Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-11-14
The Bible and tho creais.
AN HISTORICAL CONSENSUS.
\O Ill

| AN HISTORICAL CONSENSUS
NO. Ill.
I'VE dissent because We deny the right
| of any body of men, whether civil or &C
| clcsastical, TO impose human crGcds, tests
| or articles; and because We think il our duty
not TO submit to any such imposition, but
| to protest against il as Il violation of our
essential liberty to judge and act for our
selves in matters of religion.
They will not subscribe to human forms
which themselves believe, when such form
ularies are pressed upon them by an incom-
petent and uSurped authority" - IHdrfic
hippis, ID. d., (ditd 1880.
GCoSFEssIoNs are . in no way to be made
use of as an imposition upon any. What
| ever is of force or cOnsraint, in matters of
this nature, causeth them to degenerate from
the name and nature of confessions, and
turns :hona from, being confessions of faith
into impositions and eNactiOns of faith. -
SdrQy Con feSsiOH, Pr9tiice Cl65S).
CHURCHES may have platform by way
of profession of their faith, but not binding
rule of faith and practice. If SO, then
they ensnare men, attending more to the
form of doctrine delivered from the author
ity of the Church. than to the examining
thereof according TO the Scriptures. =
Richard WdtAer
To PRESCRIBE. the confession of faith
of one church TO be a form and pattern unto
Others sad experience has showed what u
snare it has been To both. John Cotton
died 1862
'IF men did really and sincerely submit
their judgments TO Scripture, and that only.
and would require no more of any man but
to do SO, it were impossible but that all con-
troversics touching things necessary and very
profitable should be ended; and if others
were continued and increased, it were no
matter. - William Chillingc0rN.
AL things in Scripture are not alike
plain in themselves, nor clear alike unto all
yet those things which are necessary to be-
known, believed, and observed for salvation,
are so clearly propounded and opened in
some place Of Scripture or other, that not
only the learned, but the unlearned in a due
use of the ordinary means, may attain unto
u sufficient understanding of them. - West
minister Confession, L., :.
THEY the Westminster and Savoy Con
LESSONS never had the authority of standards
with us; rs some have supposed. They
have the authority of truth with us, so far rs
they may agree with the Bible The same
may be said Of our Platforms. they are
lights which all are free TO use or not as they
please. "-,JoAa Mitchell
WHAT is the actual relation of this Savoy
Confession to the Congregational Churches ?
! answers a test or standard of truth, as :;
scheme of faith prescribed for the belief of
our ministers or church members, as Il con-
dition of communion, as piece of legislation,
it has no authority at all...Thc authority of
that confession, then, is the authority of Il
historical document - LtoHGrd Bacon
(lS33).
"a CoNGIEGAIIoSAL Church, as ii has nu
constitution but the Bible has NO standard
but the oraccs of God. And if any other
churches think they have Il better standard,
let them show, if they can, wherein ours is
insufficient. = leonard Bdcon (lS33)
lCREEDs ''are used us standards of Criho-
doNy, or rs guards AGAINST error, aud sccur-
ties Tor uniformity of belief in the ministry
or among churches. As to the utility of
crecds when employed for such purpose
must be allowed TO express Il doubt. In
the first place reason and experience demon
strate that such standards cannot secure
complete uniformity of rrligiouS "Pini"n,,
even among those who subscribe them. |
Every formulary or summary of doctrines
......inuSt needs he liable to different con
structions...... This is the case with all
confessions of faith. ASto the law was add |
ed the Mishna, and To the Mishna the
Gemara so those who attempt 10 interpret !
the Bible by the standard Of their confession !
find themselves presently constrained To in |
tCrprct that confession by some unwrittrn or |
written tradition of the elders" What |
volumes of commentary AMI ul controversy |
have been written to elucdatr and fix the
meaning of such standards, At this hour the
meaning of the thirty articles and Of the
accompanying praycr-book Is rs much mat
ter of dispute ,s the meaning OF the Bible.
The same thin; is true of the Westminster
confession, with the catcchisms shorter and
longer Who does not know that there is
more diversity of religious opinion in the
Church of England, more in the church of
Scotland more in the Episcopal church. and
in the Presbyterian church, in this country,
than there is nthosc Congregational churches
and ministers of New England. which ac-
each other ms churches aud min
listers of Jesus Christ The only security for
is II dead Indifference. The only
security for peace among brethren that think
and inquire, is love AMI liberty. In
the merit place, such formularics cannot
keep out error. Have they kept out error in
Geneva? in Germany? in England? in Scot
land? Did they keep error out Of the /
Kings Chapel in Boston? out OF Tammany
street church in Baltimore out of one cont
munity after another which has been Topped
oil from the Presbyterian body in the United
States. The Cumberland prcshyterians -
the Davisitcs tt ID OH,H6 genus whence
came they where did they fall into their
errors The best guard against error is the
free discussion and defence Of the truth.
LeoHdrd BdcOA, 1888.
IrAKE not this Form of Words called, Tile
Articles IF the thUrch Gf EHgitHd, to bc
Ia the said Church ...... nor do