The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-04-14
EDITORIAL BRIEFS.
BY REV. 1. M. ATWOOD, D. D.
Canton, N. Y.

Las oOcioi auoH VI several years ago, now
going the round of the press again, that
it is not essential in order to be saved
that man believe in God. GA man NAV
be an ATHEIST and be saved" Our Ban
fist neighbor, the Watchman, undertakes
to explain it for him. But the public
would greatly prefer DR.. Parks explspa-
ton. What in DR.. Parks opinions
Walton? He supposes the atheist NAV
cherish "love for universal being, and
this Is universal holiness, and be eayed."
What is the universal being" DIR. Parks
had in his minds eye? And how is love
for it equivalent to universal holinessp
1t must be rdra dvis indeed which the
venerable theologian saw in the disguise
OF an atheist. DR.. Park is no better than
semi Universalist himself.
Among the phenomena of Easter was
symposium" inspired by the enter
prise and cash of newspaper "Syndi-
cate" Cardinal Gibbons, Bishop Coke
and DR.. John Hall, printed respectively
the Catholic, the Episcopal and the Pres
byterian view of the festival. The Car
dlnal sought to support the observance,
as well as the verify of the fact commem-
GRATED, by historical data and by the an
alogles of nature. His conclusions out
ran his reasoning, as this excerpt will
show: "Christ will raise to life all that
were dead. The blood frozen within us
by the icy hand OF death will again flow
In our veins by the vivifying influence of
the Son OF God; these bones on which
the rains and the SHOWS of centuries shall
have fallen. will again stand erect and be
clothed with hesh," etc., etc.
The Cardinals state of mind is indi-
Gated by the closing paragraph of his
letter, in which he speaks of being embar-
rassed by the "wealth of proof" not for a
future life, but for the resurrection of the
flesh. "There are few doctrines" he re-
marks, "more frequently or more forcibly
taught in the sacred Scriptures than that
OF the resurrection of the flesh" In his
thought, obviously, the festival of Easter
Is not so much glad celebration OF the
disclosure of immortal life as a memorial
partly commemorative and partly pro-
phetic of the terminating Of fleshly
bodies.
The Bishop devotes himself to the
task of showing that the festival of Eas-
ter is authorized by the Scriptures and by
the historical continuity of the observ.
ance. His laborious argument is chiefly
noticeable for the fresh illustration it
affords of the process of getting out of
historical documents, not what they con-
tain, but what you would like them to
contain. The attempt of the son OF the
Presbyterian theologian, Samuel Hanson
Cox, to evolve Easter out of the sacrifice
OF the Paschal Lamb, and to identity the
relation of the Ordinances of the moon"
In the Paschal feast with the arbitrary
canon for determining Easter fixed by
the Council of Nice (325), excites more
amusement than admiration.
The Doctor gives the reasons OF
PresbSterians for Withholding from the
Observance. He shows the fragile nature
OF the arguments relied on by the Car
dinal and the Bishop, and cites good
Anglican authority for the opinion that
'there is no trace of the celebration of
Easter as Christian festival in the New
Testament or in the writings OF the
Apostolic Fathers" Presbyterians, DR..
Hall says, are jealous of these customs
and ceremonials, introduced by ecclesias-
tics and councils, but not authorized by
the New Testament. If they allowed
Easter to become established among
them they would have no ground on
which they could exclude the whole
troop of Roman and Anglican observ-
ances.
DR.. Halls arguments are good as
against the position of the Cardinal and
the Bishop. But as their reasons for
keeping Easter are inconclusive SO his
for not keeping it are equally SO. The
resurrection of Jesus is, on any theory of
the facts, the great event in the history
OF the planting of our religion. 1t is
significant and sound to all Christians,
beyond almost every other event. To
observe it in some marked manner is a
natural suggestion of Christian faith and
affection. What rational objection exists
to uniting with the great body of West
ern Christians in celebrating this glad
festival, on given day, albeit no very
solid reasons can be given for selecting
that except that it has been selected? We
are not able to perceive any. On the
other hand the utility of the observance
iustifies itself in the experience of year.
ly increasing company of churches, that
are far enough from respecting the
sacerdotal assumptions and puerile
reasonings of churchmen like Cardinal
Gibbons and Bishop Coke.
1T is said that money was freely used
on both sides in the recent election in
Rhode Island. By this is meant, not
that the election cost both parties some
thing for legitimate expenses, but that
money was used, directly to buy votes
and indirectly to make it an object for
voters to cast the ballots for a given can
didate. We can we'll believe the charge,
henauso ua hava not knovv,o IN alaofSox,