The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-04-11

the giver of all good. He is infinite
in all his attributes and unchange
able in his nature. His wisdom Or
dained the worlds, his power controls
their existence, and his great love
goes out to every sentient soul, to
every creature created in his image.
Paul taught that God so loved the
world that he sent his only begotten
son into it, that it might have life and
have it more abundantly. He taught
that this Son of God was the true
Teacher. Guide and Exemplar for
suffering humanity.
Paul taught that Jesus, the Christ,
was sent into the world not to con-
denim or damn the world, but that
the world, through him, might be
saved. He further taught that the
Saviour was armed with power to
accomplish his work, so that in the
final outcome he would accomplish
no meager triumph, no doubtful VIC
tory. Indeed, the conquest of oppos-
ing forces would be so complete that
even Death, the last enemy, would
be destroyed, and God would finally
be all in ALL
Paul taught that the mission of
the Christ was not confined to time
or limited in space, but that in all
worlds, and wherever soul was
bound in sin, he worked for its re.
demption, and final emancipation
from everything that sought its en-
thrallment,or alienation from the Fa
Their. Paul taught the value of char
acter. Indeed he laid great emphasis
on character. It was not mushroom
growth. 1t was not obtained for the
mere asking. 1t was not dependent
on faith alone, although faith consti-
tuted the first step. Paul taught
just as his coadjutors taught. Peter
says, "Add to your faith, virtue, and to
virtue, knowledge, and to knowledge,
temperance, and to temperance, pa
tience, and to patience, godliness, and
to godliness, brotherly kindness, and
to brotherly kindness, charity. For if
these things be in you and abound,
they make you that ye shall be neither.
barren nor unfruitful in the knowl-
edge of our Lord Jesus Christ" And
James says, "Be ye doors of the word,
and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves. For if any be nearer
of the word, and not a doer, he is
like unto man beholding his natural
face in glass; for he beholdeth him
self, and goeth his way, and straight
way forgetteth what manner of man
he was. But whose looketh into the
perfect law of liberty, and continueth
therein, he being not forgetful
nearer but doer of the word, this
man shall be blessed in his deed"
And John says: "And we have seen
and do testify, that the Father sent
the Son to be the Saviour of the
world"
Now here we have the united testi-
mony of the leading apostles as to
what constitutes right living. Here
they lay down succinctly the pro-
cesses of character building. And
how sensible and reasonable the in
structions given! But to thousands
in Christian lands they are strange
doctrines because they "do not know
what these things mean;" because
they have been misinformed; because
they have never had anything but
the half-truths of orthodoxy, and
look through glass darkly.
But let us follow the apostle after
he left Athens. Note what he teaches
at Corinth, at Ephesus, at Jerusalem,
and at Rome. He has multiplied OPP
portunities to preach the Gospel
and when he cannot minister to
flock in person, or talk to a friend
face to face. he writes carefully pre-
pared epistles. In these does he
still proclaim the "strange doctrines"
of the Fatherhood of God and the
brotherhood of man? As at Athens,
does he still preach about Jesus and
the resurrection? Does he still dwell
on the love of God manifested to the
world through his Son9 Does he
still emphasize the triumph of right
and the final extinction of wrong!
Let us see. Writing to Timothy he
says: "For therefore we both labor
and suffer reproach, because we trust
in the living God, who is the Saviour
of all men, especially of those that
believe" And to Titus he writes:
"For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation to all men hath appeared,
teaching us that denying ungodliness
and worldly lusts we should live
soberly, righteously and godly in
111I-s1. f. L.