The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-07-18
rs SIN CUMULATIVE?
BY REV. F. F. BUCKNER.

BY REV. f. f. BUCKNER.
Rev. FRANK CRANE, of Chicago,
thinks that the best argument for
hell is the cumulative power of sin.
l have no doubt that his position
would be refreshing to some of the
old "fire- eaters" of the Methodist
Church who used to preach hell with
dreadful energy, but always from the
words of the Bible. I wonder what
they would gather from the phrase
cumulative power of sin." The
young doctor means that when one
begins to sin, his evil disposition de-
velops like snow ball rolled over
and over, or that he gathers momen-
tum like stone rolling down hill, or
a bicycle, for instance. There is
nothing very new or original about
this position. 1t is the doctrine that
character becomes fixed for evil and
hence evil becomes perpetual thing
in this life and the life to come. The
startling thing is that the advocates
of endless misery today find their
best arguments outside the Bible.
Why 90 outside the Bible for argu-
ments Are there better arguments
outside the Bible than in it? Why
not get the best arguments for hea-
ven outside the Bible too? Perhaps
our friends the orthodox have begun
to see that the Bible does not sane
ton their pet dogmas, or if they think
it does, it may be they consider it no
proof. At all events they do not
quote it very often. They rest their
arguments upon such assertions as
the one above mentioned. They
think if there is no hell there ought
to be. They think there ought to be
hell for such men as Holmes.
We do not believe with Rev. Frank
Crane that sin is cumulative. We
would like some evidence of the fact
if such is fact. Some of the best
men in the world have been the
greatest sinners, or at all events they
imagine and confess themselves to
have been. st. Paul may be named
as an example. Thousands have
repented and reformed who have
apparently been altogether aban-
doned. st. Augustine confesses him
self to have been about as vile as the
vilest. He became the most distin-
guished Christian of his day, but he
wrote very bad theology. The fact
is sin is not cumulative in the sense
that the preacher would have us
understand it. The conscience may
become scared, and one sin may make
another easier, but there comes
time when a voice says "Thus far but
no farther;" then sin becomes diff
cult. Then conscience awakes. Re-
morse overtakes the sinner and he
longs to be free from his past con-
duct. All Christians are agreed in
believing that judgment at last over
takes every offender. Our orthodox
friends say that endless remorse fol-
lows judgment. We say that judg
ment is Gods opportunity of gaining
access to the heart, and that is the
difference. If they could believe
that pain is appointed as a check
upon violators of law, both natural
and spiritual as we do, they would
not hold their present position very
long. They would adopt humaner
creed.
Sin is not cumulative, but goodness
is. He who does good has all things
in his favor. He who does evil is re-
sisted by all things. If this were not
SO progress would be impossible.
This world has ever moved upward
without interruption, and it will con-
tinue to do 80 until God reigns per-
fectly in all hearts.