The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-11-24

that good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit. He must have told them
what he knew was false; for he knew
that the infinite Fount of all good
would bring forth an infinite and I'M
speakable evil to millions of his
creatures. Is any one disposed to
admit these conclusions which, glar-
ing and repulsive as they may be, are
indissolubly linked to the idea of
endless misery in connection with di-
vine goodness9 God may have pow
err abstractly considered to infiict
such an evil; but he cannot do it
consistently with his wisdom and
goodness; because it would be an in
finite evil. which can never proceed
from infinite goodness. 1t is as much
impossible, then, for God to infict
such an evil as it is for him to deny
himself or speak falsehood. The
first proposition, then, is not true, viz,
that an endless evil can and does
proceed from a good Being. And
consequently, since an endless evil
cannot proceed from the supreme
Good, the doctrine of endless misery
must be false. 1t is overturned by
the very admission of divine good
ness in connection with the language
of Christ, GA good tree cannot bring
forth evil fruit"
Every good tree then must bring
forth good fruit. What fruit should
be expected from Being of infinite
benevolence? The very ideas at
tached to goodness, lead to the con-
viction that he will confer happiness
and the greatest amount of happi-
ness--upon all his creatures. And
this conclusion necessarily involves
the supposition that he will bring all
mankind to obedience, redeem them
from sin and place them in condi-
ton of endless felicity. Those who
deny this conclusion must either ad-
NIT that infinite goodness originates
and perpetuates an infinite evil, or
else that God is infinitely cruel. But
who will take either horn of the di-
lemma?
2. We have not yet done, however,
with the doctrine of endless torment.
The principle in the text may be for
chilly applied to it in another point
of view. Whenever the tree is found
to be corrupt, nothing but corrupt
fruit can be expected from it.
Is the doctrine then true7 We have
already seen that it cannot be true un-
less good produces evil or God himself
is evil If it be false then, can it be
expected that good shall spring forth
from it? There is maxim that has
prevailed among Christians at some
ages of the church that it is lawful to
lie for the truth, and even to "do evil
that good may come" And people
have in too many instances acted on
this principle in advancing their re-
ligious views. But what has been the
result? A corrupt tree has been
planted and nourished, but has it
brought forth good fruit? On this
very principle has the doctrine of end
less misery been sometimes embraced
and indicated. The great moral
effect to be produced by it has been
an argument in its favor. It has
been deemed the great over-mas-
tering agent, which alone could
hold in suitable restraint the out
breaking passions of men. Conse-
quently, it has been considered alb
solutely indispensable for the gov
eminent of the world, for the sup
preston of vice, for the preservation
of morals and for the promotion of
piety and peace among men. Such
is the tree; but what is the fruit which
it has bornea Has it been sufficiently
good to warrant the extravaganza of
the claimss Every one knows that
it has not renovated the world. And
it requires but little observation to
see and but little candor to acknowl-
edge, that it has not exerted one iota
of influence for good in the world.
Where it has prevailed most extern
sively and has been most deeply and
fully believed in community, vice
and crime have more deeply and
thoroughly blackened the human
character. Look at Catholic coun-
tries during the dark ages; look at
heather countries everywhere. What
then is the result7 Its fruit is far
from being good. Indeed where it has
been most faithfully believed, it has
most thoroughly illustrated the truth
in the text "a corrupt tree cannot
bring forth good fruit"
Take another view of the subject.
The thing itself which the doctrine
discloses or sets forth, viz: the misery
II i n