Morning journal and courier., 1882-09-21
gew 9anen Sailg NNnmimg yunrnal and Guurirr.
Rev. Dr. Newman Smyth.


 Center Church-A Notable Day-The In- sta1latton of Rev. Dr. Smyth-The Ec. clesiastical Council-Dr. Smyth's State- ment of His Belief-The Proceedings of l the Comncil-The Installation Exercises -Eloquent Discourse of Dr. Mckenzie The After Addresses-Dr. Smyth's Recep- tfOn i'm the Evening.
 The ecclesiastical council summoned to ex- l anime Rev. Dr. Newman smyth met yester- day morning at 10 o'clock at the chapel of l Center church, and after all exhaustive and l searching examination with great unanimity voted the examination satisfactory, and at 8 p. m. the installation exercises took place at Center church. The proceedings yesterday were of widespread theological interest, at tracting the attention of many prominent theoloaians throughout the country. The leading Congregationalist journals were rep resented, and many notable clergymen at tended. The chapel was found insufficient to accommodate all who came, and the council was therefore adjourned to Center church. A lovely array of brilliant leaved foliage plants and lovely flowers greeted the eye at the church, tastefully arranged, to grace the scene of the installation. The Rev. Mir.
 
 council, and Rev. Mir. Meserve, of this city, scribe. The roll of delegates was as follows Church of the United society,""N Haven, s. E. Baldwin ; church in Yale College, Cy- rus Northrop, Rev. William M. Barbour, D. D.. Third Congregational church, E. B. Bowditch, Rev. Stephen R. Dennen, D. D. Temple street church, Deacon Isaiah Butler First church, Fair Haven, Deacon Willis Hemingway, Rev. Burdett Hart College street church, Deacon N w. Merwin; Vest vile church, Rev. James l.. Willard Church of the Redeemer, Deacon Hiram Camp. Rev. John E. Todd; Second church, Fair Haven, Deacon Lucius Rowe; Davenport church, Edward Stevens, Rev. l. c. Meserve. Howard Avenue church, Rev. D. w. Teller ; Humphrey Street church, William J. Atwa. ter; Taylor church, Deacon Joseph E. Brad ley Dwight Place church, E. P. Yale, Rev. Thomas R. Bacon First church, Hartford, Deacon Rollin Swift; First church, Cambridge, Charles T. Russell, Rev. Alexander McKen- 1 zie, D. D.; Rev. Theodore D. Woolsey, D. ID. |, Rev. Noah Porter, D. D., Rev. George B. l Day, D. D., Rev. Samuel Harris, D. D., Rev. 1 George P. Fisher, D. D., Rev. George T. Ladd, D. D., Rev. Henry s. Kelsey, Rev. | Spencer Bray, Rev. Newton I. Jones, all of New Haven; and Rev. Egbert O. Smyth, D.. D., Andover, Mass
 l Many ladies were present in the audience, and deep interest apparent. The exer- cises were opened with prayer by Rev. Dr. l Todd. Dr. l.. J. Sanford, clerk of the Center 1 church and of the First Ecclesiastical society, l then read the proceedings by which the min l ister called to the pastorate. The vote in both organizations was Yeas 40, nays IF, l blanks ). A letter from the First church, l Brunswick, Me-, attesting that Dr. Smyth is member in good standing there and one from the Presbytery of Schuyler, dismissing him from their jurisdiction with compliment ary remarks, were read. They were found satisfactory.
 The moderator tLen asked the candidate to state his religious experience and his belief l as to the work of the ministry. This he did, generally, in reply to the usual questions:
 "I would therefore ply state that united with the church at Philli academy. Andover, when but thirfesn years old. My religious experience began ! the experience that has become my all to my @ Re l born-in mothers faith and mothers prayer. I think was rt predsstined ,a,th to enter the mnsty ence and has been increased rather than diminished. seems eV1QenCes 8 reaction of l the people. who hnngering and thirsting after rlghteonsness There seem to be brighter prospects ! than ever for young men to enter the ministry Dr. Smyth then stepped forward and read the following:
 DR. SMITHS STATEMENT OF HIS THEOLOGICAL l BELIEF.
 I believe that our knowledge of divine truth is real and trustworthy but limited and partial. would avoid over belief as would escape unbelief I would beware of two practical heresies as endangering all vita
 faith the error first of supposing that WI
 are capable of formulating perfect system ! of truth and the error, secondly of assum ] ing that God has given the Bible for tht purpose of 8 complete vindication of hi ! ways toward men. I believe that the God o ! the Bible deals with as with children ant ] for the immediate practical purpose of ou1 1 salvation from sin and education for tn. 1 kingdom of heaven. I would be mindful l therefore, of the limits as we'll as of the con tents of reason and revelation in the def
 milton and development of any theological l dogma.
 The following statement contains my belle
 concerning some of tho chief subjects O
 theological inquiry:
 I. Revelation. believe in one God exist
 ing in three eternal distinctions of being O absolute moral perfection, who proves him , self in the moral and spiritual life o
 humanity, and whose thoughts arc mad
 known in his works to beings capable of tn
 idea of God. I believe that God has not lef
 himself without witness in every nation an, age; but he graciously selected one natio, f asd trained it by particular superintend
 ence in order that 1t might be the bearer of special divine revelation to the world This divine choice and use of line of selected individuals as the mean of revelation regard as consistent with bot | national and moral law, and with the univer salty of grace. believe that the proores IcYv nf 1iuIya history of the chosen people from the frs looked forward towards and at last oulmina l ted in Jesus the Christ. who is himself God real and final self revelation, the word becom 3 flesh. I believe that Jesus Christ himself i f the final and infallible authority of faith anf : practice. I believe that the sacred scrip
 lures are in part the record and interpreta , ton, in part the contents of the revelatio,
 from God which is fulfilled in Christ I'm
 Bible whole, and the scriptures ar,
 fulfilled in Christ, I accept as 8 suprem and authoritative written rule. or canon O.
 faith and practice. The divers ways ant
 manners in which God spake the differen kinds of degrees of inspiration are to m,
 matters of historical and critical study, bu
 not vital clements in my belief in the realit,
 of 8 divine revelation completed in Jesu Christ. I believe that beside the write,
 canons of faith we have as secondar,
 source and aid the Christian tradition or thu
 continuity and progressive development O. | the faith in the mind of the church through
 the spirit of Christ.
 IT. Doctrine of man. believe that ma,
 is spiritual unity, or person, and as sucl
 possessed of moral freedom and incapable O.
 dissolution by the physical changes of death
 I believe that all men are sinners and in si1 man falls into totally wrong personal posi-
 tion toward God. The necessary conseq U enc, of being in the wrong toward God is disunior
 and corruption within mans own personali
 ty. I believe that no possible rightness il
 other and lower stations of life can atone for wrongness in the first, supreme and vital re . lation of to the Father of his spirit In this connection I would emphasize tn,
 personal nature of true religion and depre E ciate all tendencies in theology to substitut
 for the intense Biblical conception of right
 eousness and sin as personal relations toward
 God any formal conception of religion, as, fo ? example, the relation of mind to truth, or ths will to commandment. The true life is te
 know God. believe that sin concern } two persons, the sinner and God, so sin can not be removed and the right relation of lift towards God restored by the willingness o