The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-02-18

anything-implies that God is laid
under an obligation to do something
under constraint of what had been done
by another. The moving cause of sal
vation lies in the fact s'God so loved
the world" God loves Christ Jesus,
and he is truly his well beloved Son,
not because the Son has done anything
foreign to the deep welImg-up of the
eternal love, or in the opening words of
the gospel, Goods good will to men,"
All that Jesus has done and suffered is
to more clearly manifest the attitude of
his Father toward his children. We
are his offspring. Christ Jesus stands
out conspicuously to show that there is
a oneness in loving purpose and work
between him and the Father; condi-
tion of oneness he prays his disciples
may enter into, THAT they may be one
as l and Thou art one."
For those who believe and sing
"Christ has paid it all, who get no
deeper moral and spirituH insi ght into
the plan OF salvation thu that it is
kind of mercantile transaction, and
that God stands in relation to man, the
sinner vino has violated b B law, as the
ayenger of blood and Jeshs as the city
of Refuge, it is consistent FOR such to
ignore the primal, inherent and ever
active benevolence of Goa and entreat
him for his son's sake to attend to the
deeply pressing and momentous neces-
stiles of man.
In mans appeal to his fellowman for
favocs or help, it may be, nay, is pro-
per to make the appeal for "Jesus'
sake" as he ever stands as the repre-
sentative of all who need help. "Inas-
much as ye have done Asunto one Of
these ye have done it unto me.'' The
danger here lies in the tendency that
the expression may degenerate into
nothing more than cantphrase, mean
ingless through repetition. Qnite
number Of clergymen in orthodox cir
cles no longer close their prayers with
''for Christ's sake.' Though it is in
accordance with the creed, they see the
improperly in the phrase. They have
got beyond the idea that Jesus ''recon-
ciled the Father,' so that they ask for
favors in "the name Of Christ or in
language recognizing tfa fact that.
Christ is the unrivalled medium
through which Gods ! ssfscleus helms
flow to man. For this nadfe scriptural
and rational view, the pulpit
is perhaps rnors "a q
OlOgy than it is willing to admit. 1t
remains to show that the expression in
Ephesians is wrongly rendered.
Thirty or more years ago the Bap-
tist Bible version rendered it thus: Gas
God in Christ forgave you," which
plainly means Gods love and forgive
ness is manifested in Christ. The new
version has it thus: "Forgiving each
other as Goi also in Christ forgave
you" DR.. Hanson in the "New Cove
nant' has it: Compassionate, showing
favor to each other, even as God also in
Christ showed favOrs to you.n There
is one expression in Cor. iv. Il, where
the words for Jesus sake" occur and
are used very appropriately. Reading
hoo 20,
the self-denial and suffering even unto
death, ''for Jesus sake" that the life
also of Jesus as well as his dying
might be made manifest in our mortal
flesh. In this we see the pertinency of
the words, "The blood of the martyrs
was the seed of the church."
To my mind this expression is one of
the strongest TO prove the doctrine of
universal salvation from sin. In the
Calvinistic sense all the elect are in
Christ, redeemed and forgiven Dy God
before the foundation of the world.
In the Arminian sense not the elect
only, but universal man is by God
lodged in Christ and if redeemed logi-
cally forgiven. 1t is the highest and
clearest pledge of Gods attitude to
man. 1t is given double pledge. In
this God and his Christ are one. "No
man can pluck them out of my hand,
and my Father is greater than
all, and 10 man is able to pluck them
out Of my Fathers hand.o No wonder
Paul III an ecstatic moment should
have for sOrrOwing world this cOrrO-
boratiye language: For l am per-
suaded that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, Dor things to come,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord"