The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-18
RELIGIOUS QUESTIONS OF TEE DAP
Viewed IRON the Standpoint OF UnIversal
ThooIoGN.

L
| Theology.
Apart from the points brought up for re-
vision In the Articles OF Faith at the Saratoga
convention OF the PresbyteriSns, there is some-
thing which calls for remark. 1t IL the exhibit
| ton OF courage displayed by sunderinR
| thoughts which have been woven In tho web
| OF the mind from childhood to manhood
| BY the thinkers who favor revision assem-
| bled In that convention. 1t requires high de-
| gree OF moral courage to take the first stops
in matters OF religion. for 1t means an aban-
| doninR Of the old and the received for the new
and the proposed.
II is not to be thought for one moment that
the gentlemen who have acted in connection
with this revision question have moved with
out first prayerfully asking assistance to guide
| their human thoughts In the right way.
For every one OF those called upon to act In
| this matter knows what it means.
1t means simplincation Of Christian tenets
| and the consequent adoption in the end OF the
Christianity which was preached by the
founder of the faith and not the Christianity
which human ingenuity has built out OF dis
jointed sentences, mistranslations OF sacred
texts, we'll meant, but with o very unskiled
direction OF literary acumen.
Whatever good Christianity has accom-
plished In the world. whatever love 1t has
Gown. whatever virtue it has originated. is due
to that part Of Christianity which is pure
Christianity. because 1t is the religion which
Christ preached followed, and insisted upon.
Whatever evil Christianity has accomplished
In the world. and witness religious wars per-
secutions, and out-ages perpetrated In its
name: whatever hearths II has desolated
and lives 1t has warped, must IL truth be
the guide point to additions. grattings. and
Rrowths due to churchmen whose human in
tellect was necessarily falllble. From the mo-
mont that men began to depart from the
teachings OF Christ Christianity became q
name for schism. discord. enmity.
The original followers OF Christ we're called
the jewish Christians. The followers Of Paul
were known Us the Gentle Christians.
They differed as to the nature OF Christ the
former regarding Him Just as do the Unitarians
OF to-day and also holding fast to the Seventh
day Sabbath, and dietary laws. alleging the OK
ample OF the founder OF the faith. But sects 80
soon increased that In large Christian COM
munities 1t was said by one - am OF Paul." by
another. II am OF Apollos" tthe apostle OF
Alexandria,, another would say. II am Of
Kephas Peter. and yet another would say, Il
am Of Christ"
Then there were the Meristes. observers OF
certain portions only OF the Bible enactments;
the Masboteans, who. while perhaps not wholly
with the Jewish Christians, still considered
that the seventh day Sabbath should be the
one observed by Christians. This seventh day
Sabbath was observed as q regular Christian
Institution until the fourth century after the
death OF Christ. Then. besides, there were the
Genistes: Jews originally. but drawn into the
Christian Church: also the Gnostics who were
Christians affected by Magian environment.
AS examples Of the curious lengths to which
the human mind ram we may quote other
sects, tho Calnotes. who honored Cain. and the
Ophites. or Nahasites. who worshipped the SER
pent lOphis-Naha because through It man
obtained q knowledge OF good and evil.
But these schisms In the Christian Church in
Syria were as nothing compared with those
which grew to q lead in Alexandria There
the keen Greek intellect worked, and as soon
as erratic reasoning wandered from the path
OF Christ they demonstrated how further devil
atoms and further strayinR must follow.
Platonic Christianity was born in that city.
Its father was the system OF Plato, its mother
was Christianity. In due time the mind OF the
community was prepared for q very significant
innovation. and that was the starting Of the
idea that there was Trinity
1t is true that the old paRans OF Alexandria
had believed in trinity of the Egyptian sys-
tenn. And doubtless in that great seaport there
were mon from the far east who were accus-
toned to the Trinity idea, for it was set forth in
the religion OF India. But It gave great offence
to many OF the Christians. At once o sect arose
called the Noetians. or followers OF Noetus.
who denied any plurality such as was implied
in the term Trinity. Then there were the fol-
lowers OF Praxlas Second century after the
birth Of CHRISTI who also maintained Vows an
tagonistic to a Trinity. Then in the next CEN
fury came the followers OF Sabellius. ana yet
again. the Samosatans. oil varying in creed
Although other disputes were then irving
the Christian Church. such as the dispute as to
what was the right time to keep Easter. what
was the nature OF Christ what was the mllen-
mum. what the right baptism. the Trinity
doctrine was not allowed to drop. Arius arose
and originated the famous ArIan sect. He de-
clared that In the nature Of things there was
time when the con did not exist The question
OF the equality OF the son or the reverse was
disputed. and Macedonius. Bishop Of Constan-
tinople. declared that the son was inferior.
One inquiry led to another. In All Pelagius
and Celestius left Rome for Carthage. They
preached that the Sin of Adam hurt only him
self and not the whole human rnce. That
baptism is not required to wash away that sin
or any other sin. Ones personal sins can be
washed away, but only by good Deeds
Quickly followed tho HISTORIAN, dispute which
was that the Virgin Mary wasthe mother OF
only tho man Christ. And let us quote but
one other sect, that OF Eutychius, who taught |
that if there were two natures in the son,
there must be two sons. or course this |
would make the Trinity into quaternty.
Besides these sects there were councils
and councils to distract and tear the Christian
Church the Nicean Council. the Council OF
OF Ephesus. Chalcedon how
many we do not know, Suffice 1t TO Illus
trato the dissensions by stating that in the
fourth century there were thirteen church
councils which condemned Arius. fifteen which
his views. seventeen which recon-
mended the neutral course OF letting him and
mis- views alone.
Enough has been said to show the mischiev-
BUS result Of human thought engrafting its
own ideas upon the tree OF Christianity We
once intimated that IL Christ were to
,omo on earth 1t would be interesting TO
tnow to which branch Of Christianity the
ounder would turn. and whether all
,onld be declared the true interpreters Of
he example set them. Strange AS II may
sound. Christ would wish g. attend Sabbath