TMEIEEAWTEFULZIQN» BY Reva SYLVE STER JUDD, Pastor of the Unitarian Chumm, AUGU$TA, Preachcd July ¢,18@1. AUGUSTA: SEVERANCE AND DORR,PRINTER& 184-1. 1..-—....l.—.-an cm on men, "mn PERFECTWN on convey? eon xmnm semen." ’ Psalms, 50: 2. Z: on, prominent in the group of hills that clistingnlsll the site of Jerusalem, selected as the residence of the royal fmnily after the victorious accession of David to the empire of Jnclea, ancllorowned with sltrucllureslllof n stately d*esc:ription, bet}: nmrtialyand civic, is a name sonmetimes «applied to eljlflfif entirel city, lsometimee to mountlvlcriah, on llwhich the Temple stood, and not nnfreqnently, by a convenient metaphor, representing the rnassl of the Jewisll nation; and under the new clism pensation, by :1 spiritual association of ideas, originating with some of the early Christian Writers, it serves to indicate the kingdonm of God, in itsaxnost extended ac- ceptation, and also any single church of Christ, or sop» ovate community of believers. V/Vith its physical anal. xnoral. aspect combined, itsbold and lofty ascent, its architectural adjuncts, its l1istoricnl and proplmetlic in» terest, its identity at once with the government and the religion of the country, mount Zion was an object to impress the eye and the l1ea1‘t both of the traveller who approached it from a. distance, and of the citizen who neclinecl at its base. Tltle sacred minstreley of the 4- run BEAUTIFUL ZION. Jews, pealing its worship into the heavens, and pouring its melodies, its triumphs, and its delights through the crowded courts of the Temple, uses a language like the following: Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion : for lo! the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they ntaroelled. In the same strain of holy complacence, and ‘benevolent attentiveness, we are exhorted to ‘walk about Zion, and go round about her 5 and tell the tow- ers thereof. .Marh ye well her bulwarhs, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following. Passing frornlthe real to the allegorical, with a similar spirit of exultation, hope, and gladness, the writer of the Hehrewsannoluneesl to his fellow Christians their privilege and their glory, in language drawn from the popular sentiment: Ye are come, he says, unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living Goal. C Under the new aspect of things, Christ is represented as being extolled and commemorated by the congregations of his people. In the miclst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 7Witha feeling analogous to the foregoing, Paul, in this lepiistle to the Ephesians, indicates his idea of a Christian community. Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might present it to him» self a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be holy, and without blemish. Vile, my brethren and friends, constitute a branch of the Christian relationship, we have our Hill of Zion, our Temple, and our altar. Out of us, as from Zion of old, the beauty of God should shine. To this society the glory of Lebanon waits to be given, THE BEAUTIFUL ztoN. 5 tiled desires to melee us on ctermtl cxcellency, the joy of many getteratioots. My thoughts are engaged this morning, with cootemplations upon THE BEAUTIFUL ZION. I would describe some of the characteristics of the Good Society. In the outset, let the request that you would indulge the in some latitude of retnark. There are peculiarities tlisti1iguisl°1iitg us, arising from our denomittiatioo as Lil- eral Cliristiaos, which I cannot cotivenieutly disguise or omit. This fact in our condition supplies the basis, the V””E1I‘l'Zml‘., ztml the explamttioit, of muclii tltiat is pe- culiteu: in our conduct, our purposes, and our duties. ii/Ve lutve relations intrinsic and ext:i1.'i,tits;ic) pttclt possess- ing 3. distinctive pl‘C)lTll]1G1”tC(3, and each bearing lIill.'ll"lflEl'[€ly' upon the other. I should disappoint my subject, if I l'ailed to recognize this si;ug;t:lt1t‘ity in our position. Tliere are inatiy l'.l’lll“]gS combined in a topic like the one be“l'otre us, that ttltl receive but an imperfect then» tioo, aritl many more that cannot be introduced at all, in the space permittetfl to a single discourse. Most that l shell l.1t"l(;l(£l‘t€ll{€3 to say‘, may be distributed Ut“tt’le1‘ three heads, Ititelligetitze, liliorals, and lilleiligion. Other things will thud a place as the course of remark shall Sl,lggGSt. I speak oi‘ 1l'lUL‘ll.lg6flC€ as one of the charttcteristics of the (Flood Society, as one of the features in the Betttttiful Zion. Ill so 1'efg.;ax‘(i it. Is this said to the surprise of tiny? Are t.ltere those who reply that in discussing the aspects and relations of then, considered es 3. body clefinitisvely religious, we should observe the proprieties of the case, and keep within the range of topics apparently secular? Partly, but not altogether 1e 6 