The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-07-31


is translation from the Greek; and
translations are often inaccurate. The
word translated damn" is more
correctly translated condemn" and
it is so translated in the revised YER
sion, and in some passages of the
King James version. There is an
ancient translation of the Bible that
makes st. Paul say, II am the villain
of the Lord Jesus Christ" The
translators did their best. In their
day the words villain and servant
were synonymous, but because SER
wants were so often rascals, the word
william" which originally meant
'one who serves came to mean zone
who was a rascal Of course no
one will think St. Paul villain
because of that ancient translation of
the Bible.
So many make the mistake of linn
iting Gods mercy to this life; where
as there is one Psalm (cxxxvi) in
which we are told twenty-six times
that "his mercy endureth forever"
Time is but part of eternity, and
Gods righteous judgments are con-
stantly going on; and SO great is his
adherence of sih that no transgres-
sion fails to receive its reward. That
sin is punished is clearly taught in
the Bible. "He that knew his Lords
will and did commit things worthy
of stripes, shall be beaten with many
stripes, and he that knew not his
Lords will and did commit things
worthy of stripes shall be beaten
with few stripes" No one need
think to escape just punishment;
but it is in mercy that God pun
ishes; it is to redeem us from sin.
Salvation means being saved from
sin, not from the punishment of sin.
How about hell7 some ask. The
hell that Christ spoke of was "Ge-
henna," place outside the walls of
Jerusalem, where fire was kept up
to burn the refuse of the city. 1t is
great pity there is not such hell
near many of the towns of the United
States.
You may believe in hell if you like
and you may make it as hot as you
choose, but don't make the poor sim
ner stay there always to writhe in
misery through eternity. Could you
be happy in heaven if one of your
loved ones was condemned to suffer
without end? What kind of heaven
would it be for us if some of our fell
low beings were banished to unceas-
ing miserya You are now too tender
hearted to wish a dumb brute to suf-
fer. Can you be ard-hearted when
you reach heaven and be perfectly
happy if your fellow mortals are to
be tortured throughout all ages9 All!
no, but like Christ you will want to
go and preach to the spirits in prison.
Christ is our exemplar for this life
and the next. What did he do after
his death. Read Peter iii. 10, 20
and you will see. ''He went and
preached unto the spirits in prison;
which sometime were disobedient,
when once the long suffering of God
waited in the days of Noah"
We may entertain different ideas
in regard to universal salvation, but
let us agree in this, that salvation is
being saved from sin. You remem-
Der that when the coming of Christ
was announced, the angel said, "Thou
shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their SINS" Let
truth be of such priceless value to us
that we will scorn to tell a falsehood
in regard to anything, or even in jest.
Let Gods ten commandments be the
law of our lives; and let us unite our
efforts to bring all to this great sal
walton.
DILLsBoRo. NC