William Ellery Channing: His Opinions, Genius and Character : a Discourse Given at Newport, R.I., on the Celebration of the Centenary of His Birth, April 7, 1880 |
Other editions - View all
William Ellery Channing, His Opinions, Genius and Character: A Discourse ... Henry W. Bellows No preview available - 2018 |
William Ellery Channing, His Opinions, Genius and Character: A Discourse ... Henry W. Bellows No preview available - 2017 |
Common terms and phrases
abolitionists anti-slavery apostle Arian birth Boston Bostonian burning and shining Calvinistic Channing's mind Channing's views Christ Christian Church commanding convictions courage dignity disciples Divine dogmatic earnest ecclesiastical essence eternally exalted faith fanatics feel genius and character glory God's holiness honored hopes human nature human soul illustrated Infinite influence inspiration intellectual ister Jesus justice kingdom of God knew lived man's manhood Massachusetts meditation mind and heart ministry moral and rational moral and spiritual moral freedom moral nature nearer ness never Newport numbers obedience opinions passion pathy perfect philanthropist piety political preaching profession prophet pulpit purity race rational and moral reason and conscience recognized religion religious reverence sense sermon settled shining light sinlessness slavery society soul spirit sublime sympathies taste teaching testimony themes theological things thoughts tion transcendent Trinitarian triumph true truly human truth Unitarian universal WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING worship writings
Popular passages
Page 7 - But I have greater witness than that of John : for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me.
Page 5 - BORN, 7 APRIL, 1780, AT NEWPORT, RI ; ORDAINED, 1 JUNE, 1803, AS A MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST TO THE SOCIETY WORSHIPPING GOD IN FEDERAL STREET, BOSTON : DIED, 2 OCTOBER, 1842, WHILE ON A JOURNEY, AT BENNINGTON, VERMONT. On the other side.
Page 31 - ... admiration or praise; everything for reflection, for inspiration, and for illumination. There was one other peculiarity in his preaching. He preached only on great themes, and this made his sermons always timely, for great subjects are ever in order. So profoundly helpful, so inspiring was his preaching, that I, for one, lived on it, from fortnight to fortnight, and went to it every time, with the expectation and the experience of receiving the bread of heaven on which I was to live and grow,...
Page 31 - I was as much surprised at his diminutive form as if, expecting a giant, I had met a dwarf ! He had seemed to me a large and tall man in his pulpit ; but I soon found that, slight and low as his frame was, nearness and familiarity took nothing from its dignity, and suggested nothing fragile or weak. Indeed, his attenuated and lowly figure really increased the sense of his moral majesty and intellectual eminence. His presence was more awful, simple and gentle as he was, than that of any human being...
Page 30 - ... the truth I speak ; and not you, but the nature you represent ; not you, but humanity and God in you and in us." He rose slowly, read a hymn, and began his discourse (for seldom in my day was he able to spare much of his strength for the preliminary services, conducted by his colleague) on a plain so level to the feet of the simplest of his hearers that few noticed the difficulty of the slow but steady ascent he always made, carrying his wrapt hearers with him by the power of his thought, the...
Page 30 - ... calm insistance of his conviction, and the solemn earnestness of his spirit, until they found themselves standing at a height from which visions of Divine things, in their true proportions and real perspective, became easy and spontaneous. There was no muscular strain or contortion in his limbs or face or voice; no excitement of a fleshly origin; no false fervor or false emphasis; no loss of perfect dignity and self-possession. And there was little in the words themselves to fix attention, except...
Page 30 - ... heard! Even in the pulpit he lived the things he saw and said ! The greatness of human nature shone in his beautiful brow, sculptured with thought, and lighted from within; his eye, so full and blue, was lustrous with a vision of God, and seemed almost an open door into the shining presence. His voice, sweet, round...
Page 30 - The greatness of human nature shone in his beautiful brow, sculptured with thought, and lighted from within; his eye, so full and blue, was lustrous with a vision of God, and seemed almost an open door into the shining presence. His voice, sweet, round, unstrained, full, though low, lingered as if with awed delay upon the words that articulated his dearest thoughts, and trembled with an ever-restrained, but most contagious emotion.