The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-11-27
fear that the rest of you were only reliev-

man, "there are awful doubts still rest
ing on my mind; and L fear that the
questions that 1 could not answer an hour
ago, will long ring in my ears, and bring
down my hoary head in sorrow to the
grave" After deep gush of emotion,
in which the family largely participated,
he continued: 81 may never meet you
again. If you can throw ray of light on
the darkened pathway of an old
mans pilgrimage, my soul shall bless
you till my dying hour. Tell me why
you think you silenced the little girl by
convincing her. Tell me why your as
sertion should have greater force in hel
mind, than the assertion of her Sabbath
school teacher"
"Good friends, let us be seated" said
I, "and we will talk this matter over.
First OF all, admit it to be fact, that
your son died without change Of heart.
The little girls teacher made an assertion
and she believed it. I made an assertion
and she believed it-though mine was the
opposite of his. He had greatly the adj
vantage of me in one respect; she knew
him well-I was a stranger to her. But
I had vastly the advantage of him in an
other respect; he addressed the education
of the head, not yet confrmed-I adj
dressed the spirit Of the heart, not yet
fas Ixyk hn 1At1ltl oY,.I axri1 ~ ho
world"
II see it, 1 see it," said the old man
thoughtfully. II pray you repeat the
argument you used to her,"
at was substantially this" said I, "you
fondly love your son, and would bring
him to the heavenly Thanksgiving, if
you could. God is more merciful than
you are. Will he do less?"
"But," quickly responded the mother,
"has not God said, that those who die
without a change of heart shall never be
brought to zion?"
mo, good mother," said I, "he has
not, yet you have long believed that he
has. My argument, therefore, does not
convince you; but it convinced your lit
tie grand daughter her mind is not
yet darkened by education. She is as
God made her-simple, pure, confiding.
OF such is the kingdom Of heaven She
will believe anything you teach her-but
yet awhile the feelings of her heart will
be stronger than the lessons you address
TO her head. Worthy friends, if you
would have JOY and peace in believing,
you must learn lesson from that little
child"
After brief pause, thus continued:
"Mary and Martha had SO much faith in
power of the Saviour, that they severally
said to Him, Lord, if thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died. And
Martha also added. But 1 know that
even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of
God, God will give it thee yet she had
not faith that he could bring back Lag
arus, because he had been dead already
four daysl Worse than this is the doubt
ing OF many Christians. They believe that
Christ can save one minute before death
but not one minute afterwardi Oh, friends,
Christs power extends even into the
realm of deathl
Besides: is there any one who believes
that infants who die in infancy, and i'd
lots, will always be infants and idiots?
or that even the best men do not require
and will not experience any change after
death? Surely, surely, if the good be
at all, the bad may consistently
be changed for the better; and thus all
our race. including children, and those
who once we're idiotic, be on the upward
and onward march forever"
Preceiving that these rational views of
the divine economy were received as a
bright and beautiful revelation, pro-
ceeded to apply them: 1--WE must never
depart from these divine truths--that
God is infinitely wiser and more merci-
full than we are, and that the Redeemer's
grace abounds much more than the sin
of man. God was as merciful one hour
after your son died, as he was one hour
before; and it is only the spirit of I'M
belief which says that the Saviour's grace
cannot change the sinners heart as we'll
one hour after as one hour before his
death. Your little grand daughter as
yet knows nothing of that wisdom of this
world which limits the operations OF an
all-knowing, all-merciful God,
to the short span of human life. And
therefore she undoubtedly yielded to my
argument. I addressed to her a senti-
ment taught me by the wisdom from
above: and her heart heard it, and be-
lieved it, and was satisfied"
"Your words are indeed like unto oil
poured out freely on the troubled waters"
said the old man; "and feel as if the
weight OF milestone was taken from my
mind. But is there, then, no punishment
for sin?"
"Yea, verify, there is" replied, "but it
is punishment melted out by the wisdom
of the same merciful Father, to bring his
children to himself. Your de-
parted son, for whom you did not pray,
is in the hands of the same Divine Being
as is the living child, for whom you pour
ed out your soul in the tullness of a
fathers love. And they shall both be
brought home, perhaps through great
tribulation; nevertheless, they shall both
be brought home to the universal Thanks