ran en..wr1r~UL men. so, my brethren. Agreeably to the foregoing observam tions, let me remind you that we have our peculiarities, or at least our properties. There are things belonging to us which we cannot easily renounce, and had better not depreciate. Among these, is a reputation forintel- ligence. Good sense and liberal acquisitions have been our boast and our life, as a religious denomination. They originated, confirmed, and perpetuated our exist-~ ence, and have ever formed a legitimate ground for reasonable sell"-g1'atula.tion. ‘We profess and propose to he intelligent Christian men. in this particular, as in all others, it becomes us to be true to ourselves. And this remarlsz, more generally appliecl, will introcluce me to the imrnecliate stthject of discourse. l. I observe then, in the first place, that we must be trite to 0tt?*5'ei’t16.S‘; or in other rvorrls, that the G-ooti Society will maintain its own integrity”. The object of God, in the calling of the Jews, we have reason to suppose, was to relieve faith of its ‘superstitions, antl practice of its errors ; and to introduce arnong men the worship of the one Goal, and tlimxse through their l'1ab- itations and hearts the blessinggs of nmrality, virtue, and piety. God, in his provitlenoe, rny hrethren, has chosen as at speoiaiipeople. He has scparrated us fi"oi7/2. all the people of the crtrth to be his tnlteritrmce. Ami the command to us, equally with the elect of old,‘ is, ye shall not tttrn (ts-Me to the ’l“‘t’..‘,f.3‘ll't.l’£ Itrwtcl or to the left. As a religious society, our nrernis are truth, our end is ho-« liness, our authority God. ‘We have before us an ob-« ject too elevated, a promise too lI]Vll.it'lg, a duty too imperative, to be clistnayecl by the opposition of the Tl-IE BEAUTIFUL ZION. 7 world, to be flattered by its seductions, or hindered by its devices. We possess within ourselves, interests too essential, hopes too profound, consciences too ac- tive, hearts and hands too many and too strong, to admit of compromise, neglect, or abandonment. VVe are forbidden to defer or trncltle to others, since their de- lectable tlt'irtgs cannot profit us. We are not to hlnsh for ont doctrine, hut ratlqier with the Psaltrtist, let us anticipate shtnne by being always nhle to declare hefore the Lord, I lines stuck tmto thy testimonies. Our name at worthy nnrne, borne, as We believe, hy angels and hy (:il;’1l'.iSl, by prophets and hy epostles, by the sainted deed, and the illnstr*iot:1s living.~—-—-—He t”/lint ‘Ci().S'p?i.S‘Gl’it his ways, says the man, shall die. The man who will not hottont himself on his own conscious virtue, who distrnsts histbrinciples, who questions his pntlt and his company, Clesetves our pity, pe1'l1eps, more than our hlznne. His true life, his essential manliness, perishes out of l;'1inn; and the Vacuum is supplied by at sickly :;nntiety, at ptiliiig cowe:rdliness, a wasting suspense.---- Onr position derntinds tlint we resist encroachment, and tlefy the worst that can he concerted against us. Our nnpOpul£1t'ity' tzsni he remedied only by time and piety; lflj/’ a vigorous zfittznizlinient to out cause, and an unremit- ting activity in the snl1er~e allotted us. VVl:1eteve1' views we may see lit to nclopt relative to the government of life, or the line of our conclnct,-—-—endenvoring all things in the feet of the l,~ord--——-it becomes us tohonor and snpportz, hy an tinllexihle practice and an independent ndvocncy. Our peculiarities, whatever their character, so list‘ as they are essential to its is liiihetol Christians, 8 THE BEAUTIFUL ZION. «should be not only allowed but enforced; deserve to he not merely indulged, but defended. The groves and the green trees of an erroneous Worship should never attract us from the house of our God. The subject of which I spealt, is not a matter of prozty or accommodation. If we are not true to ourselves, no one else will perform that ofiice for us. If We are false to ourselves, We may expect others to be false to us. Our polls and our purses may be respected; our views will be held iri derision. Ker}; ye Zii‘ILdl‘6JLi3i"t'3 avtttti do the 5-tcttutes anal jttrlgiitettts of the Lord, for tltris is your wisdom and your tttlde3‘8i”(m€l*i‘t2g -in the S’lg‘l1Zi0f the ttcttio-its. Let us be true even to wliet we fail to do, since attention to our defects will be more likely to further our ends than any quiet cotiiplaceoey in the system we have adopted. But as regards others, i recite from the great poet, To tltioe own self be true, Axial it must follow, as the ltllgllt the (lay, Thou cttiist not tlieri be false to any man. While we are firm we are still to be kind. Let our independence he softened by charitableness. If We argue, we would not revile. Our truth shall be spoken in love, our enemies venqtiislied with good will. We may be generous without craftioess, and render atten- tions without sycopliaricy. As