740 



UNITARIANS. 



The secretary reported that one hundred 

 and seventy-six churches and twelve mission- 

 ary and other associations were represented in 

 the session of the conference, and that about 

 four hundred and thirty delegates were present. 

 An important debate arose on a substitute to 

 the preamble and first article of the constitu- 

 tion of the National Conference which wa3 

 offered by the Rev. F. E. Abbott, of Dover, 

 N. H., and which was as follows : 



Whereas, The object of Christianity is the univer- 

 sal diffusion of love, righteousness, and truth ; and 

 the attainment of this object depends, under God, 

 upon individual and collective Christian activity; 

 and collective Christian activity, to be efficient, must 

 be thoroughly organized ; and, 



Whereas, Perfect freedom of thought, which is at 

 once the right and the duty of every human being, 

 always leads to diversity of opinion, and is therefore 

 hindered by common creeds or statements of faith ; 

 and, 



Whereof, The only reconciliation of the duties of 

 collective Christian activity and individual freedom 

 of thought lies in an efficient organization for prac- 

 tical Christian work, based rather on unity of spirit 

 than on uniformity of belief: 



Article 1. Therefore, the churches here assembled, 

 disregarding all sectarian or theological differences, 

 and offering a cordial fellowship to all who will join 

 with them in Christian work, unite themselves in a 

 common body, to be known as the National Confer- 

 ence of Unitarian and Independent Churches. 



Rev. Mr. Abbott stated that the principal 

 objection of those whom he represented was to 

 the words, " the Lord J esus Christ " and "the 

 kingdom of his Son." These words contained 

 a doctrine by implication which he and his 

 friends could not subscribe to. They wanted 

 to work with the National Conference; but 

 they could not work with it on the present 

 platform without losing their self-respect. Ad- 

 dresses in favor of the amendment having been 

 made by C. C. Burleigh and Rev. Mr. Towne, 

 and against it by Dr. Bellows, Dr. Osgood, Dr. 

 Clarke, Rev. Mr. Mayo, and Rev. S. J. May, it 

 was rejected, on October 10th, by a large ma- 

 jority. On October llth Rev. Mr. Abbott 

 asked to have a distinct understanding of 

 whether the preamble as understood by the 

 majority of the conference was binding upon 

 all its members. The chair decided that the 

 question could not be entertained, but he would 

 say for himself that he regarded liberty of inter- 

 pretation as an inalienable right. Rev. J. F. 

 Clarke, in the name of the committee charged 

 by the National Unitarian Convention, held in 

 New York in 1865, with the duty of promoting 

 acquaintance, fraternity, and unity between 

 the Unitarians and all Christians of like liberal 

 faith, recommended that, in the first article of 

 the constitution, the words, "National Confer- 

 ence of Unitarian Churches" be amended so as 

 to read, " National Conference of Unitarian 

 and other Christian Churches." This amend- 

 ment was almost unanimously carried. A res- 

 olution, introduced by Rev. Mr. Hatch, to ex- 

 pla'n the above amendment, was as follows: 



> JResovved, That, in adopting the term " other Chris- 

 tian churches," we do not mean to exclude religious 



societies which have no distinctive chui th organiza.- 

 tion, and are not nominally Christians, if they desire 

 to cooperate with us in what we call Christian work. 



This resolution was rejected. Rev. Frederick 

 Hickley offered the following : 



Resolved, That this Conference reciprocates the 

 expression of cordial sympathy and willingness tc 

 cooperate with us contained in the resolutions passed 

 by the recent United States Convention of Univer- 

 salists. 



Resolved, That Rev. J. F. Clarke, Rev. S. J. May, 

 and Rev. Robert Collyer, be a committee to promote 

 acquaintance, fraternity, and unity, between ourselves 

 and all our brethren of liberal faith. 



Both these resolutions were unanimously 

 passed. Rev. E. E. Hale presented a series rec- 

 ommending the formation of several local con- 

 ferences, and instructing the council to superin- 

 tend this work. These local associations are to 

 bold meetings from time to time, ascertain and 

 report upon the religious condition and wants 

 of their respective districts, and do what they 

 can to strengthen the churches already existing, 

 and establish new ones in the most promising 

 localities. Each conference is entitled to three 

 delegates in the National Conference. The 

 motion of Mr. Hale was unanimously adopted. 

 It was also resolved, on motion of Mr. Hale, 

 that the meetings of the conference he held bi- 

 ennially, instead of annually, and that the con- 

 stitution be altered accordingly. A resolution 

 offered by Rev. Frederick Frothmgbam, inviting 

 the Unitarian churches in Canada to join the 

 conference, was passed, when the president and 

 the friends of the Meadville Theological School 

 presented a resolution to raise $34,000 for the 

 endowment fund of the school. The conference 

 subscribed on the spot $30,000, it having previ- 

 ously been stated that friends in Meadville 

 would give $4,000. The following resolution 

 on the subject of temperate was unanimously 

 adopted : 



Resolved, That the renewed sffort for the removal 

 of intemperance throughout me country should re- 

 ceive our hearty encouragement and support, and 

 we urge upon all to help on the work by the personal 

 protest of word and example against the drinking 

 usages of society, and by such other methods as may 

 seem to them wisest and best. 



On the state of the country, the follow- 

 ing resolutions were offered by Rev. A. R. 

 Putnam, recommended by the Rev. Mr. May, 

 in the name of the committee to which they 

 had been referred, and unanimously and enthu- 

 siastically passed. 



Resolved, By the National Conference of Unitarian 

 andother Christian churches, that we gratefully rec- 

 ognize the goodness of God in that He has in His 

 providence brought to a triumphant conclusion the 

 warfare which our people waged for the maintenance 

 of our Union and the safely of our free institutions, 

 and that He has made the civil contest in which we 

 have been engaged to end in the emancipation of 

 our land from the sin and curse of human slavery. 



Resolved, That we deem it to be the solemn duty of 

 all loyal men to see to it that the Union, which has 

 been saved by loyal arms, and cemented by loyal 

 blood, shall be intrusted to the supreme control of 

 those who have proved themselves true to the cause 

 of the Government and the interests of freedom ; au<i 



