E. Manford

“ If eternal woe is the penalty, it should have been then and there, at the very gate of Eden, proclaimed in distinct and unmistakable language. This the welfare of man, in time and in eternity, required. If man’s everlasting weal or woe depends on his choosing evil or good in this world, that tremendous fact should have been announced in Eden in such thundering tones, that its echo would reverberate down all the succeeding ages, through every valley, across every plain, over every mountain, so that all the living, yea, the dead, should hear it. ”

“ Suppose there were nothing in this world but suffering, but if an eternity of bliss awaits us on the other side of the river, all the sufferings of earth would afford no evidence that God is not good. For every tear, every sigh, every woe, we should have millions of ages of happiness. But with very few exceptions, if there are any, all in this world, enjoy far more than they suffer. There are more muscles in the face for laughing than for weeping, which proves that it is the will of our Creator that there should be more happiness in our cup than sorrow. ”

“ You are a Calvinist, and in the language of John Wesley, “You may call me an infidel, a Turk, a Mahomedan, but don’t call me a Calvinist. I had rather believe in no God than believe he is an almighty tyrant.” You believe in a burning hell in which God will plunge most of the dead, to be his victims eternally. Is there any thing in the baldest infidelity half as infernal as that? You believe that God creates us all totally depraved, not capable of thinking a good thought or performing a good act, and if we do not change our nature, he will roast us in hell forever. ”

“ I am sure, when we shall have passed through the strifes and conflicts of this world, and can see the past in the light of their results, in the light of eternity, we will exclaim, ‘Love and mercy pursued us all the days of our lives.’ But misery without mitigation or end, without one ray of hope, nothing but an eternity of gloom, and the most intense agony, can never be reconciled with infinite goodness. ”

“ We must believe, repent, be immersed in this world, or be lost forever; no opportunity for salvation will be granted beyond the grave; God’s mercy is confined to this life, but his vengeance will extend through eternity; his mercy is only the evanescent spark of a flint, but his wrath will burn forever; this life is only the infancy of our existence, but his creed makes it the hinge on which our destiny turns; now, man is a moral agent, but death will destroy that agency, and he will be compelled to lie down in sin and darkness through the eternal ages ”

“ They stand out in bold relief from the mass of mankind, indicating the capabilities of human nature. They are pioneers in the intellectual and moral field, and the ground they occupy will ere long be occupied by all. They are beacons on the rushing stream of life to pilot humanity into the celestial haven.
The history of the earth and all therein and thereon, as revealed by science and history, illustrates the law of progress. This earth has been a theater of life for innumerable ages—how long it is not for us to know. Many of the remains of the old world are embedded in the crust of the earth ”

“ But the old heavens and earth will not pass away without great noise—not until the elements shall be melted with fervent heat, by the Sun of righteousness. The nations of the earth have long fought with steel and bullet, but now the great battle of ideas is being fought. The old and the new, the past and the present, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of satan, have entered the list; and as sure as the rising sun dispels the darkness, chill, and dampness of night, as sure as day succeeds night, will truth triumph over error in this conflict. ”

“ If they had believed in eternal punishment, they surely would have spoken of it in distinct terms, and warned their countrymen of their danger. You believe in ceaseless woe, and you preach it faithfully, earnestly. You are right; you act according to your convictions. And were Moses and the prophets less faithful and earnest? But they did not speak of it, and the inference is, they had no faith in the doctrine. But, sir, if that dogma is true, would not God have forced those inspired men to proclaim it to a dying world? Would God have permitted the Jews to be ignorant of so important a matter? ”

“ God wishes to save all mankind but cannot; God can save all mankind, but wishes to damn some to glorify his justice; God’s justice requires the endless damnation of all men, but his mercy pleads for the salvation of all, and yet God’s attributes all harmonize. Men are born totally depraved, and utterly incapable of doing anything acceptable to God, yet it is the duty of men to repent and turn to God; Christ has made an atonement for the sins of the whole world, but half of the world will be damned eternally for their sins ”

“ But what is one year, what are ten years, yea, seventy years of imprisonment, compared to endless suffering in hell? Let all the suffering of head and heart, soul and body, that all mankind have endured in all ages, and all climes, be combined in one pang, and that one pang would not amount to as much woe as one soul will suffer if doomed to endure ceaseless misery. ”

