New-York tribune., 1870-09-22

angels round about the throne and the beasts and oo
@ " and Thousands OF thousands; saying WIN
Ioud voice Worthy Is the Lamb thal Was sum w &
nop and glory and blessing; and every creature
which il ln heaven, and on the ear.h' nj nu ,t o ' m
carfb and sch as are In the sea, anu All nht are III
them heard saying Blessing ana honor ian hu ops goy
and power be unto Him that s,tas. po ali M are bnt
and unto the Lamb forever ana ever ~, Ia % aro Ta.
paTts Of one great whole all are varying hainoheS
upon the se he OF the Sacred Word in regard to
c destiny OF the human such the OF
Gospel grace. AS Christian P raco the
easter OF acceptance becomes the hope-eyer an anchor
Of the sou sre ana e darker doemas Of the Church
rest to-day an ilogicai, stnIeu nocr ~
Divine Love blazes from every page OF tne sacIeu "o
Corresponding these teachings was the carrier ltn
oi % oo, C"nfossediy the old Testament deals only in
temporal rewards aud pnlsleht@S. @ anu U Ind ui. with
| Pacan t60ught have any traces among that people
Of belief IN punishment beyond the grave, dnsso ,h
Old Testament histories and prophecies chiey lEcIeS
ing to-day in dogmaie point OF y,s% Sro me a the
Jcr of the Church. notwithstanding their heathen
origin have been claimed to DE the very Dul"Ao vi VIZ
Tue PATH OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS.
The faith Of the early Christians there Is reason 10
think was a general faith. Christianity at hrst was en-
hccd nv very few IA compared with tho whole people,
and these few were chiefly OF the lower classes Ihe
ohors of those who Immediately succeeded the apostles
were mostly confined TO the establishing OF the facts OF
Cbrst's ministry and his resurrection from the nead.
Down to the middle OF the second Get{i & @ IN
after the death Of the apostle J0hn, very nt appears ~
| what were regarded as orthodox WRITINGS pealIng on
the destiny OF the race and mat e Ten VIE @
bguous. Moreover the faith Of the CHRISTIANS n & Was @
already in process Of corruption % ne beyd Dy io r. was
also Influenced by the eayen OF the Ihafhees on @ tS
csnerialy among those which In Egypt, the doe
trne OF the ultimate salvation OF all souls appears 10
Yehemently ssaed many of their notions IT does not
appear that their Unyersalism was among the number
The next half century exhibits an apparent deHe0 %
ment of the sadder views OF destiny, along wth Tue
antiquities Of position OF prominent mem anu I9 cV %
tinued prosperity Of such Gnosc sects as taught the
salvation of all During both this period ana some cen
| turies following the punishment OF the wicked was
T6a did Ret believe it to be endless high authority
this subject, the President Ballon, mainly from
whose work Ancient History Of UniyeTsasm), puDShel
40 years ago, and now out Of print draw an outline O
the history OF our leading thought down 10 the %
ton for the benefit OF the younger portion Oh our
alter passing in review the opinion OF every NI!ie
nearly all the orthodox writers dHnde to punlsmeh
seven them cali ii the everlasting, the eternal ne OF
these seven who call il the everlasting fire, accepts
Universasm, two Annhilaton showing that they dnQt
views unex planned Not one therefore, expresses an
| unequvocal faith in endless punishment The morose
away is believed to have been the first Christian write
expressly to assert that the torments Of the damned
| OF the blest" Though the great Clemens Alex
andrnus had already cOnspicuously taught Uni
sty of opinion existed upon this subject among
either orthodox the horetca sect at the opening
the third century there division, and no cen
sure of the most liberal views. The great array OF the
Orthodox against the Heretcs was quite other mat
ters and Tniyeraliss were found indscriminatey in
| the ranks Of both classes Of combatants
oRIGES AND USIyERsAIsM-THE DARK AGES.
But Unyersalsm was destined to challenge more
general attention The renowned Origen who ourished
during the first half and middle Of the third century,
was one OF the ablest and most learned OF all the
Christian writers before the Reformation. The doctrine
of Universalism taught by hmtaught in his earlier and
in his later writings in his popular dlscourses ana IN MS
defense OF Christianity itself, and In reutaton OF
Gnostie errors-na1e rapid progress. OF his
disciples not few continued the Instructions OF their
master and added to his fame Though the unDOundei
abuse and led many to mpeach his orthodoxy there Is
no proof that his Uniyersasm Nas Involved Nor was
these controversies were renewed. 1t was
not until the renewed controversies had lasted
letter rfo TO JOHN Bishop Of Jerusacm himself uuiveT'
saisn but for the belief that even the devil would be
restored 1t does not appear that his belief in the saliva
when shortly after the Roman Ponti and the synods Of
Alexandria and Cypruss condemned orgensm, does it
appear that his Unyersasm was the OCCASION The con
uoyersy continued to rage, personal and party feeling
Sss the Fifth General Council convened at Constantine.
pie, condemned Origen's Unyersalisln, and liked
During the three centuries that elapsed from the death
Of Orgen TO this condemnation Of his doctrine, UnNer-
lie Church Nearly all the leading Origensts, who, he it
remembered, were Of the orthodox party, Unyer-
saists An Hist OF Cniy m, chap ", sec. ~; ana at
about the close Of the fourth century Uniyersaism ap
pears TO have been received for while by majority OF
The sun Of Christianity was now growing dim Unyer-
During period of little more than 300 years ending with
the Eighth General Council A d. 500 1t was four times
general indicating its disturbing presence Ia tho carry
part OF the eighth century il made some noise in The
Archbishop OF COnstantinOpe, and little later
it appeared in both France and Germany,
one Clement, an Hshnan, sformerly Ronish priest.
From the middle of the ninth TO the middle OF the
no new heresy disturbed tie Church. The clergy are
described "shamefuliy ignorant especially in reli-
gos matters equally eusaycd by sensuaity and super
stiton, and capable of the most abOmnabe and agous
deeds" The historian already quoted calls this the
orthodoxy" Appendix to An. Hist. Of Uniy'm, sects
Ito 81 Traces OF Unyersalsm found at this period
among the Paucians who had already flourished some
centures and In the eleventh. twelfth thirteenth, and
cathar and waidenses scattered through Italy France
and Germany At the end of the twelfth century APP
geared in France, advocated by one RanQld, Of the
Of the thirteenth, probably by Amanr' an D9 emf
In the early part Of the fourteenth century there
twentyfour thousand followers of one Walter Lolard,
umyersast, In Germany alone and, in the latter part
OF the century the Archbishop OF Canterbury found
Unversasm attracting much attention in England,
as to make 1t worth his while to condemn it, in formal
council In the fifteenth century 1t showed itself in
Flanders in Italy, and probably in spain lAppendx to
An Hist. OF Uniyml.
THE REFORMATION.
We thus approach the great Reformation Begotten Of
principles Of the first in religious progress, the
Reformation attended with results qne unantci-
pited. The human mind, set free, boldly sought for
truth wherever it might be found The late DIR. White
nore-from whose work mainly condenso the history
OF unversalsm from the Reformation TO the time
or Murray-tells us that some OF the lead,
| ing RefOrIsers themselves, such Luther and
Zuingnus, betrayed not little hesitation in regard to
the absolute endlessness Of punishment and many in
nueneed by the general spirit Of the Reformation did not
hesitate altogether to reject It, Mod Hist of UnY new
III Inrn Grrifl lnnIn