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70 '- ' " - , - --- ' - ,- " --, _<_= = 0_ - - , ; r I iE~- PR A C T IC:\ L cIIRi~ n' L~ N ~~~ 7-"--- --' .._-
grace, so culled. O ve r , ngui ns t th ese ar e sensons
of retr ihut ion , d ur ing whi ch th e ma ster
of the hou se c loses th e door nguin s; us, sa yiug ,
" depnrt , I know yo u not I" : Aficr lon g abuse
of' - ull o ur pri vileges, and tr ens11l'i \ lg lip of
" wruth aguiust th e day of'wraj h," Go d depa rts
trorn us j he leaves us to fill up the mea sure
of alii' sins, nnll to rip en for j udg me nt. At
le ugth th e sto rm bur sts , aud we a re left to its
1) itilcss fur y, thllt our hau ghty nud udamau tine
h earts may he thorou gh ly brok en ami pulv erizerl
by t he gre at ness o f our aflli etion,- nnd
th at whe n fiua lly God looks . uguiu in mer cy
" on us, we may k uow how to pr iz e hi s grace.
L et it IlfJ horn e iu miud th en , tha t we cannot
abu se tile good ness of Go d withou t ex posing
ourselves to a tcar tn l senson of d e~ ertiou ' 3uII
j udmcnt, , Iuriug which, thu u r,; h we mny . cu ll,
Gud will not answe r.
But t llll q ues tion re c u rs - c- How fill' men
nhan doned to con dig u puuislunent , u nder
th ese circumsta nces , . a re Irce moral agen ts
d u r ing the process of their ret ributio u P It is
certa in that th ey ar e uot fi'ee to avert th e hit~
te l' COUSel! IICnee of a former d et ermined
,: h oice. I eud eavo red to s how ill th e pr eced ·
ing s ecti on , th at ",' h eu lIIen choose ' sin tlleY
c hoose miser y wi th it- Inu! that wh en th ey
c hoo se holiuess tlICY ch ow e happiness. I
llUve uo wh er e elJllteudell fiJI' a free ag en cy
which allows meu to c hoose th e clinse and
reject Ih e effec t. It dues indeed appeal' that
God , usuully offers mer cy ro s illue rs u pon ea r ly
rep ent uu ce, lIud that under suc h c ircum ·
s tanc es , hi s pow el' int erposes u hard er . wholly
or in part, to fiH'ther ev il cOllSe'lilCnc es . But
in th e cuses uow contem plat ed that mercy ' is
d eliberately un d wilfnlly despi sed ; th e evil
do er harden s him self in hi s wi ck ell c ho ice j
he ohsti nat ely per sists iu hi s s infil l ca ree r ; and
God lea ve;; him to ea t th e fruit of his reb ellion
- to receiv e a meetJ ecolllpen se of hi s tr an sg
ress ion. He ha s c hose u th e miseri es of h is
puuishment, and refu sed to IIwk e an y tim ely
esca pe. Thus ill\' o!\' ed a nd ubandoned , how
far is he a free moral nge u t? Ca n he lindo
aud repair his dr eadliJlmi stalle ? No; he took
his ch oice / i'eely, deli berately, mHI h e can no t
now P \' Cl" t th e ev il L'Onflequ eu ees; lIe would
coutract th e dread fill dis ease, und he I') lust , endure
th e pain ; th er e is no escape . If a part
of his threaten ed pllnishment co nsist in ti le
withdrawal of G9 d's s piri t fijI' a tim e, thi s too
lIe- must hellr, a nd fin d no place of rep entlllu: e
though lik e lui serabl e ESllu he seek it ca re fully
with ' tea rs . ' Vh at th en eu n ho do ? ' I'ru Iv
littl e els~ th an to hnmble him selfunder th'e
migh ty hand ofGod, to co nfess the j us t ic; of
hi s punishment, to tak e ' shllme to himself,: aud
" ivatc h fill' th e morn iug dllwn o f th at divine
cO lll pas~ i o n whi ch th ou gh 1II11leservod never
lilil s . 1' hell, ngain , he may POUI'oUt his so u l,
: bewa il his si ns , and s ne fOi' mercy. Then,
Agnin, h is ( i'ee moral ageu cy may be uvaila ble
to h im in new a nd holy ch oic es and resoln ·
tions; foJ' th en his captivity is lIlad e to ' g ive
pluce to restoring fav or . Bl~ t perhaps it will
be lI~ k ed, why Go d should lli l! e hi s filce at ull
fr olll those who inv oh'e th em sel ves in the ' mise
ries of s in, and why he should not at all times
uffiJl'( I eq ua l filc il: ties ofde'liverun ee fi'om th e
co nseljuenees ' of chosen iniquity? Probahly,
hecau se he knows th at a full ex pe rience of tim
miseri es of s in, in a ll th cse ca ses ofwilful pert;
istuIlCIJ, is h es~ a do pte l! " 0 rest rain a lld.. reform '
the gui lty . If lIlen aro so hase liS to ahuse
long contin uell goo dness, und conld as~ u re
tl'ICllIseiv es of ' a'ready deliv orance Ii'om th eir
punisillneut on th e ii rst cry for div in e help,
th ere would be no bounds to th eir wick edneS8.
lIut God ha s so cons titttte d th in gs, th at in th e
en d, " wllllt a lIlan sowet h that s hall' he also
reap." This is just and good. Thus, while
he maintain s a conser vat ive and corrective
moral go vern me nt 0\' 1) 1' his cr eature; in ju.' ig.
ment and lIIer cy, it remains tru e th ilt he nev er
did 0 1' will \' io'late man's Ii'ee moral ugency.
