In the same school was learned the
lesson of a return to the simplicity of Christ, of making him and his life
the standard of Christian fellowship. The great leaders in England taught
positively that loyalty to Christ is the only essential test of Christian
duty; and it is not in the least surprising the same idea should have found
noble advocacy in New England. That a good life and character are the true
indications of the possession of a saving faith was a thought too often
uttered in England not to find advocacy in the colonies.
In this way Unitarianism had its origin, in the teachings of men who were
counted orthodox in England, but who favored submitting all theological
problems to the test of reason. It was not a sectarian movement in its
origin or at any time during the eighteenth century; but it was an effort
to make religion practical, to give it a basis in reality, and to establish
it as acceptable to the sound judgment and common sense of all men. It was
an application to the interpretation of theological problems of that
individualistic spirit which was at the very source of Protestantism. If
the individual ought to interpret the Bible for himself, so ought he to
accept his own explanation of the dogmas of the church. In so doing, he
necessarily becomes a rationalist, which may lead him far from the
traditions of the past.
Pages:
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35