The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-05-16
PROF.. SWINGS THEOLOGY.
"a Reasonable OrthOdOx''-Presby-
terianisnl Interpreted by an Ad-
Vnnced Thinker.

The trial OF Professor Swing before
the Chicago Presbytery for "heresy,
now in progress, excites 80 much inter-
est among all Christian denominations,
that we publish in full the sermon
preached to his congregation on last
Sunday, as illustrating the form Of
false teaching with which be is charged.
Text-Rom. xii, 1-"Present your
bodies living sacrifice, holy, accepta-
BILE unto God your reasonable service.
The fact that Christianity assumes TO
come from God imposes upon 1t the OBJ
legation OF being wonderfully reasona-
bic and just in lis demands upon faith
and conduct. God is the great ideal OF
human righteousness, and hence that
which comes from Him must pass be-
| fore US in justice above the justice OF
politics or ordinary human action.
God is everywhere held forth as a
righteousness. How man can be right
eousness in the sight OF Him before
whom the heavens are unclean;
how man can be just with God
is the great question resting heavily in
each consciousness. Compared with
Divine Justice, human estimates Of
right aud wrong are like child's SUR
vey OF the ocean or Of the midnight
rky. The human family have drawn
much OF its happiness from the idea
that, in all their dark hours OF slavery
and tyranny, or pes!llence or poverty,
there was over them one being who
would make no mistakes, but secure 10
all the most righteous results. Though
the child OF God walk in the valley and
shadow of death, yet lie need fear no
evil, Tor Gods support would still COM
tort him.
Now, this infinite justice in some OF
its applications becomes what is called
asonableLess-a branch OF justice.
That God should be unreasonable is
i'm possible, for under such q confession,
the whole idea OF God disappears. He
is nothing if not reasonable. II 3 mas
ter should compel bis slave 10 toll
twenty-three hours day, he would he
condemned as an unreasonable master
Or God. therefore, who is the founda-
ton OF all Justice which man possesses,
perfect reasonableness is a primal at
tribute. Assuming, therefore, this
quality of the Divine Being, we ought
10 expect this infinite intelligence to
express itself in the ideas OF the Chris
,ian religion, for we dare not deduce a
religion OF nonsense from being OF
perfect intelligence. When The poet
says:
Yet doubt not through the ages one in
| creasing purpose runs,
| And the thoughts OF man are Wldeneu WIN
| the process Of the suns,
It il assumed that that increasing pur-
nose" is not the resolve of a mere des-
not, but of an immense wisdom and
| love. All through the Christian re.
ligion, therefore, there may be assumed
10 exist an intelligence rejecting the
image Of God, and appealing TO the
int IIigence OF man. Man being wholly
unequal to the Almighty, It will not be
possIble for this inferior creature TO
read perfectly the whole eternal pnr-
pose, but there will lie many place 10
the doctrines and practice where the
human reason will perceive the DIVINE;
There will be mysteries, but there will
evidently be manifested world Of what
we call common sense.
St Paul suggests this line OF thought
when he beseeches his brethren 10
bring to the affairs OF God, not their
lambs and doves, but their own bodies,
and not 10 bring them dead, but living
sacrifices, holy and acceptable, rea-
sonsble service; that what God needs
is not the death OF lamb or dove In
mans stead, but a devotion OF the
human heart to His law, His worship,
and thus bring, not some shadow,
some subterluge OF religion, but q
rational union Of the human soul and
its God. Offerings had served pur-
pose as Swallowing q religion, but they
had never been a positive religion. In.
stead OF being an education, they had
only been on alphabet. Real religion
is the state Of the mind end soul to-
ward the Creator, and all objects COM
ing between are only valuable go Tar as
they help this one result.
Fully realizing that much in Christi
spi,v is perfectly ineligible, and is not
simply a command issued out OF dark
ness, we seem to walk the path o. SAL
walton with better sel-consciousness
aud firmer faith. There is nothing
perhaps, which so retards evangelical
christianity as the common habit OF lie
i pulpit and pew to cry mystery more
than is necessary, and to blind thell
ewes TO reason, as though in coniesslng
reason they were denying the super
= natural, and opening the gates TO q
flood of rationslism. Although much
of infdeiity has come from the nslura
! wickedness OF man, yet II is not TO b'
: for moment denied that much OF i
4 has resulted from the extreme unres
a sonableness OF the teachings OF religion
in all church history. Such were the
I ex,ravagant statements OF doctrine tina,
/ in order TO find room for their loglca
mowers, scholars and thinkers lad tt
step outside OF the church. Faith, 10
example, was once interpreted as beinl
a blind belief, and that the more dith
cult the thing to be believed, tn
more merit there was in accepting it
70 make a doctrine reasonable wa
lust exactly what the enthusiastic day
O, faith tried to avoid. Hence, Luthe
-ays, "The high perfection OF faith is II
believe that Go / is just, notwithstanding
by His own choice He renders US niece;
y sarily dsmnable." This single sentenc
throws a world of light on that whole az