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


ticism, agnosticism and hopeless Athe-
ism of the world. History and liter
ature abound with illustrations of
men breaking the shackles of preju-
dice, and freeing the mind of the
dreadful thoughts of what is termed
Orthodoxy. Said John Stuart Mill,
Compared with endless punishment
every other objection to Christianity
sinks into insignifcance." Leigh
Hunt declared he would not believe
in the doctrine of eternal perdition,
though an angel from heaven
preached it. 1T would be easier to be-
lieve the angel delusion than God
monstrous." Mr.. John Morley is re-
ported as saying, "The horrors of
what is perhaps the most frightful
idea that has ever corroded human
characterize idea of eternal pun
ishment."
Burns gave his testimony when he
sang,
"The fear o. hell IS a hangman's whip
To baud the wretch in order.'
Whittier speaks from his heart,
when,
"'Father of all, he urges his strong plea.
Thou lowest all; thy errng child may be
Lost to himself but never lost to Thee"
Tennyson gives utterance to his
sublime faith when he declares that
there is
"One God, one law one element,
One far off. divine event
To which the whole creation moves"
Said Oliver Wendell Holmes, wAll
the reasoning in the world can
not reconcile the supposition of a
world of sleepless and endless tor
ment with the declaration that God
is lovep
The world is surely coming to
recognize the truths of these asser-
tons, and by and by will bask in the
sunshine of the love, mercy, justice
and fatherhood of God. The Uni
versalist Church is fastening this con-
summation. The religion of the fu-
ture may not be called Universalism,
but the fundamentals of this faith
Gods fatherhood, man S brotherhood,
the efficacy of love, the triumph of
good, the value and the capability of
the oul,-will be the basis of the
universal religion of the future.
Creeds are changing. Some SO
rapidly and silently, that, like the
dissolving picture it goes you know
not where, but in its place are new
and more beautiful forms. Others
are making a desperate struggle for
existence but the tide of public opin-
ion is against them. The human ele-
ment is changing; God remains the
same yesterday, today and forever"
The clearer becomes mans spiritual
vision the purer is his idea of God
and of human destiny, the funda-
mental tenets of religion. Creeds
are mostly the coloring of the pure
light by the obscured vision Of man.
They are often human accretions to
the revealed word of God. As the
mind of man broadens, as the race
develops, mankind will be drawn to-
gether, will perceive God as he is, and
will worship him with greater de-
gree of spirituality, and "man's in
humanity to man" will cease.
The races of man are like the
brooks and rivulets upon a thousand
hills-and mountain sides,-widely
separated from one another, each
pushing it's own way over the rocks,
it's progress retarded by distractions,
its course perverted; now glancing in
the sunlight, now plunging solemn
ly into dark depths: sometimes clear,
then muddled and polluted by the
impurities through which it passes;
cutting its way through Instructions,
leaving the marks of it's power behind
but all the while seeking level
where it may find rest. AS the
streams enter the plains and broad,
fertile valleys they begin to unite,
thus swelling the volume which
moves on with an irresistible force
until at last they all merge their
waters into an universal ocean. Thus,
mankind is approaching the same
level, impelled by the same law. The
same hope, the spirit, the same di-
vine influence is entering into the
current of every life. This equality
of man,-this unity, this brotherhood
based on the Fatherhood of God,
will ultimately bring about a univer-
sal religion, because we believe, in
the language of the apostle Paul,
that "There is one body and one
Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of
us all, who is above all, and through
all and in you all" This is the mes
age the Universalist Church has for