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

period of time; it is the age of what
soever person or thing it relates to.
The dion of mountain, for example,
is one thing; that of God is another
thing. And SO in Hab. iii: 6, we are
told in our Version that "the everlast-
ing mountains we're scattered, the
perpetual hills did bow: his ways are
everlasting" Here the word trans
lated Everlasting" is applied in the
same verse of Scripture both to the
mountains and to the ways of the AL
mighty, just as in my text it is ap-
piled both to the blessedness of the
righteous and to the punishment of
the unrighteous.. According to the
argument which we are considering,
Gods ways cannot last any longer
than the mountains, and if we deny
that the mountains are strictly eter-
nal we also deny the same thing of
Gods ways. That will not do. The
argument is very poor one. If [
say that an old man went into an old
house, do not necessarily mean that
the man and the house were OF the
same age. The same adjective used
twice in the same sentence does not
always carry precisely the same mean
ing. That depends on the circum-
stances. So with aionios. Aionaon
punishment need not be as long as
aionidn life even though they are
mentioned in the same passage of
Scripture. The dion of punishment
depends upon the nature and purpose
of punishment, and the aion of that
life which Christ gives to his follow
ers depends on it's nature and that of
the soul. 1t is the nature of the one
to cease. 1t is the nature of the
other not to cease. And so, even if
the word aiomios in this passage of
Scripture had reference to the dura-
ton of the blessedness of the righ-
teous and the punishment of the un-
righteous, it would not carry the con-
clusion that the one must be neces-
sarily just as long as the other.
But as matter of fact, Jesus prob
ably did not mean to say how long
either the one or the other should
last. He probably used the word
aionios not with reference to the du-
ration but to the character of the dis
pensation which his coming was to
introduce on earth. By aionidn life
and aionion punishment he probably
meant the kind of life and the kind
of punishment which especially be-
longs to the Christian dion. Aionian
life is that kind of life which comes
from vital communion with Christ.
81 am cone," said he. "that they
might have life and have it more
abundantly," John K: 10y; and again,
"This is life eternal (aionidn life)
that they might know Thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom
Thou hast SENT" John xvii: 81, and
again, verify, verify, l say unto you,
he that heareth my word and believ-
eth on Him that sent me hath everlast-
ing (aioniaa) life, and shall not come
into condemnation, but is passed
from death unto life" John v: 24).
That is the kind of life which Paul
had. 1.-THE life which | now live in the
fesh," said he, 81 live by the faith of
the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me-" (Gal. ii: 20)
And as aionian life consists in a
vital communion with Christ, so aion-
ian punishment consists in being ex-
cluded from him, and in being de-
prived of those blessings which his
spirit bestows. The one is the op
posite of the other; and either may
be experienced now, in this world.
We are living in the Christian dion.
Jesus has come as he said that he
would. He has set up his judgment
throne ON earth, and, like shepherd
dividing his sheep from his goats, he
is separating mankind by the preach
ing of his word into those who accept
him and those who do not. On the
one hand are those who have entered
his kingdom, enjoying the life which
he imparts to the soul. On the other
are those who exclude themselves
from it, suffering in the outer dark
ness the spiritual penalties announc-
ed in his word.
Where do you stand? at his right
or his left hands among the sheep or
among the goats9 Can you say with
st. Paul, 81 live, yet not |, but Christ
liveth in me-? If so, you need not
that anyone should tell you what
blessed life it is. If not, beseech
you in Christ's stead, exclude your
self therefrom no longer; but come,
and take your place with those to