The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-12-17
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. c. B. ETSLER.
Theme. Future of the Church.

and a fine speaker. he was llsteheu
to by q large audience. He SAID;
would ask you to consider WIN
me this morning something OF the
future which we are to WORK OUT ior
our church. In the first place, ! be-
lieve that in order to achieve tne Dest
resulta we must be essentially one
big family. that we must realize that
relationship, and that as members OF
the family we are responsible for the
welfare OF our church home.
We know that the home Is the cor
nerstone of the nation, that the home
Is the foundation whereon are reared
the superstructures OF society ana oil
the state And we would repeat, that |
for this our church organization we !
should have as our example and pat |
tern-the old-fashioned home We |
want this our church home to be the
dwelling place of our church family:
We want every man, woman ana chliu
of us to look upon themselves as
members of this family and inmates
of this home. Then, and only tnen
can we have the spirit of good felloW,
ship and brotherly kindness, without
which Christian growth ana progress
is impossible But before we con-
slider the future of our family here,
let MS first make It known to all men
| that as our creed we have inscribed
above our altar the Saviour's con-
densed statement of the substance OF
both law and gospel: "Thou shalt
| love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind, and thy neighbor as
| thyself" If a man can subscribe 10
this statement then he is a man TO-
| gether with whom we can plan anu
work. and he is a fit member for TINS
our family.
In considering the future for our
+ church, it may perhaps be well II we
but glance back upon the work OF
past and present. The religion OF
Yesterday was a religion based on
conception of God as being fearful
and terrible. He was regarded as
great Judge or ruler who admins
tered law in justice, but who must be
feared. and whose anger must be ap-
peased. Universalism has given us an
idea of God as the universal Father,
the Father of us all, the Father who
SO loves us and who 80 desires our
best welfare that He chastens and dis
ciplines us, not for His own satisfac-
ton. but rather that the chastening
may yield for us the peaceable fruit
of Righteousness.
The old idea, too, of physical hell
as the eternal abode of unrepentanI
sinners has given place to the teach
ing of Universalism that all life, both
here and hereafter is one-that 1t Is
, a great school-that opportunity fol
repentance and salvation never ends
but that God will discipline each sou
with Hts tireless love, until all souls
know and obey Him. All these
changes have been toward that broad
er religion known as Universallsm-
5 "that Universalism which means har
= mony--man at harmony with himself
at harmony with his neighbor, at mar
mony with his God" THAT Univer
salism which teaches also that Jesu
is the great Harmonizer, that ii
e came to reconcile man to his duty, I
1 dealing unselfishly with his brother
4 to honor and obey his God"
; What other religious conceptio
can point to so many changes in tn
. old-established ideas of God and re
! ligion, and can say these are tn
l. changes; these evolutionary change
= toward the light and truths that haN
5. been brought by our maintenance.
l. the principles of our church? B'
"a people tell us: "Oh, you Unive
salists cannot progress, because u
other denominations have ceased
u preach hell fire and endless tormen
" they have stolen your thunder. A
s though their creeds recognize the o
I'd ideas, yet they now preach theolot
VS. which is practically Uniyersalism, b
IN under another name" What does u
"A argument amount to? Universalis
- has brought about the change fro
the old theology OF hell to the ne
Low nd n
sr- churches have seen the light al
Is. have modified their preaching. B
lis we maintain that this is no reas
oh why Universalists should cease
-, preach Gods endless love. If othe
40 preach 1t, how much more should '
u0 the original supporters OF the fai
et seek by our works to maintain a
ow spread abroad the good tidings of
Gle and love.
me But for fully successful deveit
.si- met we must have within us, will
each individual member of our ia
lly. strong spiritual life. We m
loI mediate upon and consider we'll Il
TO conception of God as our Father,
ng. universal Father, who watches o
Elf us to lead and guide, even as did
TIL earthly parents in our weak and ne
less infancy. Then shall we be
IN to think Of God as He truly is-rea
ing down His hand of love. for
I'm turn to reach and grasp and Z
no be drawn from out life of sin
the path of right. The gospel OF |
had yersalism shows God as wholly u
Iop- the side of mankind, His intel
get and love for every soul Is endless
,em He not only strives and scare
~ for the prodigal child here and
- but also in the hereafter. uni
'eFe salism holds that God the Fathel
all souls will not limit His effort
one save His children by the bound
our line of death; once our Father, II
)uld always our Father, bound by e.
non attribute of His paternal love to
nee. labor for our good.
Moreover, our faith teaches
neis there is nothing in death Itself
siec- can irrevocably FIX the character
ltrol ever for good or for ILL.,
y do There Is no reason apparent to
IIton man Judgment why 1t should be
possible for a soul to repent an
saved before death and not In
diately after" AS has been 4
written, "God is forever moving
,rldu whole moral power OF the uni
',,+oh toward the redemption and salyi
80 NJ the entire human race" But
sslah here let me consider for mo
1856 one of the common misrepres
still tions In regard to our belief.
lome Many times we hear the rem
tend "oh, you are Universalist, are
day. Well, that doesn't seem to me
show much of a religion where people
a .kNI