The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-03-06

ment was supernatural. Not neces-
sarily as to his flesh, but certainly as
to his soul, he was begotten of the
Holy Spirit. His superior moral
energy was impaired to him by the
direct influence of God.
But there is another way in which
it is conceivable Jesus might have
obtained his sinless development of
character. He might have obtained
it from his environment. An ordinary
soul with a sinless environment
might develop sinless character. In
this way children develop in the
spirit world, we think. Inthat world
they are so environed that they have
sinless development and character.
So it may have been with Jesus. He
may have been so environed as to
have developed sinless charac-
ter. But if he was, that en-
vironment was supernatural. God
must have "beset him behind and be-
fore" in way that he does not ordi-
airy mortals. For to say that the nat
ural ordinary environment in Judea
at the time of Christ was such as to
produce perfect character is alb
surd. If Jesus was an ordinary man
there was nothing in his age to grow
him into anything but an ordinary
character. "Wild Judea" in his day
was no place in which saints could be
manufactured to order. TWAS per-
feet sea of cross currents, moral and
immoral, and everything else, and the
idea that an ordinary human soul
could have been thrown into that sea
and unaided by God have developed
without sin a sinless character is past
all rational belief. If, therefore, Jesus
was not supernaturally environed,
his was not a natural birth and
natural development. Either in the
one or the other he possessed some
thing not given to ordinary men.
Hence he was supernatural being.
His life and character were not the
product of heredity or environment.
And as his life and character are
Christianity, the origin of Christian
ity is supernatural. SC.
THAT ETERNAL PROCEEDING"
We have noted with care the article
of Bro. Merrifeld in THE UN1vERsALIsT
of February Goth. on the Natural and
Supernatural. He seems to conceive of
nature or the natural as an eternal pro-
ceeding. He says, 1.-THE question is this:
Is the universe an institution, or pro-
ceeding-a mechanism, or an evolution
an out-of-hand structure. or a normal
proceeding of the eternal thought of the
infinite and inscrutable One"
"The naturalist conceives of nature
as Gods normal proceeding or mode of
manifestation, whereby from duration
unbegun to duration amending. worlds
are evolved and universe maintained"
If we understand this language, ma
ture is an eternal process CT evolution.
Matter is eternal and all that we call
nature or the material universe is pro-
cess unbegun and unending, whereby
worlds are evolved and a universe main
foip hot ic r1ofl 10
or wheel constantly revolving. There
is constant process OF Indignation and
disintegration. At one point on this
wheel we have star dust; at another,
worlds and systems of worlds; at another
human beings; and at another all these
things are resolved back into the original
star dust to begin the evolution and rev.
olution again. Nature is an everlasting
becoming" either something or moth
ing. making and an unmaking. in fine
an eternal proceeding.
Now. the question we are interested in
is the relation of God to this eternal
proceeding. Is he above and beyond it?
Is he in it but not of it? Or is he in it and
of it? Ii he is above and beyond it. then
we have the supernatural, for we have
something above and beyond the nat
ural. for the natural is this eternal pro-
ceeding. If he is in it but not of it. that
is, something distinct from it,-then we
have the supernatural, for our God then
is in nature but not identical with ma
ture. But if he is in it and of it. that is
identical with it-then we have lost the
supernatural, since we have lost God.
There is no God, only this eternal pro-
ceeding, for God is in this proceeding and
not to be distinguished from it. Now we
submit that when a man absolutely de-
MES the supernatural and says every
thing is natural, though he believe that
nature is this eternal proceeding, he is
an atheist in his philosophy whether he
knows it or not. for in his world of
thought there is no God
Everything is natural, therefore God
is natural. But this eternal proceeding
is natural, therefore God is this eternal
proceeding. And we submit further
that when minister gets so far as to
have nothing in his philosophy but this
eternal proceeding it is time for him ito
step down and out, for his occupation is
gone" Why? Because he has lost his