The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-06-23

one particular the tendency toward this
acceptance is very strong. Three out
of the four great fundamentals of our
faith are being largely accepted by this
recent thought in the Christian world.
This thought is along the lines Of our
thinking, except on one point; that is
the point of universal Immortality.
There is larger tendency than we i'm
agine to deny this fundamental posi-
ton. Many in these times Of transit
ton are hating at the doctrine of con-
ditional Immortality. They are in
clined to reject the inherent immortal
ity of man and hold that his immor-
tally is to be acquired-that man is not
immortal but may become immortal.
This enables them to dispose of the
wicked without saving them or having
them suffer forever. They get clear of
a suffering eternity by burning up the
| sufferers. The fire of gehenna goes out,
because everything is burned up.
| Those that the Lord cannot save he
mercifully allows to die out. Certain
scientific theories are brought in to
| support this notion. The law Of the
Survival of the fittest'' is applied to
human souls. Those that are fit be-
come immortal, the rest go out of ex-
istence. AS Beecher says in his work
on Evolution, 1.-THE unripe perish. !"
Those who do not ripen, either in this
world or some other, perish-absolute
ly die out.
Of course this doctrine is fatal to
Universalism. So far as it goes it tends
to destroy our faith. If all men are not
immortal then all men cannot be saved.
If at death or at some other time,
the undeveloped souls are allowed to
| perish, then universal salvation cannot
be true. In this particular, therefore,
the tendency of modern thought is not
favorable to Universalism.
Very likely this tendency is not
favorable to Christianity itself. Very
likely the pushing of this notion would
tend to destroy the foundations of all
faith, but it is very clear that it destroys
the foundation of our faith.
But aside from this the tendency of
modern religious thought is to accept
the fundamentals of our faith. The
fatherhooi of God, for instance, is &C
cepted by all this thought. 1t is its
chief corner stone. The whole new
theology is built upon it. That theol-
ogy puts the divine paternity in place
Of the divine sovereignty and seeks to
interpret all things in harmony there
with. The Gospel does not make men
sons of God, it only helps them to
realize their sonship. Indeed nothing
is more conspicuous than the i'm
portance and emphasis modern relig-
ious thought gives to the fatherhood
of God.
OF course this logically carries every
| thing else with it. 1t is fatal to every
notion of human destiny that stops
short of universal salvation. 1t is just
as fatal to the doctrine of humiliation,
as it is to that of endless misery. If
God is the Father, he is not worse than
a cannibal. He don't eat up his own
children. Systematic theology seems
to be lost art in our day. 1t is very
common thing to see men holding posi-
tions, one of which logically destroys
the other. Beecher was great advo-
cate of the Divine Fatherhood, yet he
couldn't sse any way for God to mani
fest his fatherhood toward certain
class of souls except to let them die
out. 1t is queer kind of fatherhood
that virtually kills off its own children.
To affirm this of the Divine Father
hood is to destroy its divinity. 1t is to
say that God as Father is not able to
do what he would with his children.
He would save them all but he cannot,
SO he graciously suffers some to die out.
Such notion of the Divine Fatherhood
destroys its divinity and must, there
fore, sooner or later, be rejected. Only
one doctrine of human destiny can be
harmonized with the universal Father
hood Of God and that is universal sal
walton. AS the pres ent chaos of relig-
ious thought becomes formulated and
systematic, this will be seen and ac-
cepted. The tendency, therefore, in
this thought, to accept the postulate
that God is the Father of all souls, is
indirectly very strong toward universal
salvation. Again, the doctrine of the
universal brotherhood of man is be-
ing largely accepted by recent .relig-
ious thought. This is a corollary of
the doctrine of the Divine Fatherhood
and this thought can hardly fail to see
it. Hence this doctrine goes hand in
hand with that. The fraternal relation
of man is being widely accepted and
| advocated.
In philosophy the organic unity Of
our race is gaining much prominence.
The laws of heredity necessitate it and
are based upon it. We inherit from
our ancestors and transmit to our
children, because of the organic rela-
| tiOn we hear to truth Slowly there