The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-08-06
Written for the Standard.
BY SAMUEL LEWIS.

Dear Brother Mackley:
I want to write a few thoughts on
Christian Theology-things that [
believe, and things that do not be-
lieve, for which | have been called an
infdel. You may think strange of
me calling you Brother; but | con-
slider every man, woman and child my
brother and my sister; therefore | say
brother Mackley. | am no infidel,
for | believe the Scriptures-theO Old
and New Testament, and do not re-
ject Christianity, but do delieve God
will have all men come unto the
knowledge Of the truth, and be saved.
At the same time | believe there is no
salvation withou holiness, and also het
that doeth wrong shall receive for the
wrong that he doeth, and God is no
respector of persons.
I was once talking to leading men,
Der Of the Christian Union Church,
and he accused me of being an infidel.
I told him I was a Universalist, and
asked him if he knew what Univer-
salists believe and teach? Yes, said
he, they believe there is no hereafter,
and all will be saved any how.
As to hell, | believe in all the hell
that the Bible teaches | will quote
one passage. We read in Revelations
lis: II am he that Eveth and was
dead, and behold | am alive for ever
more, amen, and have keys of hell
and of DEATH" Now if the common
notion about hell is true, Christ must
be the Devils door-keeper, or turnkey.
We cannot all believe alike, but we
must believe as we are led by evidence
before US. [ cannot believe in the
evangelical or orthodox views Of the
character of God. | believe that God
is love, and if he is such being as
the Universalists teach him to be, I
can bow before him and give him all
my heart. [ believe that God made
the world in love, and perfect wisdom,
we'll adapted to serve the Divine pur-
pose. He then made family. All
of them have sinned, and some of
them have fallen very low, but God
is determined, according to my idea,
to stand by his family, every one of
them, let come what will, until he
mades them all respectable. This
standing by his family, as every
true earthly father will do, is what |
like in the Universalist idea Of God;
but if after God has created family
by bringing countless millions of
helpless beings into the world with
out their knowledge or consent, then
at last turn against the most Of them
and in burning wrath cast them into
hell forever, as the so-called orthodox
clergy teach is what I do not believe.
We are taught by the Scriptures that
"God is good unto all, and that his
tender mercies are over all his works"
Gods goodness, justice and mercy,
would not permit the loss of single
soul. He says, "behold all souls are
mine," and we are taught to call God
our father. He claims US as his child
rem, for he says, my son, give me
thine heart.
Now [ do not believe this is inf
deity. If | really believed the doc
trine as taught by the orthodox
churches, my soul would cry out:
Father of merci es, why from silent earth
Dldst thou awake and curse me into birth
Take me from quiet, Danish me from night
Make thankess present of the light,
Push into being reverse of thee,
And animate clod with misery
[ consented to have the above
printed in the Standard, to crafty
my old friend Lewis, who is an excell-
ent old man. D.M