National Republican., 1873-09-12

LIcAS In that city. No need Of a law to stop
the circulation OF the Seniinei-lts native dull
ness, doubtless, Is rapidly doing that.
THE msToRY OF UNIvKnsAIIsr
DoCTRiNK IN AMERICA.
MT REV. o. II. ENHRsoS, d. n, EDITOR OF |
THE UNIvERsALisr.
A little more than two years ago one Of the |
Universalist Journals, In o notice Of Tyer- |
mans "Life Of John Wesley, found occasion |
10 say; a.....
.universalists cannot forget that James |
Reilly, the founder, through Murray. Of the Uni |
spirit Of Wesley. Mr.. Tyerman has the candof
TO SPEAK Of him IN MS true character ss Uni
the hero,sm and seif-deniai with which he
% wo5sed !, .i,a Wesley against the pteiudicss and
The abiest organ Of the Methodist Church,
the New York Methodist, cited tho above
words, pronounclng them . "fact." and q
''curious historical relation OF Unlyersalism
TO Nethodism."
1t may surprise the general reader to learn
(yet IL ls the truth OF history that both
Methodism and Universalism In their denom-
national characteristlcs arc the twin births
Of the same great religious smoyement-that
which broke out In the English Church under
the lead OF John and Charles Wesley. A
knowledge Of this fact is essential TO any
thing like clear apprehension Of the devcl-
opmeut Of doctrine In the universalist move
ment and Church.
Il Is but just that Unlversallsss have The
benefit Of the distinction between the belief
In the hnal redemption OF all souls on the
one hand, and their ecclesiastical organiza-
ton, their denomination. their church on the
other hand. Univcrsalists clam that their
doctrine is as old O. tic Bible, and they make
lnu. It.s 49, q L. -.
| they aver tho doctrine 10 stated. II Ia well
known that Universalism was very clearly
| taught by certain OF the Church fathers In
the second and third centuries, particularly
by the great Origcn and by Clement Of Al
exandria. Indeed IL gained such strength in
the Church that in the nth century IL was
deemed expediont 10 condemn IL as heresy.
| But while Il continued To live and to find dis
tinguished defenders In the whole history ~
/ the general Church, II never took special
form, and became the basis Of separate
denomination till the advent of John Murray
in America, q little more than century ago.
i Ii lie to the course or history of doctrine In
the Universalist denomination that we are
inviting attention.
The morals and the picty In the Church Of
England had, prior To the coming Of Wesley,
got very low. That great man was shocked
at the worldliness and the indecency which
the Church had come not only to tolerate, but
tNou W uC ttTuCh loT y TfJUFV
in life. He assailed no doctrine, intended to
change no doctrine; he was not jealous on
points of doctrine. He cared for aud sought
to induce, simply and solely, holiness Of life.
That was the Methodist start. But the now
movement, which preceded o mighty one,
started up different one--namely, a charge
Of doctrine. James Reilly, the friend Of Wes-
ley, gave thought and zeal to this. Here,
then, was the Universalist start. Murray,
one Of Rsllys converts, brought the Univer-
salist movement to America, and founded
here the Universallst denomination,
In tracing the germ Of their denominational
history to the great rev olution carried through
by John Wesley, Universalists never claim
that this reformer Intended such q result.
Wesley cared for littlo save the moral and
: religious reform. He was intimate with the
. Umversalists Of his timc, and was happy to
labor with them SO long as the end aimed at
was holiness OF life. While, then, Method
Ism was specifically reform Of life, Univer-
salism was specifically change Of doctrine.
We do not call II q reform" Of doctrine, be-
cause 1t Is not our purpose 10 argue Its merits.
Now, at the outs0t, precisely what was
Uniyersalism OF course II was, at that
early date, quito rudimentary- not have
been matured sufficiently to have the COM
pleteness and consistency Of system of the
ology. On oil hands Is was agreed that the
| world was under the control OF Being whose
nature Is love, and whose wisdom 10 perfect,
and whose power Is infinite. The very arst
Unlversallst thought-the trunk thought Of
J which all Its subsequent developments were
limbs and branches--was this: Under TIE gor-
ernment Of nich being no soul can sver suffer
an endless torture. The Universalist literature
of that period-its reasoning and Its scripture
! exposition--revolved on that pivotal state
ment. The primal Universalst thought I'M
piled that every soul must be gamer, In nc
case o loser by its Immortality. Bin and pain
might exist q long while, but II the Being In
control was the friend Of man they could not
always exist. And, as no one entertains the
idea of appibIlation, the Universalist revolt
; from tho doctrine of ppalpss sin and pain was
equivalent TO the doctrine Of the anql Fs4cmp.
tion Of every soul.
In regard to the method by which final mi
yersal salvation was to be made certain, very
: little was, at the first, thought or said. This
, came lqtHT In the development of the primal
thought In the history Of the doctrine. AT all
events, there vas no agreement as to the
''plan" OF salvation. II au Armipisp boz
new faith on Arminian principles. Christ
really died for all, really gave bis blood foI
all, really came into the world to save all. An
Arminlan, saying all this, became Univer-
salist the moment he was led to add: And
Christ mus. DO phdt he undertook to do. IL a
Calyinist became = pniyersalist, he naturally
built his new belief on Calyipistlc principles,
God is a sovereign; he has axed purpose;
be never can fall to accomplish what he a.
tempts; every soul he means for salvation
cannot fan 0f salvation. The Calyipist say.
Ing this became pniyorsallst 50 soon as he
was led TO addi 4 good God DuA oerfgiDly
desire and intend the sdiudtion Of euory ssl.
In every case each convert naturally brought
10 his nav faith bis old belief as to the tody Of
salvation. .....
Il does not appear that the oldop Uniyer-
salists ever criticised or even doubtsd the sos
called evangelical" doctrines with the eT-
eeption OF that pertaining TO endless torments.
They, had been believers in ne Trinity, In
vicarious atoncment, and the kindred doc
trines, aud on becoming uniyersalists thay
did not at the first see any occasion TO change
In other particulars. We repeat at the out
set, the unlyarsalist statement was very rudi.
meutary,. very simple God 70 the Father and
Friend OF oil souls. lie must thsrefare ulti-
mately reclaim all from sin, and make th6m
rejoice evermore In his presence.
1t should he stated that from the first Uni
versalists have been reyerent and confident
In their appeal to the Holy Scriptures. They
have always been willing TO "phllosophlze, T"
to make account OF ''intuition, and to ''de-
duce;" but oil these have seemed to them
quite futile unless sustained by THUS saith
the Lord" Their claim has ever been that
they build on the Bible. Hence their older
champions they now delight 10 speak Of as
men 'mighty In tho Scriptures Probably
no sect In the land has so great proportion
of believers who are thoroughly .at home"
In quoting the Scriptures.
Leaving Murray and coming down to the
opening Of the present century, we find the
| 'rudimentary statement" developed Into q
good deal Of system; we find not only the
Uniyersalist belief, but a universalist theology.
Hosea Ballous reasoning and very original
views made new epoch In the development
of Universalism. Coming from the Baptlsts,
he was ever rgidly Calvinistic TO the eItent
of affirming the complete sovereignty OF God,
of evil, indicating his goodness In the final
ordering and overrullng Of all sin and pain
for endless good. He rejected, however,
many of the Calvanistic tenets, particularly
the Trinity and the doctrine Of yicarlOus
sacrifice. This change led to others, and he
put forth new views OF the nature Of punish
ment and Its purpose. He denied that Christ