The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-02-04
SALVATION BY HOPE.
BY REV. GEO. b. STOCKING.
Peoria, I'D

There are many statements as to the
ground of salvation. There is taught
in the New Testament, salvation by
grace, salvation by hope and salvation
by works, and these statements con-
cerning salvation are not antagonistic.
They are cooperative. Gods grace,
however, is first and fundamental
supreme over all and comprehensive i'll
it's plans, and immense in it's results.
1t includes first, the destiny of the race,
then all the instruments and agencies
by which that result is to be accom-
plished, the whole flow of providence,
and nature, and society, where men
mingle with men in the pursuits Of
life. And when we are considering
salvation by hope we include in our
survey all the means of salvation.
Hope is desire of some good accom-
panied with reasonable expectation
of obtaining it, or belief that it is
obtainable. There are great many
influences that tend to overmaster
hope. The trials, discouragements and
dependencies of life curtail our hope
fulness and we begin to say if things
are so and so we may hope, but if
things are not so and so we may not
hope.
The apostle must have had in his
mind these influences which tend to
overmaster hope when he carried on
that mastery discussion in the eighth
chapter of Romans. There you will
find mention of those problems that
have engaged the attention Of men of
moral genius in every period of history,
and the particular point in this discus
sion of the apostle is this: Is there on
the whole such an aspect of the divine
government among men as to encour-
age great hope. This is the way he
reasons: 1.-THE creature (man) was
made subject to vanity. THAT is
changeableness, transitoriness) not will
ingly, mot by the free will and consent
of him who was thus subiected), but
by reason of him (God) who hath sub
jected the same (man) in hope. Because
the creature (man) itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corrup-
tion into the glorious liberty of the
children of God" There we have a
statement of the beginning and the final
outcome of the workmanship of God in
man that-.I certainly DO not feel at
liberty to deny, or call in question, and
it forms one of the corner stones upon
| which my hope is based for the univer-
sal deliverance of the entire race Of
man, from sin to holiness at last. God
! created the conditions of nature. Man
was placed in this world without his
choice and subjected to this arrange
ment by God himself, with the distinct
intent of delivering him at last into the
| glorious liberty of the children of God
The apostle sees through and beyond
the experiences of the present time,
and says the final outcome of things is
such as to inspire a saving hope. This
saying then, For we are saved by
hope,n is a simple conformity of the
spiritual philosophy of the New Testa-
ment to the actual facts of mans exis-
tence and to the problem of life.
The New Testament regards men as
just beginning in growth and develop
ment toward manhood. There is moth
ing that requires so much time, aud
pains, and waiting, to bring to its
nature as man. You can grow tree
in few years, but by as much as man
is more than a tree he needs proportion
ately more time than tree in which to
mature and in this process of develop
ment hope is precisely what men want,
The attainments that have been made
do not constitute the ground of hope
But remembering that it IS God who is
working and having created man under
a condition of changeableness from
stage to stage until at last he shall bt
delivered from the bondage of eorrup
tiOn into the glorious liberty of the
children of God, You have a good and
sufficient ground for a saving hope not
by reason of what you are to-day, but
by reason of what God is, and what
you are to be under God, when he
declares at last-it is finished.
The New Testament then presents a
cheerful outlook for the race. There is
no despondency in Christianity. There
is nothing in the gospel that tends to
encouragement or gloom when consid-
ering the future fate of mankind. The
devil is not on the throne of the uni
verse. The work of salvation is not
uncertain. Is the workmanship of God
on human souls uncertain in its results?
Not more certain is the wise husband
man of his harvest in the autumn time
( than IS the outcome of God the great
/ husbandman's work. | would not re-
vile or belittle the efforts of any man.
| but | have in mind some instances of
men who have preached the glorious
gospel of Christ with such dolOrous
sound that you would think the bell in
viting you to feast Of good things, was
a funeral knell, and that the pRan of
e.. .,-,.