The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-08-24
The Sunday School.
INTRODUCTION.

LIN ltODO
The whole world around US. and
the whole world within us. are ruled by
Law. Our very spirits are subject
to it.-those spirits which seem to us so
spiritual, SO subtle, SO free. How often in
the darkness do they feel the restrain
ing walls; bounds within which they
move: conditions out of which they can
not think. The perception of this is
growing in the consciousness OF men.
Tt grows with the growth OF knowledge;
il is the delight, the reward, the goal OF
science. From science it passes into
every domain of thought, and invades
amongst others Theology or the Church.
And 40 we see the men of theology CON-
ing out to parley with the men OF sci
ence, a white flag in their hands, and
saying, "If you will let us alone we will
do the same by you: keep to your own
province, do not enter ours; the Reign
of Law which you proclaim, we admit
outside these walls; but not within them:
let there be peace between us.'-
But this will not do. There can be no
such treaty dividing the line of truth.
Every one truth is connected with every
other truth in this great universe OF
God. The connection may be one OF
infinite subtlety and apparent distance.
running as it we're under ground for
long way, but always asserting itself
at last, somewhere. and at some time.
No bargaining, no fencing off the ground.
no form of process will avail to bar this
right of way.-Blessed right, en-
forced by blessed power! Every truth,
which is truth indeed, is charged with
it's own consequences, it's own analogies,
it's own suggestions. These will not be
kept outside any artificial boundary;
they will range over the whole field OF
thought; nor is there any corner OF it
from which it can be warned away
DUKE OF ARGYLL.
LESSON STORY.
ssThe crossing of the Jordan" says j.
F. McCurdy, was effected in the place
most favorable for an invasion. Jericho,
the key to the central uplands. was
within striking distance of Gilgal, the
first station after the passage, and was
speedily taken.'' This states the essen
tial facts of the history. And that this
is history is as certain as that there is
any ancient history.
But the method of telling this history,
as we find it in the Bible, is matter
for study. While not few OF the as
sumptions of the higher critics as to the
sources of the Bible story seem to us to
exhibit an undue power OF inference,
there can be nevertheless no reasonable
question that the early history of Israel,
as it comes down to us in the hexateuch,
passed through revision, or an idealiz-
alton, at the hands of some editor. the
purpose of which version was to make
the history specially testimony to Je-
hovah's peculiar care for Israel. 1t was
a revision of history, not for intentional
Justification, blu to make it. what the He
brew editor really believed it to be, a
special witness to Jehovah's partial and
miraculous leading of Israel.
But we read the old story under mod
ern light. We cannot believe that God
was, in any exclusive sense. partial to
Israel We believe in him as the impair
tial Father of the entire family of man
kind. We can not in the light of sci
ence, believe in God as a magician. His
uniform method is SO just, so impartial.
so merciful. that there can be no reason
why he should. for small ends set it
aside. Miracles, whether of ancient or
modern time, must be in accordance with
law. The hidden spiritual vitalities
that evolve an Israel and bestow a
Christ. are as orderly in their process as
the natural seasons. There never was a
time when nature was different from
what it is today. And the Eternal One,
the Fashioner Of the Universe and the
Father of Spirits. is the same yesterday,
to-day and forever.
In the interest of intelligence and uni
versatility we are therefore compelled to
revise and restore the story we have
for our lesson to day. The narrative Of
the fall of Jericho, when sifted of its mag
ical accompaniment. is intensely inter-
esting and dramatic.
The story. as told in our lesson-pass-
age and its context. begins at the thir-
tenth verse of the fifth chapter. There
is an addition made to the story in the
first verse of the sixth chapter; an ad-
dition which proves itself to be such by
being carelessly inserted in the wrong
place. The fact it states however is i'm
portant in the understanding of the es-
sential story. The thing stated is fol-
lowing the account of the stay Of the
Israelites at Gilgal, and their renewal Of
circumcision and their observance of
the passover and the cessation Of the
supply of mama: Noac Jericho icas
straitly shat up because of the children
of Isrdel,n aoent out and none came
an. That is. Jericho was besieged by the
host of Israel.
Jericho was relatively a small city.