The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-11-17


gan idol against Jehovah.
Jesus had anticipated even this fearful
charge. We can now see his motive in
uniformly guarding against alliance with
the reputed dcmoniacs. He had reason,
in that age of superstition, to dread arous-
ing the least suspicion of being himself
demoniac.
But the crisis has come. He lis indicted
for the shadow of crime,-yet an alleged
crime which both Jewish and probably
Roman law made punishable with death.
2. Jesus Characterizes the
Charge as Inexcusable Bias
phemy against Light, VS.. 1890.
Jesus is in his home in Capernaum, with
his disciples, celebrating upon this newly
risen danger. How can he extricate him
self from the meshes which the spite of the
scribes has cast about him? He has been
brought under suspicion of crime con-
corning which sane reasoning has been
impossible; guilt as the rule, has been as
sumed as soon as the charge was made.
He sent for his accusers to come before
him. He called them nnto hin. A strik-
ing scene rises before our mental vision.
His accusers had expected that Jesus would
stand before them and answer for the
crime they have charged against him.
But instead they find themselves in the
large room or court of his house, standing
before him. He has summoned them.
They have come. They wait.
Jesus begins his impressive speech with
some parabolc sayings. Satans Kingdom,
he says, will be consistent with itself. Sa-
tan will not cast out Satan. A divided
kingdom cannot endure. A divided
house will fall. Satan rising up in his
power to put down himself, means Satan
in death throes. A robber will not enter
house and rob before the strong owners
eyes he will bind the owner as the first
step in his robbery. By such images Je-
sus shows to those who have inner eyes to
see, that the charge against him is self
contradictory. He has cureddisease; he
has not served the deity that is imagined
to take pleasure in disease. He has served
the Father, not Satan. Who can doubt
it?
And now Jesus, in positive terms, char
acterizes the charge the scribes have
brought against him. Ver1Ly say unto
you, he says,-this being the preface with
which he was accustomed to introduce
what he would make meinorable,-aH
sins shall 6ef0rgi0en unto tie sons otm en-
and 6laSbhcMieS 7Ohere70iH S0ever they
shall 6laS1heme; ; but aOlosoevey SlalZ6las,
6heme agatnsttAe Holy Spirit hath ne0er
forgiveness, but is guilty ofan eternal sin,
And Mark add that the sin so fearfully
characterized. is expressly the declaration
of the scribes concerning himself He
hath an Wnclean Spirit.
An eternal sin What does this mean
The word rendered eternal (aionian), has,
in our view, let us note, no implication of
cndlessness. Etymologically (see Word
and Phrase Studies) it may be better trans
lated agelasting. But this, in our view, is
not its entire significance. Eternal sin is
spiritual sin without reference to its dura-
ton. 1t is sin in the spirit, in the heart, in
the immortal nature. 1t is experienced
whenever soul is consciously the author
of sin against light, which has no pallia-
ton.
The structure of Jesus statement is
according to the Hebraic habit. When his
declaration is translated into our customary
speech, it is essentially this AHOtAer sins
men commit, all Othsr daspAemies, are
more easily JOrgiOen Than tie 6lasphe0ly
against tie Inner Light. This sin, being
spiritual, touches the Divine in human ma
ture
Matthew's rendering of the saying of Je-
sus has some important variations Matt.
IL: 81, 3a): All manner Of sin and bias
phemy shall be f0rgf0en unto men ). 6UttAe
6kas6Aemy against tie Spirit shall not be
I0,g10en. And qOh0S0eVer shall SPEAK
z00rd against tie Son Of man, it shall be
fo,given him but q0Aosoevey shall speak
against tie Holy Spirit, it shaNnot6eJoy-
etven him, neither In this qOoyld marginal,
age) nor in that 4VAich is to come. That
is: to blaspheme any external thing, to ira
duce or vilify Jesus as man, is small
sin compared with the sin against Light
within. For one to disregard the plain in
uCi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 10 tilC oli VI Bills.
Respecting Matthew's rendering: Shall
not be JO'given him, neither in this 7Oorla,
(age), nor in that qVhich is TO come, by the
testimony of many scholars the meaning is,
that the sin spoken of is not regarded
with leniency by the age or dispensation in
which men were then living, and would not
be in the new age or dspensation. Farrar,
in accord with the scholars, says: "Our
Lord only says that there is one particular
sin so heinous as not to be pardonable
either in this the Jewish) or. the coming
(the Christian) dispensation. Nothing is
therefore of necessity implied respecting
the world beyond the grave"
Nevertheless, while we do we'll to be on
guard against drawing such doctrine from
the words of Jesus as will contradict the
nature and scope of the Gospel, we must
not miss the fearfulness of the penalty
which he announces,-the penalty which is
the inevitable accompaniment of sin
against light.
Notgreatly would the scribes have cared,
we think, for a penalty delayed to fnal-
ties but so real, so imminent, so awful did
they find the inner penalty against their
sin. which Jesus showed to them, that they