men of large and liberal hearts, we shall be disposed to recognize the truth of others, to give the most lenient construction to their motives, to pity their foibles, and allow for their imper- fections. Under the Jewish polity, the person, the presence, the purpose, and the ordering of the smmger were kindly considered, and unreservedly welcomed. THE BEAUTIFUL zron. 9 We are never to forget the confraternity of all men, or the absolute equality of relationship and obligation in respect to God, of the human race. Let us also remember that our peculiarities are (comparatively) few, while our commonness is perhaps more general and uniform 3 and that what is our own is truly valuable only as it should be all rnen’s ; and while We adhere to the former let it be that we may protect, develope and extend the latter, and while we are true to ourselves, let it be that we may restore the world to its integrity, and bring back the average of human existence to the standards of nature, of Christ, and of God. From our holy hill We shall cornmiserate the World, while we look out upon it, we shall labor to reflect the beauty of our situation through the thickest of its darkness,and earnestly pray for the hour when the law shall go forth out of Zion, and the word of the Lord jrom Jerusalem. With this understanding relative to the general spirit of our position and establishment, let us proceed to consider what that self is to which We are to be true, let us speak of some of the features of our beauty. And here I shall content myself with simple enumera-~ tion in the place of elaborate argument, and abrief description must satisfy us even if a free illustration were more pleasing. II. I have already alluded to Intelligence as one of the characteristics of the good society. I can no more than hint at what might be said under this head. The religious education of the Jews, and they possessed no other, had its scope both among profane and sacred topics. Their text»-book was the law, with its preface, 10 rue BEAUTIFUL zron. its commentary, and its appendix. This embraced a cosmogony, an anthropology, a zoology, politics and religion, jurisprudence, medicine, science and the arts, ethics and poetry, romance and history. Provision was made for the multiplication and perpetuity’ of this knowledge in an ordinance to teach it to their sons, and their sortie sons forever. Moses is directed to write and teach the chilciren of Iarctel one of his songs. in our times, ‘secular and sacred knowledge are divorced, and novitiates receive their instruction in ditierent schools. But the value of either is not impaired by this divi- sion, nor their necessity in the iorrnation of the true man diminished. T he advantages of education in gen- eral I shall not recount. l allude to the subject as pertinent to the grotvth, establishment and grace of a. religious cornrnunity. The evidences of our faith are founded as well in the understanding as the hearts of men. That We may be sound and consistent believers, it becomes us to be intelligent believers. The liistopry of our faith holds a place in a line with all other histo- ties, and in many important particulars, derives its illustration, its support, its witness, from this collater- alisrn. The annals of the church, of sects, of creeds, is one of the most instructive and entertaining branches of narrative reading; and would you be conversant with the Providence of God, would you arrive at a ltnotvledge of human nature, would you realize the singularity and ettcellence of our own system of belief and vvorship, you would do well to include this among your studies. Our societies demand in their minister extensive acquirernents and a refined taste, but What is THE BEAUTIFUL ZION. 11 the sense of this, if the general range of his knowledge is essentially above the acquaintance of his people. How much is every man indebted to the past for what he says, illustrates, concludes, enforces ;-—--~but if his au- ditors are wholly unknowing of that part, he might as well discourse to them in the dialect of a foreigner. It is not expected perhaps that a people will know as much as their minister, but it is expected that they will understand his knowledge. They may not have been where he has gone, but should be able to follow where he leads. A society will be at great pains to secure a welheducated minister, and then not unfrequently cornw plain of his preaching so learnedly. A learned minis- try cannot subsist. with an ignorant people. Then again, I may observe, the credit of a societydepencls not in a small degree upon the general intelligence of its members. We challenge respect to ourselves when we are able to give or, reason for the hope that is within us. I am not forgetful that in all ages of the Church, an outcry has been raised against knowledge as the antagonist of piety. VVith that controversy and that barbaristn