The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-12-28


Testaments contain a revelation of
the character of God, and of the
duty, interest, and final destination
of mankind" Why does any one
wish to expunge from our creed this
perspicuous statement of the author
ity of the aScred Scriptures9 We
have seen with pain the apparent pur-
pose of some of our preachers and
teachers to disparage certain parts of
the Bible. Erudite professors seem
more anxious to show how little of
the Old Testament in its present
form is to be received than to COM
mend the holy volume to study and
attention. Is it the object to placate
these rationalistic teachers by surren-
dering the hearty avowal of faith in
the holy writings which are able to
make us wise unto salvation? We
have no sympathy with such pur-
pose. We have been wont to thank
God for the Bible. We treasure the
knowledge it imparts. We are not
ready to surrender it unless some
body can assign satisfactory reason
for rejecting any book of either
the Old or New Testament.
Did not our Saviour in his day find
the Old Testament regarded as sa
cred book, which had come down from
gray antiquity? And did he not say
to his countrymen, "Search the Scrip
lures, for in them ye think ye have
eternal life, and it is they which tes-
tify of me-? Did he not quote text
after text from law, prophet and
psalms in substantially their present
form? Did not Paul find the Old
Testament in current use among his
count,ymen, and in answer to cavi-
lers who inquired, What advantage
there hath the Jew? answer, Much
every way, chiefly because to the
Jews were committed the oracles of
God? Did he not commend young
brother in the ministry, because from
child he had known the Holy Scrip
lures (which are able to make one
wise unto salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus?" OF course
our Lord and his Apostle were speak
ing of the Old Testaments; for the
New was not then written. But if we
have faith in the Old Testament
there is equal reason for accepting
the New; and we prize the first ar
ticle of our Profession because it ex-
presses reverence for the entire Bible.
If anybody is ashamed of it we do
not share his weakness. To us the
law of Jehovah is perfect, converting
the soul. The Scriptures are Giving
oracles."
But it is also proposed to expunge
the second article. We, however, ad-
mire it. Hear its positive affirmation:
"We believe that there is one God,
whose nature is love, revealed in our
Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit
of grace who will finally restore the
whole family of mankind to holiness
and happiness" Now we are aware
that exception has been taken to the
word "restore." In interpreting the
creed, however, we would avoid hy-
percriticism. We believe indeed
that an argument can be made for
that word. Do not the Scriptures
testify that God made man upright,
but he has sought out many inven-
tons? Is it not credible that our
common ancestor bequeathed to his
posterity sharper bias to evil than
he possessed when he came from the
plastic hand of God? And is it not
a restoration to confer ON man the
original purity, so that God could
pronounce him very good? But we
waive this consideration. We have
indicated that we can consent to
few verbal changes. Suppose we
substitute the word "exalt" for "re-
store" 1t ought to remove cavil, and
with this alteration we prefer the
second article in our present profess
sion to forty such creeds as the late
Convention favored. That initial
declaration, 1--WE believe that there is
one God, whose natureis love" is more
inspiring than any article in the new
creed.
But we will study brevity. The
third article of our present Profession
has been disparaged as based on a
utilitarian system of morals. How
reads that articles "We believe that
holiness and true happiness are in
separately connected, and that be-
levers ought to be careful to main
tain order and practice good works,
for these things are good and profita-
BILE unto men," Let us ask the cavil-