The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-04-10
INTUITIONS AND THEOLOGY.

DIR. EDWARD BEEcHER, in "The Con-
fict of Ages" that now almost for
| gotten book, which gave him his
| greatest fame, made this compre-
hensive statement, which deserves to
live in connection with his honored
name: "God has made the human
mind to have decided intuitive con-
victions as to what is consistent with
equity and honor These we are not
violently to suppress by preconceived
theories or assumed facts. If any al
legged actions of God come into col
lision with the natural and intuitive
judgments of the human mind, there
is better reason to call in question
the alleged facts, than to suppose
those principles to be false which
God has made the human mind in
tuitively to recognize as true"
Never has the moral sense, or what
we may call the inward witness, or
the conscience, been better stated, es
pecially in its relation to Theology,
and the character of God, and the
things that are alleged of him. Bet
ter that we doubt any creed born of
earth than this implanted instinct
whose source is Heaven. Better put
aside all the high argument" or
notions of cloister-bred theologians
that offend this high sense, than to
silence and annul it. 1t is a sign
of progress that we hail with much
hope, that men now judge the creeds
and dogmatic statements of Chris
tendon by the standards of reason
and right, and reach conclusions
more in accord with the divine char
acter. This test is sanctioned by
Scripture and all who are governed
by the moral sense in interpreting the
action of the divine are in the line
which not only reason endorses, and
the judgment approves, but are
also acting in accordance with the
divine call which says to us, "Why
even of yourselves, judge ye not what
is right"
The great multitudes who within
the last half century have raised the
voice in earnest protest against the
theology handed down to them,
stand justified in application of
this appeal to reason and right.
They have done right in refusing
to ignore and silence their divinest
instincts and the demand to swallow
unquestioned the old creed. They
have simply followed the example
of the patriarch of old in the spirit
of their remonstrance, not admitting
those things to be true of the Hea.
venly Father which men have alleged
against him. In this use of the
moral sense, or conscience, applied to
the decisions of theology, the last
half century has witnessed a great
advance.
Take as an illustration, one out of
many that might be given-the al
legged course of God with the pagan
world. The standing conviction for
a long time was that he condemned
pagans enmasse to the shades of eter-
nal despair. This was the accepted
tradition of the church, passing al
most unquestioned, certainly unchal-
lenged, from generation to generation.
What an awful outlook it made for
the pagan worldl For benighted
millions there was no hope, for the
sages and poets, and the great souls
that shed the light of their truth
along the dark passage ways of his
tory, and the unnumbered millions of
their followers, there was no chance
granted, no rainbow of promise span
ing their lives.
A terrible doom awaited all. The
Infinite, it was held, would cast them
into endless burnings. All these were