impulses, desires, emotions, aspirations of the heart, out of which are the issues of life, or to the influences, inspirations, ministries of the spiritual world above, and the helping grace of Him "from whom cometh down every good and perfect gift." Against such misapprehensions, illusions, and deceits, a true church of Christ would be fully protected by the article before us. Vol. I, Discourses XVIII-XX. [See (7.) "It is divinely ordained that, under the mediatorial reign of Christ, good will finally triumph over all evil in the world of humanity, righteousness and peace everywhere prevail, and God be all in all.'" By "the mediatorial reign of Christ" in this declaration is meant that feature of the divine order of the universe, or that manifestation of the over-ruling Providence of God, which is often termed the Christian Dispensation that great movement in human history, imperfectly represented by the nominal church, which started under the leadership of Jesus of Nazareth some 1900 years ago, in Palestine, of which he, through his teachings, life, and character, has, during the intervening ages, been the inspiration and guiding star; and by which he, under some high commission from the King of kings, was qualified, empowered, and authorized to be a medium of communication between God and man for the uplifting and redemption of the entire human race. The good that is to triumph over all evil includes everything holy, pure, divine; all that makes for order, righteousness, peace, happiness; while evil represents the opposite, whatever is in itself wrong and vile, and makes for disorder, immorality, degradation, misery. Good and evil, as thus defined, are in natural moral antagonism to each other, and have been in conflict for the mastery of individual souls and of the world ever since man appeared upon the earth. And the conflict is to go on in this and in the future state of being, wherever man is found, good ever advancing, evil ever retreating, until at length good shall gain complete and universal victory. Then, as the result, shall righteousness and peace prevail the righteousness and peace of Christ's Gospel-and God shall indeed be "all in all;" not in the theological sense of omni-presence as a natural attribute of Deity, but in the sense of spiritual unity, made real to human faith and consciousness according to the prayer of Jesus, "As thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us;" and to the saying of John, "He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." shall the mission of Christ be fulfilled, his work be consummated, and his name be forever glorified. A few errors excluded from the catagory of true Christian beliefs and set at naught by this article may be specified, to wit:-That this mortal life is the sole probationary period for man, and affords his only chance for gaining heaven; that at death every man's destiny is fixed for all the eternity to come; that while the good may grow better and the bad worse in the future state, no one can turn from bad to good, or in any case reform his evil ways; that no moral agencies are there employed to save lost souls; that Christ, as Teacher, Guide, Mediator, is of no account beyond the boundaries of time; that he has no just claim to the preeminence given him in the capacity indicated even in this world, all progress and happiness here and hereafter being attained by the invincible necessity of nature and nature's laws; that sin and evil as pertaining to the human race will continue to all. eternity, and the impenitent dead be consigned to utter extinction of conscious being or to irremediable woe, world without end. None of these doctrines, however specious and attractive in some of their aspects, or awful in others, have any foundation in Scripture, in reason, or in sound spiritual philosophy, and have no place, therefore, in the platform of a true Christian church, but are to be forever discredited and proscribed. The moral government of God, of which Jesus is, above all others, the duly accredited Ambassador and Vicegerent among men, must be the same at all times and in all states of being, and must be administered in the interest and for the ultimate well-being of all its subjects. Yea, more; it must be an all-powerful government, going forth conquering and to conquer, wherever its heralds lead the way, wherever its ensigns are set up, and in the end gain the victory over all its foes, bring all souls into submission to its authority, and win them all to heartfelt, grateful, happy allegiance to itself, to God, its Sovereign Head, and to Christ, its Minister Plenipotentiary and Commandant on the earth, who "must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet." Then, and not till then, shall he return his commission to Him who gave it, yield his place in the great mediatorial scheme of redemption to Him who appointed him unto it, "that God may be all in all." [See Vol. I, Discourses XXV-XXVIII.] DISCOURSE XII. EXPOSITION OF THEOLOGICAL FAITH. PART 2. "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."- I Tim. ii. 5. "Thou hast known the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.” — 2 Tim. iii. 15. "Why even of yourselves judge ye not what isright?". Luke xii. 57. "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man.". Acts xxiv. 16. In the present discourse I am to continue the discussion of that portion of the general Statement of Theological Faith proposed for the true Christian church, which has already been designated under the following head, to wit:- 2. Christ, The Scriptures, Reason, Conscience. (1.) "The historical Jesus of Nazareth is preeminently the Son of God, the foreordained Christ, Lord, and Savior of the world; to be loved, reverenced, trusted, and obeyed in all sincerity and loyalty of heart." A deliberate, freely-given assent to and confession of this proposition or article of belief places |