Lot 110 day go wit hout ob sen'lui on, and re,'
i~ w of God ' s c a rr iage ' towa;' d yon, lind )' ours
toward ltim : of mercies and alllictions j and
o f yo ur d utie s, und th e fl'llllle of heart in them j
ofyou r s ins 01' inc lina tions to sin ; and so lik ewis
e ~ f auy special 0 \' " eul/ Irkuhle Jlrovidence
o f God r~ la tetl to you by a tho l'S, or seeu or
heard of'l! y you rse lf." And let God have the
gl~ ry of~ v hat is good. ] n lIfllic tions he hUIllble,
he ashnmbdllnd gi'ic \' ed for s ins ; and ca n ·
s ide r what God' s spec ial P I'O\' ide nec s peaks to
Jou.-. IHa80n.
THE PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN.
lUelld on , January 15, 18, n.
CONFE RENCE .
Our next Quart erly Confere nce will be holden
in !\ lenclon , by d ivine permission , on th e
lust \ Veduesdlly and Thursday, 2 7th and 28th
days o f J anuary instant. 1\ llIY th er e he a full
gathcriug of c hr istian br eth en and friend s.
Br, T. Laird ' s epis t le from Watertown, N.
. Y. has co me safely to hand , lind sha ll., be laid
he/ ore the brethren. Also 131'. Jordan ' s J etter
10 tl: e Edito r.
. w, regr et th e delay o f HI · . D. R. Li' s. arti clo
a ll th e E xcommunication o f his wife . I t
s ho uld IIHve a ppea re ll llluc h I~ arlier .
"
) Ve hop e our resp ect ed friend " J ,\.' V. S. "
wi ll ofleu OCCUI.' y 0111' poet ' s cor. We
welc om e a nd so lic it his effus io ns . ~,. .
,
The E d ito r thankfully acknow ledges th e
rece ipt of an interesting Pnmphler, entitled
" P R O C~: t: DI: V G S of tlte SOCIETY o t' FRIEND S i ; l
, tlte case of WM. BASSETT." If this i ~ the
nlllllil er in whicli th e Friends d iscipline and
liisown th eir, members, the ' glo ry is ' i11deed ' lie .
Jlartiug from th eir once holy tuhernu(\ le.
THE PAST YEA R .
Another year is'Vast 111ld go ne . . It s se as'ons
IlUve pUI: su eLl their course and vani shed. How
strong ha s been th e testimouy th ey have borne
10 th e goolh, JCss of Him wh o gave them. S
pring, S nmmer , Autumn 1I1Il! \ Vinter have '
come lad en with hlessin gs. Theil' nnited
\' oices have respondell to tilli d e cl am~ i on s of
Holy Writ, th at ' the Lon! is good .' E ach day
and hour, yea, ea ch momellt , has brought wilh
it so mlJ tok en of love from th e hallli of our
Henvenl y Fathet · . The su n has eonlinued to
s hflll its waTmih alllllight. The sho wers have
desc ended in th eir uppoint cd ti mcs . , ' fh e
ea rth has brought llirlh its fl'ltit~, g iving ' seed
to th e so ..... e r and br ead to th e ' ente r.' . 1 ' he
harvest has been ubulIllnnt, and th e expectution
of the till er of th e ground has lleen real "
ized. The well filled ga rner speaks of plenty ,
and mUll and bea Et are s n pplied - with th e
bounties of divine Providen ce.
But not alone in th e th ings o f thi s world ule
we blesse ll. The ministrations of th e word of
God hav e heen co nt inued . The kingdom of
heav en lH~ s been e".- tended ullIong men. The
gos pe l has had freer cou rse thnn fonned)'. Many
hav o beeu bl'ought to obey th e trllth liS
it is iu Jesus. They hav e se en ' and kn own
him. They hav e bettel' nnderstood his' characte
r, 1I1II1 ar e now tbllowing in his foot step s.
T hCl'C is, ind eed, much ye t to he don e. Ther e
is mu ch of n nfa ithfulness ye t remaining in th e
~ h urc h . Ther e is mu eh of co rruption still in
soc iety . Bnt th er e have ari sen fi'ee spi l'its,
wh o im ve ca st from th em the c hains of slave r
y, wh eth er of ch urc h o r state . '. rh ey " h av e
Ilm'ed to spea k otit , wilhout fear ( If mun. They
hnv e been , in th e hllnd s of God, th e
mea ns of rest oring in so me measure ori gillal
Ch ristia n ity- the C: lI'ist iullit y' of Christ, wh li
came to bring plll'ity, peace, and freedom to
' fid len mun. May God bless them in their, ef ·
forts. Mny tl ley continue th e feurl ess ad vo.
cutes of tru tll and righ teou sn ess. May YOlI'
and], Jlind reader, thnnk Gil l! th at lUl hus
called fOl'th tho" 8e who fcar not to de clare Hi s
wh ole counsel.
S nc h are sOJileof th e blessings which th e
past year has brollght to us. Are tliey not
man y aud gr eut? ' Vho among liS thiaks of
th ese th ings ? ' Vho'se heart goes o u t in gra t itilde
to God for th em? \ Vho ' ! ooks IIJlon
them all and rej oices in th em as th e gifts of
J ehovah ? Belov ed rend er, do yOIl ?
A ~ loth er year has gOlle . It s hours alII] moments
hav e fled. : It s re eorll s are elosed. '
Vlmt are those records ? Minister of Christ!
Whnt account 110 th ey g ive of thee'? Hllst
th oll heeu filithful to thy lII, ast er. Hast tholl
prear. hed th e ' truth, th e whole truth- plainly
imd fellr less ly? Hast thou nimel! to reach th e
heurt s of all wh~ hearl! the e? ] hst thou " rep
roved , rebuked, with a ll lon g suffei'ing illld
patien ce, cha rging C\' e ry on e : tS a fath er doth '
his c hild ren ?" If called now · to render an ac co
unt of th y ste wa rds h ip, couldst thou do it
with j oy ?- Chris tillll ! What is th y r ecord ?
