Love's Final Victory. Horatio
of Enthusiasm—Restoration the True Incentive—Effective
Because Reasonable—Torment Not Really Believed—The Heart Often Truer
Than the Head—Necessity for Preparatory State—Could Not Have Details
Revealed—Orthodoxy of the Torment View—Trying to Believe It—Be Not
Afraid of the Truth—Extreme Calvinists Signally Honored—The Reason
Why—Our Innate God-given Convictions—Meagre Expenditure for
Missions—Tacit Acknowledgment That Endless Suffering Is Not Believed.
XIX.
WORKING MEN AND THE CHURCH.
Efforts to Attract Working Men to the Church—Restoration Would Largely
Solve the Difficulty—Common Sense of Working-Men—Glorious Expansion of
Truth—Recasting Traditional Views—The True Basis for Unity.
XX.
THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN.
Beauty Evolved from Chaos—Future Capacity of Motion—Gleams of the
Invisible—Changing Into the Divine Image—Crying Out for God—From
Barrenness to Beauty—The Glow of the Firefly—The Effulgent
Divinity—Universal Sense of Beauty—Sunset on the Prairie—Guardian
Angels—Death As Seen from This Side and That—Sunset on Yellowstone
River—A Drop of Dew—Reality of Heaven—The Literal and the
Figurative—The Spiritual Body—Expanding Glory of Creation—Sunset in
Dakota—Lights Dim and Clear—Christ's Unsullied Purity—A Rent in the
Cloud—An Imprisoned Lark.
XXI.
THE FINAL DAY.
Everlasting Love—Resources of Infinite Wisdom and Power—Redemption of
the Whole Race—Forecast of the Final Day—The Conquest of Love
—Christ Is Satisfied—He Is Singing with Joy—Ancient Prophecy
Fulfilled—Adoration of the Heavenly Hosts—The Saviour Crowned.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION.
The circumstances under which these pages came to be written are rather peculiar. I am in favor of church unity, and I had thought of writing something that would tend to bring the churches into closer harmony. I am persuaded that their unity of doctrine is greater than is usually supposed; I endeavored to make this apparent by citing a long list of doctrines on which the churches tacitly agree.
But in all faithfulness I had to recognize a striking difference of opinion when I came to speak of the doctrine of future punishment. On this profound question I had to recognize that there are honest differences of opinion. These could not be summarily dismissed by a hasty yea or nay.
There are three views that are entertained, which may be expressed thus: Extinction; Restoration; Endless Suffering. Not only do these different views prevail among different churches; they prevail also among individuals in all the churches. In fact, it would be hard to find a thoughtful church of any name in which each of these views is not represented.
While there is this diversity of view, there ought surely to be toleration. It is a profound subject; I am very conscious of that; yet I think there may be ultimate harmony if we are only candid enough to lay aside all prejudice, and give the matter our serious and impartial consideration. And surely, it is worthy of that. In my view, there is a right conception of the matter, which if generally entertained would go far to lift a dark shadow from the heart of the world.
For myself, I may say that I was brought up in an orthodox church that professes to believe in endless suffering. I had not, even at a mature age, examined that doctrine critically. In fact, I shrunk from examining it; I think most people do who professedly accept it. It is the doctrine of the church, and the easiest way is to assume that it is all right. If it was formulated by our learned and pious ancestors, the usual idea is that it's good enough for us.
A thoughtful mind, however, could not but recognize that there is a serious difference on this question in different churches that are admitted to be evangelical. Not only that, but there is a difference between thoughtful men in the same church. Hence, I was led to adopt, and to state, my own views here. The arguments that I was thus compelled to use expanded far beyond my expectation. Then I recognized that a plea for unity along with the advocacy of a contested vital doctrine, do not hang well together. Moreover, the space that I felt compelled to give to this doctrinal defense, induced me to cut it loose from my plea for unity, and present the matter separately.
* * * * *
On this most serious question I must say that I have read but very little. Even Dr. Farrar's standard work on "Eternal Hope" I have not read. But I considered this to be no serious disadvantage, on the whole. I conceived—and I think it was no undue egotism—that my own originality and naturalness would balance in a large degree the completeness which otherwise I might have attained. I think it is no small advantage to see the natural working of an open mind, not warped by other people's opinions and arguments.
But there was more than that. It is said of Christ that He is "The true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world." I cannot but think that I have had some illumination from that Source. Once in the night season, when I wished above all things to sleep, I was kept awake, and an idea came to me that was never in my mind before. In the morning the idea was written down. The following night the same thing would occur again, and again a new thought was written down. The same thing continued for weeks, with hardly an intermission.
It did not strike me until afterwards that this might be a special, divine illumination. Yet why should it not be, except that I was utterly unworthy? But then I remembered that it is to "every man," however unworthy he may be, that this divine Light comes. So it may come to many when they do not know it.
In this case it was not really so surprising. When we think of the Power and Grace that are so bound up with the theory of Restoration that are as yet so little recognized, might we not expect special, divine aid in making known such a glorious revelation? As I have noticed elsewhere in this treatise, neither of the two alternative theories brings anything like such glory to Christ as the theory of Restoration. Is not this an overwhelming argument that the theory is true?
At all events, there is now more toleration for such views than there was some time ago. I know that many Congregational ministers hold to the doctrine of Conditional Immortality; and there is no bar to such views in that church. Dr. Farrar's "Eternal Hope" does him no discredit to-day in the Episcopal Church. So with Dr. Edward White's doctrine of Conditional Immortality. But there are some who still hold tenaciously to the orthodox faith, and are quick to resent any departure from it.
Well do I remember a conference that was held in Dr. Parker's Tabernacle in London several years ago. The occasion was the meeting with the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. The large church where we met was nearly filled with ministers. During Mr. Beecher's talk one of these zealots for orthodoxy flung out the inquiry, "Do you believe in everlasting punishment?" Beecher—manly man that he was—immediately responded that he did not. At once there was an uproar. The great majority, I believe, whether in sympathy with Mr. Beecher or not, would have allowed the matter to pass in respectful silence. But there was a small minority who felt bound to stand up for orthodoxy. For a time there was great confusion. I remember Parker's dignified protest. "Brethren," he said, "this is a Conference; it is not an Inquisition."
Truly,