Universalist Church

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

a com munion holding the doctrine that all men, and also the devil and fallen angels, will be forgiven and will enjoy eternal happi- This belief is very ancient, and ness. passages implying it may be found in the works of Origen and his followers, Gregory of Nyssa, Chrysostom, etc. It is also said to have constituted part of the creed of the Lollards, Albigenses, and Waldenses. Among the English divines who have held some form of this doctrine are Tillotson, Burnet, and William Law, and more recently the late Professor F. D. Maurice. All Unitarians hold it, and some of the Universalists agree with the by Government surveys and explor- Unitarians in rejecting the doctrine of ing parties. The collection is especially the Trinity. The Universalists ground tries and customs of the American Indian their reasons for their doctrine in the love of God, who, they say, is only angry with sin, not the sinner, and therefore if the sinner repents even after death his repentance will restore him to God's favor. The sovereignty of God will be finally vindicated by the ultimate harmony of the moral universe, and the submission of all things in heaven and earth 1 to His righteous will. When righteousness is triumphant peace and happiness will prevail; till then pain and suffering will be instruments to work out the will of God. They profess to prove their doctrine from Scripture, quoting in support of it Matt. xxv: 46, John xvii: 3, I Cor. xv: 22, Phil. ii: 10, Eph. i: 10, Col. f. 19, 20, and I Tim. iv: 10. Universalism is better known as a distinct sect in the United States than in England. In 1827 a division arose among the American Universalists concerning punishment after death, some asserting it to be limited, while others denied it altogether. Some separated from the main body and called themselves "The Massachusetts Association of Restorationists." Most of them afterward joined the Free-Will Baptists or the Unitarians, while the others returned to the main body. In 1840 the whole sect divided into two, the Impartialists and the Restorationists. But Universalism is also held by many members of other sects, and practically by all Theists strictly so called. See UNITARIAN CHURCH.