“ Justice has built a dismal hell,
And laid her store of vengeance there.”
Into this infernal dungeon, we are told, the Creator will thrust countless millions of mankind, swing the door upon them, and there they must remain the helpless victims of every vile passion, not for a day, but to all eternity; all grace, mercy, love, withdrawn from them; deprived of all opportunity, of all power, all means to reform their lives, and doomed by the holy God to be unholy through the eternal ages. Say not this is the work of holiness; say not the holy God will do what would be so unholy, so diabolical. ”

“ Old theories were looked into and questioned; and then the martyr’s fires were rekindled by the conservatives of that age; for every age has a class who love to stand up to their ears in mud at their old landmarks, and threaten all with temporal ruin or eternal damnation, or both, who make an effort to get out of the filth into the pure air and sunshine of heaven. This old hunkerism I abhor, whether in church, state, or literature. It would repress the energies of the world. Our motto should be—go where the stream of truth [340] bears us, regardless of consequences; they should not be feared. ”

“ To-day the sun may shine bright, and the air be as gentle as an infant’s breath, and our bark [48] may glide smoothly along, like a vessel on the mirrored deep; to-morrow, clouds and darkness may gather around, the storms of human passion, or of adversity may threaten the destruction of us and ours, and in despair we may give up all as lost. But let us remember, through the whole journey of life, that there is One who controls the storms of life as well as the storms of the ocean, and to every troubled heart he does or will say, “Peace—be still.” ”

“ Would not a king be justly deemed a fool, or a tyrant, who, in publishing his laws to his subjects, should be silent concerning the penalty, or make known only a part of it? Has God revealed the moral law, and is he silent concerning the penalty for transgressing that law? Is man wiser than God? Does the wisdom of earth exceed that of heaven? All admit, that part, at least, of sin’s penalty is revealed in the Law Book, but many deny that the whole of it is therein revealed. But why this partial revelation? Why was the world for four thousand years in the dark concerning the penalty of sin? ”

“ He cannot name a grog-shop keeper in this county, who professes to be a Universalist; but I can name several advocates of eternal punishment, and some of them were once members of his church, who are in that kind of business; and for every gambler here, who ever thought of calling himself a Universalist, I can name ten who will swear over their cards and bottles, that there is an endless hell; and for every Universalist he may produce, who uses profane language, I can produce ten advocates of eternal punishment, who blaspheme God and heaven daily by their profanity. ”

“ Take the spirit from the body and the body dies; take God from the universe and the universe would die—become an immense corpse. When we know our spirit, we know God; when we know our body, we have a philosophy of the universe. Man, then, is godlike in his nature; he is a spirit, has the attributes of a spirit, one of which is immortality. If God is immortal, man is, as he is in the image of God. I see no way to avoid the conclusion, if the premise is admitted, and if we deny that, we discard the plain teachings of the Bible. ”

“ We judge of a person’s character by his works. If his works are evil, we infer his character is evil; if his works are good, we infer that his character is good. We are safe in judging of God’s character by the same criterion. If he has built an everlasting hell, and will consign his own offspring to its dismal vaults, to be the victims of Almighty wrath, world without end, and all for the errors of a day, it is utterly impossible for Him to be good, much less, infinitely good. Goodness seeks the welfare, not the ruin, of the subjects of its power. ”

“ But the sun soon begins to impart his renovating grace to root and seed, and the result is, a general resurrection on hill, dale and plain. Nothing can resist his influence; all vegetation comes forth to newness of life. So the wisdom and love of heaven, corresponding to the light and heat of the sun of this world, illuminates and warms every soul, and quickens each and all into newness of life. ”

“ Many of the Jews did die in their sins, but it does not thence follow that they are condemned to sin forever. Because a man sins this year it does not follow he will sin all his life-time. God is not so in love with sin that he will compel a soul to sin eternally because this life was mis-spent. What would be thought of a farmer who compelled a man to cut down every tree in his orchard because he had cut down one tree? And will the God of wisdom and goodness, compel all to sin eternally who die sinners? ”

“ Jesus is the refiner; truth is the fire; man, created in the image of God, is the gold; the dross is man’s falsities. As the refiner with his fire separates the gold from the dross, saves the one and destroys the other, so Jesus, by the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, purifies our souls, separates the earthy from the heavenly, saves the one and destroys the other. Not a word here about deliverance from the flames of hell, or the wrath of God. ”

