The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-07-17


God lives and is all powerful, he
must agree with the central thought
of the Universalist Church, whether
his home is with the liberal or con-
sentative body. That the Universal
list Church is based on the fundamen-
tai doctrine of philosophy, is proof
positive that it is certain to survive.
Universalism is above all, phase
of Christianity. There is fashion
in some quarters to sneer against the
name of Christian. There are those
who like to be liberal Christians with
the "Christian left off," When we
have morally and spiritually passed
the divine master, it is we'll enough
for us to drop the name Christian,
but that will not be while the world
owes such a debt to the great teach
err. Universalsm is founded on the
higher notes of the Bible. The wars
that our fathers fought have lot been
forgotten. The old Universalist knew
his Bible in way that shames many
of his descendants, who have really
descended in that regard.
The thought which Jesus gave the
world in the parable of the good
Samaritan, of the lost sheep, and the
prodigal son, is the thought which
finds its most perfect expression in
Universalism. 1t is the thought not
of cruelty, not of unfair justice, but
rather is it the thought of the search
ing, the caring, the never-failing love
of divine parent. In teaching the
world to say, "Our Father" Jesus
laid the foundation for the develop
ment of the thought of Universal SON.
ship. Origen, Clement, Theodore,
and many others of the church faith
ers took this thought from Jesus, and
it was the prevalent thought till the
church wanted to conquer the barbar-
ians.
Paul was one of its most earnest
advocates, though he has long been
misunderstood. M. August Sab
batter, the great st. Paul scholar,
shows clearly that his thought of the
conquering power Of good, Paul was
near enough to Jesus to catch the
spirit of his work, and the thought of
Gods power to overcome evil was
naturally the central thread of his
teaching. The cruel, misunderstood
doctrine of partial election never
came from the correct Interpretation
of Pauls thought. 1t came rather
out of the hard conceptions of a later
age.
Now that there is such call for
the world to go back to Jesus and to
Paul, we may be sure that the world
is coming to see that it has been &C.
cepting the doctrines of the middle
ages instead of the teachings of Jesus.
And as the world goes back to these
first teachers it will find that it is
growing nearer to this thought of
Gods power and mans worth, that
has been advocated by many through
the centuries, and by the Universal
ist church during the past century.
Because the Universalist faith is in
accord with the teaching of the Bible,
of Jesus and Paul; in other words, be-
cause it is a Christian, it will survive.
Another reason for hope in the life
of our faith, grows naturally out of
our fundamental thought. Univer-
salism is vitality affirmative, not
coldly negative. In spite of past err
rors, this has ever been largely true.
Ours has ever been a live Gospel,
and when a live man got it in his
heart and mind, he could not keep
still about it. "Speak out and be not
ashamed should ever be our motto.
There is enough truth to show with
out putting too much emphasis on
the evil. There is too much need of
people being called to nobler living,
to dwell to any great extent on the
trancendental omnipresence of inco-
herence. The lifeless being will de-
generate rapidly enough without
need of any one tearing it asunder.
If a church deals in cold negations
it is bound to pass into state of in
tellectual frigidity, which is worse
than intellectual vacuity, with life
possibility. Kid-glove and high
shake Christianity is not the life. Civ
ing religion that the world must
have. We must beware of aristoc-
racy in religion. We need more of
those men who perspire when they
preach, rather than that type who
send cold chills to the hungry heart.
The ringing words of the whole