Universalism

[ Eng.universal; -ism.] 1. Church History: (1) The doctrine held by large numbers of Chris. tians that all men, and also the devil and fallen angels, will be forgiven and will enjoy eternal happine . This belief is very ancient, and pa ages implying it may be found in the works of Origen and his followers, Gregory of Ny a, Chrysostom, . 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 Til lots on, Burnet, and William Law, and more recently the late Profe or F. D. Maurice. All Unitarians hold it, and some of Universalists agree with Unitarians in rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity. The Univer salists ground 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 submi ion of all things in heaven and earth to His righteous will. When righteousne is triumphant peace and happine will prevail; until then pain and suffering will be instruments to work out the will of God. They profe to prove chin, men. [UNIVERSAL-RELIGION.] "The denial of true universalism to Islam is somewhat spreading more than either Christianity or Buddhism." contradicted by the fact that the -Atheneum, Oct. 14, 1882, p. 490. ū-ni-ver-sal-ist, s. & a. [Eng. universal; -ist.] A. As substantive: *1. Ord . Lang .: One who pretends to understand all statements or propositions. "For a modern free-thinker is an universalist in speculation; any proposition whatsoever he's ready to decide; every day de quolibet ente, as our author here profe es." -Bentley: On Free Thinking, §3. IMG:content-0171.png:[blocks in formation] (3) One who believes that the mi ion of Jesus was to all men; not to the Jews only. "The advanced Universalist means to indicate that the multitudes of the heathen world may be brought into Christianity without any such disruption of the Christian Church as to his faint-hearted predece or had seemed inevitable." -Matthew Arnold: God and the Bible , p. 229. B. As adj .: Of or pertaining to any form of Universalism. ū-ni-ver-sal-Ist'-Ic, adj. [English universal; -istic.] Of, relating to, or affecting the whole; universal. "Egoistic and universalistic hedonism." -Prof. Jevons. ū-ni-ver-săl-1-ty, *u-ni-ver-sal-i-tie, s . [Fr. universal ité , from Low Lat. universalitatem , acc us. of universal it as , from Lat. universal is universal (q. v.).] The quality or state of being universal, or of extending to the whole. "Universality belongs not to things themselves, which are all of them particular in their existence." -Locke: Human Understand., bk. iii., ch. iii. ū-ni-ver-sal-ize, v. t. [Eng. universal; -ize.] To make universal; to generalize. u-ni-ver-sal-lý, *u-ny-ver-sal-ly, adv . [Eng. universal; -ly.] In a universal manner; with extension to the whole; without exception; so as to comprehend or extend to all; generally. "The consequence was that he was more universally detested than any man of his time." -Macaulay: Hist. Eng ., ch. xii. *ū-ni-ver-sal-ne , s . [Eng. universal ; -ne .] The quality or state of being universal; universality. ( Richardson . )