The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-18
GROWING TOLERANCE.

On the 10th inst. the great Ecumenical
Conference of Methodist churches at
Washington City was addressed by the
Rev. DIR. w. T. Dawson, Professor of
Biblical Exegesis in the Wesleyan college
at Richmond, England, who holds that
modern biblical criticism had proved the
composite character of the Pentateuch;
the double authorship of Isaiah; and
teaches that christians must not take up
the position that their faith in Christ
depended upon their faith in the plenary
inspiration of the Scriptures, but that their
faith in the Scriptures depended on their
faith in Christ" To this extent
Rev. DR.. Dawson is in agreement with
Rev. DR.. Briggs, the professor of Union
Theological Seminary, who is to be tried
for heresy next month by his presby-
terry. The English Methodist church.
despite these published views of DR..
Davison-have reelected him professor,
but to the American Methodist church,
which continues to hold that the Bible,
not In its concept merely, but in its very
form and letter, is the word of God, the
absolute truth and the absolute law, the
views of Professor DAWSON are not yet
acceptable. While to the great mass of
the Baptists and Methodists the Bible is
still the literal word of God, the only rule
of faith and practice and the only source
OF religious truth, Rev. DR.. Dawson
holds, with Rev. DR.. Briggs, that the Bible
is book which properly comes within the
fn dofo inn
wherein it is instinct with the inspiration
of spiritual wisdom and religious truth
and wherein it is only the record Of super
stition and imperfect knowledge.
How, then, it will be asked, is Rev. DR..
Dawson allowed to present his view of the
science Of modern biblical criticism? The
answer is that the Methodist church con-
tinues to reflect the tolerant spirit. John
Wesley, who Dean Stanley always con-
tended was the founder of the Modern
Broad church, as he certainly, as
Rev. Hugh Peters Hughes, a famous
divine of the English Methodist church,
proves, was the most liberal ortho-
dox thinker of his day. He never
preached eternal torment for the
heather nor painted hell as a
place of material terrors and horrors.
The London Methodist conference of ITO,
twenty-one years before Wesley's death,
adopted the following statement of belief |:
1. Who of us is now accepted OF God?-He
that now believes in Christ with loving,
| obedent heart.
2 But who among those that never heard Of
Christ?-He that feareth God, and worketh
| righteousness, according to the light he has.
Is this the same with she that is sinceref''
| Nearly. If not quite.
| Thus, more than 100 years ago. the
Methodist conference, under John Wesley.
| declared in exact opposition to the
| Athanasian creed, that the heather could
be saved. On another occasion Wesley as
serted the undoubted salvation of the hea-
then Roman emperor, Marcus Antoninus.
and also said that Mohammedanism was
probably an improvement upon the low.
corrupt form of Oriental Christianity
which it superseded. Wesley described
Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. as zone
of the greatest of men," and quoted with
appreciation the words Of another who
said that he found sin Solomon. st. