The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-10-09

ultimate redemption aud perfection.
But further, Christianity postulates
concerning man. In affirm
ing the fatherhood of God, it affirms
also the sonship of man. If God is
the Father of man, then, man must be
the child of God, and being the child of
God, there must be in him divine ele-
ments, elements that not only ally him
to God but that impel him toward
God.
That is to say, the law of mans ma
ture must be to seek God. That it is
SO, we know not only from what that
nature is. but from what it has been
doing through all the ages. All the
ethnic religions Of the world are but
revelations Of this law. They show
what human nature seeks. They are
but efforts of that nature to find God.
Hence the law of human nature is to
seek God. 1t does not always obey this
law, it is true, any more than it does
other laws; nevertheless, this is its law.
When it is true to itself, when it acts
legitimately, it seeks God.
But the law of anything is the meas
ure of its destiny, therefore it is the
destiny of man to find God. His very
nature impels him to seek God until
he finds him. 1t will give him no rest
until he does find him. There is no
peace to the wicked. All turning away
from God is attended with the sharpest
pain, as all turning to God is with the
keenest pleasure; the repressive forces
of our nature, therefore, combine with
the attractive to compel us to find
God. Here again, in the very postulate
of Christianity concerning man, is in.
volved the assurance of mans ultimate
perfection. The true Christian doctrine
concerning God and man necessitates
the doctrine of the worlds salvation
the doctrine of the final reconciliation
of all to God. For of Him and through
Him and to Him are all things, tc
whom be glory forever" But Chris.
tianity has something to say for itself
for its own mission and work. 1t is q
mission of grace. Christ came to seek
and save the lost. He is the lamb of
God which taketb away the sin OF
the world. The world, therefore, is
included in his mission. All sinful
souls are the object of his grace.
If, therefore, all souls are not saved
Christianity is, in so much, a failure.
To the extent it fails to save, it lacks
efficiency and Christ is not sufficient fol-
the work he came to do. Christ can.
not be the Saviour of the world unless
he saves the world. To affirm, there.
fore, that any will go beyond the
reach of saving grace, is to affirm the
inefficiency of Christianity, and deny
its claim to be the absolute religion
for the absolute religion must be all
sufficient for the purposes of salvation
Further, it is to impeach the character
of God, for Christianity is revelation
Of Gods great purpose of grace, and il
this purpose fails, then God lacked
wisdom, or power, or goodness, in form
ing, or in executing that purpose, ant
you are on your way again to atheism
The doctrine of the worlds salvation
therefore, is absolutely essential to the
very integrity of the gospel, and the
moment you take it out of Christianity
you emasculate the gospel and render il
unworthy of belief.
But once more this doctrine is in the
very letter of Scripture. There is a
class of passages extending from Gene
sis to Revelation that can have nc
other rational Interpretation; 1.-THE
seed of the woman shall bruise the
serpentt's head. "In thee and in thy
seed shall all the nations, kindreds and
families of the earth be blessed u
Christ ''shall see of the travail of his
soul and be satisfied" "And 1, if I be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men unto me-" "God hath made known
unto us the mystery Of his will, which
he hath purposed in himself, that in
the dispensation of the fullness of times,
he might gather together in one, all
things in Christ, both which are upon
earth and which are in heaven, even in
him." He shall reign until all enemies
are subdued unto him and so reign that
at last God shall be all in all; not only be
all, but be all in all. Only one rational
and Christian Interpretation can be
given to these passages and the like OF
these. They teach the ultimate moral
perfection of mankind. Thus the life
of God, first realized in Jesus Christ,
shall at last be realized in every soul.
To-day the objections to this doctrine
may be all summed up in one, the final
perversity of the human will. The
wicked may at last become so perverse
in their wickedness as to lose the power
of repentance.
Our single word in reply, is, that
this is no doctrine of Christianity, but
purely metaphysical speculation. 1t
has no sanction in Scripture, no founda-
ton in fact, but is purely creature of
the imagination.
1t is the metaphysical lager beer of
Julius Muller put on tap by the Boston
Monday LectureShip. 1t is snicidal