Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-02-17
NEWTON'S HERESY.
He is Likely 10 be Presented for Trial
SO Soon as the Authorized Version
OF His Sermons
Makes Its Appearance, and is Liable to
the Charge OF Denying the Diyin.
ity Of Christ.

authorities of his Church will call him to
account. They are now gsing through the
press, but will not be out for two or three
weeks yet.
"Newspaper reports" said the Rev. Nor
gan Dix, the rector OF Trinity church, 'are
not 10 be taken as evidence in such ma alter
as this. II l wanted 10 zee Mr.. Newton ar
raigned because OF sentiments thst'l had
seen attributed TO him in the newspapers,
should first write to him to ascertain il the
reports were accurate. No one is likely 10
do this; but understand his sermons are to
be published with his authorization, and
when they are we can judge whether or no
be has been guilty Of preaching false doc
trine. do not suppose even If the mem
bers oil his own congregation should complain
against him that the evidence of what they
had heard him say in the pulpit would be
sufficient. Ii would only be hearsay evil
dence. The question for the Episcopal
Church 10 decide is not whether the Bible is
inspired or not, or whether Mr.. Newton is
right or wrong In any OF his deductions
The question is, Has he preached that which
is inconsistent with the doctrine OF his
Church? If he has said what the newspa-
pers have attributed TO him he is certainly
guilty of preaching false doctrine. There
may be, as he says, great latitude of opinion
in the Episcopal Church; but the Church has
always held that the Scriptures were the in
spired word OF God, just as all the churches
Anglican, Roman and Greek-have taught
from the beginning. Mr.. Newton knows
this we'll enough; he has too much intelli-
gence not to know it."
PRECEDENT.
"When Mr.. Newman was ordained con-
tinued Dr.. Dix, 'he acknowledged the Bible
TO be the word of God, containing all things
necessary unto salvation. Bishop Colenso
once undertook to disseminate some new
views of the Bible, and be never went TO such
lengths as Mr.. Newman is reported to have
gone TO. Yet the entire communion Of the
Episcopal Church was called together, to re-
pudiste promptly and entirely the teachings
of Bishop Colenso."
at was reported that presentation against
Mr.. Newman had already been prepared"
said the reporter.
81 have not signed any presentation" DIR.
Dix replied, "nor have 1 heard of one. His
sermons have been seriously discussed, Of
course. II he has said what he is reported
TO have said he does not belong in the pull
pit of an Episcopal church. Our whole duty
is to ascertain whether be has preached what
he promised 10 preach when he was ordained
or not. / cannot understand any mans
giving expression to the views he is said to
have expressed and yet remaining a minister
oil the EplEc pal Church.
The Rev. DR.. Eigenbrodt, secretary of the
| Episcopal convention of this diocese, who
would be apt to know of any presentation
| against Mr.. Newton il one had been made,
| said yesterday that he knew nothing about q
| presentation.
Inc hey. Charles G. Tiffany, rector OF
Zon Episcopal church, said he refrained
| from reading the published reports of Mr..
| Newton's sermons because be wished 10
| form no opinion until they were based upon
an authorized edition of the sermons. II
was not at all pleasant for one preacher to
accuse another Of false doctrine, and GER
tainly he would not do 90 upon hesrssy evi.
deDce of what another preacher had said.
| The Rev. Arthur Brooks, rector OF the
| Episcopal church OF the Incarnation, spoke
TO the same effect, only he went far enough
to say that from what he had read OF the re-
puted utterances of Mr.. Newton he could
find nothing to call for an investigation or
/ trial.
The Rev. DR.. Newton himself said when
| asked about the talked-of arraignment: 81
| know nothing OF the threatened trial except
what have seen in the newspapers. l sup.
pose you can find out about it from the gem
tlemen who are talking il up so vigorously.
l have only heard of two gentlemen who
| seem 10 be bent on trial. Anyhow it would
Il uOi UCCUulc mc ~ l1th upOu Tie buDleCl LOT
publication"
MORE SERIOUS CHARGE.
