The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-05-30

from the sun and journey outward we
come after many millions of miles to
the first planet Mercury, then after
many more millions we arrive at
Venus, that brilliant star which is the
admiration of the world; then jour
neying on we come to our earth,
thence on and on we pass Mars, and
Jupiter with his magnificent satellites,
and Saturn surrounded with great
zones of light, and Uranus, the
battling mystery of the system. We
reach at last the outermost planet
Neptune, p hundred millions of miles
distant from the sun. The diameter of
its orbit is 81 hundred millions of miles.
This inconceivable distance marks
the golden circle of the solar system! !
Jupiter is 1900 times as large as
our earth The sun, the center and
the glory of the system and the
agent through which the Creator
orders and controls all the harmonies
of motion, warns and gives life and
light to all the planets, is as the king
in his glory. 1t is large enough, if
we can imagine it to be hollow, to hold
within the awful space of its interior
1881 900 worlds as large as our earth.
But what is our whole solar system as
compared with the universe? 1t is as
a grain of sand among all the sand of
the globe, or as drop of water mixed
amid the multitudinous seas. The
nearest fixed star is 20 million of
millions of miles away! All this is
manifestation of what is technically
known, indeed, as physical power, but
it is wonderfully suggestive and en-
larges our conception of God. We
cannot think of God as being defeated
in the exercise of moral power any
more than we can think of his being
defeated in the physical control of
the worlds of space where all is har-
mony so complete that the ancient
Greek poets used to speak of the
Emusic of the spheres"
Our text, in this connection, sug-
gests study of the moral power of
God-his power to win the love of
the human heart, to influence the hui
man will, to instruct the human rea-
son. When he shall have completed
his work in this diviner universe of
mind we may expect a harmony as
complete as that of the Emusic of the
spheres" -every soul in its own place
and related to every other as notes
are related in music. "Christ the
power of God, and the wisdom of
God" Christ the power of God
among men and over men, and the
wisdom of God in ways and means
for the accomplishment of his pur-
poses. The study of Christ is the
study of this power and of this wis
dom. 1t is the study of Gods man
making power. The making of
planet is less difficult, we may rever-
emily suppose, than the making of
man. ST. Paul speaks of the opera
ton of influences upon men till they
shall become full grown" ''The
measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ" is the measure of the stat
ure of a full grown man. This invol-
yes all the meanings of the great
Bible word, salvation. To be saved
is to become full grown man, The
birth of each child of the human race
is the beginning Of full-grown
man. The great question is, Can God
bring all to maturity? Of course we
do not mean physical maturity, but
soul maturity. Can God make man
out of every mana man after the
great model of the humanity of
Christ? Are the resources of the in
finite love sufficient, or must God
fail and hope Idle out of his yearning
hearth The power and wisdom of
God in Christ must give answer. To
our exalted view of the majesty and
glory of the Christ it seems that his
name is the all sufficient pledge of
the final universal manhood of the hui
man race. The highest and noblest
faith in Christ affirms this, and God
gives the assurance from heaven when
he says, "This is my beloved Son in
whom | am we'll pleased" In t. Q
presence of Christ our Lord how all
doubts flee away How quietly, yet
how majestically do the simple Incl
dents of his calling the fishermen of
Galilee to discipleship speak of his
power. "Come" was the simple
though all sufficient word. The ir-
resistible invitation did no violence
to their right of choice, they were not
unnamed by obedience, nor dis
crowned by yielding to the supreme
moral force.
When he called back to life the