St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-10
DOGMA AND CHURCH.
Rev. S. G.. Smith breaches q
Sermon in Advisory
Vein.
Dogma and Doctrine, as Syn
onyms, Are Modern In
ventionS.
Christ Did Not at Any Time
Make Use of the Word
Dogma.
The Scriptures Themselves
The Scriptures Themselves
Are Not Dogmatic in
Intent.

rev. .. Vt. smith, or the PEOPLE
church, preached yesterday on the
theme, dogma and the Church."
taking his text from I. Timothy 4-16:
''Take heed to thyself and unto the
doctrine; continue in them: for in so
doing thou shalt both save thyself and
them that hear thee"
This is the advice of a distinguished
apostle to young preacher. The New
Testament has much to say in other
places about the value of doctrine. 1t
is worth while for us, in continuation of
our discussion on the subject of au-
tiority in religion. to consider also the
nature and authority of doctrinal state
ments. Jesus Christ is our great pat
tern. both as to personal life and as to
method in religion. 1t is interesting to
note that he never once used the word
dogma" nor is it tn be found in the
New Testament scriptures. This is not
because there was no such word to use.
for that word is Greek, and had already
been used for generations. The only
reason it was omitted, was because
Jesus and His followers had no wish to
use it. The word doctrine" in modern
phraseology, is used synonomously
with the word dogma" or formal
statement of opinion. now proceed to
show that this was not the New Tesla
ment use OF that term.
In this connection it is suggestive to
note that the two words which were
formerly translated doctrine" in the
New TeStament-the one referring to
the substance of the thing taught. and
the other to the method OF making it
known-are both rendered in the re-
vised version bv the more expressive
and the more exact term, ''teaching."
In Mark, L., %, we are informed, They
were astonished at His teaching. for He
taught them as having authority, and
not as the scribes." The authority was
manifested by casting out devils, aud
new teaching! With authority He COM
inandeth even the uncean spirits. and
they obey him." Here we have the
somewhat surprising use of the word
doctrine to
CHARACTERIZE AN ACT OF POWER.
Ii you would have sample of ChrIst's
reaching turn to Mark xii, 3S-"And in
His teachings He said. Beware of the
Scribes which desire to walk in long
robes and to have Salutations in the
market places and chief seats in tine
synagOgues and chief places at feasts;
they which deyour widows houses, and
for pretense make long prayers. These
shall receive greater condemnation
You will observe that this teaching is
wholly moral and practical. and it is not
at all specu ative. Indeed. the whole
method of Jesus, as you well know, was
in contact with the life ana Gus
toms of His time. Even His use of the
idea OF GOD and of the future life were
for moral enforcement. He always
sought to bring either comfort in dis
tress or powerful impulse toward right
actions.
His method was never technical or
formal. He put his message into sto-
rieS. parallels, and illustrations. He ig-
nored. avoided. and seemed to dispise.
all the more exact methods which be-
long to what are known as the laws of
thought. But He also tells us distinctly
10y what method we may arrive at a
mastery of doctrine. He does not say
that men are to submit to the church.
He does not say that we are to bow our
neeks to the intellectual yoke of eX-
plicit speculation of dead men. This is
His rule for arriving at knowledge of
doctrine, John viii, II: "If any man
willeth to do His will. He shall know of
whether l speak from myself" Not
only was the substance of His doctrine
ethical, but He Himself asserts that we
arrive at doctrine not so much through
submission OF the reason, as through
submission of the will; not so much by
reflection as by action. 1t is important
to observe that
THIS is THE ONLY RULE
that Jesus ever laid down for the dis
covery of doctrinal truth. The early
church had something to say about
heresy, but the heretics were the opin-
iOn-makerS and not the dogma-deSpiS-
ers, and 50 in the letter to Titus, ill.,, 8.
we read: Faithful is the saying. and
concerning these things will that Thou
affirm confidently to the end that they
which have believed God may be care
full to maintain good works. These
things are good AID profitable unto
men, but shun foolish QueStionings, and
genealogieS, and strifes, and fightings
about the law, for they are Improbable
and vain. A man that is heretical after
a first and second admOnitiOn refuse:
knowing that such one is perverted
and Sinneth, being SeIf-condemned."
You will see here that what Paul is
anxious about is good works, and what
he is anxious to avoid is questions of
dogmatic dispute. The hereto or the
opiniated man is the man who is fond of
doctrinal tests and debates; such an one
is to be stunned, for he endangerS his
own soul and the souls OF others. Such,
therefore, is the light thrown upon our
study by the New Testament.
Every revelation of God is true, and
every honest intellect is bound to sub
nit to every statement which comes to
him bearing divine sanctions. But no
intellect can submit without degrade
ton to the authority of those who assert
without proof. that they are custodians
of the truth. The only intellectual re-
bellion possible is a rebellion from the
wEIGHT OF THE STRONGEST REASONS.
4 There can be. therefore, no intellectual
rebellion without intellectual suicide.
Neither can there be intellectual sub
mission apart from personal conviction.
ANY pretenSe of submission from any
other motive than that of the authority
of truth alone, can end only in driveiing
hypocrisy.
In harmony with the New Testament
and with these suggestions is also the
history of the early churches. The
early centers of the Christian faith in
towns and cities remote from
each other. composed of people widely
differing in culture and in customs,
did not have any uniform organization.
The early churches were without dog
mas, for the most part without institu-
tionS, and many of them were without
Bibles. They depended for their mes
sage upon the story of the cross and for
their life upon the presence of the living