PRAL DISCUSSION.

UNIVERSAL SALVATION.

Proposition First. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT all

WHO LEAVE THIS WORLD SINFUL WILL FINALLY BE

RECONCILED TO God, and saved.

[MR. MANFORD'S FIRST SPEECH.]

Gentlemen Moderators, Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have assembled to consider subjects of vast importance to us to all. We know that we now live, and we are taught by revelation that we shall live forever. Mr. Sweeney, my opponent on this occasion, and myself admit this. But we differ widely, entirely, concerning the condition of mankind on the other side of the River. He will affirm in this discussion, that part of our race will be doomed to suffer endless punishment, while I expect to affirm the final reconciliation and salvation of the world. The proposition we shall first consider, and to which we shall devote two days, I being in the affirmative, reads thus

The Bible teaches, that all who leave this world sinful will finally be reconciled to God, and saved.

It will be observed, that I do not affirm how or when this reconciliation is effected; only, "that all who leave this world sinful will finally be reconciled to God, and saved." I am fearful that all, or about all, the adult portion of mankind leave this world more or less sinful. The wisest and best well know their imperfections and shortcomings. With sorrow they acknowledge that they fall far short of spending life as the Master requires, for he admits of no compromise with sin. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God," says he, "with all thy heart, soul, and strength, and thy neighbor as thyself." "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." and curse not." "Render good for evil." fore perfect even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect." All this the Master requires. This is the Gospel standard. All who reach it are perfect Christians-Christlike, Godlike. All who fall below are sinners. There are grand and glorious characters in the world-multitudes of them-but do the best reach the Gospel standard? If not, then "all leave this world sinful." If Mr. Sweeney is right, I do not see but all the adult population of this world are on the direct road to hell.

"Bless,

"Be ye

there

Is the infant portion of mankind any better off than the adult? It is well known that the Catholics, and a majority of the Protestants, will have it, that children inherit from father Adam a sinful nature. And this seems to be the creed of Mr. Sweeney's church. If I am wrong he will please correct me, as I do not wish to misrepresent his people. Rev. Alexander Campbell, a great man in his communion, is very clear on the infant depravity question. There is no mistaking his meaning. "There is, therefore,” he says, a sin of our nature as well as a personal transgression." "Our nature was corrupted

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by the fall of Adam before it was transmitted to us." "All inherit a fallen, consequently a sinful nature, though all are not equally depraved." "Condemned to a natural death, and greatly fallen and depraved in our whole constitution we certainly are in consequence of the sin of Adam." Christian System, pp. 28, 29. All mankind, according to Mr. Campbell, come into this world fallen, greatly fallen, depraved, sinful. If this is correct, all who die in childhood must die in sin. They come into this world sinful and must leave it sinful, if Mr. Campbell is correct, for in the same book he repeats time and again, that " no one can scripturally be said to be converted to God until he is immersed in water," and he and his whole church discard infant baptism as an abomination in the sight of God. They believe in infant depravity, but not in infant baptism, or infant conversion to God. Children are born sinful, live their brief life sinful, die sinful, enter the other world sinful, and I do not see but they must be sinful forever if conversion to God is not allowed in that world, and that is Mr. Sweeney's ground. I call particular attention to this point, for it looks very much like WHOLESALE INFANT DAMNATION. If the gentleman's church is right, all, or about all, of Adam's race, infants and adults, will be "gobbled up" by satan. In affirming, then, "that all who leave this world sinful will finally be reconciled to God, and saved," I am advocating the immortal interests of mankind, for if the converse is true, the world en masse will go headlong down to hell.

The New Testament, as I read it, places all mankind in three respects on an equality. 1st, All are mortal, and must die; 2nd, All shall live again, and forever; 3rd, All shall finally be reconciled to God, and saved. But all do not die at once; all are not raised from the

dead at once; all will not be saved at once. Salvation is progressive here and hereafter. It is a growth in grace. The consummation is to be realized in the fullness of times, as the apostle Paul expresses it. And Peter speaks of "the times of the restitution of all things."

Our truest, highest, and best conceptions of God, are derived, not from physical nature, but from Man. He is the offspring of God, the image of God, the type of God, and therefore partakes of the character of his parent, his archetype; hence Man has all the attributes of God in a latent or active condition, but in a finite degree. Our Savior was a Man-"THE MAN Christ Jesus”—a Man anointed and qualified to instruct his brethren, mankind, in the ways of truth and righteousness, and thereby save them. He was a perfect Man, a colossal Man, the wisest of the wise, the best of the best; hence it is said he "was God manifested in the flesh," was "God with us," and for the same reason he said, "I and my Father are one." He was so Godlike that a Prophet actually calls him "The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isa. ix. 6. If we would know God, then, we must know Man, especially the Man Christ Jesus. Let us, then, see God through Christ-learn the character of God, by learning the character of Christ, who was emphatically the Image of God, the Glory of God, the Son of God.

If this is so and what Christian will question its correctness?-the Old Testament, and the New Testament, the Law and the Gospel, yea, all God's providences in all ages and climes, must be interpreted by Christ's Life and Character. When properly understood, they perfectly harmonize with the Life and Character of our Lord and Master. This view of our Redeemer makes him doubly dear, precious, and necessary to the world.