The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1876-05-18
RELIGIOUS.
Tr. Installation C. the Rev. WIN. Kincaid at
nhar

Tr. Installation C. the Rev. WIN. Kincaid at
0beriin.
We make the folio wig extracts rom the
report Q: proceedings 0. ''I@ Congregational
Council at Oberlin, Ohio, convened for the
purpose of installing Mr.. Kincaid in the
church to which he had recently been call
ed, and which, We have no doubt, will be
read By tie religious people Of this COM
munity with interest, al With no little
surprise:
As preliminary to his doctrinal examins-
ton, Mr.. Kincaid told his religious eIpe-
rience, and the reasons that led him TO
choose the ministry as profession.
The first theol gical questions asked
were easy-about the abstract being Of
God and his personality and spirituality.
Mr.. X incaid's definition of God was, that
ahe is an eternal, omnipotent, intelligent
spirit" spirit being ''immaterial personal
ity," a reality, because he ia the desire OF
ali souls and the belief of all peoples. Pro-
ceedinR from this to the Trinity, the can
didaie vas asked, "Do We learn anything
Of the Trinity from experience or in ma
ture?7 Laconicaliy he answered, mo,
sir, We do not" quite oblivious Of all those
nice analogies, and those ardent
confessions, OF the books Of piety, Of the
three forms Of carbon, o, the raptures OF
devotees. To the next question, "How do
Won reconcile the Trinity" which We take
to be bungling way of saying, "How do
YOU make the Trinity a reasonable doc
trine ~ the candidate answered, 81 gave it
I'D long ago. 1t cannot be reconciled to my
satisfaction, spoken like a manly and
truthful man. "Who was Christ p was
the next question. "Son of God in the
flesh" "Is he man toreur" "ies,
man forever" This is what a Unitarian
would emphatically say. "Did Christ by
his death take the punishment from men,
and thu, secure their salvation pa very
important question. Note the answer:
"No! II men sin they are gully, and their
punishment cannot be transferred TO another %
what did the sacrifice of Christ express,
then, and what was the force Of it," at
expressed Gods lore, and its force is to in
duce men to love God"
This is explicit enough, one would think.
But the answers did not stop here. Mr..
Kincaids views of sin are singular ortho-
doxy. Sin, he says, "is voluntary tdnsgession
of tdu," and to the question, "What is orig
inal sin ?" his answer is, 81 don't know" an
answer, sad to say, received not with horror,
but with daughter" in an evangelical as
sembly. A miracle, Mr.. Kincaid defines to
be "a superhuman and supernatural event"
President Fairchild's definition, and 81
can't improve it." More laughter.) All
who love the Lord Jesus should partake Of
the Lords Supper, said Mr.. Kincaid. They
tried to make him say that the memorial
service was only for "church members" but
he would not say that. His invitation to
the Lords table was to all who love God
and try to live Christian lives. The church
may have the right to say who are fit, if
they choose, but the matter had best be left
to every mans conscience"
In the matter of election, Mr.. Kincaid's
doctrine is, that Gods foreknowledge does
not interfere with any mans free agency,
In regard TO Congregatio,alism and eccle-
siastical councils, he has very free opinions,
thinks that an independent church is one
that does not call an advisory council"
and that the basis of council is fellow
ship and brotherly love-" showing himself
as far off from Prof. Dwight as from DIR.
Dexter, from Andover az from Brooklyn
and he affirms that all the force of a couL-
ell ia ,oOrnI