The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1899-03-31

Wnom loving 1agner Woui0 welcome
back TO his rightful home.
2. The doctrine of ssthe DEGREES" has
also been affected. We still believe that
God has decreed and planned, but this has
become purely speculative matter, re-
moved from the field OF the practical.
problems of human life, since no one can
know what God may have deereed. We
think Of God, not as an arbitrary power
to act according to His sovereign pleas
ure, but as tour Father" who would
have His children develop powers Of
thought and act akin TO His own. He
does not undertake to do all, but aids us
in our striving.
A good man, now passed on to hia re-
ward, said to me. as we were conversing
on religious subjects, ~ hope I shall be
saved, if I'm electedi" / was so taken
aback hardly knew what to think. Ii
seemed like the last dying flicker OF a
theology that I had supposed was no
more, gone forever with that hideous
monstrosity of infant damnation on the
basis of non-electionI Surely the world
of thought moves ON, and God has more
and more light for us. Whom He did
foreknow, He also did predestinate. .
This means that destiny is not an arbi-
trary fiat Of God, but based upon Tree
human choice, the future results of which
God foreknew. Not q sovereign, who
decreed that men should sin, provided a
means of escape from it's dominion.
| 8. Christian Thoughts has also under
gone great change in it's setting forth OF
| the doctrine Of the Atonemsnt, and the
change is still in progress. The Chris
tian church believes in and valves the
atonement of the Son of God for the sins
Of the world as much as it ever did. But
it does not now picture God rs an angry
sovereign, insisting, like Shylock, on his
pound of human misery, no more or nc
less, as penalty for their wrong; with
whom His Son pleads for mercy, an6
who finally allows the Son to substitute
his own blood and agony for that OF sin
full man; and that the sufferings Of ths
innocent can be legally transferred Il
Lk40 aNSUAAlU Va pA1S 0AAuys 1850 RASSSA
generation has largely abandoned! thil
line of thought as inconsistent with tn,
Divine Fatherhood. 1t views the atone
ment as largely ethical in it's nature
Reformation, not vengeance, is the emf
in view. God as Father, and as revealed
in Christ, was reconciled TO man from th,
foundation of the world. The atonemen
was the setting forth to man of the aw
fulness of sin in the light Of such sac
rifiee, in that God should see it necessa
ry to go to such q length to win man Il
Him. 1t was the portrayal
OF THE LOVE OF GOD
in way which should be potent TO max
man realize that love, forsake his sin
and yield himself to God TO
pardon, cleansing, restoration, to tn
blessings of fiIial relationship, the joy
of the Fathers house.
4 4. The theology Of the Divine Father
hood has laid hold also upon the doctrin
Of man. In no way does it modify th
deepest conception of the exceeding sin
fulness of sin. Ia fact it makes sin tn
more henious, since it is not mere revol
from an exacting sovereign, but disloY
atty, ingratitude towards a loving Father
Man, even at his worst, is the migrate
full, erring. wandering child, whom tn
, Father would have come home.
Ill once talked with an evangelist who's
, conception was like this: ssGod mad,
/, thn firaH human hainua Sin Hia inns or
! When, however, they sinned IN the Gar
den Of Eden, they lost the divine like
ness, and, with all their descendants, es
i cept as regenerated though repentanc
} and faith, were not the cAildreA OF God
i Any flial relation with him must be ID
novo.'" God gave them up. This is q
: anomalous condition; it makes man
: sort OF race OF higher animals. But 1t
! difficult to see how an organic, vital n
! Iasionship can be altered back and forth
/. A son Is son. whatever and howeve
! unfilial his conduct may be. IL q chill
goes astray, the problem OF the paren
1 Ills, not 10 make him the parents chill
again, butte restore him TO the pr0pe
I filial spirit. II God was ever father to th
: human race. il man was ever made In th
all image OF God, the relationship must pei
+ sist through any amount OF Wayward
! ness. The true appeal TO sinful man
!, not simply to bow 20 sovereign Create,
{ but TO appreciate and respond to
d Fathers love.
y >. The doctrine 81 Scripture feels nd