today, and forever." As a Father of all men, He loves all, cares for all, blesses all, seeks the enduring good and happiness of all. He governs all as a Father, disciplines them, rewards them, punishes them, under the dictates and impulses of an all-wise parental affection and regard, cherished and manifested from eternity to eternity. This is the grandest of all religious ideas, the most sublime of all conceptions of the great uncreated, the divinest of truths, worthy of profound contemplation, of loftiest commendation, of most reverential, heartfelt gratitude and praise.

But this thought or idea of the divine Fatherhood is not simply a subject of intellectual apprehension, a mere theory of the nature and character of Deity, but a most inspiring, uplifting, ennobling truth, sustaining intimate relations to human character and conduct, and having an immediate bearing upon human life in all its higher aspects, relationships, and possibilities. Nothing can so touch, arouse, inspire the soul of man as the doctrine of God as a Father. What strength, encouragement, comfort, consolation, is there in it! Morally and spiritually it is the most practical of all doctrines; impressing one with the thought that he is the child of a divine, all-perfect parentage, loved, cared for, guarded, and governed accordingly; making worship on his part, not only a sacred duty but a high privilege and a delight; causing him to see the sinfulness of irreverence, ingratitude, and disobedience, and to feel profound sorrow therefor; calling out his deepest affections responsively to the parental wisdom and love that

embosom him and his race; and quickening within. him the holy ambition to become Godlike in spirit, conduct, and character, to the utmost of his possibility.

The article of faith under notice transcends and excludes all such theological notions as that any portion or class of mankind derive existence from any other creative source than the divine Father;' that the Supreme Being reprobates any one or dooms him to endless sin and suffering; that He treats His friends with parental tenderness but his enemies as a vengeful sovereign; that whatever kindness and beneficence He manifests towards all men in the present life He will display only to those who die in the true faith or in compliance with certain alleged conditions of salvation in the life to come, while regarding all the rest as incorrigible offenders and aliens, to be shut away from His presence and His joy forevermore. It also transcends and excludes those corresponding ethical notions aecording to which slavery, war, capital punishment, vindictive penalties, and the whole list of brutal inflictions and customs are sanctioned and justified by individuals and nations, under the pretence that they are necessary to the public defence and welfare, and therefore' allowable and even commendable within the pale of the church itself. These and all kindred errors and delusions, born of ignorance and barbarism, are discredited and made reprehensible and odious when regarded in the light of the effulgent doctrine of the universal Fatherhood of God.

"The universal Brotherhood of Mankind and all finite moral agents."

1

In

This principle or doctrine is a natural sequence of that of the divine Fatherhood, and by logical necessity is closely related to it. No reference is made in considering it to beings or creatures below the moral plane, but all of every grade upon that plane are included in the category named, be they of high or low degree, dwelling in this or in some other world. The immediate and customary application or use of it, however, which makes it serve our present purpose, limits it to the sphere of our common humanity and especially within the confines of time and sense. regard to the relation of man to man and to the duties growing out of that relationship, the truth embodied in this second article of the platform of Social Order is as lofty and majestic in ethics as the first one is in polemics. In theory it may be partially or sentimentally apprehended by an inferior grade of mind and character, but in practice and as a principle of duty its far reaching significance and applicability can be recognized and understood only by high-born souls souls richly endowed with the wisdom and deeply imbued with the love of Christ. It is easy to rhapsodize over the idea of human brotherhood, to extol and glorify it in eloquent and fervid rhetoric, but to apply it and live according to its spirit is quite another matter; is the privilege and achievement only of those who possess much of the mind of the Master and who have drank freely of the waters with which his being was nourished and invigorated, the fountains whereof in the illimitable love of God are open to every one thirsting for them. Beginning with the individual the true sense of brotherhood

extends to family and friends, to neighbors and fellow citizens, to the larger and ever-widening circles of humanity, until all states and nations, peoples and races to the very ends of the earth, are included in the sweep of its beneficient desire and heaven-inspired purpose. So teaches and requires our elder Brother, Instructor, Friend, the Christ of God, and so sings the humanely religious poet of our mother land in the following lines :

"Self-love but serves the virtuous mind to wake

As the small pebble stirs the peaceful lake.
The centre moved, a circle straight succeeds,
Another still, and still another spreads;
Friend, parent, neighbor, first it will embrace,
One's country next, and last the entire race.
Wide and more wide the o'erflowings of the mind
Take every creature in of human kind;

Earth smiles around, with boundless beauty blest,
And Heaven beholds its image in his breast."

This principle of Human Brotherhood implies that the highest good of every individual, every associated body of people, and of the universal race of man is essentially the same, and that no volition, act, or course of conduct can be absolutely right which does not regard, seek, and legitimately promote the highest good of each and all of human kind. Whatever impairs or sacrifices the universal good cannot, all things considered, be best for one's country, family, or self; and whatever disregards or sacrifices the good of any individual, family, or nation cannot be on the whole best for the race. It becomes therefore our duty to treat every human being and every

class or association of human beings in the spirit of fraternity, with conscientious regard for his and their real welfare and happiness. The relation of brotherhood forbids that we kill, maim, torture, or harm any fellow-creature, however disorderly or wicked he may be, but it does not forbid us to rebuke, restrain, and chastise the disorderly and wicked, without positive injury to them, when they or the community at large are to be benefited thereby. It rather requires this oftentimes as a fraternal act and as a duty to all concerned. This is the proper application of the doctrine under notice as taught and exemplified by the Master.

This doctrine of brotherhood is a conclusive protest against certain ethical assumptions which are still popular in so-called Christian civilization, among which are the following; that self-defence or the defence of family, state, or nation, beyond a limited point of forbearance, justifies a resort to violence and even the destruction of life in extreme cases; that in such cases the good of the assailant may be sacrificed to the good of the person assaulted and to the safety of the public; that to spare the lives or show mercy to the outrageously lawless and criminal is cruelty to the innocent and reprehensible disregard of the common welfare; that patriotism is a primal virtue and may subordinate the precepts of the Gospel of Christ to the behests of the powers that be; and that the vindictive punishment of evil-doers and the destruction of those declared to be enemies of the state or nation are perfectly consistent with the teaching and spirit of Christ. If we cannot have a church