The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-09-18

sermons described God as simply an
arbitrary and cruel monarch, abso-
lutely without character, wholly the
incarnation of power. And the sal
walton which he preached had just as
little to do with human character. 1t
was wholly the result of decree
made without regard to moral action.
The moral sense revolted at all this
and as extremes always follow ex-
tremes, irreligion and infideIity pre-
vailed.
Into the midst of all this contradic-
ton and turmoil Universalism came.
At once it was assailed as infdel.
Murray was Calvinist, minus the
doctrine of Reproduction, holding to a
universal election in Christ who was
man representative and substitute
in bearing all that was due to human
sin. Winchester had been a high
Calvinist, but as a Universalist had
some leanings towards free will
Hosea Ballou, the first five years of
his Universalist belief, was also a
Calvinist, with strong leanings to-
wards Rellyanism, Murray's theory.
In 1895 Hosea Ballou became a
Unitarian and preached it so vigor-
ously that, as the late DIR. Ballou
recorded, "by 1906 these views pre-
lied almost universally in our
church,
From 1870 to 1905 several books
We're published against Universalism
branding it as inidelity and one, uni
versalism Confounds and Destroys
ITSELF" from the pen of Rev. Josiah
Spaulding, dealt with the diversity
of views entertained by Universalists,
as evidences of inconsistency incom-
patible with the truth of its basal
doctrine of the final salvation of all
souls.
Impelled, doubtless, in a large
measure by this vituperative opposi-
ton and malignant abuse, and in
part by other considerations to which
attention has been called by DR.. Eddy
in his History of Universalism in
America, the Convention of 1903 gave
us its famous Profession of Faith.
And when they set forth in this, as
against the untenable doctrine of Pile
nary inspiration. the reasonable doc
trine that 1.-The Scriptures contain a
revelation" that God has a character.
his nature being Love- that the
Universalist Church is not deistical
but Christian, God being revealed in
the Lord Jesus Christ, by the Holy
Spirit that all men are to be re-
stored to holiness and happiness, in
stead of being put arbitrarily in
particular locality, or excluded by
like arbitrary selection from another
locality;-that holiness and happi-
ness stand in the relation of cause
and effect, instead of being wholly
dependent on something done by
another in our stead, and 80 clear
ing us of our deserts; that a personal
obligation rests on each human be-
ing to maintain order and practice
good works, instead of resting on the
imputed merits of another; hundreds
of men and women who had been
tortured by the old creeds, driven to
atheism by their cruelties, or led to
desert the churches because their
teachings insulted reason and the
moral sense, became happy, consis-
tent, useful, Christians by becoming
Universalists.
Such is, in brief, the history of
some of the circumstances surround
ing the creation of our Profession of
Faith, and the results which fol-
lowed its avowal. Should it now be
thrown aside? We will consider in
future articles some of the reasons
offered for abandoning it.
cunmrurnrn