Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-25
THE NICENE CREED.
A Charter of Liberty as Well
as Fit to Be Sung.
The Westminster Faith Hard
to Set to Music.
Rev. DR.. Heber Newton breaches {
Sensational Sermon.
He Says the Reformation Confessions of
Faith Must Be Simplified OF
Thrown Overheard.
Associated Press Dispatches.

New York, May 24.-Rev. DIR. Heber
Newton, of All Souls church, preached
sermon this morning which is calcu-
lated to evoke much discussion in re-
ligious circles. He made succinct
statement of his much-mooted views.
His text was: Hold Fast to the Form of
Sacred Words. The reverend gentle
man said in substance:
''It has been said of the Nicene creed
that it was fit only to be sung. On the
other hand it would be hard to set the
Westminster faith to music. The Nj
Gene creed is the amplification of the
Apostolic creed. Scarcely doctrine
which is in dispute in the churches
round about us can furnish proper
ground for dispute in our roomy church.
The only affirmation in the Nicene creed
is the large elastic declaration L believe
in one catholic and apostolic church.
We can thus Judge of the catholicism
which would rule out the foremost man
in the church for the bishopric, because
of his opinion concerning the episcopate.
What must we believe concerning the
Bible? Nothing beyond the simple
declaration of the Nicene creed? Who
spoke by the prophets? You may hold
to the plepary inspiration OF the scrip
lures, and believe every word dictated
by the Almighty, or you may hold that
large and reasonable view which is
spreading through our church SO rapid
ly, with equal loyalty to our only
authority, the creed. What does
the church bid us believe concerning
the story of the Creation? You are
equally free to read the story in Genesis
as history or parable. What does the
church command US to believe concern
ing the origin of evil, the fall of man
Nothing whatever. Concerning the
atonement? Nothing except the Lam
guage of the creed: Who for US men and
for our salvation came down from heav-
en- Concerning future punishment?
Nothing not contained in the language
OF the creed: He shall come again with
glory =, 70 Judge both the quick and the
.All theories of the character and
duration OF the punishment are extsa
creedals. The first form Of the articles
contained an article on future punish
ment, and that article was afterward
withdrawn.
"What of the resurrection? That the
dead are to rise into life immortal
clothed in bodily form, Under
stand to be the teaching of
our great creeds. The natural
of the resurrected body is not affirmed.
You are free to believe this in the liberal
sense of the body laid in the grave, or
in the larger sense in which most men
read it.
Concerning the sacrament and the
Lords supper, we are free to believe
almost anything that commends itself to
Christian consciousness. On all these
themes on which the cleeds are silent,
it is natural that men should think.
Opinions must be formed and held, and
the Christian-be he layman or clergy
man-is left free TO form his own
opinion. The Nicene creed is charter
of liberty. 1t frees us from nine-tenths
OF the burning questions with which
professionalism is on fire today"
"Our great creed" concluded the
speaker, "is the reconciliation of Chris
tianity with itself. Christendom is torn
and dismembered before our eyes. 1t is
paralyzed with doubt. The strife of
creeds is seen on every side. Man can
not find shelter under the Reformation
confessions OF faith with their long
drawn metaphysics. He who reads the
signs OF the times sees the alternative
to throw overheard the creeds or to
simplify them. Today, could our Pro-
testant churches be content to part
with their Reformation confessions of
faith and adopt that great catholic creed
which has come down through the CEN
turies, there would be an end ofstrife and
contention. DR.. Bridgeman would not
have to leave his church for his views
on the question of future punishment,
and DIR. Briggs could excite no conten-
ton in his church on the question of in
spiration. Our great creed is the recon-
ciliation of Christian faith and modern
thought of theology and science"