The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-01-09
BY REV. W. c. sELLEcK.

z At the Everyday Church, Bos on, Mass, z
Sunday, Nov. 8, 1896.
NSSSSSSSSSSS SS~SSsSSSSSSSSSS
ssNo man hath seen God at any time. If
we love one another God dwelleth in us, and
his love is perfected in u.s." l. John iv.12.
HHERE are two great conceptions
i of the Divine Economy which
have played a prominent part in the
history of human thought thatwhich
makes God the soul of the universe,
indwelling in the world and espec-
tally in man; and that which virtually
places Him outside of the universe.
as the mechanic stands outside OF
the machine which he builds. The
former of these conceptions was
peculiarly natural to the Greek mind'
and in some measure also to the He
brew; while the latter was mainly in
digenous to Roman soil, and flour
ished most abundantly amid other
characteristic products thereof. The
one conception presents us with
Being who is the Light and Life OF
all we see, the Sustainer of all worlds,
the Inspirer of all hearts, the Guide
of all destinies-in other words, as
the Immanent Spirit, "who is above
all and through all and in all" and
who therefore "is not far from every
one of US; for in Him we live and
move aud have our being" The
other gives US Deity who created
the heavens and the earth and then
retired from the scene to dwell in
transcendent glory; who views this
world from afar and governs it by
sending an ambassador into it, some
what as the Roman emperor gov
erned one of his distant provinces;
who, therefore, is to be known and
worshipped, not as near and dear
Presence felt in all the joy and sor-
row of life, but as remote Sovereign
who must be feared and honored by
compliance with the rules and regu-
lations which his regent on earth
may institute.
sharp Distinction Noted.
1t is plain that there is sharp
distinction between these two views
of the Divine Nature, and that they
must lie at the basis of two quite
dissimilar systems of religious phil
osophy. AS matter OF fact, such
has been historically the case; the
first conception gave rise to what has
been known as the Greek or Alexan-
drian theology, prevailing during
the first three or four centuries OF our
era; and the second conception gave
rise to the Latin or Roman theology,
underlying the teachings and polity
of the Roman Catholic church from
She fifth century to the present time.
Now the author of our text, wheth
er he was Jew strongly influenced
by Greek philosophy, or Greek
subsequently converted to Christi
anity, evidently wrote from the
standpoint of the first of these two
views-that of the Divine lmma
nence; and therefore it was easy for
him to use such language as occurs
in the chapter from which it is
taken: "No man hath seen God at
any time. If we love one another
God dwelleth in us, and his love is
perfected in US. . God is love;
and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth
in God, and God in him. In the
light of what have said, let us try
to see what deep and vital truth
these words contain for our spiritual
nourishment.
Our Experience with Love.
In one way or another we all have
some experience with love. In child
hood, youth or manhood it touches
every life more or less potently No
heart goes utterly unblest by the
sweet influence of this instructive
grace; or, if SO, sad indeed is such a
heart. 1t manifests itself in different
ways and degrees, and we havediffer-
ent words to represent its various
aspects: attachment, affection, kind
ness, sympathy, goodness; but in all
its forms it is essentially great nat
ural force operating within the soul
to quicken, prompt and impel, and
we may believe that it never entirely
dies down in the breast of any hu-
man being. 1t is often suppressed
and buried beneath mass of arti-
fatalities and worldlinesses; it is fire.
quently perverted and misdirected
by untoward influences; and it is
sometimes overborne and seemingly
destroyed by wanton wickedness and
unspirituality; but, through all its
roots still live, and under a proper
husbandry may be made to grow and
bloom and bear fruit, in spite of all