we will not meddle. I am sure I do not trespass upon the proprieties of my oflice in urging the general cultivation of mind. I am not mistaken in my point when I say that intelligence will contribute to the beauty of any Zion. Knowledge consists with piety. The heart is ever adorned by the acquisitions of the intellect. Science, poetry and the arts would shed a grace upon the daily walks of our religious life. A library enriches and ornaments one of the sides of our temple. Let the children of the society be educated: iii, THE BEAUTIFUL ZION. in a manner corresponding with their natures, their profession, and their destiny. All knowledge, all divisions of knowledge converge at last in God. The more We know the holier We may become. It has heen our boast that We Were an educated people, that We are intelligent christians. We will not fear to main» tain our character, or inerit this distinction. The Lord, says the prophet Isaiah, ltctth filled Zion with judgment and rigltteousness. find wisdom. and know!» edge shall be the stability of thy times, and strong-tit of thy scloation. Happy is the mam, says Solomon, that findeth wisclem. It is more precious tham rubies, it will compass any people roit/z a crown of glory. HI. The next leading characteristic of the good society will appear in its Morals. Time supreme and universal law is thus expressed,-—-Thcte slwslt lose the Lord thy God, ..cmd thy rteigltbor as thyself. The entire decalogue is sometimes called the moral law. In this sense, morals might be defined as obedience to the sum of God’s commands; or the complement of human duty. But for convenience sake, the second branch in the precept just cited is distinctively considered as embracing the doctrine in question. Let us however hear in mind that morality and religion possess a similar origin, impressiveness, and value, and are alike ohligaw tory upon man. They are included in the same Revelation, they spring from the same source, God, they look to the same end, the holiness and happiness of the human race. As I have before taken occasion to say, nor loan pass the consideration with too much THE nnncmnnn ZION. 13 eolieitnde. Morale and religion have always suffered from being kept apart. Religion has thriven Where morals have perished. Men lttwe loved God, and hated their fellow-rnen. Heaven has been provided for in the future, hell realized in the present. But a genuine religion cannot exist independently of morals. it is a. bird with 3. broken wing, whose step is heavy, its flight impossible. The apostle Jolie, in a question caustioally and unequivocally declarative, denies the compatibility of hatred to man and love to God 3 and by implication, aflit'ms the identity of morals and religion. i say then that morality will distinguish, the beautiful Zion. Let us touch upon some of the pe1*ticnl:ars embraced nr.tclet' this desigttetiorm. 1. In the first place, the members of such it society will love one (mother. Thrigltt, iutefgrel men, should shine in our streets in the darkest; night. They should he rnen, such as in El cx*owd you would select for the deposit of your eoufideuce and 2t't‘3i‘t]§_'D"(3‘ of your distress. We observe how rniuute is '(l’1(i‘ cognieztuce God taltes of our 1i®ITt‘1pQl‘i1l doings, and also wltat near»- ness of identity suhsists between Morals andlieligion in the following verse from the Proverbs. J1 false balance is on ttbomimttioco to the Lord, but at just weigitt is his delight‘. 'I‘hcre are many false balances that do 2*‘ l 18 rae BEAUTIFUL zrorr. not appear in steel-yards and tin scales. Every sys~- tern of trade not conducted in a manner strictly even, equal, open, fair, is a false balance. Every Word not true, every representation not sincere, every means not ingenuous, is an unjust: Weight. sThe spirit of prohity and habits of equitableness are pleasing to, God, and serve to render any man esteemed and reverenced; and prevalent in a religious body, may contribute to its excellence and heighten its beauty. IV. But I hasten to speak of religion, Whielt after all it will he said, is the capital object of our organi» zation, and the peculiar employment of the inhabitants of Zion. if i have dwelt: somewhat at length on other topics, my brethren, it is that i may adequately impress, as I increasingly feel, the conviction, that religion can never exert its most salutary invfluence, or rellect its choicest beauty, without a careful attention to the Whole of life, and a corresponding perlectness of the entire character. ‘ it seems necessary horvever, as We enter this hranch of the sul3jr::ia::.t., only to indicate, as summarily descrip- tive, that the l’h:aut_i.l’ul Zion will possess the religion of God, that the good society will be distinguished by an Evangelical faith. Here I shall take the liberty to digress lirorn the general tenor of my remarks, and descend to the more imrnediate position