The New York herald., 1873-12-08
HANSON PLACE BAPTIST CHURCH.

-
FuIton-What Ii Is and Who Is Bound
by It-Beechcr Sailing Under False
COlOrs-Lessons from the Vile du Havro
Disaster and Bishop Cummins' New
Church Movement.
The Hanson Place Baptist church was crowded
Yesterday morning, and the Rev. Justin d. Fulton
preached upon "A Creed-what is 1t and VINO Is
bound by It," taking his text from ]. Corinthians,
iv 13-"We having the same spirit OF faith accord
ing as it is written believed. and therefore have
spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak.'
lie said
The skies brighten. The clouds OF error and the
mists OF prejudice begin to disappear before tho
noontide radiance OF the sun of righteousness.
Let us thank God and take courage. The words Of
Paul are lifted by the proydences OF the hour into
new meaning. 1t begins TO appear that truth has
binding power; 1t produces convictions and leads
to results. No matter how this result Is reached
by whom 1t comes, there Is hope, because IL De-
gins TO appear that floating without chart, COM.
pass or commander is perlous. 1t has been well
said "that mans religion is the chief fact In re-
gard to him. The thing that man does practi-
cay lay to heart and knows for certain concern
ing his relations to God, to men, TO the present
and to the future, is in all cases the primary
thing for him and creatively determines all the
rest.
the loss OF brains but it is rather an evidence o.
both. The fool hath said. .srhere is no God.' He
is without a creed because he is destitute OF the
faculties which enable him to perceive truth, ac--
cept 1t, and to be ruled by IT, The talk against
creeds Is a sad commentary on the inanlty OF the
times A creedless man is a fathless man. He Is
cut loose from truth and he drifts whittier the cur
rent bears him. Those who believe and think, and
are Influenced by thought have cTeed ana are
bound by IL and viii stand by IL. A CHRISTIANS
ntnrp nj
the Word OF Cod A man without a creed is man
without thought He is destitute OF chart and
compass. Whoever claims TO have studied coos
Word and Is without 4 creed proves that he lacks
brain or logic or honesty.
THE REV HENRY WARD BEECHER
is in trouble not because he contends Ior the in
dependence OF the church, but because ne dld NOT
contend for II before: He has sailed IL ior years ears
eminent preacher has been for years IN belief )
Baptist. lie confesses that there is no infant
sprinkling taught In the scriptures, and tnat I'M
merslon is baptism. May God grant him strength
to come out and stand with us, in contending Tor
the faith once delivered to the saints. fhe has a
creed let him enunciate it. Let him take the
Word oil Go1 and follow lis teachings and become
safe leader. A creed is to faith what a road M Is
to civilization. 1t Is the outline for thought, the
waymark In the wilderness or error Leading 70
the open Canaan OF truth. 1t is the outgrowth OF
Hence 1t Is not strange that the numbers increase
who believe alike and work in harmony True, the
wnoss o sp sneS Of wno believe
the truth and teach H. hut of those who prolessedly
believe the truth and betray It, The objections to
creed arise very largely rom the TACT that men
seek to please the world, seek TO
SERVE GoD AND MAMMoN
and refuse 10 be held and bound by the require
ments OF the gospel. We have seen men COM
manded to "Go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature" and to say, "He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he
that believetn not shall be damned,' reject the
commission trample on It's requirements, ignore
the need OF the atonement. OF repentance oil
sin, OF faith in Christ and OF obedience 70 these
positive commands. Others again object to
in the Word Of Goo which they cannot compre-
hcnd, therefore cannot believe. In this they make
a terrible mistake. There may be truths which our
childish inteilects cannot grasp and which little
lives too short to athom and measure-truth5
NAV be our misfortune nut It Is not an arrument
against the existence Of the truth. AS a rule the
most bitter opponent OF a creed Is the man whose
buked by the teachings OF the Gospel The truth
is distasteiu to him and he abhors It,
BISHOP CUMMIN5
furnishes an illustration of this truth. The lato
assistant Bishop OF Kentucky frankly declares
that he rejected certain forms and ceremonies
deemed to be important In the church OF which he
was q member. He did not conceal his opinions
nor attempt to distract the church by contending
for them among those VINO might regard him as
untrue; but, following his convictions, he came
out, has formed new organization IN harmony
with his views and purposes, determining TO sall
the sea of life in another ship and with another
crew and In accordance with an older and better
chart We have for HIM q word. Go back beyond the
prayer book to the Bible. Come out from among
those who would letter the truth with forms and
ceremonies; make G0d'S WORD rule OF Ialtn
and justice and We shall start together. To-day
more than ever do rejoice in having been brought
INTO the Baptist Church where the Word of God
rules without let or hndrance. therefore seeing
we have this ministry, As We have received mercy
we faint not but have renounced the hidden
things OF dishonesty, not walking in craitness nor
handling the Word OF God deceitIully but Dy mani
festatl0n Of the truth commencing ourselves to
every mans conscience in the sIght OF Cod we arc
troubled on every side yet not distressed; we are
perpexed but not In despair; prosecuted but not
forsaken; cast down but not destroyed"
Ihn thcttt tttnQ al fA fakn In V1o n0f
creeds deserve attention. Some contend IL would
be wise to cut loose from God, destroy the Bible
the best things believed by ali; embody
them in creed wDlch should be accept
able TO all SO reason those who claim to
have outgrown what Is written and TO be-
aDe TO produce something better In the future
than was ever produced in the past. But the idea
OF creed implies faith In God rather than faith in
man. Eclecticism in laith is so-called remedy.
Men select this and that from creeds, embody
them IN given form and fight for them. In
this way they drop out eternal punishment, the
divinity OF Jesus Christ the authority O1 the
Bible, and bring It down to SO low plain
in it, and then claim that men who believe in God
revealed in Christ and as set forth in the Scrip
tures must give up that which honors ana gort
1cs God for that which pleases poor fallen men,.
Their efforts failure. They may destroy faith,
but they uproot the foundations OF nope and leave
the soul shelterless. The true remedy. and the
only remedy, is found in believing. There Is q
mighty faith that is ike an anchor to the soul. and
that holds man. mans creed is otentimes
very short and very weak, because he knows so
little about God that he refuses to accept His Word
as law.
1t is not honorable or praisew worthy TO be with.
nut a creed, and SO to declare Faith makes or de.
stroys men. Faith in God saves. Let your faith
grow until you can take the entire BiDle and say,
] believe 1t. Avail yourself OF the attanments Ol
others. Believe that knowledge did not begin WiIn n
you and will not end with you. Remember tnat
there is nothing which can be compared WIN tne
Information which endures for time ana ctermty
knowledge Is to q Christian what arnor is TO q
soldier.
We are In the midst OF
We need settled principles to govern US OF we
shall be swept aside or driven back. HOW lmpor'
tant that these fundamental facts OF rengion, en-
bouied in creed, be produced ana read that they
may enter into the staple OF thought so that
we NAV be able TO give TO every one a reason 0i
tho hone that ia in IN with meekness and leari
The word is TO take on more % and more the cnarac-
ucvo and tninK and say are to determine the char
acteristics OF the age in which you live.