The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-01-26
In a recent address
The Condition of on "Tbe Condition of
Our Church. +ba un;yars list

In6 OOnu1IlOn OF on 1.-THE Condition of
Our Uhurch' the Universa list
Church." Rev. DIR. Miner, of Boston,
presented in brief compass the figures
that denote our strength as an organized
$body,-fgures which afford great encour-
agement to all workers for the Church.
1t is we'll to keep suchfacts before our
people; they are eloquent to those who
remember our condition quarter Of a
century ago. Among other things DIR.
Miner said:
First in the line of our assets may be
mentioned our ID schools and colleges;
as to our divinity schools, they are be-
yond all estimate. These are splendid
denominatioral assets, and we shall do
we'll to keep them full to the doors. In
weekly and monthly periodicals we have
TO- In our UNCONVENTIONAL press we
have splendid plant, one that ought to
count for much in the work of the fu-
ture. Our Universalist Publishing
House is a splendid asset with its $780,
900, and one that we can afford to reckon
ON. We have UNCONVENTIONAL work in
forty States, with 5000 church mem.
bers, and in our parishes $4,000 families,
Our church property amounts to S1O,-
100000, while our General Convention
has $2630o0 in permanent funds.
I'm the Japan Mission the Universal
lists have indicated their right to the
title of missionary church. Despite
the briefness of the work, we have nine
out.stations, two girls schools, a theolo-
gical school. magazines and many trans
lated books and papers. But the very
best thing we have at our command. the
most valuable asset of the Universalist
Church, is the power of our faith to gen
crate enthusiasm in every enterprise for
humanity"
AN article in the JAN
LII, nolnieS uary Lippincotts on
Ineology' the late DIR. Holmes,
is very interesting. and affords addition
al testimony. if that were needed. to the
"Autocrats" clear convictions in theol-
ogy, and his sympathy with the lines Of
Uniyersalist thought for three genera
tions. We all remember the trenchant
manner in which DR.. Holmes dealt with
the doctrine of endless punishment and
his vigorous blows at Calvinistic theol-
ogy. The Lippincott article reports DR..
Holmes as dwelling in conversation on
the relation that God sustains to his hu-
man creation. We find the utterance
Enthusiastically clear and strong in
argument.
1.-THE popular religion" said DIR.
Holmes, sis based on the assumption that
the creature is under infinite obligations
to the Creator, and he under none at all
But consider. Begin with the relation
ship between earthly parent and child.
Who ordains that, and the child's exist
ence, tooY The childY No; the parent,
Then is not the burden of responsibility
and duty heaviest on the fathers side?
pass from the human to the heavenly
relation, and it seems to me the argu-
ment is not weakened, but vastly
strengthened. When l remember that
we are infinitely weak and he is in
finitely strong, that he is infinitely
wise and we are infinitely ignorant
and foolish, that we are infinitely sinful
and he is infinitely holy.-I think that,
whatever our obligations to him. his to
as are infinitely greater"
The writer who reports the converse
ton adds; "This rather took my breath
away. Had / been older and wiser, l
might have suggested that his argument
knocked the UNDERMINING from all the
received systems. He would probably
have answered that that was what he
meant it to do, and that Christianity