The Portland daily press., 1895-04-01
ST. STEPHENS CHURCH.
DIR. Dalton's Fifth Sunday Lecture. The
Universalists in and Around Boston
Fifty Years Ago.

Fifty years ago the best known Uni
versalist church was ON School street,
since removed and rebuilt on Colum bus
Avenue. Later there was one.on Shawmut
Avenue, and one OF more in each of the
towns around Boston. Those that
easily recall were in Cambridge, Hosea
Ballou and Rev! Thomas Whitmore
were the most popular preachers. super-
seeded by Drs. E. H. Chaplin and Starr
King, Ballou, Wh1tmore, and all the
others at that time SO far as know
denied any and all future punishment.
But DIR. Chaplin, coming from r ioh-
mond, Va, soon corrected this, and
changed the conception of future life.
This he did in a series of sermons, OF
lectures, on the Philosophy of Univer-
salism." Starr King followed, and sus-
tanned the same view which has been
the prevalent one since, viz that the
retributions of sin extend into the
future world.
The fact is, the history of the Univer-
salists, as of others, confirms and illus
trates the tendency OF all reactionary
movements and parties to extremes.
Cniversalism was reaction from the
severity of Calvinism as held in New
England, one hundred years ago. 1t
was an inevitable reaction, and the re-
action has by no means been confined
to the Uniyersalists, but extends to all.
The fact is certain, and the question is,
what part have the Universalists had in
il? All sects are apt to claim too much,
the Uniyersalists among Others The
proof is evident from this, that the
change has been equally great in Eng
land, where the Universalis.s, as a de-
nomination, are scarcely known.
As to their doctrinal views it is not
easy to understand or state them beyond
the three brief declarations of the Win
chester articles OR platform.
AS TO the Bible, the denomination has
held to the authority of the Scriptures
and especially of the FouwGospels, which
a general convention recently unani-
mously agreed were genuine and anthem
tic.
Their views of Christ's nature differ
widely. In general, the conservative
wing or element, seems to 5e predomi-
nant, as appears from their church pap
ers and other publications., also from
their theological teachers and schools.
Many years ago, each denomination
was confident it was sure TO absorb all
others, but two generations leave them
relatively where they were sixty years
ago. When Grleshach's Greek Testa-
ment was published in the United States
early in the century disclosing various
readings, great expectations of change
were entertained only to be disappoint-
ed. In like manner, extravagant things
have been said of the changes in religious
beliefs likely to he produced by the high
er criticism. Such men as lyman A b.
bott, the popular preacher, and DR..
Briggs, the erudite professor, remain as
to al essentials, just where they were,
and where most Of us are.
Still, the Universalists and other lib
erals have work to do in the future, as
in the past. Some people are doubtless
too much inclined TO "other worldliness, y
bGt even more people to this present
world OF sense aud sin. Some confine
she il views and limit their aims to this
life; others feel impelled to keep in view
the world to come" and preach 1.-THE
p3wer Of an endless lifen intimately con-
nected in she two worlds, the present