The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-01-14

nouCo We nave nope III Ills TOU. LII Is
a Christian duty to be resigned to per-
sonal correction and chastisement. For
we know it is for the best or the Lord
would not send it.
But remember that the Lord loves
and blesses his enemies as surely as his
friends. Why, oh why, then, are not
his seventies upon them born of his
goodness no less than his seventies upon
us? o my Father My Father Thy
rod falleth not upon any, except in thy
goodness unto all.
We insist, therefore, that retribution
lays the foundation for restoration. Pur-
gatory is a penal institution. The
fatherly love could ordain no other. L
heard tender father say to his rebel
ious girl: 81 will put you on the peni-
tent stool until you will behave your
SELF" That is it, It'll you behave your
SELF" explains the penalty Of the do
nestle law. The penitent stool was in
tended as the foundation of restoration
and the victor of rebellion. And it is
70 contradiction to say that, "all the
hell there is, the sinner creates for him
SELF" and that ''every sinner is the au-
thor of his own hell, for the Creator
simply let's him alone"
For the Creator is the architect of
our spiritual being and we are so organ
lied that the fruit of transgression is
hell. And, hence although the sinner
plants his own fruit, and raises his own
fruit, and eats his own fruit, and so
creates his own hell; yet the medicinal
properties of that fruit were ordained
of heaven. And God has planted no
results, neither in sin, neither in right
eousness, which are not good. 1 mean
to say above board, that hell is good
for those who deserve it; and every
man, in the church or out, will get all
the hell he deserves.
And now 1 will give the might
est reason for the hope that is in US
which possess. 1t is this, viz: Chris
tians have got to be Christians hereaf-
ter and forever. Because the princi-
pies of our blessed Lords religion came
down from heaven, and because they
are Interchangeable therefore they will
be binding and operative in heaven for
ever. Christians have got to be Chris
tians in heaven, otherwise shall they
not be turned out ? But what is Chris
tianity except love to God and men
But what class of men Say there are
two classes, the evil and the good. But
which class may we not love and do
good unto them? Say the Christians
are our friends and do good unto us.
Must our love and goodness be circum-
scribed and confined unto them? How
did our blessed Lord say that we could
become like our Father who art in
heaven And what was Christ's re-
buke of those who loved their friends
only, as no better than publicans and
sinners
No, no, my brethren in the Lord,
this selfish and shabby Christianity will
not pass current in the heavenly state.
1t is not honest. 1t is not doing even
as well as we are done by, to say moth
ing of how we would be done by. Be-
cause there are not many Christians,
surely, in heaven who have not been
assisted to go there by some poor soul
who died sinner. The saints were
converted, chiefly, through the power
of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Millions are spent in missions, and mil
lions in churches, pastors, Bibles, tracts,
papers and books to convert the heather
at home and the heather abroad. And
hundreds of thousands are converted
and sent on their way rejoicing to
happy immortality. But who pays the
bulk of the money to support the men
who preach the gospel and print the
Bibles and books whereby the saints
have been converted and gone to their
lCoO n NliloSO SuuAOh 10 O hIihtOOiJ
of good and a power of conversion to
scores of souls who would have lived
and died in darkness without it. But
who pays the bulk Of the money to
build it and support it Because its
male members are few and thin, who
pays the money, but the publicans and
sinners of the community
We had an evangelist in our little
city Dosage, Iowa., last winter, and he
boosted of few dozen converts. But
the town took notice that before he left,
the unconverted worlds people whom
he had so abundantly anathemiZed,
were called upon to pay their one, two,
three, and five dollars apiece to liqui-
date the expenses of the revival. And
the spirit of this generosity all over the
and-indeed, all over ChIistendom and
in all ages since Christ was born, is
commendable, is Christian-like, is saint
like, is God-like. 1t is a temporal use
of the golden rule with everlasting re-
suits.
And now the question l press, is
Win heaven allow these converted
Christians to be just ? Rather will it
not require them to be just The
uno0dlv do haIn THAR falIOms RI ot1no