The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-08-04


about to go, he comforted his disciples
by telling them that he would prepare
place in the higher world, where they
would be with him forever, -''that
where am, there ye may be also." If
those poor disciples, SO ignorant, so
weak, those who would all presently
forsake him, were still to be with him,
we need not fear that our friends will
be so far above us that we shall not be
able to find them.
Going up to God docs not mean 60
ing away from those below. Christ's
going up was by going down to help
the humblest. The best and noblest
in this world are those who care the
most for those below them. So it will
be in the other world, if Christ is the
same yesterday, to-day and forever.
He and all who belong to him can
never lose their love for those who are
lowest down and furthest away.
Whoever has helped us to truth, to
goodness, to better purposes and better
faith, is ours, and will belong to us
always. All the great divine souls Of
history are ours, our friends and help
ers forever. These are the gifts Of
God, which he will never take away
from us.
When some good man goes,-some
man who seems so necessary, so needed
by all persons and for all things; some
man whose very presence near us gives
us confidence, in whose existence in
our city we have guarantee of safety,
a man tried in every way, and not
found wanting,-we seem to lose more
than in any other way. The sense of
loss in the community is then very
great. When, for example, John
Andrew died, one of our city journals
said that Massachusetts owed to him
that she was able to duplicate her revo-
lutionary record, and for the second
time to lead the nation in the war for
freedom. We saw then how much
one man could do. With most other
men in the chair of State, we should
have waited, as the other States
waited, not being quite ready; and the
great opportunity would have gone by.
But here was a man who possessed
those rare and seldom united faculties
of the mind able to see what was COM
ing, the heart which could realize the
immense Importance of the right step,
and the courage to take all the respon-
sibility of doing what was needed.
When you have those three qualities
combined, intellectual sagacity, moral
sense, and determined will,-you have
the man who can turn defeat to VIC
tory, and seize and hold the feeting OPP
portunity. And, when God gives such
a man, he gives him forever.
Once, when Fred. Douglas was set
ting forth the evils and sins of the
land, and showing how hopeless it's
condition was, Sojourner Truth cried
out from the audience, Frederic, is
God dead2 and oratory stood rebuked
by faith.
When the young go, those in the
midst of a happy life, it seems mex
pressibly sad. They have all of life
before them, long, happy years open
ing to them, friendship, homes, every
thing to love and enjoy. We say,
Why are they taken and we left, we
who have had our day, who have seen
all, who have done our work? And yet
there is another view. How happy ar
those who have grown up inpocently,
been surrounded by the sweetest affec-
tions, have enjoyed the purest exper-
fence, and have gone before a single
cloud darkened their horizon!
Her life was bright,-bright without spot it
was,
| And cannot cease to be. No ominous hour
Knocks at her door with tidings of mishap.
Far off is she, above desire or fear;
No more submitted to the change and chance
| OF this uncertain planet"
Goodness, real goodness, is so much
bettnr than anything else that, if we
ever had any of it, we cling to it always.
A man who has ever done one generous
act values that in his heart, in the
midst of sordid life, more than all its
outward successes. A man who has
ever really prayed sincere prayer to
God never forgets it. A man who has
grown cold, hard, and selfish, looks
back to his innocent childhood, remem-
bers how he felt then, remembers his
good, honest intentions then, and keeps
that memory at the bottom of his
heart. If you could take off, one by
one, the outer layrs and folds of world
ly covering, hard selfshness, cold,
merciless will, and come to that which
is inmost, you would find in the center
of his heart that childish simplicity
locked in, covered up, but kept, not
thrown away. So, in Warwick Castle,
by the side of the bloated, self-indulged
face of Henry VIII. the tyrant, hangs a
little picture of Henry VIII. an inno-
cent child.
We are never nearer heaven than
when standing by the lifeless form of
some great and good man or woman.