What hast th~ u done, during th e yellr that has
close d, for thine own so ul? • ' Vhat new conqu
est hast th ouguined ove r s in? What passions
hast thou subdued? What ad vun ce hust
th ou made in th e c hris tia n cnurse P Are thy
th ou ght s a nd dffecrious ui nre heavenly? I s
th y faith more pure mid elevated ? thy love
stro nge r ? Thy z eal mor e ard ent ? What
hast thou done for th y fellow men? ' W ha t
for th e sick- the ut1licted - to reli eve them P
Whnt for th e s lave to free him ? F or th e sla vehold
er- to couvlct him ? For th e drunkard ?
to reform him? F or th e vi cious- to rest ore
him ? " ' hat 101' 1111 around th ee, to improve
' them P In a word, hnst th ou set an example
iu a ll thiu gs worthy of Ii follo we r of the meek
and lowly J esus P- c- And now, lrelov edreader !
hust th ou not been inc lude d in the a ho ve P
lI ust thou not yet becom e a follower o f Christ ?
Do th e record s Ill' th c past ie ll of pr ivil eges
misi rupro ved , opportunities neglected, time
mi ssp ent, resolution s lirolwn, warnings nn '.
heed ed, the word o f Go d s lig l, tcd, uud th e so u l
not sa ved P Then let thi s year find a cltange
in th ee. L et thi s hour commence it.
.. Return , 0 ' wanderer, now'retum ,
And seek thy Fath ers face, "
Finally, one ' unl! all, tlte tim e is short . " Be
diligellt tllll t'Je IIlny lie fotilid of God in pellce,
without s pot, and bh\ lnel es~." ! F . II.
THE t' 1~ AL RESULT
If sin reigns fore vel', it will ue hecause titere
is no. pow er in th e mliver se snffie iellt to co nquer
it. E ffur ts ar e now being ' e vey wh ere
maLkl to do th is j Init if th es e pr ove in effectuul ,
aud a ll othe rs th at Im'c cun rle\ ' is e, what a de ·
timt will it he! The tim e , ap proa c hes, wh en
tho se engaged in tlae ' '' Iufurc / Ilust giv e lip in
despair, aul! ex c luim, in tIle sad ness of disappointCiI
hope- we m'c conq ne red - we I~ IIU
do no more! \ Vrollg is st ronger titan RigltlE
\' il than Good- Hatre, l thun Love- alld the
pow er s of. dll. lkn es's lire ill\' incihle, lind mll SI
etc l'llally triurnph. But o h ! how ~ ad th e ren~
ction. ' A monstel' thm dill not exi st 1' 1' 0111
etcrnity- a principle of e vil, hus elllered into
tilis on ce fair c reittillil, a nd will hlast it liS Illng
liS God s ha ll exist- mltl whithollt leI or Itin ·
lIrance. It ", will ho~ 1 ill el llll e~ 0I2duge, heings
IlIIide only a littl e low er tlll~ n ti l e angel~,
allll ellpahle of Ilecoming lik e Ihe belov ed Son
of th e 1\! ost [ I igh ;- nor will it for a / Ilom ent
c ea ~ e to IIlllr and lTIalt~ l e them! '
tint it ca ll not he. Love is th e only pr in ci ·
pIe that is Onlllipot cnt. And let not th e IlIlnev ·
o lent he ( lisc:: JUraged. Let not refurmer s. They
lire not as tho se that ' hellt the lIir.' They can
do so me thi ng towunls uccOluplishing th eir
work; und hefor e th eir exe rtio us th e empire of
darkll ess and dealh mu st filII. They shull yet
pro cl ai/ ll an univer sal trilllllph :- alld the
Rede em el' will ' sec of th e tl'Hvit of his sonl llnd
be satisfied.' w. H. } '.
E Xc'O~ D1UN I CA T I ON. -: I'O . 2.
' I'he' cha rge s all egel! agaill st Mary, as the
groulld of her exe olllmun iclltio n, ( as sho wn in
th e pr ecelling artide,) are- ist, A d! lparture
fi'om th e ' fililh ; alit] ~; M , a violation of co\ ' eHant.
r argued be/ ure th e church, tbat
the se cb arges hUll t10t b een susta ine d. The
fact that sh e had j'oilled a Unitarian chui'c lt
does n ot prove a lIeparture from th e iilith. Becau
se th e only creed of tllllt c h nrc h is the
Bible; and you willlHit pretend that thi s c o n~
Oicts with vour hllrnau c reed . You will not
' excolnllllll; icate' he;' for pro fessin g to believe
th e Bihle. ' But sllfi co n fessed to Dell. Brighllrn
thaI her vi ew ~ of th e Trinity h~ d linder goue
II c ha nge .' ,. This is the ol; ly a': ticle of
filith wbich it is uUeged she hilS forsak en , and
thi s is th e only evidenee'of her her esy. In
regard to thi~ confession, I ", viII explain . S he ,
fill'llujrlyassentel! to that doctrine as expres sed
in YOllr cre ed , receiving it as a great and in ·
c xplicab le myst ery which, it was n eces~ ary to
heli e\' e, us IIlnny o t h e r~ have rec eived it, with ·
out an y clenr or intelli ~ ent ideas of what it
WII S in reality. I t \\' US tallght as a do ctrine of
vital importance; her minist er could ex plain
anll Ilefelld It, und thi s wa s enough.' She vel.'.
ily thought s he beli e\' ed it as ex pressed i, n the
technieal langullge of th e cr eed. It is trn e
she do es ilOW obj ect to th e ex p re~ si o n of rllllt
cI'ecd ; but still belie\' es th e essential Iloetriue.
