The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-05-01


the second commandments like unto
the first: "Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as myself" For love is not
all-exclusive, but all-inclusive. 1t
goes out to the man next door who
throws tomato-cans over into your
backyard just as truly as it does to
the heather in Tringanu. 1t goes to
him in strong and vigorous mode,
perhaps, butitis none the less loving
because of that, for love is no weak
and invertebrate thing when it is the
true love of Christ. Love,-the love
that Christ embodied,-is the bond
that unites all the warning elements
of human society and makes of them
an everlasting solidarity; and the
force that does this must be some
thing more, something stronger,
than the morbid and mawkish thing
that passes for love in the minds of
SO many.
This, then, is the reason why this
obligation to love God and man rests
upon mankind, because to do so is
the browning event of human en-
deavor, the fulfilling and completing
of human life and human nature;
and it is such because human nature
is divine nature undeveloped.
Now, as to the requirements of this
law. Let us look at them somewhat
in detail.
In the first place l wish you to see
that this is law to be obeyed. Its
requirements are positive. 1t says:
"Thou shalt" and these words are
tremendously fraught with meaning
when they come from the lips of AL
mighty God.
A great mistake has been made in
thinking that this law is as we'll full
filled by the infection of the penalty
of disobedience, as by its enforce
ment, or by obedience to it's require
ments. Millions are believing that
its Author will rest content with pun
ishing those who disobey it, and that
this punishment will produce no
good result. Nay. they are saying
that if men do not begin to obey this
law upon earth, that God will never
allow the n to do so.
Human law, 80 far as it is possible
to do so, does force men to obey.
Every man-made ordinance that
makes positive demands secures
what it demands insofar as it has
the power That which demands the
payment of taxes does not punish a
man directly for non-payment, but
sells his property in order that the
taxes may be paid and the demands
of the law justified. The great COM
mandment is law, and law of God
withal. God can secure what he de-
mands. So his law-and this, the
law of laws, especially-must be
obeyed. He needs not, will not, can
not indeed, force men to obey against
their wills,-for that would not be
obedience that was secured in this
way-but God has at his command
Jesus Christ and all his disciples,
now numbered by the hundred mil
lions, with all the boundless resources
of Infinite Love, to turn men from
willing to do wrong to willing to do
right.
To say that God can exhaust his
every resource and that then there
will be some unturned wills, some
obdurate souls that will not be saved,
is to say that God is not almighty,
but that man is;-that he can forever
resist the pleading of God and for
ever defy the power of his love.
Another great mistake that is con-
stantly being made in regard to this
law is that almost everybody limits
its operation to the physical world.
The simple fact that it is a moral
law ought to teach everyone that it
has its operation in the spiritual
realm, which, while it runs through
out the physical world, does not end
with it, either universally or individ-
ually. Let me put the matter syllo-
gistically.
This is spiritual law; spiritually
discerned; spiritually obeyed; re-
quiring absolutely nothing of the
flesh.
The spiritual life of the individual,
in which this law is obeyed, is end
less.
Therefore, obedience to this law
may commence at any point in the
spiritual life, either before the death
of the body or afterward.
How disgraceful to a Christian is
this idea that God cannot, or will not,
induce his children to obey this law.