The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-11-02


ward the attainment Of these purposes
for which the church exists upon the
earth. The Apostolic Church was at
the height of its power when Jesus was
crucified on Calvary; and the Universal
list Church was truly prosperous when
John Murray and Hosea Ballou found
words and wisdom which no man could
gainsay or resist; for then was the world
filled with a spirit that should awaken
in human souls the sacred purposes and
gracious achievements which are the
indications of the presence of God.
l rejoice in the Universalist Church
because, in this higher sense. peace
has been within her walls and prosper
ity within her palaces and l find the
evidence of this condition, not only in
outward increase and larger revenues,
but in her regenerating work among
men and in the fact that the truth has
been, through her influence, so gener-
ally ditfused as to bring her into intel
lectual and spiritual fellowship with
numbers of the scholarly and sanity
workers in other churches; so that, today
some of the most eloquent defences of
her divine doctrine are published by
men who are not in her visible commun-
ion. This is the real unity of Chrsten.
dom, and though it seems, to some. pre-.
M - T oo1pt o,1cb ~ ,,f ioDo
toward the restoration of pure Chris
tianity more effective than all the ap-
peals of the head of the Roman Church
to an impossible intellectual submission,
or the passionate invitations of other
historic institutions to an outward con-
formity which would be impossible to
great numbers of sincere Christian dis
ciples of the present.
But every live institution must deal
with new conditions as it grows in wis
dom. Henry Drummond tells of two
painters each of whom illustrated on
canvas his conception of peace.
"The frs chose for his scene a still,
lone lake among the far off mountains.
The second a laundering waterfall with
a fragile birch tree bending over the
foam at the fork of a branch, almost
wet with the cataract's spray, a robin
sat on it's nest. The first was only
stagnation; the last was peace-for in
peace there are always two elements
tranquility and energy; silence and
turbulence. creation and destruction;
fearlessness and fearfulness."
And SO it happens, since the questions
which occupied the mind of the fathers
are not the problems of today; that if we
are to continue to exercise an influence
upon the thoughts and actions of men
we must be awake to present necessities
and use the methods adapted to present
needs. Never was the alienation of the
more cultivated classes. on the one hand,
and the hard working classes on the
other. from the institutions of religion
more apparent than it is at this time.
The assumed conflict of science with
religion sinks into insignifcance beside
the agnosticism and Indifference that
are so apparent among men in the pres
ent crisis; now how shall our church
have peace and prosperity? How, with
every other Christian church, shall we
win our fellowmen to that truth which
will make them free, and those ideals
which can alone transform human soci-
ETY. into the kingdom of God?
or one thing am certain.-this result
will not come about through Almighty
Fiat, but in the observance of the same
laws of progress by which human society
has emerged from darkness into marvel
lous light; hence, today, as in the past,
the essential condition of power is found
in the use of effective methods. Our
purpose is that of Christ. II am come"
he said, that ye might have life and
have it more abundantly," by which he
meant, not physical existence, nor intel
lectual attainment mainly, but slife eter-
nal," the knowledge of God and the
hopes and aims which such knowledge
will awaken in the minds of those who
possess it; and as our purpose is at one
with his, AS my Father hath sent me,
even so l send you.' so may we find in
him and in his earthly ministry the sug
gestions of our methods. Jesus spake
as never man spoke before His beati
tudes and parallels will live forever.
His words, like precious stones revealing
new beauties to every beholder, are
with wisdom for all the ages.
By them he not only drew the multi
tudes unto him during his earthly min
istry, but he is with men unto the end
Of the world. And when he sent his first
disciples forth he breathed upon them.
the outward symbol of the fact that as
God had given him words so would he
inspire them with heavenly wisdom and
enable them to obey the Injunction, go
into all the world and preach the Gospel
unto every creature" From that time
to this the world has been blessed and
human society transformed through
'the foolishness of preaching" Fool
ish only in the sense that it proceeds
from fallible men, but divine since, by
it's instrumentality. the good tidings
have been communicated from man to
man, from generation to generation.