Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-07-23
Mr.. geecher's Creed.

, that have forsaken evangelical truth and
taken up liberal and intidcl views And this
has been spread abroad by the press-spread
very widely. Now to those who sit under
my ministrations | need say nothing as
against the puerile and stupid story of men
who are fit for anything rather than to sit in
judgment on Gospel truth; but to the great
: Christian brotherhood to which am proud
to belong, it may be wise and duty to state
with definteness and as explicitly astime will
allow me, on what ground stand and what
are the salient points of my belief. l believe
that God in every age and among all nations
has moved upon the hearts of men with His
Holy Spirit, inspiring them to pure, true and
noble deeds. | believe that the Scriptures
of the Old Testament and of the New con-
tain the fruits of that inspiration, as it was
developed IN the Hebrew nation, and fully
and heartily accept the Bible, according to
the apostolic and only declaration of the
Bible itself, that it is proper for doctrine,
for reproof and for instruction in righteous
ness. that the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good u0tks
believe that the true view of the inspiration
of the Scriptures is to be gained not by thco-
ries or traditions but by rigorous study OF
the original nature of its contents, and this
is all the more needful because the book as
we hold it now was not the immediate gift
of God to man, but was the growth of ages
and written by different men through differ
ent ages but the chief substance of it was
conveyed by God to man through human
experience. believe that the Bible
is largely record of history, and is to be
studied as we study any history. |
believe that it contains a large
measure of poetry and is 10 be accepted, not
as we accept an exact science, but as we ac-
cept poetry that it is literature, and is to
be so considered; a record of institutions and
modes of worship that have answered their
ends and have passed away. believe that
different parts of the Bible have different de-
grees Of value; that the Ten Commandments
are of more value to us than the description
of the trimmings Of the sanctuary. In other
words, different parts of the Scriptures have
different values, and men are permitted to
judge of the different parts of Scripture and
to use them as shall best suit the exigencies
OF their lives. | hold that the truths of Scrip
ture are not guide to scientific knowledge,
but that the best conception of scientific
truth is not AT variance with the spirit of the
Bible, and no violence is done to the spirit
of truth in accepting the fuller disclosures
which God is making in these later days
don't believe that inspiration has ceased, and
| do believe that Gods Holy Spirit still moves
upon the hearts of men and that it is still
bearing precious fruit in the lives of Gods
people. Finally, believe that to insist on
the literal words of the Bible is to carry men
backward, to condemn them TO hide their
eyes from the light, to introduce a restless
casustry in place of consistent belief, to de-
moralize the reason and to shut their ears to
what God is saying to them in every age
With increased years more and more value
this book as containing the highest moral
truths to which the human mind has been
admitted From bee inning to end it enables
an Intelligent man to know what is evil and
to shun 1t; to know what is good and TO follow
| it, and it is, indeed, n book by which man of
God may be thoroughly furnished unto every
| good word and work.
Il believe that every man is born without
holiness, without intelligence without moral
sense or emotion, or passion, but with capac-
| ity for all of them. which is to be develop
cd by after-growth; that by Gods decree of
! creation men come gradually to the know
| ledge of his laws in nature and in human So
ciety, and that of necessity men are vio-
lating divine laws through ignorance and
inexperiencc, and that such violations of law
are infirmities, and that as soon as men come
to years of discretion and knowingly violate
Gods laws they sin. believe that the whole
human race do sin and have sinned and are
SHINING IN various degrees and in various in
tensity of guilt, and that this ignorance per-
versIty, disObedence and sin are such as to
require divine interposition and forgiveness
believe that God eXcrts an influence on the
human race by which it is saved and that
men are called in the sacred Scriptures to
seek this reformation, by which their whole
nature comes under the divine influence,
and that is my belief in the doctrine of CON
version.
Il believe that God is unsearchablc, that
his being lies outside Of human premonition
in this State of existence, but that neverthc-
less we may obtain fragmentary views of the
divine nature by comparing it with all that
is purest and best in human nature. | be-
lieve that God revealed himself gradually AS
well as partially, and that hc is still reveal
ing himself through the experience Of man.
kind and through the revelations Of his ma
terial kindom. While in the Old Testament
God is represented rs one God, in the New
Testament he is represented as three in one
as Father, Son and Holy Ghost We can
not fully understand this but while accept
the unity of God in trprrsOnalty, do not
regard the acceptance OF this view rs neCes-
sary to the growth of true spiritual manhood
or 10 acceptance with God. The Church did
without it for 1000 wears and men may live
self, accept ii US the easiest explanation of
the New Testament, and therefore | be-
lieve in the Trinity. | believe in the
divinity of Christ | believe that the
true nature of Christ was divine, simple and
pure. and that So much of divinity Us could
be manifested and expressed under the limit
ations of material law in the human body,
were made known 10 him. but that earthly
existence did not give the full measure of his
divine nature, that he was more than he ap-
prarcd, but don't demand of any an entire
bellies in this. | believe in the Holy Ghost
| regard the divine mind as an active iniiu-
cnce, Il pervating force aud especially as the
source of all superior activity and vigor. 1t
may be said TO be like the san the source of
universal growth. regard the whole of
physical nature as no, the eject. but
rs the instrument of divine express
sion, as the store-hause of an edu-
eating, divine influence, AMI hold that the
study OF nature is necessary To understand
Gods work, as the study of Gods word is
necessary 10 All underslandT.. OF nature
They are not enemies thcy are not even
antagonists, and they should not be made so
by narrow minded and timid theOliaians. or
by narrow and bigotrd scientists. believe
in understanding nature, ~ means of un-
dcrstanding Gods word, and the study ot the
word OF tou aS necessary Ia Il trll' under 1
standing %. natural science.
Il believe in the atoncmcnt | believe not
tina, il is plan, II historic act or a series Of
acts. or 4 device Ia mcn,i "A broken law, but |
believe thai it is III. lnL,Irnt nature of |
divine love: that the HE. the te:,rlling, the
suffering, death anl resurrection ot Christ |
were but the means ot discussing the atom |
ing nature of God, and thai this Is the expo |
ncnt oi the atOncncnt, AMI not the atone |
mcnt itself. The life. teaching suffering |
and death OF Christ are simply instruments |
by which the hearts of men might be- inter
csted and attracted From the teaching of |
the medieval ages, and from modern thcolO- |
gy go back 10 the sublime teaching OF the |
Apostles Creed. Mr.. Bercher here read |
the creed. ~ it | am Il hereto | am II
hereto for the doctrine of The early church
AS To retribution | believe that conduct |
in this world has Il definite and powerful in
iuencc on the happiness of men in the world |
to come. believe that Christ did say that
he declared with solcmnity that the penalty |
OF wickcdness in the life To come would be
such as should tend tn prevent sin in this
life; AMI beyond that | don't 20. The
method, the duration, the final outcome Of
penalty do not think the Scriptures give
any decision about. think that all the pas
sages we have been taught to believe US
teaching or infcrring an eternity of conscious
punishment do not teach it, but believe the
simple statement of our Lord that the consc-
quenccS of sin in this life 20 over and are
terrible in the life To come, and whatever is
beyond this Is Il belief founded upon analogy
and upon philosophy il is, in other words.
an opinion and not IA definite knowledge
Two PICrUEEs. Congressman Springeroi
Illinois, wcll-known as one OF the leading
Democrats of the House. said in recent
speech to his constituents
I Eunw Inn,aa 4 t,urti,II lay h,.iu,y with