The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-08-21

[''The wicked shall be turned into he'll and
all the nations that forget God" Psalms
TX, II.
1.-THE wicked shall return to sheol. even all
the nations that forget God" Translation of
same in revised version of Old TESTAMENT
I might with propriety allude to my
theme as novelty in the line of sub
jects for pulpit consideration, SO rarely
in these days is it discussed. Once it
was the all-in-all of the gospel message.
BROAD was the road that led to death. and
thousands walked together there"
Men were in danger and needed to be
warned, that before it was everlastingly
too late they might make decision to
accept the atoning sacrifice Of Christ
and escape it's woe. What is the reason
that the voice of warning is no longer
heard?
If such lake of fire and birthstone
existed fifty years ago it exists to-day.
If men were in danger then, the same
danger is imminent now. This silence
on the part of the pulpit must mean
something. Are we to interpret it as
a confession that the doctrine is false
Oh is it still believed and kept in the
background that it may not prove Of
fensive to the large liberal element upon
which all churches to-day depend for
their support A church or individual
believing such horrid dogma and pur-
posely keeping silent, is false to God
and humanity.
1 quote my text this morning from
both the old and new versions, that you
may more readily perceive the meaning
of the original, and that you may real
izs how the Scripture has been warped
and twisted to bolster up this horrid
superstition.
The early fathers of Universalism
affirmed that the word translated "hell''
in the King James's version should be
translated sheol," and that in this pas
sage the Psalmist meant to say that
the wicked nations of the earth should
be cut off from life and removed to the
invisible state of the dead. They were
accused of reading into the Scripture
meanings that coul not legitimately
be deduced from the sacred writer's
words. The sunset gates of life closed
behind them ere complete vindication
from this unjust accusation came. 1t
has come at last, however, in transla-
ton of the Scriptures by orthodox
scholars, favoring the readings they
maintained were correct as translations
of the original.
1t used to be said of the Universalist
church that they desired to do away
with the doctrine of an endless hell
that they might sin with impunity, but
the large exodus of Sunday school SUI
perintendents and vestrymen who be-
lieyed in an endless hell to Canada, to
escape the penalty of defalcation, has
shown the need of caution in making
such charge. We are willing the
Universalist faith should be judged by
the kind of men and women it produces,
and we point with pride to that great
number who have been inspired by it
to live strong and beautiful lives and
who have gone home to their eternal
reward. Clara Barton, who last week
was visitor in our city, was born and
reared in a Universalist family, edu-
Gated in a Universalist school at Gin
ton, n. Y. From the faith of her child
hood she has never departed. The
humanitarian movement that she in
augurated that mitigated the horrors
of our civil war and made the return
of such dreadful suffering as comes
through neglect and exposure impossi-
BILE, was prompted by that love which
reaches out beyond the bounds of home,
and church and country to embrace all
mankind as children of a common
Father and members of great brother
hood.
That we may sin with impunity is
not the reason of our rejection of the
doctrine of an endless hell. We reject
it because it is heather superstition,
originating first in a dark and credu-
lous age and later kept alive by tyran-
nical priesthood as means of power
over the people whom they feared. Its
influence is seen in the coloring it has
given to heather literature and heather
art. The writings of Hesiod, Homer
and Virgil are full of horrid pictures of
its agonies. 1t was primary doctrine
of the Persian religion, and long prior
to Christianity it found place in many
Bibles of the East. Any intelligent
Jew will tell you that it is not doc
trine of ancient Judaism but that it was
brought back from Babylon on the re-
turn from the captivity by Jewish rab-
bis. Says DR.. Deutsch in a letter to
Rev. S. Cox, the editor of the Erpositor:
"Of this you may be quite sure, that
there is not word in the Talmud that
lends any support to the damnable
dogma of endless torment"
reject it in the second place because
it is not doctrinal teaching Of the New
Testament not Christianity, but an
accretion to it, and those who assert it
to be doctrine of inspired revelation,
who try to fasten it upon the New