The Universalist., 1895-07-20
@ ADDRESS. }sz
THE GROWING LIBERALITY OF
OTHER CHURCHES
BY REV. GEORGE oRUM.

GsOG GSSOS00SsxsNSSsNsS@SeN sS@SeNsSeNcSsSSFsNcVsNC
THE ages making our history and
literature in such richness open their
liberal hands to all. Once men craned
their necks to see God from creed;
but no such vision-point was ade-
auate. We are looking up to GOD
from the lake, the river, the field, the
park, the home; and how beautiful
he appears to us, as he comes IN the
dew, breathes to us in the fowers'
sings to us in the birds and laughs to
lis in children. We are thankful for
these new revelations of life. Happy
are mans days when he can see new
light breaking from the sun, and new
truth spring from the burning yet
unconsumed bush. Mans life is
lived in the palaces of thought, and
under rich ladened foliage of love,
when the kingdom of heaven is es-
tablished in him. 1t rejoices our
hearts to know that the spirit of
Christ is going abroad to conduct all
to perennial streams, and to the Mecca
of peace. To me it would be sacrile-
gious to say that on the whole we have
lost by this broad spirit travelling on
its mission to touch the dead body
of theology and breathe into it the
breath of life. In one way we have
lost something by this beautiful and
graceful spirit travelling every whittier,
but in another we have gained.
GA Grecian traveller who, bearing
homeward from afar a sack of corn,
sorrowed because some grains had
lost out through tiny hole; but
years afterward, fleeing before his
enemies along that way, he found the
seed had grown up and multiplied
into harvest to satisfy his hunger"
Our fathers sowed the seed Of Uni
versalism. All the harvests have not
been gathered into our barns; but
none of the seeds have been lost.
When people stand by the open grave
it makes glad my heart to know they
draw consolation from our doctrine,
yet they do not know it. The wind
bloweth where it listeth, but thou
canst not tell whence it cometh nor
whittier it goeth. Let us not give
meagerly of this spirit, but freely and
literally.
When that sweet spirit, Johnny
Appleseed, passed through Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio and Indiana, and planted
apple seeds, angels attended his way.
In after years when men began to
clear the forests they said, God bless
the man who planted the seeds. We
will water and tend. Grieve not, my
friends, that some seeds of Universal
ism have fallen by the way. Cast thy
bread upon the waters and thou shalt
gather it after many days.
Permit me to quote what that
sweet spirit, Professor Swing, said of
Universalism. He lived in such
kindness, was so refined and gener-
GUS, he was not far in my opinion
from the Divine Truth. This quota
ton is taken from a sermon preached
May 20th, 1894, published in the Chi
cago Inter Ocean, of the next day.
He said: Reasoning from the good
ness and power of God, and from the
intercession and love of Christ, certain
theologians reached the conclusion
that all souls would find at last holi-
ness and happiness. The great river
of human life were flowing toward a
happy country. And so this thought
and belief was called Universalism,
and were made the basis of new
society.
Changes in Orthodoxy.
"To this society timehas brought
great change of scenery. Little re-
mains now of that eternal fire and
torment that helped make Universal
ism so logical and welcome in its
early years. The old orthodox
churches have bartered away their
fiery perdition for the doctrine of
such fair form of prospect as may
harmonic most with the character of
the infinite God. 1t is not probable
that orthodoxy claims that any pun
ishment will be eternal. All wicked
souls may at last emerge from the
cloud and take their place in the
realm of light. Eternity has of late
years become so long and SO unknown
that not many Christians remain who
feel willing to make declaration
about punishment that will go on
forever. Nearly all Episcopalians
and Presbyterians, in thinking of
punishment, have in mind only vast
sweep of years. They do not insist
upon eternal burning, that was so
welcome thought in the times of our
fathers. The word Universalist has