The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-04-28

flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, are not of the Father, but
of the world; and the world passeth
away, and the lust thereof" With the
exception of the laying off of the ami
NAL nature, and the being clothed upon
with spiritual body, man is the same
Immediately after death that he is i'm
mediately before. Death changes not
his character. If he has lived an ignor-
ant, degraded life here, he will start
the next life on the same low, wretch
ed plane of existence. If his life here
has been devoted to doing good, and
enriching his soul with noble thoughts,
and divine loves, and blessed expert
ences, he will have full soul to start
the next life with. And so it pays a
man to devote his life to the acquisition
Of knowledge, to the cause of truth
and humanity. By doing this he es-
capes miserable, wretched life which
the sinful always experience, and gains
life of blessedness which is ever the
reward of the righteous; and when he
enters upon the future existence he
has as possession richly cultivated,
pure, and loving soul, upon which to
build in the ages before him. This
certainly ought to be good doctrine to
live by. But God is good to the sinful
hereafter as well as here. There is no
"dead line" in his government. When
he has sufficiently disciplined the way
ward to bring them to themselves, and
they go to him and beg for pardon,
he will gladly extend his hand to
them, and lead them into the green
pastures and by the still waters of ever
lasting life. And so all shall at last
come HON 9. s'Every knee shall bow
and every tongue confess to God"
Through discipline, through the en-
lightenment of the Gospel, through
''the goodness of God that leadeth to
repentance all wanderers shall at last
come home, and "there shall be one
fold and one Shepherd" ''for of him,
and through him, and to him, are all
things, to whom be glory forever"
And in that sunny land we shall all at
last meet, some coming up through
great tribulation, some differing from
others as they do here, "as one star
differeth from another star in glory
And in that land where the rainbow
never fades, and the sun never sets, we
shall find all the loved Of earth, and
know them, and have them for ou1
companions forever. And there, hand
joined in hand, and heart beating re-
Spouse to heart, we shall climb the
mountain sleeps Of Gods eternal truth
goodness and love, forever advancing
but never reaching point when there
is nothing more for us to learn, no ad
vantage yet to be gained.
Friends, I have briefly outlined the
Universalist faith. I believe it is 6
faith that is eminently practical
Every idea entering into it has &
practical bearing on life. 1t serves tt
draw men away from sin, and to make
them honest, upright, noble, kind, mer
ciful, forgiving, lovers of God and Low
ers of men. And it is good to die by
as multitudeSEgxs attested. Said JohI
Murray, the father of American Uni
versalism, in his expiring moments
II am Fastening through the valley Of
the shadow of death. l shall be re-
ceived into the city Of the living God
with the innumerable company OF
apostles and spirits Of just men made
perfect, and shall continue forever in
the presence of my divine Master. To
him shall the gathering of the people
be, and his rest shall be glorious, glori-
Gus, glorious. / am blessed with all
spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.
Nor 1 alone, for Christ Jesus hath tasted
death for every man." Thousands and
thousands have died in this sW eet and
sunny faith, uttering similar songs OF
triumph in their expiring moments.