She entertains the salli e ideas of that doctrine
which are ellte r tained by 1lI0st Trinitarilllls,
a nd which yo'il thillk , no donbt, th e lall glluge
of th e cree d ex p resses. S he ohjeets to th o
e x p re~ s io n of th e c hu rc h's cr eed, uel'aUse tllllt
expressiou is uot clea r, do es not ' e, x press tlte
true idea ; But if she still heli ev es th e doc:
trin e, will yo u excommunicnte her because
she ca nnot ad opt yo ur human Illnguage as th e
true expression 01 that doctrine? You have
within a few years modified th e lan guage of ,
Yolll' cr eed, hy a vote o f th e church, lI er on- '
Iy change of views on thi s point. con sists i'n thi s
- as for. u erl y s he had nil clear lind distin
ct views of th e do ctrin e, hut rec ei ved it liS
many othe rs do ; liS u great , uud inexplicnb Ic
ruystery ; she has 1I0W more cleur und definit
e views of it, und obj ect s to th e exp res sion
of it in your cr eed. But that s luJ still enterwins
till; essemia l doctrine ns '! el, 1 hy ' yourse
lves and other Trinituriun, I will now endeavor
to show. ] 11 relution to the ex pression
of the do ctrine in your creed , I sa y nothing- «
fbr ~ lt e do es object to th at ~ x p ression: Ex cept
I will mak e on e remark. It is clear 10
me us the sun & t noon, th ut if its terms have
nny significnrlou, it ex presses a most palpable"
conmulieti on . And th e human mind is 50
co nstitut ed thnt it is a natural impossihility'for
it uu rlerstundingly to re ceive a contrnd iction ;
as much so as to believe what is known 10 be
lidse. .,
What th en is th e doct rine as 11I, lieved by
y our~ el\' es, and otl! er illtelligent Trin itllrians ?
wh ill is it liS yo u ulld er s. tl, lnd )' our eree! 1 to ex : ."
pr ess it ? ' VlllIt do y? n IInd el: stan, 1 loy " His
( Christ's) hUinail lIaturf. ~" Is it a ~ IY ' thing
lJIor e or less th an that he had II soul and hody
esse ril iillly hUllIan ? like other mell? The
IIll1n Chr ist J esn s treat ed of in the New T esIRlIIent
? I have alwllys so ullderstood you. J
hllve always nllli cr tiiood thi s to be the I! ocrrino
o f his IIII IlIl1n it. y , 118 e nte rtllilled hy th e Orthotiox
ge ne l'lllly. Now rlais is pr ecisely what
Mury heli ev es . . It: is whllt ] believe ; untl
willit U li itll rill n~ in ge lll'l'ld helim" e. It seems
to me th er e is lIot II s luulow Ill' differell ce hetween
ns on tlai ~ poillt, ' ill relliity. Thll only
d ifler en ce hel weeu us is, ill Ihe usc Ill' IlInguuge
ro express th e SUlI'C , Ioerrill e. " ' e do
1I0t excollllllUuil1a te yo u for this ; 111111 is it n
goo d lind sllflie ient reason why you s houll\
exeoulluull icntc us ? I ~ j . 1
S o IIlso ill r(' gllnl (( lhi s D ivine natll re; th ore
is 110 differ enc e between us in reidily. ' T he
only difference is in' th e use of terllls to express
th e d () ctrill e~ The tenlls you use seem '
to us to ex prcss II palpahl e contl'lltlicti on , lind
to he nliseriplllrlli. \\' e callnot adopl them.
Ne ithe r do we lIsk you to adopt OU I' ex pres s
ion. Bllt wilY s ho uld we preslI l'ne to excommullicate
ellch olher liS hereties, wh cn / I
s imple explanation s ho ws that we e nte rta in
the same ideas ; ' the sallie do ctrine? ' Is thu
letter of more import unce than th e ~ pil'it?
During th ese remnrks I wos fi'e'lueutly inter;
' upted und eu. harrnsse d hy il'rele\' a; 1t ' lucstions
, hnd j'(' quests to J:: cep to' thc poiut, by
memher s of th e ch urc h 1Il1l1 the motl el'lltor. i\
nd at thi s point th e rnotlel'lltor d ecided that
] \\' as ent ire ly out of on! er ; autl ' could \ lot
pmceed. IInless I ca me ' to the question. I rernllrli
el!, that th e eh ur~ e u/: Iliust Mary was n
departure f rom the [ uith; she. hal'ing (' h ( lII~ ell'
her views of the doctrin e of the Tri7l it.'!, 8111!
j oined II Uniluriau c lw l'I: lr. I W'IS Ilrguing'
thut she had not depu rtetl from th e filith, but
still haiti ,.; th e slime do ctrille in reality with
yourselves nnd other illtelligcnt Triu iturians.
That s he and Unita riaus ge ucl'lllly '- huve the
surne ideas ' u pon th e s uhj ect with ull int ellige
nt ' andund erslantlin~ TI ' initai'ia . nl'l. That ,
be iug associated with Unitariaus, th erefo'rc,
do es not pmve her ' u hereti c. If it was not in
or( ler to IIrgu e th ese points, I was unllhle to
know ' what would he in ol'ller. T would
th er efore appeal fi'om thc'llecision of the , mod -
e ratol.. l\ • , , '
The mod erator th en pnt thc question- Is it
in orde r for Mr. Lamson to show th at Mrs.
Lamson amI other Unituriuns eUlertain the
siuue il! eils upon th e do ctrine of the Trinity,
us int cl ligent ' l'riuiturian s' elltp rta in ? It \~ as
th en decided lly th e church UOI to he in order.
