The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-08-01
ALL THINGS FOR GOOD.
the Shawmut Avenue Univer-
salist Church.

Sunday morning the Rev. Henry Blanchard
| pastor of the Shawmut Avenue Universailss
| Church, Boston, preached his farewell sermon
| After the summer recess of the society he IS 70
| take charge of the First Universalist church
| in this city. His text was the words: lana
we know that all things work together for good
| to them that love God'-Romans, 1928. lie
| said the eighth chapter of Romans is a stirring
chapters it ends with triumphant cry. What
an evangel is that of the text. First of all va
observe an apparent Limitation; that it is only
for those who love God that all things WORK
together for good. But this is only apparent
| for Paul elsewhere, even in the same chapter
says distinctly that all things do work together
| for coed, Paul asks us to remember that no1
every single isolated thing is good, but that IL
is good only in its relation to other things anu
that the whole sweeps on for good. Only wheh
we consider things in this way, as whole, can
we say this of them. Paul's life exemplihes
this; when he was young he prosecuted and
aided in prosecuting the Christians. He was
converted on the road to Damascus. he
might be imagined in later life to say why did
consent to the murder OF Stephen? was
the agony he suffered good? Oh, no. Is it not
true that even the noblest of men have memo
ries that they would gladly blot out? So there
must have been the shadow of Stephens death
across the way of Paul. In it there was no
good, but it led to something else that was
good-to his conversion and to his great lie
work. So we can imagine him saying, what
good was there in Christ's dying on the cross!
in His sufferings there? Nothing in these or
in the death by ITSELF But in their relation to
after events they were good. And SO the cross
takes its right place in the things of God.
Paul says don't look at isolated things, but at
the whole. He says that they alone who love
God see that this should be DONE Unless he
had loved God, he could not have felt that
either the death of Stephen ,or that OF Christ
was of the providence Of God.
The love OF God is the only illumination in
hours OF darkness and sorrow. One is called
upon to so suffer that he believes he can never
be happy again, nor can he be so but for the
love of God, who makes of an evil an issue
that is good. II at such moment q man has
not the faith that God is good he shall not be
able to see or to fesl that all things work to-
III,
cept those who love God can see that what has
taken place there is for good, but as such it will
result. Paul's apparent limitation is an Illus
tration. Unless all things work together for
good, we cannot love God. To what end 10 all
creation-animate and inanimats, civilized and
Observation-Disclosures all of it has an end for
good? We are not makers nor controllers OF
the universe nor foreseers OF the future, but 1t
has no purpose for us unless God, its creator,
controller and guido, is a being to3be loved. 1t
mfr nd vic hrt
there is anything that does not tend to good,
we cannot see that he is lovely. Or 1t may be
said, how can God punish heresfter IL lie Is
good? This ID no more marvellous than tnat
thing which endures for a. while is full OF pain.
Here and hereafter there is balancing that
brings out the good. They are parts OF the
plan God has designed for the development of
His children; if then troubles are temporary
patiently accept thsm; il they are not cannot
look upon God as good. In answer to letter
of mine, the editor of the Christian Union says
that he believes in final perfection by the anni-
hilation of the wicked. This doctrine is bet
ter than that of eternal punishment, but l
cannot accept it, with Abraham Lincoln, say
GAN or none." We are children OF goa, mace
in His image and it is the grander doctrine to
say that all men shall be made glorious by
their final redemption. In this world there is
constant progress. Beyond all its evils is the
face of the Heavenly Father, are the hands OF
God molding the universe. Every historian
speaks of the influence In man that is greater
than himself; they all say that freedom and
right are steadily advancing. Science and
philosophy are telling the same thing-that
GOD is in all and over all, This passionate be-
gan with sermon on the co-working for God.
Under the agis of that magnificent faith it has
gore on. In the years to come may the words
of the first and the last sermon unite us, for
we are all workers for God. Be very sure that
the world is turning away from every faith but
ours; nothing short of it can satisfy the human.
mind God is our father. God is the ruler OF
the universe and we trust to Him while we
are in that place of development OF which he
has pat us.