The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-08-07

lent patrlSGlc Interpretation, and by the
uDquestionable fact Of the primitive
church belief''-[se Homiletic ReUietU
for April, p. 290l. According to this
learned authority, therefore, it was the
opinion of the early fathers and Of the
mother church; and it is the opinion of
unbiased modern scholarship" that
Jesus did preach the gospel to men in
the after life. He did preach the gospel
after his crucifixion, to the spirits of
the people who lived in the days of
Noah.
We are now ready to address our
selves to the question, What was the
mission of the gospel SO preached in
the future life? We have an exceeding
ly definite answer in the language first
quoted from Peter. " For, for this
cause was the gospel preached also to
them that are dead, that they wight be
judged according to men in the flesh,
but live according to God in thespirit."
Here is judgment and reformation.
They to whom the gospel was preached
there would be brought to the same
standard as men in the flesh. And the
purpose of the gospel there was one
and the same as here, to wit: That
they might live according to God in the
spirit" Who could ask for palmer
and more unequivocal statement of the
mission of the gospel beyond the grave?
We are also able to produce at least
two or three passages from st. Paul
which definitely affirm that Jesus hath
a mission of reconciliation beyond the
grave. Consider also, o ye unhappy and
fearful ones, the consoling statement
to the Ephesians 6 Having made
known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure 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 in the
heavens and which are on earth, even
in him "-Eph. i, $40. I'm the heav-
ens' is the rendering of the new YER
sion of our Testament. The same plu-
raj form was also put into the margin
of the old version. But what flood of
light and comfort have we here! Those
have left the body who have gone into
1.-The heavens" They are beyond the
earth and in other habitatiOns of our
Fathers house. And to say that they
shall be gathered together in one, and
in Christ what is it but to assume thai
they have not yet been gathered by
him?
There is still more gracious plain
ness Of speech in the letter to the Col
ossians: & For it pleased the Father
that in him should all fullness dwell
and having made peace through the
blood of his cross, by him to reconcile
all things to himself; by him, [ say,
whether they be things in earth or
things in the heavens Col. i, 20.
Here again the new version uses the
plural form heavens instead of
heaven" But to say that the Father
will reconcile things i'll the heavens by
his Son, what is this but to assume
that there are beings there who are
The mission of Jesus,
must comprehend the recon-
of the unrepentant beyond the
grave. And how else shall we interpret
the memorable saying of Paul; For
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive"-1 Cor. XIV, %.
For surely only a fraction of mankind
have been made alive in Christ in the
flesh. The work must be done, there
fore, beyond the grave. And every man
who is made alive in Christ, spiritually,
is new creature.
But what construction will our evan
gelical brethren put upon " the tree OF
life y which the revelator saw = in the
midst of the street of it, and on either
side of the river of water of life? 1t
would seem that this tree represented
a medicine. Its leaves were for the
healing of the nations. Could it not
fifty represent that gospel which is the
power of God unto salvation? And has
not this gospel, therefore, a merciful
mission even nigh unto the throne of
God? The gathering of the unrepent-
recOnciling of the disatfected
the healing of the broken hearted
the preaching to the prisoners-the
waking of the spiritual dead alive in
of this glorious work will
be carried forward beyond the grave
and among unfortunate beings out of
the flesh. They will all ''be judged ac-
DOrding to men in the flesh " but they
will be taught to Give according to God
in the spirit" Hence we conclude that
the everlasting gospel has mission in
the immortal future; that that mission
is ,nerciful and gracious; that it will be
the completion of what has been begun |
on the earth; that through this mission |
Christ will put down all rule and all !
and power; that through it |
be will reign till he hath put all enc
mics under his feet; and then God /.
will be all in all"