and circum- stance of tliose to Wltom i this day discourse. I arrogate notliixig, l overstate in no degree, when I say that our faith is strictly evangelical, that is, derived from, based upon, and eornp1*ehended within the gospel; I shall take the liberty to afl‘irm———--and if there THE BEAUTIFUL zron. 19 be any truth pertaining to us, all that I now say must be true----that liberal christians are the only strictly evangelical christians. This is their preeminent and professed distinction. Their peculiar and single aim is to confine themselves to the gospel. To this end they discard ereeds, formularies, prescription, assemblies, councils. They push aside comnnentaries, fallible human authorities, lallible human institutes, that they may come at the simple and divine gospel. They go back of ecclesiastical establishrnent, in all stages of its developement, in all progress of its history, to Christ the supreme head, and or'iginal founder of our religious economy. They do not build upon the church, they build upon Christ. They prefer the New Testament to any platform of the fathers. They do not assent to articles of religion as found in any directory of human invention; tlieybelieve in the teachings of Christ. They do not respect the eatechisnns of any ecclesias- tical body; they would be familiar with the words of Christ. For forms of worship and systems of disci- pline, not less than in respect to tenets of doctrine, they aim to be guided by the New Testament alone. It is not denied that ecclesiastical Christians attach a supreme value to Christ, but they seem to rest medi- ately upon the gospels ; While liberal christians refer immediately to the same basis. "Whatever among the former may appear truthliil and loving, simple and pure, beautiful and advantageous, the latter would not be slow to detect or reluctant to acknowledge; indeed every species and degree of excellence they would both sustain and imitate. Therefore thus saith the Lord 20 THE BEAUTIFUL ZION. God, behold I lay in Zion for ct foundation, ct stone, a: tried stone, ct precious corner stone, at sure foundation. find he that belieoeth on Itint shall not be confounded. I have cursorily exhibited, my brethren and friends, the nature and grounds of the claim that our corner stone is Christ, distinctively, exclusively, Christ. If others build upon this foundation toood, hat, stubble, in the day of trial we hope they may be saved even‘ if they sufler loss. pet it be our care that we build thereupon gold, sil-oer, precious stones; then shall we receive tt rewctrd. I have spoken of the general religious characteristic of the good society. Let us proceed to other topics belonging to this division of my discourse. That any society may merit the distinction of good, it is neces- sary that it should be sound in the faith, and also that the practices of piety should be unilbrrnly prevalent, and vitally operative. 2. The rnetnbers of such a society will love God. This is their predominant, perpetual, and distinguishing duty, privilege, and habit. Their supreme affections will centre upon God. They will recognize his provi- dence and submit to his will. They will meditate upon his law, and conform their lives to its precepts. They will revive and replenish within themselves the image of God in uthich they were created. A spiritual regeneration will continually transpire till they are Wholly born, evolved, transformed into the love and perfection of God. They will die with Christ unto sin, that they may live with him unto God. They will be attached to the revealed word of God. Search the THE BEAUTIFUL ZION. 21 scriptures, for in them ye thinh ye have eternal life. They will contemplate God in nature. The Heavens declare the glory of God. They will distinguish God in their own souls. There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the .fli’ntig.ltty giveth them understanding. They will obey God, and not fear man. They will be happy in the thought of death and the resurrection, expecting wlien th..et/ shall see Goai’s face in rigltte0us— ness, and he stttiafieci when they (t't,t)(tii38 in his liheness. 3. They will delight in the public Worship of God. Itvas glad, is the expression of the Psalmist, when they said unto me, let ns go onto the .ti“ii)‘ttS8 of the Lord. They will be cliteerlhl, prompt, constant in their attend- ance upon the sanctuary. A tentieirtcy exhibits itself in some congregations to clivitle the sabbath, giving half to the service of the church, and reserving the remain- der for private uses. Good and satisfactory reasons may be assigned Why some intlividnals must select their hours, and discharge their duties by piece-meal. ill health, clotnestic cares, [)l’Oi.