] th en resp ectfully ask ed ,' the moderatol' ' to
st~ te the point to which it would ' be in ordel' _
fur lIIe to s i, eak. He seemed a littl e e lllhal · ·
russed, lind suid somet hi ng to this effect. That
ifl\ lrs. Lamson wish ed to mulle nny" coufession
tl) th e church, the c h urc h \ vould receive
it. Bm Ihe churc h did not \\' uut to he in stru
cted iu th eir , Iuty, & c, ] asked ifit wouldl
he iii o rd er to s how th at she had uot violutell
her CO\' e nant ? The mOI! er lllor ' ruther hesi~
tut ingly sa id it would. ] th eu ' proceeded to ,
grace, so culled. O ve r , ngui ns t th ese ar e sensons
of retr ihut ion , d ur ing whi ch th e ma ster
of the hou se c loses th e door nguin s; us, sa yiug ,
" depnrt , I know yo u not I" : Aficr lon g abuse
of' - ull o ur pri vileges, and tr ens11l'i \ lg lip of
" wruth aguiust th e day of'wraj h," Go d depa rts
trorn us j he leaves us to fill up the mea sure
of alii' sins, nnll to rip en for j udg me nt. At
le ugth th e sto rm bur sts , aud we a re left to its
1) itilcss fur y, thllt our hau ghty nud udamau tine
h earts may he thorou gh ly brok en ami pulv erizerl
by t he gre at ness o f our aflli etion,- nnd
th at whe n fiua lly God looks . uguiu in mer cy
" on us, we may k uow how to pr iz e hi s grace.
L et it IlfJ horn e iu miud th en , tha t we cannot
abu se tile good ness of Go d withou t ex posing
ourselves to a tcar tn l senson of d e~ ertiou ' 3uII
j udmcnt, , Iuriug which, thu u r,; h we mny . cu ll,
Gud will not answe r.
But t llll q ues tion re c u rs - c- How fill' men
nhan doned to con dig u puuislunent , u nder
th ese circumsta nces , . a re Irce moral agen ts
d u r ing the process of their ret ributio u P It is
certa in that th ey ar e uot fi'ee to avert th e hit~
te l' COUSel! IICnee of a former d et ermined
,: h oice. I eud eavo red to s how ill th e pr eced ·
ing s ecti on , th at ",' h eu lIIen choose ' sin tlleY
c hoose miser y wi th it- Inu! that wh en th ey
c hoo se holiuess tlICY ch ow e happiness. I
llUve uo wh er e elJllteudell fiJI' a free ag en cy
which allows meu to c hoose th e clinse and
reject Ih e effec t. It dues indeed appeal' that
God , usuully offers mer cy ro s illue rs u pon ea r ly
rep ent uu ce, lIud that under suc h c ircum ·
s tanc es , hi s pow el' int erposes u hard er . wholly
or in part, to fiH'ther ev il cOllSe'lilCnc es . But
in th e cuses uow contem plat ed that mercy ' is
d eliberately un d wilfnlly despi sed ; th e evil
do er harden s him self in hi s wi ck ell c ho ice j
he ohsti nat ely per sists iu hi s s infil l ca ree r ; and
God lea ve;; him to ea t th e fruit of his reb ellion
- to receiv e a meetJ ecolllpen se of hi s tr an sg
ress ion. He ha s c hose u th e miseri es of h is
puuishment, and refu sed to IIwk e an y tim ely
esca pe. Thus ill\' o!\' ed a nd ubandoned , how
far is he a free moral nge u t? Ca n he lindo
aud repair his dr eadliJlmi stalle ? No; he took
his ch oice / i'eely, deli berately, mHI h e can no t
now P \' Cl" t th e ev il L'Onflequ eu ees; lIe would
coutract th e dread fill dis ease, und he I') lust , endure
th e pain ; th er e is no escape . If a part
of his threaten ed pllnishment co nsist in ti le
withdrawal of G9 d's s piri t fijI' a tim e, thi s too
lIe- must hellr, a nd fin d no place of rep entlllu: e
though lik e lui serabl e ESllu he seek it ca re fully
with ' tea rs . ' Vh at th en eu n ho do ? ' I'ru Iv
littl e els~ th an to hnmble him selfunder th'e
migh ty hand ofGod, to co nfess the j us t ic; of
hi s punishment, to tak e ' shllme to himself,: aud
" ivatc h fill' th e morn iug dllwn o f th at divine
cO lll pas~ i o n whi ch th ou gh 1II11leservod never
lilil s . 1' hell, ngain , he may POUI'oUt his so u l,
: bewa il his si ns , and s ne fOi' mercy. Then,
Agnin, h is ( i'ee moral ageu cy may be uvaila ble
to h im in new a nd holy ch oic es and resoln ·
tions; foJ' th en his captivity is lIlad e to ' g ive
pluce to restoring fav or . Bl~ t perhaps it will
be lI~ k ed, why Go d should lli l! e hi s filce at ull
fr olll those who inv oh'e th em sel ves in the ' mise
ries of s in, and why he should not at all times
uffiJl'( I eq ua l filc il: ties ofde'liverun ee fi'om th e
co nseljuenees ' of chosen iniquity? Probahly,
hecau se he knows th at a full ex pe rience of tim
miseri es of s in, in a ll th cse ca ses ofwilful pert;
istuIlCIJ, is h es~ a do pte l! " 0 rest rain a lld.. reform '
the gui lty . If lIlen aro so hase liS to ahuse
long contin uell goo dness, und conld as~ u re
tl'ICllIseiv es of ' a'ready deliv orance Ii'om th eir
punisillneut on th e ii rst cry for div in e help,
th ere would be no bounds to th eir wick edneS8.
lIut God ha s so cons titttte d th in gs, th at in th e
en d, " wllllt a lIlan sowet h that s hall' he also
reap." This is just and good. Thus, while
he maintain s a conser vat ive and corrective
moral go vern me nt 0\' 1) 1' his cr eature; in ju.' ig.
ment and lIIer cy, it remains tru e th ilt he nev er
did 0 1' will \' io'late man's Ii'ee moral ugency.
Lot 110 day go wit hout ob sen'lui on, and re,'
i~ w of God ' s c a rr iage ' towa;' d yon, lind )' ours
toward ltim : of mercies and alllictions j and
o f yo ur d utie s, und th e fl'llllle of heart in them j
ofyou r s ins 01' inc lina tions to sin ; and so lik ewis
e ~ f auy special 0 \' " eul/ Irkuhle Jlrovidence
o f God r~ la tetl to you by a tho l'S, or seeu or
heard of'l! y you rse lf." And let God have the
gl~ ry of~ v hat is good. ] n lIfllic tions he hUIllble,
he ashnmbdllnd gi'ic \' ed for s ins ; and ca n ·
s ide r what God' s spec ial P I'O\' ide nec s peaks to
Jou.-. IHa80n.
