The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-02-20
views of God, of man, and of the final

|
| outcome.
o. | confess | do not understand
how others can be so Jealous and ac-
complish so much, and they are zeal
GUS and do accomplish much,-when
they believe that the dominion of the
universe will be permanently divided
between personal devil and per-
sonal God; that the. kingdom of dark
ness will co-exist with the kingdom
of light. | do not quite understand
how to serve God who so manages
things in his own creation as to set up
rival who divides and mutilates his
empire,-who holds permanent sway
over countless multitudes of his crea
lures. No swords should be drawn
for him; but for the God whom we
worship, strong and tender, secure at
last in the allegiance of every soul,
we may dare and die.
There is fable in the Scandinavian
mythology of one who tried to drain
goblet of the gods. But the more
he drank, the fuller seemed the cup.
He could not understand it until he
found that the vessel was connected
with the sea; and that, in order to
drain it, he must drink the ocean dry.
The ocean of Gods love and life is
ever pushing itself up into the COB
let's from which we may daily drink
inspiration and courage for his work.
(2.) There is all the more reason for
earnestness upon our part, when we
feel that our labors for men will not
be in vain. When the ISSUE is un-
certain, or toredoomed to failure, the
heart sinks and the arm grows pow
erless. But when we believe that
some day, in the far-off future it may
be, the least and lowest creature who
bears the divine image shall be
brought to the holiness and Joy of
the Fathers house and presence, the
fainting heart is revived and the fall
ing arm is lifted. This is our en-
enlargement. your labor shall not
be in vain, in the Lord" This is the
hope of every teacher, of every work
er in every department. "Your labor
shall not be in vain" This is the
vision that. blazing in the heavens.
above the field of trial and the arena
of conflict, cheers us on Before him
every knee shall bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth"
(3). There is plenty of ability in
all our churches, but it never will be
used until the enthusiasm can be
aroused, until a new spirit takes pos
session of US.
How much is that ability needed
How sorely do we need workers every
wherel From our young people must
come our future teachers and preach
ers. From their ranks must come
the ones who shall in future bear the
"burden and heat of the day, who
shall take the places of those who
soon must fall, -who shall catch the
flagstaff from the stiffening fingers
of age to bear it aloft in the battle.
In the Irish legend, spell was laid
by a certain enchantress upon, the
children of Lin.
For nine centuries they lay motion
less on the shores of the sea. But
when the sound of the first Chris
tian bell was heard upon the Green
Isle, the spell was broken. Ii the
sound of any bell be needed to break
the spell of inaction ana indifference,
let it be this: 1.-THE harvest is great,
but the laborers are few" That note
rang out over Judea two centuries
ago. But the opportunities are
greater today: the needs are more
urgent. Let the sound of that bell be
heard in our homes, our associations,
and our schools and churches, till it
bring forth workers for every task.
III. Aggressiveness.
This leads me to say that there is
one thing more for which we must
look to the young, -aggressiveness.
The enthusiasm for which | have
pleaded, will evaporate into nothing
ness, unless it witty some positive
work.
What is our idea of a church?
Are we simply mutual admira-
ton society, meeting from Sunday
to Sunday, to congratulate. our
selves that we are not 80 bigoted as
other people, and sigh because they
are not emancipated? Or are We,
a mere group of sentimentalists, who
meet to go into ecstacies over our
beautiful faithf The grandest doe
trine must have its practical side.
Angels may ascend and descend
nnon tho tOnmost rounds of the lad