The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-05-11

eno maJViity iooh Odiuly on DuI q man mas
only to write his own creed, and stand by it. to
have his head chopped off, and the simple rea-
son why the questioners do not enter their pro-
test and undertake crusade for its establish
ment is that they are afraid their heads will all
be chopped off. Otherwise, does anybody sup
pose they would be fools enough to delay their
enterprise for day? There certainly never
was time when reformer with brains and
convictions and enthusiasm can do a better
business than he can do at present in the Pro-
testant Church, "a Church in which the original
spirit of Professionalism seems to be hopelessly
lost,-a Church in which free expression of
opinion is tolerated as little as it ever was in
the Catholic Church, and in which the conserv-
alive forces have it all their own way The
Reverend Moses Smith is not by any means
the only man who does not agree with the
present statement of his dogmas, and does not
dare to re- write them for himself and his fellow
men," 10
In this extract we are told by the edi-
tor of Scribner's Mogazipe-1. That Gin
his opinion) there is nothing more com
mon among educated Christian men than
the conviction that the old opinions con-
corning the inspiration OF the Scriptures
are unsound and indefensible, and that
it is fearful to witness the apathy with
which this conviction is held in the pre-
sence of the conservative bigots who
: learn nothing and forget nothing
2. That those who have doubts on
this subject repress them because
they are afraid their heads will be
chopped off," 3. That the number of
clerical towards who dare not write their
own creed, and stand by it, in the face Of
the bigoted conservatism of their keepers,
is shamefully large; f. That the original
spirit of Professionalism "seems to be hope.
lessly lost in the Protestant Church.
We respectfully ask the ". Y. Observer
if it regards these sentiments as uttered
from an Evangelical standpoint And
whether they may be described as not
tending Gin the least degree" to error
in faith or practice?
In the issue of Scribner for April, 1881,
we noted another article 1--WE merely hap
pened to turn over the leaves) entitled
The Power of Opinion" which also did
not strike US as particularly evangeli-
cal" Does the ". Y. Observer think that
Evangelical" people have no right to
complain of the following utterances"
Think OF the enormous tide of utterance that
emanates from the sectarian pulpit. 1t is suf-
hclently earnest; 1t Is well expressed it is per-
sistently and ingeniously eni reed, and its re-
suits are next to nothing. The progress made
by religion is indebted very little TO IT, @ pulpit
utterances of opinion. Uttered to partsans in
sympathy, 1t is, of course, needless and withou
results; uttered to aliens enemies, it is power
less, because 1t is the voice of a sect, and not @
man. A man in error will hardly permi,
himself to be convinced of the truth by one
whose opinions have been formed in a sectarian
school, who has bound himself to the articles OF
creed and who cannot preach any other than
what he pre- ches, or utter opinion at vari
ance with his creed. without being driven from
his own pulpit. When it becomes mans bust
ness to preach certain well defined set of doc
trnes,-if this is exactly what he is paid for
his opinions upon those doctrines, in the eyes
OF an unbelieving world are not worth the pa
per they are written on. One of the principal
reasons why Christian opinion makes so little
progress In and impression upon the world il
that the world does not recognize the source
from which it comes as worthy of respect.
five had pulpit dominated by Christianity
pure and simple-and not under the control
OF different and differing sects, Christian opinion
would have power it has never known during
these later centuries.
There is, here and there, pulpit that is in
dependent, and these gather the crowd, because
it thirsts for Independent opinions on religious
topics. Mr.. Beecher and Prof Swing always
have audiences-frst, perhaps, because they are
eloquent men, but mainly because they are re-
cognized as no longer moath pieces of creed
recognized as men who speak exactly what they
think, irrespective Of all creeds.
Here is the distinct avowal that the
Christianity of our Evangelical pulpit is
" the voice of a sect, and not of man" i;
as something which makes no impression
on the world, because the world does not
recognise the source from which it comes
" as worthy of respect" and the kind Of
Christianity which the editor Of Sc1T6ner'8
Magazine holds up as the model Christi
anity, which all ought to initiate, is that
Of Henry Ward Beecher and David Swing.
Is this what the ~ Y Observer means by
"an Evangelical standpoint