The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-08-29
LOVE WORKS OUT SALVATION
BY R. H. PULLMAN, DID.

Christ began his work by quietly,
sweetly, tenderly getting hold of the
hearts of the people that he might
cultivate love and give it direction.
He knew it's possibility and that to-
ward God it might become perfect
supreme filing the soul, and that
towards man it might become the tie
that would bind all men together in
brotherhood inseparable which no
power could break forever. This
love made perfect knows no fear but
"beareth all things, believeth all
things, hopeth all things, endureth
all things" This love he made the
eternal foundation of his mighty work
of universal salvation. Out of it come
the divinest conceptions of God-the
noblest theology Out of it comes the
grandest faith conquering all Difficult
ties; out of it springs eternal hope,
the sunshine of life; out of it comes
the vision of a world redeemed all
souls brought home at last; and by
it, and in it, and through it, the family
of God shall live in unity and peace
forever.
He knew this love would make
heroes and heroines; and there in the
beginning hero and heroines were
needed, are always needed to do and
to dare and to count their lives as
nothing compared with the glory of
the work of salvation. Kindling this
fire of love he knew would set in op-
Grafton a divine force that would
sweep on through the ages in ever
increasing power till every soul
should be won to God and heaven.
So love is made perfect, and by it
the followers of Christ are invincible.
How can such men be conquered
With such men Christ made his
Church-"the Church of the Living
God" 1t is always victorious. Love
is the power of the church. No
church, or company of people called
church or known by any denomi-
national name, can do the work of
Christ without this living force to
move it's activities. No church can
live on protests, or negations, or on
isms, or on arguments, or on creeds.
| Love, and by love only, can the
work of salvation go on. Is the way
doubtful, love will find it; is the
heart hard and obdurate, love holds
the key: is there danger, love knows
no fear; stands the cross between
earth and heaven; nailed thereon love
can pray "Father forgive them they
know not what they do"
1t is said the truest Christians say
it-that the idea of universal saliva
tion is the sublimest that ever touched
the mind of man; that the hope of it
Eliminates and makes the glory of
life; that faith in it lifts the soul into
everlasting communion with God.
The idea is ove-born; the hope is
loves shield and buckler; the faith is
loves eternal pledge of victory. Ly-
ing at the very foundation of Univer-
salism is love, and no man can hold
to it's hope and to its faith who does
not love all whom he hopes for, and
all whom his faith embraces. This
love gives birth to an intense, burn
ing desire for the salvation of the
world 1t is divine hunger that can
be satisfied only by the salvation of
all. In view of the Cross the Saviour
cried, And l, if be lifted up from the
earth will draw all men unto me"
Here is loves high rejoicing; here is
loves satisfaction and loves glory.
The American Universalist move
ment began as protest against the
dogma of an endless hell. The
horror of it was the inspiration of
their heroic efforts. They believed
God was too good to condemn any
of his children to endless suffering.
They defended the divine character
against this hideous blasphemy.
They searched the Scriptures and re-
joiced in being able to prove that
such finale of horror was not true.
But church could not be established
upon a denial-or negative, and the
movement providentially passed into
the organization of the Universalist
Church, founded on the Lord Jesus
Christ-Son of God, and the Son of
Man, the Saviour of the world. The
inspiration to activity and to conse-
Grafton now is love for all men as
the Son of Man reveals humanity,
and love of God as the Son of God
reveals God the Father. Behold
the Man," cried Plate. Behold
every man in the Man." cries Love.
The bringing OF every man to this
manhood is Loves divine work. God
| does not deceive; every man is the