Page:The World's Parliament of Religions Vol 1.djvu/191

THE CLOSE OF THE PARLIAMENT. 1 63 offer united homage to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This Central Union Church is no Utopian fancy, but a veritable reality, whose beginning we see already among the nations of the earth. Already the right wing of each church is pressing forward, and the advanced liberals are drawing near each other under the central banner of the new dispensa- tion. Believe me, the time is coming when the more liberal of the Catholic and Protestant branches of Christ's Church will advance and meet upon a common platform, and form a broad Christian community in which all shall be identified, in spite of all diversities and differences in non-essential matters of faith. So shall the Baptists and Methodists, Trinitarian and Unitarian, the Ritualists and the Evangelical, all unite in a broad and uni- versal church organization, loving, honoring, serving the common body while retaining the peculiarities of each sect. Only the broad of each sect shall for the present come forward, and others shall follow in time. The base remains where it is ; the vast masses at the foot of each church will yet remain perhaps for centuries where they now are. But as you look to the lofty heights above you will see all the bolder spirits and broad souls of each church pressing forward, onward, heavenward. Come, then, my friends, ye broad-hearted of all the churches, advance and shake hands with each other and promote that spiritual fellowship, that kingdom of Heaven which Christ predicted. These words were said in 1883, and in 1893 every letter of the prophecy has been fulfilled. The kingdom of Heaven is to my mind a vast concentric circle with various circumferences of doctrines, authorities and organizations from outer to inner, from inner to inner still, until Heaven and earth become one The outermost circle is belief in God and the love of man. In the tolerance, kindliness, good-will, patience, and wisdom which have distin- guished the work of this Parliament that outermost circle of the kingdom of Heaven has been described. We have influenced vast numbers of men and women of all opinions and the influence will spread and spread. So many human unities drawn within the magnetic circle of spiritual sympathy cannot but influence and widen the various denominations to which they belong In the course of time those inner circles must widen also till the love of man and the love of God are perfected in one church, one God, one salvation. I conclude with acknowledging the singular cordiality and appreciation extended to us Orientals. Where everyone has done so well we did not deserve special honor, but undeserved as the honor may be, it shows the greatness of your leaders, and especially of your Chairman, Dr? Barrows. Dr. Barrows, humanly speaking, has been the soul of this noble movement. The profoundest blessings of the present and future generations shall follow him. And now farewell. For once in history all Religions have made their peace, all nations have called each other brothers, and their representatives have for seventeen days stood up morning after morning to pray Our Father, the universal Father of all, in Heaven. His will has been done so far, and in the great coming future may that blessed will be done further and further, forever and ever.