Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-02-12

denier, if such there is, tries not to |,
hold on to the Bible, but consents
to be called an honest infidel, re-
jecting the Bible altogether. We |
have observed this significant fact,
that infidels and wicked men every
whore evidence great delight when
some one comes to the front to |
champion and promulgate the Uni
versalist theory. 1t is nothing less
than a most pernicious type of inf
deity disguised under the specious
name of religion. 1t fatty denies
the fall of man, the divinity of our
Lord and His proper atonement. 1t
also denies mans free moral agen-
cy and final accountability to his
Maker. 1t teaches that there is
nothing man can perform or ne
glect to perform that can endanger
his ultimate salvation. But do not
the scriptures represent unregener-
ate men as In condition of insecu-
rity and danger? And is not every
guilty man, in his sincere mo-
ments, disquieted with the thought
of final reckoning and punish
ment? Orthodoxy holds that
dOOld iOt CtCihitI 10 hACo W
his own choice. The attainment
of heaven is every where made con-
ditional in scripture. No alterna-
tive is presented between salvation
by faith and damnation for lack
of it. No one will get to heaven
by accident. 1t is represented as a
reward to be gained, victory to be
won-something for which we are
to "strive," TO "seek," to "watch,"
to "pray," to Eight" 1 think the
Scriptures mean something when
they talk about the straight gate"
the marrow way" quitting out
right eyes," "selling ALL" even CIV
ing up dear life itself to gain eter-
nal life. What does Christ mean
when he says, eff thou woulds't
enter into life, keep the command
ments," Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the Kingdom
of God?n Why this off" why
this except" if all men are to be
saved unconditionally?
Universalis m hesitates not to
call Jesus Christ "Savior"-Savior
from what? we ask. 1t says there
Is no hell but conscience. Then
Christ saves men not from punish
ment, because men cannot proper
ly be said to be saved from that for
which their consciences do make
them suffer, not from sin, because
men do love and practice sin In
this world; not from hell, because
there is none. Thus, according to
Uniyersalism, we have the absurd
spectacle of q "Savior" dying for
nothing and saving from nothing;
and instead of his being a uni
yersal Savior" as they boast, he is
universal nothing! If there is no
saving from and tO-from hell to
heaven, what is their cry OF "uni-
versal salvation" but an empty,
meaningless expression? To build
Universalist churches is like throw
ing ropes and life-preservers, at
an immense expense, to men
who are on dry land, and in
no danger of being drowned! To
preach universal salvation, as if
one should halo to man riding
along about his business, on
q perfectly safe road, and stopping
him with much ado to tell him that
he is going right, or that his wheels
are turning round, or that his hor-
ses are not lame. 81 After certain
Universalist minister had conclud-
ed his trial sermon in community
with q view to becoming their pas
tor, and had preached them all to
heaven, an old Quaker arose and
said, off thou preachest the truth,
we don't need thee, and If thou
preachest lie, we don't want
thee"
No one will deny that Christand
the Apostles preached the plain
truth. Now, if Universalism is
true, they, of course, preached 1T,
and hence, were themselves Uni
versalists. But, if Christ and the
Apostles preached that all man
kind will be saved, then why did
they manifest so much solicitade
for the salvation of their hearers?
And why were their hearers so
greatly alarmed at their preaching
OF this pleasing and most COM
Portable doctrine? And why was
there such opposition wherever
they went, to their preaching, by
lpicked men who, surely, ought to
have been their best friends and
most encouraging helpers, If they
preached the certain salvation of
all their hearers? II there is to be
but one future life, and that of
happiness only, then why should
they constantly speak Of two, and
repeatedly urge their hearers to
seek the one and escape the other?
Would Christ so often have adj
monished men to shun that which
had no existence? The most APP
palling of all Christ's parallels is
that in which Dives is represented
as lifting up his eyes in hell, being
in torment. Now this parable Is
absolutely pointless-has no mean
| ing ut all, If it does not teach that
there is hell.
Universalism has been well call
ed "sentimentalism founded in
the wishes and longings of the
heart,u one OF the "glorious hopes
of humanity" Il. Starr King, a
Unitarian Restorationist, confessed
that no text of scripture clearly
taught the ultimate salvation of all
men, but he said that, "this doc
trine is, to my mind, dreadful and
monstrous." But you will observe
that the ground Of his own opposi-
ton to future punishment, was his
oaDn mind and heart. So also Theo.
Parker, another Restorationist, adj
mitted that Jesus Christ taught
eternal punishment, If the first
three Evangelists were inspired, but
he himself rejected the doctrine
because he thought it $50 revolving
to the humane and moral feelings
of our nature" According to
these very tender teachers, in
discriminating mercy is to be