The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-09-26

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Such passages from the Scriptures
can be greatly enumerated, and in
deed you have in your mind at this
very time such passages as will rem
der my meaning more explicit, that
is, that this is such an Hebraism, that
Christ never intended this to be I'M
derstood literally, but that he rather
spoke in the popular and free Ian
guage of the Semitic peoples to ex-
press the enormity of their sin and
the difficulty Of its being forgiven.
That he often spoke thus we
have abundant evidence. Other
wise what can these passages mean?
and how unlike his subsequent life
and his death when he was nailed to
the tree on Calvary's crest and said
"Father forgive them for they know
not what they do" His prosecutors
had sinned against the Son of Man,
against the Holy Ghost, and yet he
prayed for their forgiveness. Can
we believe he lacked faith in his pleas
Then prayer is mockery.
Can we affirm his prayer was in
effectual and impotent. Then what
avails it our approaching the throne
of God, or trusting and confding in
Gods loving and forgiving spirit?
Can we say that this is an offense, the
perpetrator of which is beyond the
reach of divine grace? Then is Christ
an impostor and the Bible a fiction.
Friends, let us be more careful
how we apologize for the Almighty,
and opine that the world would have
such apologists, such confessors, to
be better engaged and that they
should not rush to limit the bound
less love of our Father in heaven; to
circumscribe his illimitable power;
to confne his infinite wisdom;-to
bound his eternal goodness and his
Unreasonable sympathy and pity.
He would not have them dry up the
spring of hope, put out the fires of
enthusiasm, and fill up the wells of
faith and trust; but rather to open
up our hearts to broader view and
our hands to a more extended phil
anthropy.
God Never Forgives the Unpenitent.
What shall we, then, say in conclu-
sion? Is the sin objectionable? Our
answer must be both Eyes" and mo-"
God has promised to forgive our
short comings and our frailties when
we in humility ask it. "a broken and
contrite spirit, o God, thou wilt not
despise." God, then, will hear us
when we cry and will forgive us when
we earnestly seek it; and no sin is SO
hideous that he will not forgive; no
sin SO lurid, 80 terrible as to be I'M
pardonable if pardon be asked. But
God will never pardon, will never for
give the sin of an impenitent sinner.
He will never blot out the transgres-
sion of one until such a one has
learned the evil of his course and has
determined to retrace the steps which
he in perverseness trod. God will
never forgive any sin-it remains I'M
pardonable-as long as we continue
untoward, refractory; as long as We
close up our minds and hearts to the
powers which operate for good, the
influence which spreads abroad in
benignity and love. But no sin shall
remain unforgiven when we in contri
ton humble ourselves before our
Father and God.
"Unpardonable, says noted divine,
sis this sin against the Holy Ghost"
| objectionable it must needs be,
while it lasts. 1t cannot subsist and
be forgiven, for forgiveness is but an
other name for divine approval, and
though that approval rests upon the
chief of sinners, the moment he re-
pents and Graves the goodness of
which he knows himself destitute, it
cannot rest on those who cloak sin
under fair names and pretenses."
They must know themselves as they
are. They must know the evil to
eschew it. They must know the
good to choose it. They must not
think to impose upon God by the idle
conventional pleas for forgiveness
which are as common as they are
meaningless and disgusting. And
it must be their peculiar care to guard
against false moral judgments" We
have our example, our pattern, and
may we grow more and more after our
standard and be known by our kind
ly deeds, our loving pity our com
pletest sympathy and our divinest
love.
The death is announced, at the ripe
age of eighty five, of Sir William r.