The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-03-21


to be crucifed and to propitiate God
that is, to change God, and to get
God to be willing to be tender and
merciful to his children. Well, of
course that is extremely irrational and
absurd. In all his mercy and tender
ness and love, in all his sympathy,
kindness and helpfulness to man, Je-
sus is simply revealing that spirit of
the Father which dominates him. In
all these divine qualities of character
and conduct Jesus is not in oppos;-
ton to God the Father, but he is an
exalted, finite type of an infinite
prototype. Thus we see the Father
prominently in Jesus. We see the
Father also in every man that has
ever lived, just in proportion as that
man is true to his own nature; just in
proportion as he lives and acts in the
divine spirit of wisdom, love and
righteousness. Jesus is prominently
teacher sent from God and leading
us to God. But all wise and loving
and holy men and women that have
ever lived are teachers sent from God
and are leading us to God in proper
ton to the measure of perfection of
Gods wisdom, love and righteous
ness revealed in them.
Whatever difference there may be
between Jesus and other good and
holy men, is not difference of na-
ture or kind, but only difference of
degree.
We dare not say that any man is
not, that all men are not, capable of
attaining to, and will not ultimately
attain to, all of divinity, to all of wis
dom, holiness and love, to which
Jesus attained, and even to more and
greater. Such is our faith in the di-
vinity of Jesus and in the divinity of
all men.
But some aspects of this conten-
ton may seem speculative to some
minds. There is a practical side to
which we are wise to give attention.
If it is good for us, if it is the right
and wise thing to do, to follow in the
footsteps, to initiate the example, to
obey the true teachings, of all the
pure and wise and good of every age
and every country, it is certainly
right and wise to take for our moral
leader and teacher and Saviour from
sin, so preeminent an example of
goodness and moral greatness, of love
and holiness, as the meek and lowly
Jesus. Surely nothing can be more
reasonable, more beautiful, or more
profitable to man.
If to this thought of Jesus any
thing needs to be added, it is to say
that it seems to us total perversion
of the teaching of Jesus, and gross
misapprehension of his mission, to
teach or belive that he came to save
any one from any penalty of any sin
! in this world or in any other; or to
believe or teach that it is possible for
Jesus or God to save any one from
any penalty of any sin, here or here
after. Penalty for every sin is GER
tain and inevitable. That is the
teaching of Jesus.
He came to save the world from
sin, and SO to save from the conse
quences of continuance in sin; but
not from the consequences of sin that
has been actually committed.
Another fact remains to be stat
ed. All punishment under Gods
moral government is good and not
evil. 1t is designed, not as an end,
never as an end, but as a means of
discipline and correction. 1t is ad-
ministered in whatever world, by in
finite wisdom, infinite justice and
infinite love. 1t is intended to result
finally, sooner or later, in this world
or in some other world, in the COM
plete destruction of all sin, in the
complete and universal enforcement
of virtue, obedience, love and holt
ness, in the universal victory and tri
umph of God over all the forces of
evil in the universe-not victory by
arrest and imprisonment and endless
torture, but victory by subduing
all things to himself, making all pen
itent, obedient and holy, through the
power of his infinite and omnipotent
spirit of truth and love, of justice
and holiness transcendantly revealed
in Jesus. and forever marching on to
wider and wider victories, till the
whole universe of intelligent moral
beings is redeemed unto God.
There is no good reason then for
belittling or despising our faith in
the simple, natural, divine humanity
of Jesus. That, with our added faith
in the divinity of man, is the sublim
est faith; the most hopeful, helpful