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

Universalism, the true interpreta-
ton of Christianity. How do we know
that ? Who is to answer the question
raised by our subject? By what stand
ard are we to determine the truth of
our affirmation !?
Evidently the appeal is to Christian
ity. Christianity must be its own in
terpreter. By Christianity we must
determine whether or not Universalism
is its true Interpretation. But what is
Christianity We cannot tell whether
ours is the true Interpretation or not,
until we know what Christianity is.
What then is Christianity Confess
sdly Christianity, first of all is a life.
Not a doctrine or form, but life;
even the life of Jesus Christ. Christ is
Christianity, and without him there is
no Christianity. In him was embodied
and lived the new force that constitutes
Christianity.
''In him was life and the life was the
light of men," Observe, it does not
say, that in him was light and the light
was the life of men, but in him was
life and the life was the light of men.
This life, therefore, is distinctively
Christianity. 1t is the life of God
realized in Jesus Christ. Christianity,
therefore, is not & development, but a
revelation. 1t is something coming
into the "realized world-order" and not
evolved out of that order.
Doubtless, elements of what we call
Christianity were evolved, but that
spirit and power which is distinctively
Christian was not evolved. That came
down from above. That was the rev.
elation of God in Jesus Christ. Hence
this life Of Christ involves certain prin-
ciples-has an intellectual side to it
it is the light of men. 1t involves a
profound consciousness of God, and of
his relation to man and of mans rela-
ton to him. In word, the essence of
Christ's life was profound conscious
ness of the Divine fatherhood and the
Divine sonship.
In his consciousness the human and
the divine were so perfectly married as
to issue in the realization of the life of
God in humanity. He felt God to be
his Father, and he to be Gods son, as
no other man ever felt these great
truths, and he so felt them as to live
them, as to embody them in his charac-
ter, and so become the realization of
the Divine in the human. In this life
of Christ, therefore, we distinguish at
least three revelations - God, duty,
destiny. In his own life Christ reveals
what God is, what man ought to be and
what he is to be if he fulfills his destiny.
By looking to Christ we see what
God is, for he is the real Father of this
real Son-we see what we ought to be,
for he is our example, and we see what
we are to be, for we are to be ''like
him." ''Conformed into his image"
Such, briefly, is Christianity. The ques-
tion now is, therefore, is this Univers-
alism? Is this what we believe and
preach ? Seeing what Christianity is.
does Universalism meet and harmonic
with it, point by point. Intellectually
considered, Universalism is body of
Divinity, involving many principles
that time will not permit US to elaborate.
AS in the case of Christianity, so in
that of Universalism, we must go at
once to the heart of the matter. First
of all, then, Universalism is life; it is
a theory, of course, but in its very
heart and core, it is life. No man is
really and truly Universalist unless
he lives the life that our universal prin-
ciples demand. Whatever he may be
In faith, he is not Universalist unless
he lives Universalism, just as man is
not a Christian unless he lives Christi
anity.
But further, Universalism contem-
plates life. Life fills the whole eye of
our faith. To us God is life, man is
life, and life and more life is the destiny
of man. 1t is fundamental to our faith
that without holiness no man shall
see the Lord" A life in God is, to US
the only way to enjoy the life of God.
If we would have the blessings of eter-
nifty, we must live the eternal life.
Here, then, Universalism is the true
Interpretation of Christianity. at heart,
they are one. They both insist on life
as the substance and end of all things.
But, further, Universalism holds that
Christ is the perfect revelation and ex
ample of this life. He is what we
ought to be. Therefore, to be Uni
versalist, one must be a Christian, in
the Christliest sense of that term. So
much as he lacks of the spirit and life
of Christ, so much does he lack of the
spirit and essence of our faith to real
iZe this life. Universalism teaches that
we must realize our Divine Sonship;
that we must have deep and profound
consciousness that God is our Father,
and we are his children, even as Christ
did.
Here, then, again, we are manifestly
in harmony with Christianity. Our
teachings run parallel with those of
Christ. Our thought is Christian