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


these have we seen his Judgment
given. Who were guilty of this SIM
Those who saw and did not believe.
Those who were present when there
were indubitable evidences Of the
power of the Holy Ghost.
Confined to Miracle Working Age.
1t is then evident that the sin is a
sin which must be confined to mir
acle working age. The error is then
of temporary significance. 1t was
only possible in the time of Christ
and the apostolic time just following.
Since the days of miracles, of signs,
are past, why should we be afraid of a
sin which of all be termed unpardon-
able, when such sin is not possible
at the present? One might bias
pheme against God; say words
against the Son of man, and like
our friend Ingersoll, hold the same up
to ridicule, or like Saul of Tarsus
become exc eding wroth, but when
he should see the wonders wrought
by the Holy Ghost and be con-
WINGED, then should his sin though
as scarlet become as white as snow.
Friends, have you seen signs and
wonders9 Have you seen the lame
to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to
hear by the power of the breath of
Gods prophet9 You have not then,
nor can you be guilty of the sin in
question. The sin has lost its inter
est, then, for us in this day and age of
the world, since the conditions under
which it was declared do not now OBJ
tain; hence its penalty cannot be
now be pronounced and the victim
cannot, therefore, be sentenced.
But there is yet deeper conten-
ton, a contention, l opine, if correctly
answered, that will dispell the gloom,
the darkness and obscurity which
seems to enwrap this subject. 1t is
our business to attempt an explana-
ton which is most in harmony with
that which Christ is wont to give as
the intent of bis instruction. None of
the interpretations so far considered
have been in harmony with the pre-
vailing spirit of the New Covenant.
There is yet one other important
consideration.
The Hebrews were people of a
poetical temperament, and used a
language infinitely capable of poet
ical expression. According to DR..
Campbell the text is one of the most
notable instances of the figure which
he gives as Hebraism. It consists
in differentiating one thing from an
other; in expressing degrees; in stat
ing the relative importance of two or
more things under question. One
thing is not necessarily affirmed nor
is another denied. One thing may,
or may not be likely; the other more
or less likely to occur According to
this, then, the sin against the Son
of Man, or against God, may be easily
forgiven though the sin against
the manifestation of God is more
difficult; even next to impossible.
Indicates Comparison.
A sin against that which we know,
have had revealed by history and
revelation; which has shone as a
light into our lives, and has guided
us as the monitor within; sin against
such known and fully revealed
force is well nigh beyond pardon;
while sin against parsonage but
imperfectly revealed to us, imper
fectly made known to us, is matter
which can and should be forgiven by
those who accept the radical doctrines
of the divinity of Christ; also those
who are far more liberal in their nc
tions. 1t then merely indicates COM
parison one of the propositions is
true in higher sense than the other
and is in consequence more binding.
So learned man as DR.. Newcome has
gone on record as affirming that lit is
common figure of speech, not only
among the Hebrews but in the Ian
guage of all the oriental peoples, to
say of two things that the one shall
be and the other shall not be, when
the meaning is only that the one shall
occur sooner or mere easily" Heaven
and earth shall pass away but my
word shall not pass away" evidently
means that heaven and earth are less
permanent and abiding than the
word of God, and not that either are
necessarily eternal or everlasting.
But Christ sent me not to baptize
but to preach the Gospel" This is
not given to minimize the former but
to emphasize the latter; not in any
way to be considered as prohibition
against the rite of baptism, but
1