The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-07-03
thousandth successor. Say to him that
waits, 6 Wait no longer. Christ has
come, and calls you to him. The feast
is prepared; the door is open

come, and calls you to him. The feast
is prepared; the door is open
%, be swift, my soul, to answer him.
De jubilant, my feet"
Do you look to be carried thither? Will
you refuse to move by your own loco
motive powers? Be it so. But still the
banquet goes forward the bride and
bridegroom caress each other. Only
you are without who might enter in,
and to whom the message comes again
and again, always tender, always plead
ing, "Follow mel" "Come unto me and
I will give you rest"
Here is our corrective of the tendency
in pseudo Universalism to produce a
habit OF chronic postponement, happy
go-lucky state of mind which just set
ties easily down upon the assumption
that God will take care of us, and we
need not worry about results. Univers-
alism really gives no such indulgence.
Contrariwise, it insists that each soul
is left responsible, under system of
omnipresent grace, for its own saliva
ton; that delay only multiplies the
difficulties, without increasing the ia
cilities of coping with the inevitable
task; and that thus ''now is the accept
ed time.' in a sense more impressive
and even portentous than any other
theology can give.
To the reiteration of these radical
truths the pulpit must be able to add
the force of pure, devoted pastoral
life. No eloquence, no erudition, can
counterfeit the power of selfshness or
insincerity in the preacher. If, while
he insists that the people must set their
hearts solely upon that heavenly treas
ure which neither moth nor rust can
corrupt. he is seen to be greedily clutch
ing at the earthly vanity; if he OBJ
trudes himself in front of his mission,
and speaks for glory more than the good
of whatever the flaw in his char
acter be, it will be marked, and held
to discount his rhetoric and his logic
OF all men the minister of God has
least excuse for worldliness. Occupied
necessarily with the highest themes,
called daily to break the bread of life
in the house of need and sorrow, why
should he not appropriate the bounty
of the gospel he studies and pro-
claims ? We may be very sure, my
brethren, that if an unsanctifed, I'M
sacrificing clergy fill our pulpits and
move among our people, we need look
no further for an adequate cause of de-
pletion and decay.
Duty, however, addresses all alike !;
and it would be objectionable to leave
an impression that only the clergy need
reforming and not also the laity. Ger
tain very common virtues would great
ly assist our endeavors and virtues of
even worldly hue. Universalists would
be better church people if they had
more pride; of the sort that would
move them to keep their church lawns
q eaasu, ct leasts as their
and to feel the shame of empy pews
that might, by little diligence, be filed.
Loyalty is another great word that
should be apotheosiZed, and treason
here should be as odious as elsewhere.
Ambition, pluck and perseverance-ah
what revolution would these business
qualities make, if introduced at our
parish councils. Love, forbearance,
brotherliness-what bells the absence
of these have permitted, what heavens
their presence would create! In word,
the great thing for the youngest and
weakest as well as the sagest and
loftiest of us all, is just to be Univers-
alists in spirit not less than in ideas, to
realize what we stand for, to actualize
those standards il life, to incarnate the
creed, and impart the kingdom of God
at once within US.
Finally, the faith is expansive, in
elusive. If we have it truly, we cannot
keep it to ourselves. 1t belongs to the
world to the world we must bear it.
It is the birth of this outward, mission
airy tendency for which 1 long. Al
ready there are premonitions of its COM
ing and when it comes twill be our
Moses to lead us to the promised land.
While the clock ticks it may be on its
way. Thus at each greeting we talk to
one another praying that the spirit of
the Fancy -ahhay rouse us up to be more
than theorists, to be worthy of the name
by which he calls us, and of the truth
by which he quickens US. This is the
next step forward from the tumult of
battle to the arts of peace, from hope
and labor to fruition.
HE which testifeth these things
saith, Yea, come quickly. Amen !:
Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.n
| WHAT PRAYER DID.