Morning journal and courier., 1883-07-30
Church of the Messiah.

Church Discussed by RIr. HouGhton | The Rev. Mir. Houghton, of the Church of
 the Messiah, preached sermon yesterday morning before large congregation on the Rev. Mir. Park and the Howard avenue ! church. Previous to the sermon he ad-
 dressed 8 few personal words to his congre- gation. He referred to the fact that he had ! been with the church for five years and in | that time his relations with them had been
 most agreeable, and his people had done all
 he had asked of them and much more. He | thought there was perfect unity in the l church and counselled them to be more zeal. | ous than ever in spreading the gospel of uni versalism when they came together again ! after their vacation at the first of Septem- Der.
 Mir. Houghton chose for his text the words found in the 27th Psalm and 9th verse This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, o, Jacob" He said ! he had no doubt that the Howard avenue church and their minister were perfectly competent to deal with their own affairs an d he didn't mean to meddle with them at all He merely considered the subject as stu dent looking on, and entirely from the stand point of one who was anxious to promote the ] advance of free religious thought. He had not the pleasure of the acquaintance of many of the people of that church, nor had he ever met MT. Park, so he did
 not speak from anything that he had heard personally about the manner
 in which Mir. Park had been called. But
 many Congregational ministers had strenu-
 ously objected to his being called and some of the older ministers of his own church had
 taken grounds on the question not warranted
 by the fundamental ideas of the church In
 matters of theology ysCongregationalistsd differ.
 They look upon Universalists as band of
 heretics. But if we go back into the history
 of all the great movements of the church we
 shall see that the various branches, Metho-
 dists. Baptists, ongregationalists and others
 were at one time regarded as being entirely
 out of line, wholly beyond the pale of the
 true church. So the Universalist church,
 which is only about one hundred years old,
 is looked upon as heretical and not holding
 true place in the church universal. Yet the
 Universalists are trying to spread the gospel and put down all forms of evil.
 The Congregationalists have a creed, and the members of the Howard avenue church propose to believe in that creed. The church contains many of the best Christians in the city. Being without pastor they look i for man who shall dispense the mama of l heaven to them, who shall lead them aright | and carry them on to victory. They saw that in MT. Park they had found such man. | They saw in him an earnest, fearless Chris | tian. He touched kindred chord in their | hearts, and they resolved to call him. But first they must cali an ecclesiastical council to see If his theology is sound. The council found it to be unsound in their opionion | and could not recommend him to the | church. But the church vetoed the action of the council and voted by large majority ! to call him as their pastor. Now the ques- tion is, had Mr- Park the moral right, ought he, holding such views as he does, not being an old fashioned minister, bound down by the creed, to begin to preach knowing that some time he must preach lectures imcom- pstible with the established dogmas of the church. Certain ones of the older ministers and sectarian editors think he should go among people whith whose beliefs he is in sympathy. But more liberal view should be taken. All churches have right to grow from the inside. If they don't grow that way they never will grow at all church can not progress and hold an old creed intact Creeds block the wheels of progress The regationalists are generally more liberal than other denominations Their ministers are more independent. They are in sympa- thy with the progress of the age and the movements of the times. They are touch. ing the heart of humanity.
 The result of MT. Parks preaching will probably be to spread his faith among his people. Some of the angles and corners of their belief will be rounded out and filled in and their minds will be inspired with the spirit of progress. A church grows in this way. In his own church, Mir. Houghton said, some of the younger men held more advanced, more liberal ideas than the older : ones. Men were never more alive to the need of enlightenment upon the great { questions of religion than at present. Surely l
 this is the generation of them that seek Him 1 hat seek thy face, O Jacob" Men may not eek Him in the old channels, nor trough the old theology, but they shall as urely find him. It does not take a very leep mind to see that these old platitudes ( # religion which men have put for ward so g ong are worn out, and are going into dis g Ise. As man advances, as his ideas broaden T nd the fear of superstition leaves him his interpretation of the Bible differs. The r lHerent churches now are widely apart, but ome time they will come together in har c 1ony. It is just such men as MT. Park. a rho feels the inspiration of the age, who has c cad some books besides Baxters Saints' lest and worn out hymn books that help in he time when bigotry and superstition and |. 1fdelity shall be no more. MT. Houehton ' sjoiced that seven eighths of Howard avenue hureh had spirit enough to call MT. Park g yer the refusal of the council The time Fcoming when no ecclesiastical council can VI ut paddock on the ideas and will of the h eople. Creeds and dogmas are of little f alue. Better sweep them away and join ands in putting down all wrong doino he great question is how much do you love our brotEer and how much are you in the oj 'irit of the sermon on the mount. To MT bl ark and his church MT. Houphton extend- di his sincerest sympathy and good will. He p] 'ped they would be unified in spirit and oo l with the great work which every true lurch has before it. In closing he bade rewen to his congregation until the first of G ptember. D