New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-10
GRAVITATION TOWARD THE HISTORIC
CHURCHES

To the Edftor Of me Trtbune.
SIR An article in The SUNDAY TRIBUNE OF
August 10. quoted from The London @d"ddrd is OF so
much interest view OF the religious attitude of to-day,
discussion Of what suggests may not De OUT oil
place The ph OF the article that the power of the
dissenting Protestant churches IS waning and that the
Christian world will divide itself more and between
the Roman Catholic Church and Broad Church party
of the Established Church of England This movement
noticeable that suggests the questions
What is the meaning of it. and how long will it last
In its spiritual quality. Professionalism, and especially
Protestant dissent means that there was in the world
an immensely uckcned individual religious sense The
protesting individual felt himself under direct imptr
alive and personal responsibility to his Creator bound
TO personal worship and to obedience to the Creators
laws His is inevitably made aggressive, III
far that by the very nature OF the enlightenment
which has come TO him he bound to obey IT. and to
obey other council Of men opposed to It, Let
this spirit OF deep strong Righteousness be abroad In
the world. when men, individuals. cry out to God III
their hepessncss and for the saving OF their own SOULS
and the seed for Professionalism dissent and sec
tallansm You cannot substitute organized conscience
in church councils for the personal conscience, 80 long
strong personal religion and need Tor personal
sou-savrng in the world To the qulckened man Goa
stands before and above the Church, and there will be
revolt against any Church organization which assumes
to bind the individual conscience to any one set Of be
liefs ObseIydnces.
There is less of dis religious sense this Overbearng
need of the supernatural ana OF sosavng in the world
than there was. The attitude which science has
brought intelligent into is against IT, The honest
man looks around him for evidence which he can hon
estly accept that the Inference from the accumulation
of scientific facts wrong and tnat ali the great dcta
Of Christianity are truc where does he find them
There is no voice from the heavens; The power OF the
Almighty is hid from him. He may venture the behel
that hat H. prcsupposes one who made il but 1t is
wide leap from broad assumption Ike this to belief
in the teachings OF any Christian church II might land
MN in Deisu, POSSIBLY PanthciSm. hut neither of
these nor any such wide deduction as ne might make
from the creation the Creator, Is Christianity at all
The hit on way dark ned the literal inspiration
of the Bible. which the belief of his boyhood Is sur
rendered by leaders Of the churches But more than
tn, Is the ucturc which his own intellectual nature has
received. There al Dout him the consecutive dcdnc
ton of natural results from natural causes his own
mind is pcnnratcd with "uatralisn," and he Is less
inclined admit except on stress the existence Of such
exceptions a. are called miracles Nor VIII phlosoph,
ical argument against the conclusions OF matcrlasis-
etc. greatly strengthen his faith for he is brought face
to face with the fact that the conclusions OF the seen
tinc nhdc are of the general nature mis- every
day common argument i'll his practical He Re
gios belief it, flll particulars, has become in con
ii erabe measure. exception 10 the ordinary meth
DDS Of life rc1uiriust 10 be explained and accounted
for.
time when the activity OF personal religious obiiga
tor IN. been thus weakened is time when the creative
Influences scc,arauis and dissent are largely dor
uut There may spring up parties Ia lhe thur' over
unr matters, bat the nul-ln 0ridncc OF the things
commended too nearly present TO the contestants 10
eve them the vitality of church founders. Yet religion
Of some sort not The less attractive, only n l. TO De at-
tanned without the soul stress ana cry That IN sch times
lead no whcr Itis to he oInd IN that which Is SET
tied and established, which II largely outside OF ana dis
connected fiOl the individual attitude. Ii Is Vcar0us
chrrchcr. which nave long claimed apostolic warrant
"A here ii a
residence already prepared Tor n without cSiaueung
labor of his own fiji great wdnf IA the negative ana
ab,t these churches the OdOr Of antiquity they belong
10 Inc great past the heroic age OF the Church. AID
ror luc imagluA ion spirit of religious wcaTuess i
world and ne question IrcsGnis llsel to me dis
enter the grand ORGANIZATIONS that have The essentials
AS wei as WE Tn social position of the English
,itiO are not such kind arouse the individual 10
question them. THUS the historic churches bec0mc I'M
ncH.cY attractive, ana there ~ tOiay uccIuou BIdNi
Ent il what have written is generally sound, it ia
80 True that TINS attraction and grViidtiOn To them Is
the swing OF pcnduuh winch MH'n M I'dVnou
the limit OF It's viii return IL is due To me present
exhaustion and Wearncs, OF oVerinhch intellectual ac
XitV Like George Elot's kneclng IN an English chapel
II is n SYMPTOM OF reaction from painful religious
Uutsoulng in the present, ana mlensc fcnglous dc-
fviry I'M the past. As Christianity Will certainly sur
yiye the assaults upon IT, and as religious aWaktnln@s
viii pass the world, this present attitude toward
the established churches cannot De permanent heNN"s
will come. What has been III TINS respect Will De, ana
tins suggests both the truth OF the article, Win Inc con
sdcratOn OF winch Dcgal ana us limitations: iLeic
raVaton those Christian bodies with settled his
tories into which encrs without keen scltqucs-
tOnng and finds hlniSe!r ID grand organization WheIe
personal obligation is absorbed mo the common oOli
l!gOus lntcITesnuni ana such permanent afSahdlZ-
M IA OF the Roman Catholic ana English Churches as
Tie SiQHdGrd look, forward to IA IMPOSSIBLE with the
return OF active and strong religious conviction ana me
appcarAnce OF movements Ike the Wesleyan REVEALS,
bodies are sure TO become great powers III
tn Christian world. DAVID BROWN.
AtW- Ois, Aux o. 49,