The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-05-30
and the proper measure of his guilt,
whatever it is. he is certain to feel.

Whatever IL lb, ne lB cerJaln 10 Ieel.
But the conclusive consideration is,
that to moral being, only that pain is
punishment which he feels that he has
merited. Hence he must be punished,
if punished at all, through his moral
sensibility. He may be tortured or cast
into dungeon and made to suffer un-
told things. But il his moral nature
does not connect these things with his
guilt they are not punishment to him.
He suffers indeed. and so does the mar
tyr. What you wish to compass in his
case is not certain quantum of suffer
ing, but to infiict on him that kind and
degree of suffering which is the proper
consequepce-there is no other way
to state it-of his guilt 1t comes, there
fore, to the same complexion at last. If
you visited a severe, external and arbit-
ary infiction upon the sinner, you must
depend for its effect as punishment on
his moral sensibility. Nothing is gained
for moral discipline by the attempted
removal Of punishment from the inner
to the outer tribunal. Until it registers
it's value in the conscience it has not
reached the mark. If you say "Some
men have no conscience" the reply is
prompt and final: In that case punish.
ment is impossible, by whatever mode.
The samples printed in the Outlook
give one strong prepossession in favor
Of DR.. Henry Van Dyke course of lee
lures to the Yale divinity students. His
theme, "The Gospel for an Age of
Doubt" is attractive. But his manner
of approaching it is even more winsome.
We feel the persuasive spirit of the lect-
urer from the first paragraph. The liter.
ary fascination is subtle and sustained.
And when it comes to the presentation of
his idea Of the gospel demanded by an
age of doubt, he meets our expectations
in a high degree. 1t is personal gos-
pei he presents. "The piercing. moving
personal Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth, the
Son of God and Saviour of mankind"
We shall look with interest to the de.
velopment of this germinal idea.
The long agony in the General Con.
ference of the M E. Church over the el-
ection oftwo bishops is indicative Of the
extent to which politics has taken pos
session OF John Wesley's family. Alto
gether similar to the balloting in legisla.
lures and in political conventions was the
continued polling of the Conference. At
first there we're great many candidates.
The usual process of elimination went
on until there were only five or six voted
for. And after many days OF struggle.
in which the public took an interest not
unlike that shown in the race for presi-
dental honors, the choice fell on Chap
lain McCabe and DR.. Cranston. The
more places the more aspirants; the
higher the place the more profound the
stir made in filling it. The great
Methodist Church is 30 large part of
the country that its throes agitate the
whole land. Whether this contributes
to the prevalence of pure and unde.
filed religion is another question.
There are hundred words of de-
nunciation of Spain and sympathy for
Cuba. both in the national legislature
and in the press of the country. for every
one spoken against Turkey and in be-
half Of Armenia. We fear the disparity
affords test of the real quality of our
most vociferous interest in the struggle
ofdown-trodden peoples. We can neither
acquire territory nor make political capi.
tai out OF interference in behalf Of the
suffering Armenians. But Cuba "belongs
naturally to the United States" and by
timely and tempestuous bluster about
human rights we may make the course
Of nature shorter. Sometimes it re-
quires an expert to distinguish a phil
anthropist from bully.