New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-01
WILL THE CHURCH BURST IT'S SHELF
THE REV. DIR. RossITER COMPARES 1T TO AN

ovERGRowN BOY IN CLOTHES FAR
TOO SMALL FOR HIM.
The rev. DR.. 5. b. Rossitcr preached IN Dne Eoi'i
Presbyterian Church yesterday morning before large
audience on What is the Matter With the Mnsters'
or Revision Of Our Personal Creeds.' lie saio III
part MANY persons have been revising tneir per.
sonal creeds, not only In this country, but In all
countries. People, without communicating much win
one another have become aware OF this, ana tney
are also aware that the personal belief OF very
large number Of people is larger broader hgper ano
deeper than tho long accepted formularies Oh the
Church.
"what does this meant 1t simply means that the
creed coat has become too small for the growing boy
Tint Is the figure the Church presents to-day
large overgrown big headed boy, with great new
thoughts swelling in his brain, with great ne" sense
OF universal brotherhood swelling in his heart TINS
boy dressed In suit Of the last century oIoohos
all too small trousers above his ankles coatsieeves
half way up his arm, jacket tight TO his skin What
II that boy should stretch hmseff would not
answer for the consequences.
"when is this growth going to stopi Not TILL we
all come In the unity Of faith TO the measure OF the
stature Of the lness Of Christ There Is not an iron
bound creed in the world that will stand the slow,
even allaround tremendous pressure Of live thought
1t Is the thought and the work Of foreign missions
swelling within the heort of the Church that is split
ting it asunder Somehow creeds must be adapted
most explosive thing in the world so than gun
cotton Strike 1t and you have conclusion and some
thing has got to give way And certain opinions have
been for long time forming in the heart OF the
Church. looking 10 wider and grander things than the
creeds contemplate, and one Jealous for old ways
struck them and there Is an explosion Opinions are
like powerful explosive gases, harmless II you give
them opportunity to expand; dangerous II you confne
them Give them plenty of manholes and leave them
open and there is danger. We have not had a
sufficient number of manholes in creed, or II we
have some one has closed them and are liable
TO be blown TO pieces.
But instead of being alarmed at the state Of
things, we should rejoice. 1t is but the progress
toward higher sweeter purer faith The man Of to-day
docs not think and feel the Of the sixteenth
century. John Calvin In his most martinez moments
never dreamed that he able to give the limits to
all religious thought to the end Of the world and that
no man was ever TO think outside Of his statements
We have come to sproutlng time. The tree Of the
Church is swelling In all Its buds and breaking into
flowers and beauty, but the trunk is the same, only
stronger and larger Nothing that is true Is going TO
be hurt In all this investigation. The Church mas
gone through such times again and again, and the
heresy Of one age has become the orthodoxy OF the
next.
We have come TO a time Of revolt. The average
hates the pope, whether it be the Pope OF Rome,
says my thought must be your thought there Is
going to be revolt, and that kind Of papacy VIII be
split into a thousand pieces, and we will have In It's
place a larger belief and larger hope"