THE PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN.
lUelld on , January 15, 18, n.
CONFE RENCE .
Our next Quart erly Confere nce will be holden
in !\ lenclon , by d ivine permission , on th e
lust \ Veduesdlly and Thursday, 2 7th and 28th
days o f J anuary instant. 1\ llIY th er e he a full
gathcriug of c hr istian br eth en and friend s.
Br, T. Laird ' s epis t le from Watertown, N.
. Y. has co me safely to hand , lind sha ll., be laid
he/ ore the brethren. Also 131'. Jordan ' s J etter
10 tl: e Edito r.
. w, regr et th e delay o f HI · . D. R. Li' s. arti clo
a ll th e E xcommunication o f his wife . I t
s ho uld IIHve a ppea re ll llluc h I~ arlier .
"
) Ve hop e our resp ect ed friend " J ,\.' V. S. "
wi ll ofleu OCCUI.' y 0111' poet ' s cor. We
welc om e a nd so lic it his effus io ns . ~,. .
,
The E d ito r thankfully acknow ledges th e
rece ipt of an interesting Pnmphler, entitled
" P R O C~: t: DI: V G S of tlte SOCIETY o t' FRIEND S i ; l
, tlte case of WM. BASSETT." If this i ~ the
nlllllil er in whicli th e Friends d iscipline and
liisown th eir, members, the ' glo ry is ' i11deed ' lie .
Jlartiug from th eir once holy tuhernu(\ le.
THE PAST YEA R .
Another year is'Vast 111ld go ne . . It s se as'ons
IlUve pUI: su eLl their course and vani shed. How
strong ha s been th e testimouy th ey have borne
10 th e goolh, JCss of Him wh o gave them. S
pring, S nmmer , Autumn 1I1Il! \ Vinter have '
come lad en with hlessin gs. Theil' nnited
\' oices have respondell to tilli d e cl am~ i on s of
Holy Writ, th at ' the Lon! is good .' E ach day
and hour, yea, ea ch momellt , has brought wilh
it so mlJ tok en of love from th e hallli of our
Henvenl y Fathet · . The su n has eonlinued to
s hflll its waTmih alllllight. The sho wers have
desc ended in th eir uppoint cd ti mcs . , ' fh e
ea rth has brought llirlh its fl'ltit~, g iving ' seed
to th e so ..... e r and br ead to th e ' ente r.' . 1 ' he
harvest has been ubulIllnnt, and th e expectution
of the till er of th e ground has lleen real "
ized. The well filled ga rner speaks of plenty ,
and mUll and bea Et are s n pplied - with th e
bounties of divine Providen ce.
But not alone in th e th ings o f thi s world ule
we blesse ll. The ministrations of th e word of
God hav e heen co nt inued . The kingdom of
heav en lH~ s been e".- tended ullIong men. The
gos pe l has had freer cou rse thnn fonned)'. Many
hav o beeu bl'ought to obey th e trllth liS
it is iu Jesus. They hav e se en ' and kn own
him. They hav e bettel' nnderstood his' characte
r, 1I1II1 ar e now tbllowing in his foot step s.
T hCl'C is, ind eed, much ye t to he don e. Ther e
is mu ch of n nfa ithfulness ye t remaining in th e
~ h urc h . Ther e is mu eh of co rruption still in
soc iety . Bnt th er e have ari sen fi'ee spi l'its,
wh o im ve ca st from th em the c hains of slave r
y, wh eth er of ch urc h o r state . '. rh ey " h av e
Ilm'ed to spea k otit , wilhout fear ( If mun. They
hnv e been , in th e hllnd s of God, th e
mea ns of rest oring in so me measure ori gillal
Ch ristia n ity- the C: lI'ist iullit y' of Christ, wh li
came to bring plll'ity, peace, and freedom to
' fid len mun. May God bless them in their, ef ·
forts. Mny tl ley continue th e feurl ess ad vo.
cutes of tru tll and righ teou sn ess. May YOlI'
and], Jlind reader, thnnk Gil l! th at lUl hus
called fOl'th tho" 8e who fcar not to de clare Hi s
wh ole counsel.
S nc h are sOJileof th e blessings which th e
past year has brollght to us. Are tliey not
man y aud gr eut? ' Vho among liS thiaks of
th ese th ings ? ' Vho'se heart goes o u t in gra t itilde
to God for th em? \ Vho ' ! ooks IIJlon
them all and rej oices in th em as th e gifts of
J ehovah ? Belov ed rend er, do yOIl ?
A ~ loth er year has gOlle . It s hours alII] moments
hav e fled. : It s re eorll s are elosed. '
Vlmt are those records ? Minister of Christ!
Whnt account 110 th ey g ive of thee'? Hllst
th oll heeu filithful to thy lII, ast er. Hast tholl
prear. hed th e ' truth, th e whole truth- plainly
imd fellr less ly? Hast thou nimel! to reach th e
heurt s of all wh~ hearl! the e? ] hst thou " rep
roved , rebuked, with a ll lon g suffei'ing illld
patien ce, cha rging C\' e ry on e : tS a fath er doth '
his c hild ren ?" If called now · to render an ac co
unt of th y ste wa rds h ip, couldst thou do it
with j oy ?- Chris tillll ! What is th y r ecord ?
