The sun., 1889-11-19
The Changes of Twenty Years.

His church being about to take possession
| OF the handsome house Of worship Of the
Church OF the Holy Spirit, at Sixty-sixth
street and Madison avenue, the Rev. HEBER
NEWTON preached last Sunday a sermon in
which he gave history OF the parish and Of
his own theological evolution.
1t was an extemporaneous DISCOURSE In
the sense that 1t was not read from manu-
script, after the usual clerical fashion; and
1t seems that twenty years ago. when Mr..
NEWTON began preaching in New York, he
was alone among the Episcopal clergymen
of the town in pursuing that effective method
Of addressing his congregation. Now preach
ing without notes has become more fire.
quent, to the great gain OF the power Of
the pulpits. Twenty years ago, too, when
Mr.. NEWTON established his parish Mad
ison avenue north Of Forty-second street
was unpaved, and there was scarcely a
house along its line above that street. The
great development OF the upper part Of the
town was then In Its beginning only. The
population Of New York was less than q
million, and enthusiastically the city was far
inferior to what it is now. AS compared with
to-day, too, the amount of individual wealth
small. 1t was still provincial sort OF town.
But the outward transformation has not
been greater than that which has taken
place in the preachers own mind. and in
theological opinion and conviction gener-
ally. He says that he began by doubling
the doctrine Of eternal punishment, and
from that proceeded gradually to give up
the old Calvinistic creed, of which it Is the
foundation stone. Therefore it was neces-
sary for him to construct new creed Of his
own without much regard to the Thirty-nine
Articles or the prevailing and standard be-
lief OF Episcopalians. Mr.. NEWTON accord
ingly became the object OF reasonable at
tack and suspicion within the Church. He
might be right, or he might be wrong, but
he was not teaching the doctrines Of the
Anglican Church. Therefore it looked at
one time as If he might be made martyr
to his heretical convictions and gain the
consequent advantage in new and greater
publicity. But Bishop POTTER managed his
case with consummate judgment and quieted
him without bringing commotion into the
Church.
Yet it cannot be denied that Mr.. NEwToN's
theological drift has been the drift OF Prot
estant theological opinion generally during
the last twenty years. The doctrine Of eter-
nal punishment may not have been aban-
doned by Protestants. but 1t is no longer
preached in their pulpits as twas proclaimed
a generation ago. The Presbyterians, in
whose ancient Confession it had it's strong
hold, are now puzzled to make the justice Of
GoD harmonize with the modern concep-
tions Of His mercy and loving kindness,
They read their creed with horror, because
with remorseless yet invincible logic, it
dooms the yet unborn to the torments Of
hell. Therefore, they would revise it to get
rid OF the uncomfortable teaching; but that
cannot DO done by a mere process of revision.
They must construct an entirely new creed,
If they once remove that corner stone upon
which the whole superstructure of their be-
lief rests; or they must go without any creed
at all binding upon their ministry.
II, then, the last twenty years have
wrought SO great n revolution in theological
opinion, what will the next twenty years
bring about in tho same directions The
evolution cannot stop. 1t must go on in
logical order to logical result.