Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-05
Mr.. CAVES THEOLOGY
nc orcenr SERMON IN ST. LOUIS
no CAUSES MUCH DISCUSSION.
a New Church to Be Orga"'1e"'
Will Preach His Own
Views.


Views.
sensational sermon recently P Por,merly
IN 81 Louis by Rev. Il. y; 1asee' Christian
III o' ~ the Seventh-Street Snli0s Ia
pss.ort bare seems TO have stirred up W e
cnu darable degree the religious peopiJ Va
.pii inner city. where he Is now i9ca.ou
tn m, ~, .--nnble has at last reached Poine
ine NJ Gave thought il best 10 resign
W., Wne ros tor. of his church III tina, Guy,
'iiS p~' thirty or thirty-fve members na.o
ooLed for letters Of dismissal WIN .,o t;o S
oT@anizing themselves into cons y. Is,rcach
and calling their former pastor ~
for them.
, which so aroused the 81.
T lie D;scinles and other religious pe9pae
,'os nreached by Mr.. Cave Few o Iln. fo
a ""9 n appears from his remarks .n5' ,ho
a. not believe in the inspiration VI 'iiD
Scrintnres or the duty OF CHRIST. ,o,-o
rho ~. Louis Republic intervie"eo ssne W.
roI ministers with regard to Mr.. caves aOo-
tTine. DR.. o. A. Bartholomew q rt ir5
minister in the Disciples OF O 49, f"r
1hurch said the views expressed "erg ~. ~.
o;p,J m the teachings of the Blbie ana ths
faith of the denomination. belo MIS-
,'rnacber claimed that Mr.. caves lucas
tended toward Ingersolllsm. A.. co,.~oi
a meeting of the members OF the Oehlrai
chr;etisn church (Mr. Caves was callco
ond a majority Of them adopted resolutions
endorsing the doctrine preacheu ~ .mS od
nestor. These resolutions, II Is oia'l ~
bv the Disciples papers throuenou ~, .T 10
c0untrv and their leading men, are ho' III
accord with what the SCRIPTURES teaoh'
TROUBLE IN THE cHUEcH.
D.. Nv Garrison and Rev. J. II. Smart,
-. On
Nv from Mr.. Caves church when the
rescInfions were adopted endorsing the
course of the pastor. 4 few other lneh-
bers followed their example. ~o
A. n later meeting Of the church pre-
anble and resolution were adopted uy
|" iarca majority of those present protest
inc AGAINST the resolutions endorsing ar.
Caves position. and claiming they WeIe
passed with undue haste ana without tIinII
for discussion. SIXTY people sisnsr
The protest against the new re-
i;g;ors nasis laid down in the resolution
endorsing Mr.. Cave. 1t was at this meet
inc when msiority of the members re-
n, sed 10 accept bis views that Mr.. cave re-
signed the pastorate and tblrty-tve mein-
hers announced their intention 10 orgall|o
another church.
THE NEW BASIS.
The Christian ErGngeid says this OF the
secedinr members and Their pastor sIutute
movements 1T i said that they are ne
oofiatjno for the purchase Of the Delnar-
Avenue Baptist church property WIN
view of using it for the new chui en-.
Brother Cave is to be called 70 lts ptS1O-
rate. of course, and one OF the seceuin@
members is reported rs saying that
chnrch would be formed on the old-llne
Comnbellite basis' We suppose the Ia
nous preamble and resolutions VIII be
the basis of the new church. 1t would be
n comnlete surrender Of the position on
which they have divided the church TO
abandon this precious preamble now.
There will probably he some Others VINO
will ioiu tho new move, bur the maJori'y
no doubt will remain with the Central
church and on the original basis
WHY HE WITHDREW.
Rev. DIR. Lawson in the same paper thus
explains his withdrawal from Dir. caves
church: .,.,.
nose in calling for letters for myself ana
family was to make the most effective pro-
fest possible against the revolutionary
basis which the church bad adopted aud
refused TO reconsider. Il was plain that q
large number of the members dld not
realize the nature and meaning or the ac-
ton which had been taken, and IL was
hoped that this course would compel eH-
animation, precipitate crisls, aud result
in saving many OF the members II not Tue
church itself. 1t was no part OF our pur-
nose TO surrender the church or desert
those ia it who were true 10 the old faith,
as some have hastily supposed not Know
ing what manner of spirit we are OF.
THE SERMON DISCUSSED.
President Charles Lewis Loos. of Ken
tuckv University. leading man among
the Disciples, says this of Alr. Cave and
his sermon: r. 49,
minister of the Central Christian church
of St. Louis, did not III the least surprise
us. however profound the regret must be
with us to know that such teaching con-
corning the Old Testament should be pro-
claimed in the pulpit of one Of our
churches by preacher hitherto re-
garded as one OF us; above, al
that the preacher felt that he could now
safely preach such q sermon In that
place. OF tie sermon itself we can SIM
DIV say this: Were 1t question merely oil
particular Interpretation OF the sacnuco
Of Isaac and Of Jephthas dasghter IL
might pass without remark; there is room
for differences of Interpretation here. Nor
were the burden OF the sermon merely to
show that the New Testament is more
uerfpct revelation OF God than the Old
would there be ground for objection
The bearing and intention Of the ser
mon 90 much farther than all this;
they are an assault on the very
character and authority OF the He
brew Scriptures as the true revelation OF
Jehovah to his people, in one word, as
being what they claim TO be. The sermon
seeks to subvert the faith IN the Old Iesta-
ment taught in the New by Jesus and his
apostles. The solidarity of the Scriptures
of the two covenants IL complete, Is vital;
we cannot retain our faith IN the New
Testament "a the Word Of God and reject
the Old. This the preacher of this sermon
knows as well as we do
Rev. |. J. Spencer. editor of the Mission
drv Weekly. has a twO-column article tins
week on Mr. Cave and his new doctrine.
which he does not think IN accord with the
faitho Of the Disciples.
PERSONAL.
Mr.. Cave preached in Richmond for
about six years. He IS a native Of Virginia
and has brother and nephew in this State
who are ministers of the Gospel. They are
Revs. /. w. Cave, Of Orange county. and
p. A. Cave, Of the Northern Neck. Another
brother is Rev. Il. l.. Cave, of Nashville.
Tenn.
bIr. Cave was once president of college
in Hopkinsville, Ky. He Is an eloquent
speaker and fine scholar. He draws I'M
mense congregations in st. LOUIS
WRIGHT SENT ON.