(3SSi.Ot1t1l calls, interrupt the unifo1*mity no more of their practice than of their wishes. There are equally poor and unsatisfactory reasons operating with otlicrs to tieglect the ordinances that they may indulge their leisure. iffiucln a habit} hope, my brethren and irietricis, will never obtain with us. it is not creditable in those who cherish it, it is unvvorthy our holy profession, it is pernicious in its effect upon the religious institution. I speak of beauty. There is perhaps no prospect more purely beautiful than that of a whole population, parents and chilclren, brothers and sisters, the aged and the young, citizens THE BEAUTIFUL ZION. and strangers, happily, thoughtfully, ingenuonsly, direct- ing their steps to the House of God. 4-. The members of the Good Society will also be noted for firlelity in their prliectte devotions. Four out thy fury upon, the heathen, anti apart the familties that call not upon the ttttme, is an exclamation of .leren1iah. An altar for prayer should be erected in every house- hold, that the love of piety may be communicated, and its impression retained, throughout the entire circle of our relationship. A spirit of prayer, the remem- brance of Christ, a quiet, solemn communing with God, seasons of special intercession at the throne of Grace, should characterise us all, and constitute the ethos of a portion of our hours. :3. in the next place, l ohserre, the heauty of Zion will he enhanced by the mmtbcr of those that come to her altars. The entire mass of the Jewish population lirequented the courts of the Lord, and contributed to the services of the Temple. In the Apostolic days, whole families, children included, joined in the com- memoration of Christ, and participated in the use of the sacred emhlerns. The Eastern and the VVester'n Churches, in their prominent divisions, the Greek, Catholic and Episcopal, permit the privileges of the Eucharist to all who choose to enjoy" them. it is an innovation of Protestanisrn, I believe, that discrimin- ates access to the altar. But says the Psalmist, all they in Zion appear before God. It is desired and expected that all who love the Lord Jesus Christ, should remember him in his death. I know of but one pre- requisite lor Church membership; that is, love to was BEAUTIFUL ZION. 23 Christ. This may include the young as well as the old, and would shut out no one who aims at a consci- entious fulfilrnent of his religious obligations. The word of the Lord is to this Church, flrtise, shine, for thy liglttis come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Thy sons shall come from far, and thy clanghlers shall be nnrs-ed at thy sicle. They shall come up with acceptance on my altar, they shall glorify the honse of my glory. Int lnringing these remarks to a close, I solicit your patience, while i direct: the particular attention of my hearers, for a short space, to the subject of their external aspects and relations. Ir. l.l‘i.i'st, regarding accessions from abroad. The Good Society, whatever name it bears, should present attractions to those about it, and open its gates to the multitude; and it is obviously its duty to preserve unirnpaired the list of its rnernbers. We, as a denom- ination, are not, I believe, obnoxious to the cllarge of proselytism. It belongs to the spirit of a liberal faith not to coerce men, as it does to a manly virtue not to hlandish thorn. If an individual would come amongst us, let his decision be intelligent, free, Voluntary. One thing, if I understand the case, is Within the scope of our attentions; should any appear predisposed to our views and our worship, let them be enlightened in our Ways, and directed to the threshold of our Zion. The Lorcl will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and npon her assemblies, a clonal and smoke by day, and the sltinittg of aflanring fire by night. find time shall be a tabernacle, a shadow in the day time 24 arm ssattcrstts ZION. from the /teat, and for as place cf t*efttg~e amt for at covertfrom storm amt from rctiit. ll" there he any who sufi"cr from the prevalent clectririe and practice, if there he any Whe would worship God in S‘lt1’lpllGll.y, if there be any who would obey the ’£l‘ttl,l1 as it is in lestis, let them come hither for refttge; let them sit tlcti-"rt he- neath the sltirrirtg of car holy hill. No 0118 should be seduced from those attachirierits in which his conscience and his intellect concur. E3. Secondly, regartlieg our actual extension through the hreadtlti of the clmrcli, and cci*rip1*el‘iei1sive emhcdi- meat of the essential spirit aritl excellence cl Chris- tianity. ls this not so, my brethren P llt is our encl and endeavor that it slioultl he so. lf we fail in this particular, we fail in car meet err1pl'1:¢ttic profession, as Well as in our selectest purpose. ls it sc 5’ Tlieii let us rise to the S1:lp1”Bl"1’1€3 clelight, aricl vast Slg1”illlC£1t'.XC3f;‘ of the idea. I have said we are distinctive; we are not tllerefcre exclusive. Our very distinctiveness is cur urai—- versality; our peculiarity, is our comprehensiveness. We