The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-04-20
A SERMON. }sz
REPENTANCE AFTER DEATH.
BY REV. E. c. swEErsER, DE-.
philadelphia, Pal

cxxxvi. 1,
Universalists believe that all men
will be saved because they believe
that, sooner or later, all men will obey
the conditions of salvation set forth
in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Believing that those condi-
lions are strictly invariable, and that
there is no salvation for any one with
out obedience to them,-that except
a man be born anew he cannot see
the kingdom of God, and that there
is none other name but that of Jesus
Christ whereby men must be saved
because no man cometh unto the
Father but by him,-they neverthe-
less believe that all men will be
saved, though they know that many
thousands of them die in their sins,
because they believe that opportunity
for salvation is not confined to this
world, and that all who fail to obey
it's conditions on earth will obey them
in the life beyond, in the course OF
eternity.
They believe that the first of those
conditions is penitence, and that
whenever and wherever person SIN
cerely repents of his sins forgiveness
will be extended to him. While they
urge, none more strongly, that sinners
ought to repent and obey in this
world, and that those that die unre-
pentant must suffer accordingly, they
deny that such must remain unre-
pentant forever. On the contrary,
they believe it practical impossible
ity that any soul should remain I'M
repentant forever, or be forever shut
out from the mercy of God.
Here is principal point of differ
ence between Universalists and other
bodies of Christians. The great ma
iority of Christians contend that this
world is place Of probation, and
that unless men accept Christ on this
side of the grave, no further chance
will be given to them. Their doctrine
is that all men deserve endless dam
nation, on account of their so-called
original sin, inherited from the tirst
man Adam, but that God has provid-
ed way of escape for them, by send
ing Jesus Christ to die for them, on
condition of their accepting him while
they live in this world. Those who
by repentance and faith do accept
him before they close their eyes IN
death will be forgiven, it is said, and
admitted to heaven; while those who
do not will be thereafter everlastingly
debarred from the privilege, and
Obliged to remain forever in sin and
in woe.
Strictly applied, that doctrine per-
mits the salvation of no one who does
not repent and accept Christ on this
side of the grave. 1t forever excludes
all other persons, no matter to what
cause their neglect may be owing. 1t
excludes all the heather who die
without having heard the gospel; and,
logically, it excludes every one dying
in infancy.
The belief that all who die in in
fancy will somehow be saved. though
it is held by all Protestant Christians
in these days, is inconsistent with the
doctrine of original sin and the pro-
stationary character of the life that
now is. For if all children are born
in state of sin, and sin deserves ever
lasting punishment, and there is
no way to escape from it but by re-
pentance and faith, and no chance for
repentance except in this world, no
other conclusion can be logically
drawn than that no person dying IN
infancy will ever be saved; for no
such person can repent and accept
Christ in this world.
Dante, in his immortal poem, places
the souls of little children who die
without baptism in that particular
part of hell to which he gives the
name of Limbo; and the Roman
Catholic Church, which he represents,
is, in that respect, more consistent
than most Protestant churches
though the doctrine that even bap-
tized infants, dying in infancy, will
surely be saved cannot be reconciled
with the doctrine of original sin and
a probation which is limited to the
life that now is, excepting by priest
ly fiction. For it is nothing but
priestly fiction which makes the bap-
tism of baby by somebody else take
the place of the baby's own faith and
repentance. Logically, one must give
up the belief that there is no salvation
without repentance and faith in this
world, or he must give up the idea
that there is any possible salvation
for persons dying in infancy. If