connection with the general organizations. If you have 
 no such organizations in your church, perhaps some useful 
 one may start from the class. 
 
 3. It might be a good plan in some places to ask represen- 
 tatives of the Alliance and some other societies in the church 
 to come into the class and explain briefly what their societies 
 are doing. Or the members of the class might secure such 
 information by interviewing the officers of the societies. 
 
 4. In the different sections of the country the headquarters 
 should be known by street and number in the city. Pictures 
 of the Unitarian Building in Boston may be obtained easily. 
 
 5. It is possible that, when these lessons are studied, there 
 may be some new societies being formed and new movements 
 started. Keep in touch with these things and let the young 
 people know what is going on in the religious world around 
 them. Information will help toward loyalty and efficient 
 service. 
 
 6. Organizations are necessary in order to carry on work 
 well. They may try to exercise authority, and they would 
 then ]je a danger to free churches. But Unitarians have 
 suffered from too little rather than too much organization. 
 We must have organization and keep a free, democratic spirit, 
 too. 
 
 7. The reports of the various societies mentioned, the news 
 in the papers, and the information in the Unitarian Year Book 
 will be about all the sources of help here. It may be inter- 
 esting to find the place which your church and Sunday School 
 and other societies hold in these manuals and yearly reports. 
 
44 
 
 Possibly there may be some meetings which the teacher may 
 attend to gather fresh information and inspiration. 
 
 Chapter ZZZF.— Worship. 
 
 1. Young people should be led to recognize the nature and 
 value of worship. They should become acquainted with the 
 forms of worship. This understanding ought to help some- 
 what in creating the proper respect for the places and forms 
 of worship. It will be unfortunate if the young people of our 
 day do not learn how to conduct themselves properly in the 
 times of worship. 
 
 2. It is hoped that such a respect for truth will have been 
 won by the young people that they will not be fascinated by 
 the showy forms of the high church party. Better a Quaker 
 simplicity and a Puritan bareness than form merely because 
 it is pleasant. But it is possible to have an attractive form 
 based upon what is true both in substance and in expression. 
 
 3. This may be a good place to emphasize the worship part 
 of the Sunday School. This part should have most respect- 
 ful attention from teacher and class. And a teacher is not 
 fair to the class who does not give careful heed to it. 
 
 4. Some may know the great oratorios, such as the "Mes- 
 siah," "Elijah," the "Redemption." Liberals can accept 
 most of the words, especially when the Bible words are used. 
 And, when the words cannot be accepted in such places, they 
 may be used for the sake of the music. It is not meant to be 
 doctrinal in such cases, and the sentiment is the main element. 
 
 5. Study the forms of service in your own and neighbor- 
 ing churches, also the special observances. 
 
 6. Catholic and Episcopal churches have fixed forms of 
 worship, and these have an advantage in being familiar every- 
 where. But there is danger of their becoming empty. Some- 
 thing voluntary gives more free expression to one's own feel- 
 ings. The uniformity of spirit is better than that of the letter. 
 
 7. Possibly the marriage and funeral services may need to 
 be mentioned. Most Unitarian ministers use their own forms 
 
45 
 
 for funerals. The basis of the marriage service is commonly 
 the old English service found in the Episcopal Prayer Book. 
 This is changed to suit the tastes of those who use it. 
 
 8. Look in the hymn-books for the hymns mentioned and 
 for other hymns by Unitarians. "Songs and Singers of the 
 Liberal Faith," by A. P. Putnam, is an American collection, 
 together with biographical and other notes. 
 
 Chapter XXXF/.— The Fruits. 
 
 1. Pupils might be assigned some of these great names to 
 find out about and report upon. It is impossible here to 
 describe all of them. Information will be found in American 
 histories and in encyclopaedias. Some of these men and 
 women are written about in "Life Studies" and in "Noble 
 Lives and Noble Deeds," published by the Unitarian Sunday- 
 School Society. 
 
 2. It is not in a spirit of pride that these names are men- 
 tioned. Young people should know in whose company they 
 are when they are Unitarians. Then Unitarianism is often 
 spoken against and it is well to have some such persons in 
 mind to which one can refer as representative Unitarians. 
 They will often serve better than any argument. 
 
 3. Along the same way find out those Unitarians in your 
 own State or region who have been eminent. 
 
 4. It would be to the point to discuss what kind of a char- 
 acter the Unitarian faith should produce and what advantages 
 it has for the building of character. Is it an easy or a diffi- 
 cult faith to live by ? What kind of a man is needed specially 
 for public sers'ice to-day? 
 
 5. Numbers are not arguments. To be small is no special 
 merit. That other churches are large does not show that they 
 are right. That Unitarians are few does not show that they 
 are right. To have the truth and then to make it reach as 
 many as possible should be the aim. 
 
 6. It is impossible to predict just what will be the religion 
 of the future. But Unitarians have a plain duty to preserve 
 
46 
 
 what has been gained at such heavy cost and to see that their 
 principles have a place in whatever religion or church there 
 may be. 
 
 7. For use in this chapter Cooke's " Unitarianism in America " 
 will be most valuable. Lists of great names will be found 
 in the back part of the tract, "What Unitarians Believe," 
 by C. W. Wendte, and also in a small tract with the same title 
 by J. T. Sunderland. On the general value of the church in 
 modern life the teacher may read profitably Crooker's "The 
 Church of To-day," See also what may be new when these 
 subjects are being studied, and refer to the things being done 
 that are new and promising. 
 

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