, 1886-02-28

tIpioSlDn OIL II COMES IN n moiucutt III "a
twinkling of an eye. And men are going
on doing this In every direction, In their
own natures, in that vast magazine Of laws
In which we are LAYING up effects upon
effects, on every side. 0 that there might
be a balancing OF the books at least once
a year In the eternal and internal economy
of the soull But no. tho angels OF record do
not speak, and men would not hear II they
did, for men do not believe these things;
they are sold unto sin. 1t is one Of the most
pitiable things to see the insidious rayages
of disease in some loved one, I'M
known 1t may be TO the victim.
ward the seat Of life is going on in ono
shape or another in every one OF you who
Is not living by the inspiration of Gods
spirit. More or less fatally, more or Less
rapidly. but in every one of Us there Is 4.
cherishing up of something. There is not
one OF us obeys laws, even those we
know, and there are more we don't
know. and this cumulative result Of penalty
under all this vast system and maze OF law
Is going on, and we do not know what hour
nor moment the tragedy will como to
Its climax.
And this has been going on in this world
ago after ago. 1t Is a part OF the pilgrimage
of the race. 1t has never been any better.
In the savage condition from which the
human family emerged, and In the bar barrie
state through which IL went, and In every
step of ascent 1t has made more laws and
broken more. The trnnsgressions increase
with civilization, and yet the world is re-
populated and repopulated, and | am bold
to say that there Is no Inspiration of justice
and humanity that comes from the heart
OF Jesus Christ and forms itself into
a rule and measure Of Judgment that
rnuaf mt .ta. ~. s.tfl Ht.tfaR tAIf.uofto..
yea, and n justifiable wrath, il God be one.
or is taught to be one, that sits and sees this
awful destruction OF human life, aud rccre-
ates and repopulates and reflls the globe, to
say nothing about the other life, in the hid
eous systems that have prevailed among
man md do still, to some extent, prevail.
This continual recreation OF a race that Is
stumbling into mischief, and through mis-
chief into fatal waste and destruction, can DO
Justified only on one single possible suppose
tion-and that supposition is established In
our text: 'Despisest thou the riches of His
goodness and forbearance and long suffer-
ing. not knowing that the goodness of God
leadeth thee to repentance, That Is, Is try
ing 10 lead. This doctrine that above
matter and above all perceptible
truth, In tho great central and mystic
sphere, there does reside n being whose es-
sential nature is love, aud that he introduced
the system by which men may reach from
lower conditions and by progress steadily
ascend and go on, and tempers that system
by the patience of the father and the mother
with n child, restraining, Overriding. teach
ing, leading men back, while there Is time to
get back, by repentance, to change and to
obedience; and that while the per-
suasive spirit of the universe on the
undr part Is weakness, stumbling, md trans
erosion, on the upper part it is remedial;
not by reason of certain acts committed by
Jesus Christ, not because Of any plan OF res
cue, but because the eternal God, from
eternity and TO eternity is recupera-
tive beneyolence-that Is all tho atone
ment I want in the universe; such an I'M
folding of the nature of God as to show
it Is healing, rs a mother is healing to her
child; a benefactor, as the high priest was
one that had compassion on the ignorant
and them hat were out of the way. And
since In the wisdom OF God 1t was necessary
that this world should be created as it was,
and go up through various stages OF
asccndancy, with more or less blind
ness and temptation and Ignorance.
there was infxed into the whole
system a recuperative element 50 far a.
its administration In this world Is concerned
a supervising physician, an everlasting
pilot and guide, so that whatever may be
the seeming to us, the aerial influence
that overspreads the whole human
household is compassion and goodness,
seeking to hold men to obedience or to
bring them back from the consequences OF
their disobedience, to loyalty. No matter
what becomes OF churches. no matter what
becomes OF creeds, no matter what becomes
of theories, one thing must not be left out OF
mems belief: a God whose goodness Is the
essential medicine OF mems badness, and
that the atouing element lies In the nature
OF God Himself, aud not in any petty
traffic and machine arrangement by
which He could do this, that and the
other to meet something that men had done.
We have thus the recuperativo power of God
working perpetually on mon, the long suf-
fering goodness Of God working perpetually
To hold men back or to bring them back,
and finally to restore them to the fruit OF
integrity. II that Is declined, the wreck
goes on. What is on the other side I do
snot know.
Two things I believe in my soul-these
ARE: An Opportunity Of modification, or
humiliation. After a battlefield there Is
a hospital. Thousands and thousands 20
into It. They that arc durable come
out OF 1t restored. They that
are incurable the sexton takei
care OF. l believe that mn thas are
uuttl tut ulNiut lnHutuct anu lufOuEu us
Obedience by ignorance or by wilfulness
transgress the laws of God and 60 out. they
have not got through. You nave not
got through with your deceit. nor you
with your pride. nor you with your cruelty.
nor you with your lost honor. nor you with
your incompetence, nor you with any form
OF sin. You go with tho fruit Of them in
you There is some part OF a man, / have
no doubt, perishes at death, and we hear no
n ore OF Il Flesh and blood cannot inherit
the KlngdSm; but the frui'. the granary. Is
higherSha9 the body Ii is in tho soul, and
on emerging into the o'her world there
will be remedial inf fences that can
work men to restoration there as they
did not here | believe there will be
such. but l believe there will be multitudes
Of men that when brought under these
divine influences, will be impsrviou to them.
Where will they bel Where IA candle is
when the fame is blown out Their
life has persisted. Their opportunity
has pcrishel Honor has persisted. Every
thing has persisted Gone for over
and ever. II Il the best use you
can make OF them. Toe idea OF opening a
great prison house, hopeless Of all reforma-
ton. and tormenting men Tor ever and ever,
Il hidcous beyond the nightmare dreams
Of devils But the conception Of remedial
influences that shall meat those that are
curab le on the threshold OF the other life Is
consonant with reason; aud II they are not
remediable, that there the whole expert
ment terminates, and they are cut of from
ali opportunity. Now let me read this
passage following the text; "He will render
to every man according to his deeds. To
them who by patient continuance in well
doing sock for glory and honor and immor-
Utility, eternal life. But unto them that
are contentious, and do not obey the truth,
but obey unrighteousness, Indignation and
wrath. tribnlation and anguish upon every
.u,tI af man that loafh evtl n