St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-26
WORDS OF REBUKE.
A New York Preacher on Relig-
ions Narrowness.

New YORK, May 25.-Rev. Charles 81.
Parkhurst, in his sermon yesterday
morning at the Madison Square Pres
byterian church, attacked the narrow
ness of the Presbyterian church in
general, and the prosecutors of
Prof. Briggs in particular, as they never
were attacked before. He likewise
paid his compliments to Princeton col
iege. He likened the men who are at
tacking Prof. Briggs to early-day In
quisitors, who roasted heretics over
slow fires and tickled their flesh with
red-hot pincers. His text was taken
from /. ThessalOnians, V, 21: prove
all things; hold fast that which is
good"
lone thing we are going to stand for is
unity of the Presbyterian church, not by ex-
cision, but by comprehension. The true
strength of a church, like the true strength
of a nation, lies not in the monotony of its
elements, but in their organized heteroge
neity., The apostleship was large and broad
enough to take in easily eleven men, whose
only point of unity was their faith in
God and their loving belief in His Son.
Princeton says this is a careless, ill-advised
way OF doing these things. II the apostleShlp
hadnot started before Princeton did, there
would have been no show for the apostleship
Peter and John never would have agreed on
any theological platform that had more than
two planks in 1t, and when Paul came
in, everything would have gone all to
pi eces. The spirit of Princeton is to
make theologians, just as ma
chine makes shoepegs, just as baker
makes crackers the same quantity
of dough in the cracker before it is put into
the oven, and the same stamp put onto the
cracker after it is pulled out of the oven. 1t
attempts 10 secure church unity exactly as
the Catholic church has always tried to Sc
cure church unity-by cutting off the legs of
those who have not walked in step. and by
the abscision Of the heads of those that have
not thought in step. This is the monotony
of the Sahara desert, not the unity Of living
organism.
The question that is on the lips of thous-
ands of young men that are on the threshold
of the ministry, is can l enter the Presby-
terian ministry and still retain my intellect
ual self-respect? Must pluck out my eyes
and replace my brains with sawdust as a
prerequisite to candidacy for Presbyterian
orders? Can be an independent thinker
and at The same time be loyal Presby-
terian? 1t is in view of just such
interrogatories as these that l go on
to express it as my frank conviction
that the general assembly stultiied itself one
year ago, when it bound its revision commit
tee to confine its modification Of the confess
sion within Calvinistic lines. Our objection
is to the idea of tying great church in
live century and country TO a man who has
been 800 years under ground. PERHAPS we
can never improve on C..nivin, but il hurts my
feelings TO feel .nat the church that my
heart and life are bound up in is anchored 10
cemetery. To tie US to the sixteenth CEN
tury is an attempt to drive the Presbyterian
buggy with hitched horse. We believe that
the Bible is inspired by God. We do not be-
lieye that God ever told Moses to say that
comics chew the cud, because comics do not
chew the cud, Lev. XII, g. to the contrary
Notwithstanding. That fact does not wound
Scripture in its vitals any more than
pairing your nails stops your heart beating