What hast th~ u done, during th e yellr that has
close d, for thine own so ul? • ' Vhat new conqu
est hast th ouguined ove r s in? What passions
hast thou subdued? What ad vun ce hust
th ou made in th e c hris tia n cnurse P Are thy
th ou ght s a nd dffecrious ui nre heavenly? I s
th y faith more pure mid elevated ? thy love
stro nge r ? Thy z eal mor e ard ent ? What
hast thou done for th y fellow men? ' W ha t
for th e sick- the ut1licted - to reli eve them P
Whnt for th e s lave to free him ? F or th e sla vehold
er- to couvlct him ? For th e drunkard ?
to reform him? F or th e vi cious- to rest ore
him ? " ' hat 101' 1111 around th ee, to improve
' them P In a word, hnst th ou set an example
iu a ll thiu gs worthy of Ii follo we r of the meek
and lowly J esus P- c- And now, lrelov edreader !
hust th ou not been inc lude d in the a ho ve P
lI ust thou not yet becom e a follower o f Christ ?
Do th e record s Ill' th c past ie ll of pr ivil eges
misi rupro ved , opportunities neglected, time
mi ssp ent, resolution s lirolwn, warnings nn '.
heed ed, the word o f Go d s lig l, tcd, uud th e so u l
not sa ved P Then let thi s year find a cltange
in th ee. L et thi s hour commence it.
.. Return , 0 ' wanderer, now'retum ,
And seek thy Fath ers face, "
Finally, one ' unl! all, tlte tim e is short . " Be
diligellt tllll t'Je IIlny lie fotilid of God in pellce,
without s pot, and bh\ lnel es~." ! F . II.
THE t' 1~ AL RESULT
If sin reigns fore vel', it will ue hecause titere
is no. pow er in th e mliver se snffie iellt to co nquer
it. E ffur ts ar e now being ' e vey wh ere
maLkl to do th is j Init if th es e pr ove in effectuul ,
aud a ll othe rs th at Im'c cun rle\ ' is e, what a de ·
timt will it he! The tim e , ap proa c hes, wh en
tho se engaged in tlae ' '' Iufurc / Ilust giv e lip in
despair, aul! ex c luim, in tIle sad ness of disappointCiI
hope- we m'c conq ne red - we I~ IIU
do no more! \ Vrollg is st ronger titan RigltlE
\' il than Good- Hatre, l thun Love- alld the
pow er s of. dll. lkn es's lire ill\' incihle, lind mll SI
etc l'llally triurnph. But o h ! how ~ ad th e ren~
ction. ' A monstel' thm dill not exi st 1' 1' 0111
etcrnity- a principle of e vil, hus elllered into
tilis on ce fair c reittillil, a nd will hlast it liS Illng
liS God s ha ll exist- mltl whithollt leI or Itin ·
lIrance. It ", will ho~ 1 ill el llll e~ 0I2duge, heings
IlIIide only a littl e low er tlll~ n ti l e angel~,
allll ellpahle of Ilecoming lik e Ihe belov ed Son
of th e 1\! ost [ I igh ;- nor will it for a / Ilom ent
c ea ~ e to IIlllr and lTIalt~ l e them! '
tint it ca ll not he. Love is th e only pr in ci ·
pIe that is Onlllipot cnt. And let not th e IlIlnev ·
o lent he ( lisc:: JUraged. Let not refurmer s. They
lire not as tho se that ' hellt the lIir.' They can
do so me thi ng towunls uccOluplishing th eir
work; und hefor e th eir exe rtio us th e empire of
darkll ess and dealh mu st filII. They shull yet
pro cl ai/ ll an univer sal trilllllph :- alld the
Rede em el' will ' sec of th e tl'Hvit of his sonl llnd
be satisfied.' w. H. } '.
E Xc'O~ D1UN I CA T I ON. -: I'O . 2.
' I'he' cha rge s all egel! agaill st Mary, as the
groulld of her exe olllmun iclltio n, ( as sho wn in
th e pr ecelling artide,) are- ist, A d! lparture
fi'om th e ' fililh ; alit] ~; M , a violation of co\ ' eHant.
r argued be/ ure th e church, tbat
the se cb arges hUll t10t b een susta ine d. The
fact that sh e had j'oilled a Unitarian chui'c lt
does n ot prove a lIeparture from th e iilith. Becau
se th e only creed of tllllt c h nrc h is the
Bible; and you willlHit pretend that thi s c o n~
Oicts with vour hllrnau c reed . You will not
' excolnllllll; icate' he;' for pro fessin g to believe
th e Bihle. ' But sllfi co n fessed to Dell. Brighllrn
thaI her vi ew ~ of th e Trinity h~ d linder goue
II c ha nge .' ,. This is the ol; ly a': ticle of
filith wbich it is uUeged she hilS forsak en , and
thi s is th e only evidenee'of her her esy. In
regard to thi~ confession, I ", viII explain . S he ,
fill'llujrlyassentel! to that doctrine as expres sed
in YOllr cre ed , receiving it as a great and in ·
c xplicab le myst ery which, it was n eces~ ary to
heli e\' e, us IIlnny o t h e r~ have rec eived it, with ·
out an y clenr or intelli ~ ent ideas of what it
WII S in reality. I t \\' US tallght as a do ctrine of
vital importance; her minist er could ex plain
anll Ilefelld It, und thi s wa s enough.' She vel.'.
ily thought s he beli e\' ed it as ex pressed i, n the
technieal langullge of th e cr eed. It is trn e
she do es ilOW obj ect to th e ex p re~ si o n of rllllt
cI'ecd ; but still belie\' es th e essential Iloetriue.