“ God is the Father of all, and his love extends to all, and hence we should be loving and dutiful children. We all belong to one family, are members of one household, and hence we should be kind, forbearing, and forgiving to each other. This is the gospel in letter and spirit, in theory and practice; and nothing but this is the gospel. It is all embraced in the word love—a little word, but the length, breadth, and depth of the universe are required to express its meaning. God is love, his purpose is love, and love will bless his children while immortality endures. ”

“ They prove, what all know to be true, that mankind have voluntarily corrupted themselves—some more and some less. None are perfect, none are totally depraved, and there are all grades and degrees, from the best man to the worst man. And as we corrupt ourselves, we can reform ourselves. Corruption and purity, right and wrong, evil and good, life and death, salvation and damnation, heaven and hell, are set before us, and we have the ability to turn from the wrong and lay hold on the good. ”

“ I am not at all surprised to hear people, who all their life-time have lived in the shade and gloom and sorrow of a dark, repulsive, and cruel theology, say, “Universalism is too good to be true.” There is such a vast difference between that partial, gloomy creed, and “the grace of God which bringeth salvation to all men,” I do not wonder they think the latter too good to be true. ”

“ We cannot see the spirit that inhabits this mortal body, but we can behold its work. It builds up and controls the body; gives strength to the muscles, vigor to the hand, brightness to the eye, manliness to the form, and genius to the brain. It constructs our railroads, steamships, and performs all the works of art. It employs human bone and muscle; but they are only its servants; the indwelling spirit plans all, executes all. What the spirit is to the body, God is to the universe. I can as easily comprehend the Great Spirit as I can my own spirit ”

“ If we are wise and partake of this feast of fat things, we live, are blessed with salvation, and the kingdom of God, which is righteousness, joy and peace in the holy spirit, reigns in the soul. But if we shun the rich provisions of the Father’s board, walk on the other side, choose darkness, error and sin, rather than light, truth and virtue, woe be to us. Every heavenly principle, every law of God condemns us, till we set our faces heavenward, and turn our steps upward. ”

“ But the truly good in all ages and climes, are blessed, let their outward circumstances be what they may. Virtue is a divine fount, whence flows the elixir of life; a tree whose fruit heals the nations. The good man’s soul is in harmony with truth and righteousness; he lives an harmonious, heavenly life.”
“But I cannot see that there is as much difference in the happiness of saints and sinners, as there is in their character. ”

“ The wise and benevolent Author of our being bases salvation on principles, not on rites—not on going into water, eating wafers, drinking wine, or offering incense. Love is the fulfilling of the law. God is love, his will is love, his power is love, his spirit is love, his work is love, his law is love, his gospel is love, and our whole duty is included in love to God, and love to man. The great need of the world is, more love, and less show and profession; more purity of the heart, and less washing of the hands; more soul religion, and less materialistic religion. ”

“ Sin would no longer be nurtured on earth. There would be no soil for it to grow in. The long hoped for, and prayed for, Millenium would be ushered in—all would know the Lord from the least to the greatest—the lion and the lamb would lie down together. This glorious era is predicted by Holy Writ, and God’s elder Scriptures. Revelation and nature unite in testifying that mankind, God’s noblest and best work, and for whom the universe was made, are susceptible of infinite improvement, that they will shine brighter and brighter to the perfect day. ”

“ Instead of bringing life and immortality to light, it proclaims eternal death to nearly the whole world; instead of being good news to our race, it is a howl of everlasting despair; instead of being a blessing to the world, it is an unmitigated curse; instead of its proclaiming that God is the loving Father of mankind, it announces that He is full of partiality and hatred towards most of His creatures. Never again prostitute that blessed word, gospel, by calling your partial, cruel and revengeful system by that dear name. ”

“ The two grand eras in our life below, its beginning and its close, birth and death, must be viewed by them as really beautiful and equally divine. The departed know by experience what death is. They have tasted the cup, and know that it contains, not a poisonous draught, but the wine of life. They know that this is a world of shadows, not the world above.
When the hour of death arrives, the couch of the dying is surrounded by invisible friends, as by those who still abide in the flesh; and one hand of the dying is held by those to whom he is now to bid adieu ”