The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-07-15
An Infdel Preacher.

A case of heresy which would formerly
have convulsed the Puritan Church has late
ly appeared in New Haven, the head centre
of Congregationalism, and yet In these days
ofreligious revolution 1t provokes no surprise.
The Rev. CHARLES W. PARK is the son of
Massachusetts divine of the Congregational
Church, and the nephew Of the reverend Prof.
PARK. noted thcologan of the Andover di-
vinity school, famous in the past for the
strctest orthodoxy. He was graduated at
Amherst, studied theology at Andover, and
for ten years was u missionary to India. He
Is therefore, n Puritan by descent and Cal
whist by training Bosides he Is not light
headed young divine, likely to be carried
away by every wind OF doctrine. He Is h
seasoned thcologinn and Gospel teacher, one
who has not merely defended the faith In
Christian New England, but who has had tho
work Of sustaining 1t In heather India against
subtle native lOgicians.
After the Rev. Mr.. PARK was called to New
Haven, 1t was rumored that he had unorthO-
dOx notions regarding infant baptism; that
he did not believe In 1t. The church, however,
supposing that nevertheless he would not
refuse to baptize their children when they
asked for the performance Of tho ceremony.
must be remembered that grave doubts as to
the propriety or efficacy OF infant baptism
are frequent among the Congregational min
listers; and II q church In these days is de-
sirous OF having pastor ofitalent, it is often
obliged to put up with theological vagaries.
On Wednesday afternoon the Howard
Avenue Congregational Church was filed
with people eager to witness the installation
- ~ ,.,D Al,N
the ceremony did not come Off as announced.
The congregation were dismissed, after they
had waited patiently for two hours, with the
explanation that IN ecclesiastical council
had rejected Mr.. PARK for grave heresy.
| It seems that while the people were wait
ing, Mr. PARK WAS undergoing severe theo-
| logical examination before council OF
twenty-nine ministers. 1t was, OF course,
expected that he would not come up to the
standard as to infant baptism, but that eccen-
tricity would probably have been pardoned.
His heresy, however, proved to be radical on
many points. He was found to be theolog-
ically rotten according to all the Puritan
standards. The most accommodating coun-
| Gil could not pass him without stutifying it.
self, even at this time, when it Is SO hard to
find thoroughly orthodox ministers.
In the first place, MIR. PARK confessed that
| he did not regard infant baptism as Chris
tian baptism at all. 1t was merely cerc-
mony OF conservation, and he would per-
form 1t only with that understanding. When
the infants reached mature age and ap-
Piled for admission to the Church he would
require them to be baptized again. He did
not consider that he had ever been baptized
himself because ho had only been chrstened.
As to future punishment, he declared him
self a restorationist He believed that there
was possibility OF salvation for everybody,
even II probation was allowed them in this
world. That Is the particular hercsy against
which the Rev. 10 Cook is SO bitterly arrayed.
and 1t seems to DO increasingly prevalent
among the Puritan clergy. OF course. II
there is probation after death no less than In
this life. prayers for the dead arc as necessary
| o. prayers for the living. and ono Congre-