When the reporter called upon Mr.. Nicho-
las Quackenbos, a member OF st. Marks
Episcopal church, who go vigorously de-
manded short .ime ago that Mr.. Newton
should be put on trial, he reiterated his de.
maud with greater emphasis than before.
"Most certainly" he said, "Mr Newton will
be arraigned fer heresy, and if have any
part in the proceedings he will also have 10
answer the far more serious charge of having
denied the divinity Of the Savior. This &C.
cusation will be made not simply with 'rea-
sonable precision as the canon requires, but
with positive certainty both as TO time and
place, and will be supported with ipdubita-
BILE evidence. The clergy and lsiiy of the
1 Episcopal Church are almost unanimous in
the opinion that the entire body suffers re-
proach in consequence of Mr.. Newton's
| recent utterances. This feeling, 30
far rs / am able to Judge, is very
generally shared by the clergy, though,
of course, here, as everywhere else, certain
Rip Van Wrinkles are to be found who, hay
ing been asleep during the past twenty years,
have not read Mr.. Newton's sermons and,
furthermore, have not heard of them.' DIR.
Talmage used the following language last
Sunday morning in reference to Mr.. Newton
and his ipfidel teachings, and il is about az
sensible as anything 1 have heard from the
Brooklyn Tabernacle: I believe in the
largest liberty OF discussion, but when a
minister of the Gospel gives up the faith oil
his denomination, his plain and honest duty
is to get out of it,
DIR. TYNG's oFFENsE.
"We can scarcely refrain from laughing, ,
Mr.. Qusckenbos went on, "when we remem
Der that it was only a few years ago that the
Rev. Stephen H. Typg, ir., was arraigned
tried and convicted, too, OF the dreadful ane
soul imperiling crime of preaching in non
Episcopal church. There was no p, etenss
that the discourse preached on the occasion
was heterodox or other than which as any
Christian minister might preach; but The
offense alsne consisted in the direful fact
that he preached in sectarian pulpit, and il
the eyes of some pious people nothing coulc
be nearer 10 damnatioH and greater than that
How the comedians comprising the court, tbs
counsel and The witnesses managed to re
press their risibile faculties during the pro
gress of the farce has always been a mys
terry 10 me. Mr.. Tying, in my judgment, die
wrong. Don't misunderstood me. l dom
mean that a man can possibly do wrong il
preaching Gods word anywhere. am no
go irrationally Jealous as that. But he die
wrong in violating one OF the rules of hi
church, to which al his ordination be prom
ised to conform, for if in such matters ever
man can be a law unto himself society woulC
very soon relapse into anarchy.
RANK INFIDELITY.
snow lock at the case of Mr.. Newton
His pulpit is a sort of holy ground, into
which no clergyman can eater, no mater
how pure his life or how exalted his attain
meuts, Without The saving grace of Episco
pal ordination, and yet from that same pull
pit rank in6delity can be preached SUNDAY
after Sunday without syllable of remon
STRANGE, because, forsooth, the least said i
the soonest mended.' Mr.. Newton stalt
out By denying the divinity of the Savior
and that first false step soon leads to another
SO that his assaults upon the inspiration O
the Bible follow as natural and logical Sc
quence; for Satan once invited to a corner O
the mind, seldom fails to usurp the whole
There IL, in my judgment, more truth il
superstition than irreligion. Reverence /.
stocks and stones is far better than irreysr
ence 10 God, and there is infinitely NOR
wisdom in what are sometimes called th
absurdities of faith than in the reasoning
self-suthcing intellectually that affects I,
scorn them"
ARTICLES OF THE FAITH.
In the tbirty-nine articles for the govern
ment of the Episcopal Church in Americ.
as established by the convention OF 1901, III
sixth article gives the rule for guidance il
regard to the Bible. Il stands as follows:
Article 6. Holy Scripture containeth al
Thugs necessary TO salvation, go that what
soever is not read therein, nor may be prove,
+ I thereby, is not to be required Of any ma
that it should be believed as an article of tn
faith, or be thought requisite as necessary t
: salvation. In the name of the Holy Scrip
ture we do understand these canonics
books of the Old and New Testament, q
whose authority was never any doubt in tn
Church.
ORDINATION OF DEAcoSs.