The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-04-11

both of the dead and living" And
again, "As live, saith the Lord, every
knee shall bow to me, and every
tongue shall confess to God" To the
Corinthians he writes: ITO us there
is but one God, the Father, of whom
are all things, and we in him; and
one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are
all things, and we by him." Gas in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall
all be made alive" HE must reign,
till he hath put all enemies under his
feet" & + = "And when all things
shall be subdued into him, then
shall the Son also himself be subject
unto him that put all things under
him, that God may be all and in all"
And SO we might multiply these
quotations without limit. These are
some OF the strange doctrines taught
by Paul and received by Universalists
today as sheet anchors of their faith,
and for so doing they both labor and
suffer reproach.
But laying aside all metaphor and
irony Universalists do regard some
beliefs as strange doctrines that are
held by many around them; for in
stance:
l. They regard it as strange doc
trine toteach that sin once entered the
courts of high heaven and Satan and
other angels were induced to rebel
against the authority of Jehovah, and
in consequence were driven from the
celestial regions to place of unutter-
able anguish and pain called He'll!
The thought Immediately arises
in every reflective mind, If heaven
was once invaded by wicked and ma
lignant influences, what assurance
have we that the same calamity
might not happen againa
2. 1t seems to us strange doctrine
to teach that an All-wise and All
powerful Being should create world
and people it with beings finite in
their powers and limited in their fac
ulties, and then subject them to laws
the penalty of which was eternal pun
ishment and undying pain.
There is no justice or mercy in
such procedure. That the race
should be subject to good and whole
some laws we freely admit. That
transgressors should be punished, is
wise and good. That punishment
should be measured by the offence is
also conceded. But to visit frail
mortality with vindictiveness and
cruelty is not in harmony with the
Divine character.
3. Again. To teach that because
Adam transgressed 5000 years ago
his guilt was entailed upon his pos
terity down to the present hour, and
all mankind are totally depraved
utterly vile, and hell-deserving; that
even the little babe in its mother s
arms is IAN enemy to God, child of
Satan, and an heir of hell,"-this
doctrine we look upon as fendish
and cruel, libel upon the eternal
goodness and blasphemy against
love.
4. Again. To teach that an ON
nicient and omnipotent God should
predestinate or decree that of the
countless millions who should people
his world, a part should enjoy eter-
nal felicity, and the rest be endlessly
damned, we regard as strange and
merciless doctrine indeed, and
hideous caricature upon the glad
tidings of salvation promised to all
people.
5. Moreover, we regard it as
strange doctrine to teach that cocks
tent with mankind is an evil infu-
ence, a personal devil, constantly
thwarting all the designs and plans
of the Almighty, and playing havoc
in the creation. That no sooner had
Adam and Eve been put in possession
of paradise, than this arch enemy of
all that is good put in an appearance
and marred the whole arrangement.
We have no account of the origin or
creation of this monstrosity except
the fiction that he is fallen angel, a
story so silly it needs no refutation.
And then the potency given to this
malignityl And the horrible nature
of the dreadful domain over which, it
is alleged, he presidesl A dismal
hell, place of unutterable anguish
and dark despairl Peopled, accord
ing to the strange doctrines of some,
with by far the greater part of the hui
man race, and from the horrors of
that land of woe there is no escape,
no surcease of anguish, no assuage
of pain.
We stand with bated breath, and
aGk oursalvea ia IL noaaihle auch a