The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-01-16
THE BIBLE AS APPLIED TO OUR
SOCIAL INSINOERITIES.*
BY MRS. BELLE G. JONES.

In attempting to treat this import
ant subject, we are at first thought
compelled to frame an answer to the
query,-What is the Bible? At this
advanced stage of enlightenment and
progression, we are aware that we are
dealing with question that is being
answered in the minds of many today
according to the spiritual wisdom
| they possess; therefore, for the pres
ent, we will give just such an answer
as will convey the truth and at the
same time be plainly understood by
all. The Bible, then, is a book, or
collection of books, containing true
revelation of the nature of God and a
description of his character, which
constitutes a sure guide to Christian
faith. Within mans spirit there is
yearning desire for development, or
in other words, for liberty. freedom
to be like him who is our Father.
| Added to this we have natural evil
dences that convince us that the way
to liberty, and, therefore, happiness
is through a life of right living,
strengthened by Christ-like faith in
God, and finding that the Bible bears
us out in this belief, we are con-
strained to prize it as an invaluable
guide.
Then it is to its pages we turn
whenever we are in doubt or confu-
sion because of the failure on our
part to understand the spiritual
voice of inspiration, or of nature, as
the case may be, and we are enabled
by the help of the divine written law,
to better understand Gods natural
law. AS written law of right we
cannot dispense with it.
Now, coming direct to our topic, if
we would be able to live by the Bible
and apply its teachings to our lives,
we must become spiritually devel-
oped, so as to be able to receive from
it's teachings the spiritual lessons and
laws necessary for the governing of
our lives, individual and social. Our
individual lives are full OF mistakes;
our social lives are much more so, not
because of nature born of innate
perversity, but because of our igno-
rance of binding necessity of spirit
ual development to which we must
attain before we can successfully I'M
derstand and apply divine law.
Our social insincerities, or human
views of matters and things, do much
to retard mans spiritual growth.
Human opinion without the aid of
spiritual development, will surely
narrow down to low selfishness, arro-
gance and hypocrisy, and yet when
thus enthralled, will contest its right
to judge spiritually. Wehave in our
different everyday associations and
organizations, many striking exam
Piles. AS fact, in many of our
Christian institutions, where we pro-
fess to hold fast to the principles of
the spiritual development and eleva-
ton of humanity, which can only be
through right and liberty, and while
we pretend to freedom, we ourselves
are slavesto popular ideas and human
limitations.
If spiritual thought and liberty are
the causes of that development which
enables us to advance a step ahead of
the present thought, too often we are
not brave enough to be sincere and
tell the truth, the fear of becoming
unpopular restraining us. Insincerity
has done more to blockade the pro-
gress of truth than has ignorance.
"The blessed Sermon on the Mount
was full of sincerity and truth. The
life that was heralded by "the Star in
the East" was priceless history of
sincerity. Do we, as Christians,
practice the sincerity taught us by
that life7 Did we find the Saviour
withholding the truth that was his
to impaIt to the world for fear of the
displeasure of the peoplei We are
"Rtad at mid-year meeting of Universallst
Ministerial Circle Of Indiana. at Devon, Dec. 2,
1896.