Article I. We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments contain a revelation of the character of God and of the duty, interest, and final destination of mankind.
Article II. We believe that there is one God, whose nature is Love, revealed in one Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit of Grace, who will finally restore the whole family of mankind to holiness and happiness.
Article III. We believe that holiness and true happiness are inseparably connected, and that believers ought to be careful to maintain order and practise good works; for these things are good and profitable unto men.
2. The conditions of fellowship shall be as follows:
A. The acceptance of the essential principles of the Universalist Faith, to wit: 1. The universal fatherhood of God; 2. the spiritual authority and leadership of his son, Jesus Christ; 3. the trustworthiness of the Bible as containing a revelation from God; 4. the certainty of just retribution for sin; 5. the final harmony of all souls with God.
The Winchester profession is commended as containing these principles, but neither this nor any other precise form of words is required as a condition of fellowship, provided always that the principles above stated be professed.
B. The acknowledgment of the authority of the general convention and assent to its laws.
The polity of the Universalist Church may be described as a composite of the Congregational, Presbyterian, and Episcopal systems. Primarily it is democratic, and is modeled somewhat after the constitution of the United States. In each state of
the union there is a convention, meet-
3. Polity. ing yearly and made up of the minis-
ters in fellowship and residing in the state, and lay representatives chosen by the parishes. Each of these conventions has jurisdiction within the borders of the state, in matters of fellowship, ordination, and local missions. Over all is the general convention of Universalists, which meets biennially, and is composed of delegates, clerical and lay, in definite proportions, chosen by the state conventions. This body has a national charter and a permanent board of trustees who have charge of general interests during the interim of the conventions. For the further administration of affairs and for the quickening of spirit a system of superintendency has lately been adopted. First
Universalists
(in time), the several states appointed each a secretary or superintendent of churches as its servant in the promotion of religious life. Then the general convention appointed a general superintendent of all the churches in its communion. These officials correspond respectively to bishop and archbishop, especially in the original meanings of the words, and without formal authority except to counsel, advise, and encourage. Thus, on the whole, it will be seen that the Universalists are nearly related to the liberal Congregationalists. In popular estimate they are often associated with the Unitarians, but they differ from them in assigning more value to the Bible and to religious life, and in laying emphasis on the personality of God and the endless life of every soul, whereas the Unitarians (q.v.) include many who teach that God is impersonal and that the wicked will be annihilated, and some who doubt the future life altogether. More effectively, perhaps, the Universalists are separated from the Unitarians in having different traditions and in belonging mostly to a different social class, the middle class.
II. History: Pantheists of all times have held a form of universalism, but with an important difference from the modern meaning of the word; they have taught that all
souls will be absorbed into the Infinite, and rt. Univer- will lose their personal identity. Christian
Galicnvin Universalists believe that every soul will live
forever as an individual and will attain a the East. proper development and final salvation. For this reason orthodox Hindus and Buddhists and many of the speculative philosophers, even some that are called Christian, can hardly be included in this account. The earliest Universalists, more strictly so called, were Zoroaster (whose date is variously estimated from 1500 to 500 B.c.) and his followers the Parsees, who remain in this faith unto the present day (see ZOROASTER, ZOROASTRIANISM). Next inorder of time were Jews, some of whom since shortly before the days of Christ were Universalists. Among Christians and those associated with the Church the first advocates of Universalism were some Gnostics (the Valentinians, Carpocratians, and Basilidians, about 130 a.p.; see GNOSTICISM; BASILIDES AND THE BASILIDIANS; CARPOCRATES AND THE CARPOCRA- TIANS; VALENTINUS, VALENTINIANS) although their doctrine as to individualism is not entirely clear. At the same time, or later, certain orthodox Christians who were the authors of the forged Sibylline Oracles (q.v.) were undoubtedly Universalists. The earliest system of Universalistic theology was by Clement of Alexandria (q.v.), who was the head of the theological school in that city until 202 a.p. His successor in the school was the great Origen (q.v.), the most distinguished advocate of this doctrine in all time. His mind had something of the largeness of Plato combined with Christian piety, and his influence was felt for many centuries throughout the Hast and to some extent in the West. The next great philosophical theologian in the East was Gregory of Nyssa (q.v.). Then came Theodore of Mopsuestia (q.v.), distinguished as the promulgator of the grammatico-historical exegesis (see Exnausis oR HERMENEUTICS, III., § 3; and Antiocu, Scuoou oF), and of a Biblical scientific theology containing a portion of the theory of evolution applied to the history of mankind. His influence for some centuries was more extensive than that of Augustine. Johannes Cassianus (q.v.) should also be mentioned. He was the author of Semipelagianism (q.v.). Under the instruction of these great teachers many other theologians believed in universal salvation; and indeed the whole Eastern Church (q.v.) until after 500 a.p. was inclined to it.
In the West this doctrine had fewer adherents and was never accepted by the Church at large. In the first five or
six centuries of Christianity there were six
2. In the ‘mown theological schools, of which four
West. (Alexandria [see ALEXANDRIA, ScHooL of], Antioch, Cesarea, and Edessa or Nisibis)
were Universalist, one (Ephesus) accepted conditional immortality; one (Carthage or Rome) taught endless pun-