promote what is our awn, in order that we may multiply What should be all men’s. ll‘ there be any thing in this savcring of the sect, we persevere in it, that We may override and demolish sects. Our desig- naticn as liberal christians paints to our eszpaesiveiiess, and indicates that We transceritl the barriers of sect, and circulate through the entire heart EU.”lCl limbs of the glorious body of Christ‘. By liberal christians, l dc not mean those alone who are denominatively Unita- rians, but all such as cultivate the liberal spirit, and possess thepure evangelical faith. The liberal spirit THE BEAUTIFUL ZION. 525 has within itself the elemental of eternal life. Seemi- anism, ever changing, ever false, struggles but to dis- close its impotence, and conquers only to signalizie its defeats. Whatever there is noble in humanity we recognize, whatever may be its Weaknesses We succor, whatever its sintfulness we provide a remedy‘ for. Thea true adaptation of Christianity to the universal human heart, it seems to have been left for liberal ohristiaos to discover. The only principle of human redemption, progress and pterfeotiort, I refer to Divine Love, they seem alone fully to appreciate, and commenm surately to apply. Under the vine and fig-tree of our sanctuaries, I believe it is a fact, that men of all grades» and conditions, christians of all views and names, have been known to Worship, with comfort and satisfaction, Without rriolestatiou. or fear. The church, the true Catliolic or Universal church, consistecl of Christ and the Apostles. its creed, its discipline, its worship were comprised in the New Testament. Departing from this went forth ecclesiastical establisltment, Popes, Patriarclis, Bishops, the mitre and the lawn, rubrics, rituals and confessions, diocese, presbytery and confer- once. The spirit of a liberal christianity, life-giving, fed them with bread in the desert, and insinuated a vitality through all their corruptions; selfi-existent, self-esostexiaoit, it recovered and preserved its own vigor and maturity, and new gathers about Christ with the fulness of its discipleship, its ministries and its love, and invites its Wandering brethren hack to the repose, the abundance,‘ the greatness and the beauty of The Church. tbs look: upon Zion the city of our solemw 3 25 THE BEAUTIFUL ZION. mties : tltitte eyes shall see Jemsolem ct quiet ltobitation, a tzzbermtele that eholl not he bmleen, dozen ; not one of the stokes thereof ehctll he removed, vzeitlzer shall any of the cords thereof be Zwoleen. But the gl0’.I/"l0’tlS Lorcl shall be time tie as place of bzeood risers cmcl streams. The Heaven and earth ofecclesiasticel establishment, its dynasties, its grandeur, its offices, its systems shall pass cewoy 3 the ’t00t"Cl of Clwist, the sincere Virtue of the christian heart, the pure faith of the evangelical church shall not pass away. The spirit of a liberal christianity combines within itself the elements of p1*ogress. It is the provocative of growth, the pioneer of improvements, the inspiration of genius; it expands witlx the imrneesureble capacities of the soul; it awaits the light of God Whencesoever it shall descend; it is the fire cmcl hammer to brecth the the rrocle of oppression in pieces, and dissolve the insti-» tutions of human perfidy and sin; it is the living Word dropped into the bosom of Time, whence shall he evolved the everlasting Beauty and Truth; it has already laid the corner stone of that prophetic temple whither shall congregate all the nations of the earth. As the star seen in the east, that came and stood over where the young child 'was-———1‘evolving through the meridians of centuries, and lianging in our western heavens, it invests with an augmented halo the glorified Messiah, and blends in that august t1'ansfigtn*ation which shall crown the flight of ages, and shed splendor and awe upon the consummated triumphs of the Redemption. The free spirit alone authenticates, as it alone con- sists, with the millenial hope. It propounds the only TI-I is BEAUTIFUL zxorr. 27 feasible conditions for ultimate and universal Christian union. The temple of the Jews, with its roof laid in gold, its cornices studded with gems, glowed in the morning sun with a brilliancy Well nigh dazzling, and reflected a charm equally irresistible. Let our sane» tuary, my brethren, framed from an evangelical virtue, its dome reared on a holiness of columnar proportions and grace, transmit an internal efihlgence, and shine everrnore with the first and latest beams of God. Then shall our Zion be beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth. fill men will go round about her, tell her towers, maria well her lmltvarles, and consider her pal- aces. The redeemed of the Lord shall return thither with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. Ours shall be the blessing of the Lord, dwelling in Jerusalem forever.