The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-08-11

WulCH uolUfb WAS pIodCucu uuJO yOu.
Whom the heaven must receive until
the time of the restitution should read
Restoration" of all things, which
God hath spoken by the mouth of all
his holy prophets since the world be-
gam" Universalism is therefore not
new doctrine, but old as creation itself
the Bible is its written history-the
heavens declare it to us, it "sings in
the summer rain," glows in the stars,
and is crowned in glory with the set
ting SUM-
Use of the Word.
1 use the word Universalism to mean
a belief in the final holiness and hap
piness of all men, regardless of the
means employed or the time required
to bring abont the desirable consum-
nation. An eminent English writer
employs the word to signify the COM
plete circle of sympathies, and to
denote man of large heart, who can
be satisfied with no hope but that Of
universal good.
1t will be seen that this does not re-
strict its meaning to those who accept
our entire profes sion of faith, but applies
the word to every one who believes
that the sorrows of man will all cease,
that every woe will find an OBJ
livion, and that God will at last bring
all men to state of felicity, sublime
in its nature and endless in duration.
The Indians.
Hence it was that several tribes Of
Indians who lived in Pennsylvania
cherished great hope for centuries be-
fore they knew it's name, or had heard
it from white mems lips, although
they had never heard of our Bible.
The oft printed words come in here,
"Lo, the poor Indian. whose untutored mind
Sees God in clouds and hears him in the wind; ;
Whose soul proud science neer taught the
way
has an inward consciousness of happy
hereafter, where no white mans
'thirst for gold will disturb his chase
across the happy hunting grounds"
of which his fathers have spoken to
their children, and they again to theirs
for untold ages. Here let it be noted
that the best representatives and the
most intelligent of the Indian tribes
were the Lenapes. Herkewelder in
forms us that they were docile and
tractable, attached to their relatives
and frequently extended to white set
tiers friendly aid and comfort.
And the eminent scientist, DR.. Daniel
G. Brinton, writes thus: My ancestor,
William Brinton, arrived in Pennsylva-
mia in the fall of 1884, with his wife and
children. They were in the wilderness
about twenty miles from Philadelphia.
A severe winter set in, their food was
exhausted, and had it not been for this
tribe Of Indians they would probably
have persisted" 1t is well to bear in
mind their noble traits of character, as
/ refer to their religious opinions. On
this point make the following extracts
from DR.. Bgibson's letter:
"Their doctrine was that after death
the soul went South, where it would
enjoy happy life for certain term,
and then return and be born again into
the world. In moments of spiritual IL
Elimination it was deemed possible to
recall past experiences, and even re-
member happy times passed in the
realms Of bliss. Hence when a person
died they would say to him, you are
about to visit your ancestors"
HeIkewelder informs us that "the no.
ton Of bad spirit or devil was wholly
unknown to them and entirely bor-
rowed from white men," and we are
told in Rev. David Brainerds's life that
the Lenapes believe the Supreme Being
to be ''all light, in whom all things in
it may be seen-a great man clothed
with the day, yea, with the brightest
day-a day Of everlasting continuance.
From him proceeded, in him were, to
him returneth all things, and the souls
of all things"
This idea seems to be in accord with
that we often quote from st. Paul: "Of
him, and through and to him are all
things" AS DR.. Brinton, who is pro-
lessor of Ethnology and Arche ology at
the Academy of Natural Sciences in
Philadelphia, is the highest authority
we have, l will give his letter entire.
To ReU. James Shirgley-
DEAR SIR The native sage who
used the remarkable words which you
quote, had undoubtedly obtained GER
tain high level of deistic thought from
which he preceived that all vital energy
proceeded from, and must ultimately
return to some underlying universal ex-
istence. This generaliz alton, which is
also that of the most advanced science
of to-day. was, as you are well aware,
familiar, not only to the philosophers
of Greece and Rome, but to the theo-
logies of Egypt and India, although they
expressed it under widely different SYM
bols and formula. tits conclusion to
which the intellect is forced by the laws