The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-31

the worst man-so he insisted-had |
so much of goodness and tenderness
that he could be used as an illustra-
ton of the Divine Fatherhood. Ye
who are evil, in giving good gifts to
your children, are only doing what
God does on a much greater scale.
So far from saying that we come into
this world "wholly defiled in all the
faculties and parts of our soul and
body" that we are conceived in sin,
and by nature children of wrath,-he
does directly teach the essential
soundness of human nature before
man has wilfully perverted himself,
in all that he says about little
children; so far from telling them
that they are under the WRATH OF
God, and deserving damnation from
the very start, he assures us that OF
such as they is the kingdom OF bea-
ven; that conversion means becoming
as good as little children; and that it
is not the will of our Father in hea-
ven that one of these little ones
should perish.
What consolation these words have
brought to thousands! How many
Rachels have wept for their children!
But when the dear ones take wings
to themselves and fly upward, leav-
ing our arms empty and our hearts
desolate, we still seem to hear that
voice which once spake in Judea,
speaking now from the heavens, say
ing the old sweet words, 'Suffer the
little children to come unto me and
forbid them not, for of such is the
kingdom of God!"
2. Again, concerning man, Jesus
teaches the necessity of personal
Righteousness. Nowhere does he in
dictate that he is offered in the sim
ner's stead; that he has appeased the
divine wrath or justice; that his
righteousness is impaired to us. He
did, indeed, if the record be correct
at this point, speak of his broken
body and shed blood; but these ex-
pressions find their fuller explana-
ton in that larger statement of his
sacrifice, 81, if | be lifted up, will
draw all men unto me-" The influ-
ence of his holy life, crowned by his
heroic death, was to draw men to the
life of righteousness which he rep
resented. Where does he intimate
that there was any wrath or justice
in God that demanded blood for its
satisfaction, and that was satisfied at
last with the blood of an innocent
victim7 Where does he say that his
own righteousness is impaired to us.
and his obedience accepted in our
stead?
D. Bernard, in his Progress of
Doctrine, written from an orthodox
standpoint, admits that all this was
a later development. He says that
in Christ's teaching, these are the
representations: Forgive and We
shall be forgiven. Her sins, which
are many, are forgiven because she
loved much. I forgave thee all that
debt because thou desirest me. He
smote upon his breast saying, God
be merciful to me sinner and went
down to his house justified. So in
the great parable of forgiveness, the
erring son simply returns, and the
father falls upon his neck and kisses
him, Father, / have sinned against
heaven and in thy sight and
straightway he is clothed with the
best robe, and has the ring on his
hand, and shoes on his feet He
was dead and is alive again, was lost
and is found There is no mention
of any intercessor, no typical hint of
sacrifice or other atonement, no con-
dition anywhere supposed, but what
is included in thou desiredst me- or
the presence of penitence and ten
derness of heart, and the absence of
an unforgiving spirit toward others"
(2.) Nowhere does Jesus teach
that his obedience unto the law is i'm
puted to us; but everywhere that
man m st obey for himself.
He who does the will of God is to
enter the kingdom of heaven. He
who heard those sayings of his and
did them, was founded upon rock.
1t was of no avail to call him Lord"
without doing the will of God and
the works that Christ himself COM
mands. Ones position in the king
dom of heaven, whether he be the
least or the greatest, is determined
by the fidelity with which he keeps
the commandments. 1t was the light
shining from the good works of his
disciples that was to guide men to
the Father. "If ye love me keep my
commandments" He that hath my
commandments and keepeth them,
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