The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-17

Testament Is vital Truth and the
Universally OF Salvation is a vital
Part Oft Good Tidings.
Rev. +. w. Whippen, i'm All Souls
Universalists church yesterday morn
ing, preached an interesting sermon on
"Why ] Am An UniveHalist Chris
tian." He took for his text words
fl ON John xii: 80 as follows: And 1
IL l be lifted up from the earth viii
draw all men unto me-" The speaker
said, I'm part:
We have had recently, heralded by
much advertising. u lecture by noted
speaker upon the topic why / Am an
Agnostic." and naturally by the Chris
tian preachers of this city there has been
u great deal said since, with more or
less relevancy, in defense of the Chris
tian position. One preacher last Sunday,
as reported in Mondays Tribune, kept
colse to the lecturer by taking as his
topic, "Why l am Not an Agnostic.' The
sermon did not exhaust the theme; many
sermons will not but 1t seems good for
us, as one sect of the great Christian
church. to consider SOME of the thoughts
that from our standpoint belong TO this
most vital subject.
1OnSlueG llllS, ny 1 am lIllNtI-
salist Christian" The topic naturally
divides into two heads. In the first place
We are Christians. And we are Christians
because we find grounds for coniidinS
in the New Testament. We conllde in the
New Testament because we can trace the
book back almost to the days of the
apostles. We have strong proof that the
Bible existed. as we have it now, in the
year $50 A. d. Between this time and
the age Of the apostles was a body of
preachers and writers whose words bear
conclusive testimony to the early writing
Of the New Testament. Orgen, living be-
tween the years IS6 and 253 was familiar
with ii. So was Tcrtullian living a little
earlier. Justin Martyr who was born
in the year 100 a. D., quotes very freely
from it. And Polycarp. who was the
friend and pupil of ST. John. has ac-
cuTate quotations. There is solid ground
for the belief that the first three Cos
pels were written as early as 50 A. D.,
that Mark wrote before 70 a. d.
ARE TRUE NARRATIVES
And there is testimony of another sort.
The Gospels read like tue narratives not
like fiction They give us picture of Il
Messiah that nobody expected. 1t seems
that 'only u Christ could invent
Christ" Jesus surely is 1t real person
and He claimed 10 be from God See
the words of Dean Leonard of Tufts Di-
vinity school He had been an impos-
ter, or suppose even that lie had gone
on imagining that lie had superhuman
power. how in that moment, face to face
with DEATH would the mask be stripped
from deceit and every fond delusion
ShriVeed up"
testimony we have grounds FOR Cond-
ING in the Gospel story.
SecOnd-Then we are Christians. be
cause, the Gospel being true, its truth
must be of great Importance. There Is
some truth about which it makes no diff
| ference whether we entertain it. But
the truth of the New Testament is vital
| truth. In Christ God speaks to the world
and counsels the world, and feeling that
| to be true We must listen and try to
| obey.
Third-Then We entertain Christianity
| because there is comfort and satisfaction
| in so doing. Our faith helps us in trial
| and sorrow and bereavement. All our
| days are blessed by it. We are Chris
| being such.
| FOurth--And we are Christians because
| through Christs religion comes the best
| life. This Is the ideal life. He shows
what God has planned for us all. From
| Him comes an inspiration and a help
|
We travel far along the road of faith
with our neighbors. But there is place
where we part company with them. We
| are Cniversalst Christians. Our under
| standing of the Gospel cannot be told
| by simply substituting "all" in the place
| of orthodoXy's some" but our purpose
is served now by saying that when Saliva
| ton Is considered as a harmony with
| God in righteousness We believe in the
salvation of each and every human soul.
| We believe that this universally of sal
walton is a vital part of the good tidlngs.
UNIvERsALISM EXPLAINED.
First - And we are Universalist
| Christians because We think that
the Bible teaches Universalism. Some
of PauPs statements are very strong.
Hear him in his letter to the Phil
| ippians, Wherefore God hath high
| ~ exalted Him and given Him a name
| which Is above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow,
OF things in heaven and things on earth
and things under the earth and that ev-
cry tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God
| the Father" Hear him in his letter 10
the Corinthians, "As in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made
alive" Hear the Lord himself, as he
thinks of His coming agony. now like a
| ram VI iJANlllc lIluiuDudUl music dfe
| His words. And l, if be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all men unto me"
Near the Christ is His parable of the
| Prodigal Son. The Father loves the boy
while he is deep in sin. lie loves him.
The welcome home will never be ou;
dated So We are Universalist Chris
tians because the Bible gives assurance
Second-Then the doctrine satisfies rea-
son. If God has made man liable TO eV-
erlasting sin and torture, why He has
done so is beyond the power of man to
conceive. What purpose can there be in
endless misery? Shall we say restraint!
Does this dreadful possibility before
mems eyes keep them in the right way
What situation! In order to save some
souls, God must damn others! 1t cannot
be. (And annihilation is no better. Ev.
cry human soul is a child of Cod
Universalist salvation Is reasonable. II
must be that God wants the salvation OF
all men. Win He not have it? Is any
other doctrine of human destiny, in view
of His purpose and His power and re.
sources, reasonable in the least?
Jesus is presented as the perfect and
triumphant Saviour How can He be a
perfect Saviour il in any case lie fails
to save? How can he be triumphant II
sin holds its place and testers in the race
forever? God must succeed. Universal.
ism is true or Christianity is a failure.
OPPOSE ENDLESS sUFFERINGs.
Third-We are Universalists because
hat dA NUfn sNfl a.