Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-07-22

1cplcScut6 LILO lew CCuOOl u OUlt0.
rians," has to say upon this point. Al
ter mentioning some things which they
do not believe, stating the negative
side, he goes on to say: - 4 ..
But have we any positive side? sAre we
Christians by any fair showing? Upon this
point we have that inward monitor upon our
side, against which the thunders of exeom-
munication can only peal in vain. We are
Christians, and we profess ourselves such,
because we believe in Christ because we re-
gard him as the greatest person whom God
has given us power to know; bee ause we re-
gard his thought as the apprehension of di-
any other human intellect, his life as the
most perfect obedience to divine truth known
in human history. We believe in Christ as
the ve one person whose Sc nature nat includes within
IS far beyond them all, beyond the reach of
our thought. We believe in him as the one
man whose greatness no one has yet fully
whose natnre We can only hope to
his disciples and his followers, looking to
him for teaching and for guidance andhelp."
Does not this satisfy you? It does
me.
Concerning the Bible as the Word of
God, we believe that much that is in it,
is the word of God; but we know that
it was written by human hands, that it
is not free from traces of human imper-
fection. We think that God spoke to
men in those days just as he speaks
to them now; through their own con-
science and sense of right, and we
know that words have been spoken, and
deeds of cruelty have been done in the
name of religion, and prefaced with
q" Thus saith the Lord" when we can
see plainly afterwards that the Lord
never could have said it. So, while we
cannot think that every word of the BIZ
bic has the sanction of God, as q rule
and guide of life through time and eter-
nifty, we know that such words are con-
tained in it, and I think that God has
also given to men, sense and judgment
enough to discern which precepts have
his sanction, and which have not, if they
will take the trouble to study the mat
ter. I do not think the Bible contains
all Gods words to his children; I hope
the time will never come when we can
truly say that his revelation is finished
and complete, because then human pro-
gress in every direction will be at an
end. All truth is a revelation from
him, through whatever channel it may
come, and because he is inexhaustible,
endless progress is possible. just as
all our light is from the sun, though
some of it comes to us reflected from
the moon, some from the planets of the
solar system, and that which shows US
each others faces tonight, is still sun.
light, as the philosophers of the present
day would tell you. the sunlight that
ages ago built the immense forests, that
formed our coal-beds, and which now lib
Grated from its long Imprisonment,
gives back to the world unwasted light
and heat.
/ will not close without touching
upon our view of life and death. We
do not think that upon leaving this
world we enter upon state of perfect
bliss or perfect misery, as the decree of
God shall decide. We think that life is
given FOR improvement and progress,
and that sooner or later every soul God
has made will put it to this use. That
ut any moment of time or eternity when
q soul ceases to do evil and learns to do
good, that moment it begins to enjoy
Gods favor, and to receive as it can
then, receive of the joys Of heaven; but
never in this world, nor in any world
over which God reigns, does he shut the
door of heaven in the face of any soul,
however low and sinful and weak it may
be.
What else but this could have been
Christ's meaning when he told us the
story of the prodigal son? But none
the less are opportunities unimproved
and time misspent, loss that cannot
be wholly made good. Christ did not
say nor imply in this pasable that the
Good Father gave his repentant son
another fortune in the place of the one
he had wasted and restored to him im-
mediately the vigorous health and hope
of youth and effaced the burning mem
ory of his life of dissipation and said to
him "Now you are just where you were
before; try again and do better" Who
that has sinned and repented can not
fill out the untold story of this young
mans after-life, and see the double diff
iculties under which he labored -
wholesome work made distasteful by
long indulgence in idleness and luxury,
will weakened by habitual yielding to
temptation, conscience silenoed and
perverted by misuse and disuse-such is
the misery which nothing short of anni-
hilation can separate from sin. Let no
one soy or think that the Unitarian view
Of life does not include punishment Of
sin.
h Those are some of the opinions
which we hold to be Gods truth. To
some of Us they may be new, and those
of US to whom they are old and familiar
will find profit in thus occasionally re-
viewing and restating to ourselves, or
to any man that asketh, "Our reason for
the faith that is in US" 'a. '-g 9 ra
FUNNY EXPERIMENT WITH RESTLESS
CH1LpREN.-The latest thing in the in
vention line is q continuance for prevent
ing uneasy and mischievous children
from "joggling each other in school.
1t is described as follows: =" In the seat
of each chair is placed small metallic
plate connected by wire with q gal
vanic battery on the teachers desk.
Each alternate chair is connected with
q positive pole of the battery and the
other with the negative pole. b, So long
nc rha Children ramain nniat mn ohook