Fifty Notable Years: Views of the Ministry of Christian Universalism During the Last Half-Century; with Biographical SketchesAdams, John G. (John Greenleaf)
Religion
Fifty Notable Years: Views of the Ministry of Christian Universalism During the Last Half-Century; with Biographical Sketches
Adams, John G. (John Greenleaf)
Universalism; Universalist Church -- Biography; Universalists -- Biography; Universalists -- United States -- History
Dr. Williamson, through most of his life, was afflicted with asthma in
its severest form, but his vigorous will enabled him, in spite of it,
to perform much labor. He delivered nearly 4,000 sermons, published
nine volumes, beside many pamphlets, and for forty years was connected
with our periodicals. He once crossed the Atlantic, and preached the
Gospel of Impartial Grace in Great Britain. He took seven voyages of
2,000 miles coastwise by sea on the same errand. In his voyage to
Europe, one of his fellow passengers was Washington Irving, then on
his way to Spain. Mr. Williamson conducted the religious services on
board the vessel, one Sunday morning, discoursing on the Paternal
character, purposes and requirements of God, in accordance with
Christian Universalism. After the service, Mr. Irving, who had been an
attentive listener, cordially thanked the preacher for his sermon,
adding emphatically, "These, sir, are my views, and I am trying to
live in agreement with them."
Mr. Williamson was a prominent and highly respected member of the
Society of Odd Fellows, lectured far and wide in exposition and
defence of their principles, and went to England mainly in their
service. He was for many years Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of
the United States, and the ritual now in use by the Order was largely
from his pen. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity
from Norwich, Vt., University, in 1850. The writer of this sketch
first heard Dr. Williamson preach at the session of the Universalist
General Convention held in Strafford, Vt., in 1832. The subject was
"Lukewarmness rebuked;" the text, Rev. iii. 15: "I would thou wert
cold or hot." No noisy, declamatory appeal was it, no clap-trap effort
reminding the audience of the "smartness" of the one to whom they are
listening; but a clear, strong, earnest statement of the greatness of
the Truth of God and of its pre-eminent claims upon the attention,
love, and consecrated zeal of every believer in its unsearchable
riches. In illustration (not profuse), in persuasiveness and
application, it could not have been improved. The large old church was
filled, the audience were in closest attention to the end, and many
were the silent, sympathetic "amens" in response when his words were
ended. The discourse afterwards appeared in the "Gospel Preacher," a
monthly publication issued at Augusta, Me.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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