The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-25
PARABLE OF CREATION.
DR.. Heber Newton's Liberal In
terpretatj 4 Scripture.
SHAKING OFF OLD TRADITIONS.
Biblical Story Of the Origin of Evil
Clearly Diseredited.
SHAKING OFF OLD TRADITIONS.


- = -
w YoaK, May a4.--Rey. Dr. Ieber
sons Of al Souls church, preached a
z on this morning which IL calculated
- woke much discussion in religious cir
,. He made q succinct statement of his
fs.Ich-mooted views. His text was, "Hold
Fast to the Form of Sacred Words The
reverend gentleman said, in substance:
1t has been said of the Nicene creed that
1t was fit only to be sung. On the other
hand, it would be hard to set the West
minister faith to music. The Nicene creed
is the amplification of the apostles creed.
Scarcely doctrine which is in dispute in
the churches found about us furnish
proper ground for dispute in our roomy
church. The only affirmation in the
Nicene creed is the large, elastic decIara-
ton, | 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 concern
ing the episcopate. What must we believe
concerning the Bible? Nothing beyond
the simple declaration of the Nicene creed
which was spoken of by the prophets Yeu
may hold to the plenary inspirations of
the Scriptures and believe every word die
tated by the Almighty, or you may hold
that large and reasonable view, which is
rapidly, 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 COM
mand US to believe concerning the origin
of evil, the fall of man? Nothing what.
ever. Concerning the atonement? Moth
ing, except the language of the creed of
Him who for US men and for our salvation
came down from heaven. Concerning fu-
ture punishment, there is nothing con-
tanned in the language of the creed which
says He shall come again with glory to
judge both the quick and the dead.
All the articles, of the character
and duration of the punishment are extra
creedal. The first form of the articles
contained one on future punishment, and
that article was afterwards withdrawn.
What of the resurrection, that the dead
are to rise into life immortal, clothed in
bodily form? As / understand the
teaching of our great creeds the nature
of the resurrection body is not af-
firmed. You are free to believe this in the
literal sense of the body laid in the grave
orin the larger sense in which most men
read it.
Concerning the sacrament and the
Lords Supper, we are free TO believe al
most anything that commends itself to
Christian consciousness. On all these
fhnppnS ny uh h;oh he de- ..I -
natural that men should think. Opinions
must be formed and held, and the Chris
tian, be he laymsn or clergyman, is left
free to form his own opinion. The Nicene
creed is charter of liberty. Il 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 Christian
ity with itself. Christendom is torn and
dismembered before our eyes. 1t is par
alyzed with doubt. The strife of creed is
seen on every side. Man cannot find
shelter under the Reformation confessions
of faith, with their long-drawn meta
physics. He who reads the signs of the
times sees the alternative to throw
overheard the creeds or to simplify them.
Today could our Protestant churches be
content to part with their Reformation con-
fessions of faith and adopt that great
catholic creed which has come down
through the centuries, there would be an
end of strife and contention. DR.. Bridg-
man would not have to leave his church
for his views on the question of future
punishment, and DIR. Briggs could excite no
contention in his church on the question
nf IL
reconciliation of questions of faith and
fkrnr,r at ho, Lee.