She entertains the salli e ideas of that doctrine
which are ellte r tained by 1lI0st Trinitarilllls,
a nd which yo'il thillk , no donbt, th e lall glluge
of th e cree d ex p resses. S he ohjeets to th o
e x p re~ s io n of th e c hu rc h's cr eed, uel'aUse tllllt
expressiou is uot clea r, do es not ' e, x press tlte
true idea ; But if she still heli ev es th e doc:
trin e, will yo u excommunicnte her because
she ca nnot ad opt yo ur human Illnguage as th e
true expression 01 that doctrine? You have
within a few years modified th e lan guage of ,
Yolll' cr eed, hy a vote o f th e church, lI er on- '
Iy change of views on thi s point. con sists i'n thi s
- as for. u erl y s he had nil clear lind distin
ct views of th e do ctrin e, hut rec ei ved it liS
many othe rs do ; liS u great , uud inexplicnb Ic
ruystery ; she has 1I0W more cleur und definit
e views of it, und obj ect s to th e exp res sion
of it in your cr eed. But that s luJ still enterwins
till; essemia l doctrine ns '! el, 1 hy ' yourse
lves and other Trinituriun, I will now endeavor
to show. ] 11 relution to the ex pression
of the do ctrine in your creed , I sa y nothing- «
fbr ~ lt e do es object to th at ~ x p ression: Ex cept
I will mak e on e remark. It is clear 10
me us the sun & t noon, th ut if its terms have
nny significnrlou, it ex presses a most palpable"
conmulieti on . And th e human mind is 50
co nstitut ed thnt it is a natural impossihility'for
it uu rlerstundingly to re ceive a contrnd iction ;
as much so as to believe what is known 10 be
lidse. .,
What th en is th e doct rine as 11I, lieved by
y our~ el\' es, and otl! er illtelligent Trin itllrians ?
wh ill is it liS yo u ulld er s. tl, lnd )' our eree! 1 to ex : ."
pr ess it ? ' VlllIt do y? n IInd el: stan, 1 loy " His
( Christ's) hUinail lIaturf. ~" Is it a ~ IY ' thing
lJIor e or less th an that he had II soul and hody
esse ril iillly hUllIan ? like other mell? The
IIll1n Chr ist J esn s treat ed of in the New T esIRlIIent
? I have alwllys so ullderstood you. J
hllve always nllli cr tiiood thi s to be the I! ocrrino
o f his IIII IlIl1n it. y , 118 e nte rtllilled hy th e Orthotiox
ge ne l'lllly. Now rlais is pr ecisely what
Mury heli ev es . . It: is whllt ] believe ; untl
willit U li itll rill n~ in ge lll'l'ld helim" e. It seems
to me th er e is lIot II s luulow Ill' differell ce hetween
ns on tlai ~ poillt, ' ill relliity. Thll only
d ifler en ce hel weeu us is, ill Ihe usc Ill' IlInguuge
ro express th e SUlI'C , Ioerrill e. " ' e do
1I0t excollllllUuil1a te yo u for this ; 111111 is it n
goo d lind sllflie ient reason why you s houll\
exeoulluull icntc us ? I ~ j . 1
S o IIlso ill r(' gllnl (( lhi s D ivine natll re; th ore
is 110 differ enc e between us in reidily. ' T he
only difference is in' th e use of terllls to express
th e d () ctrill e~ The tenlls you use seem '
to us to ex prcss II palpahl e contl'lltlicti on , lind
to he nliseriplllrlli. \\' e callnot adopl them.
Ne ithe r do we lIsk you to adopt OU I' ex pres s
ion. Bllt wilY s ho uld we preslI l'ne to excommullicate
ellch olher liS hereties, wh cn / I
s imple explanation s ho ws that we e nte rta in
the same ideas ; ' the sallie do ctrine? ' Is thu
letter of more import unce than th e ~ pil'it?
During th ese remnrks I wos fi'e'lueutly inter;
' upted und eu. harrnsse d hy il'rele\' a; 1t ' lucstions
, hnd j'(' quests to J:: cep to' thc poiut, by
memher s of th e ch urc h 1Il1l1 the motl el'lltor. i\
nd at thi s point th e rnotlel'lltor d ecided that
] \\' as ent ire ly out of on! er ; autl ' could \ lot
pmceed. IInless I ca me ' to the question. I rernllrli
el!, that th e eh ur~ e u/: Iliust Mary was n
departure f rom the [ uith; she. hal'ing (' h ( lII~ ell'
her views of the doctrin e of the Tri7l it.'!, 8111!
j oined II Uniluriau c lw l'I: lr. I W'IS Ilrguing'
thut she had not depu rtetl from th e filith, but
still haiti ,.; th e slime do ctrille in reality with
yourselves nnd other illtelligcnt Triu iturians.
That s he and Unita riaus ge ucl'lllly '- huve the
surne ideas ' u pon th e s uhj ect with ull int ellige
nt ' andund erslantlin~ TI ' initai'ia . nl'l. That ,
be iug associated with Unitariaus, th erefo'rc,
do es not pmve her ' u hereti c. If it was not in
or( ler to IIrgu e th ese points, I was unllhle to
know ' what would he in ol'ller. T would
th er efore appeal fi'om thc'llecision of the , mod -
e ratol.. l\ • , , '
The mod erator th en pnt thc question- Is it
in orde r for Mr. Lamson to show th at Mrs.
Lamson amI other Unituriuns eUlertain the
siuue il! eils upon th e do ctrine of the Trinity,
us int cl ligent ' l'riuiturian s' elltp rta in ? It \~ as
th en decided lly th e church UOI to he in order.
] th en resp ectfully ask ed ,' the moderatol' ' to
st~ te the point to which it would ' be in ordel' _
fur lIIe to s i, eak. He seemed a littl e e lllhal · ·
russed, lind suid somet hi ng to this effect. That
ifl\ lrs. Lamson wish ed to mulle nny" coufession
tl) th e church, the c h urc h \ vould receive
it. Bm Ihe churc h did not \\' uut to he in stru
cted iu th eir , Iuty, & c, ] asked ifit wouldl
he iii o rd er to s how th at she had uot violutell
her CO\' e nant ? The mOI! er lllor ' ruther hesi~
tut ingly sa id it would. ] th eu ' proceeded to ,
Page 70 of Volume 1 from The Practical Christian 1840-1841
Creator
Ballou, Adin
Date
1840
Identifier
Files
Collection
Citation
Ballou, Adin, “Page070,” Digital Commonwealth , accessed May 21, 2013, http://digitalcommonwealth.org/items/show/511.
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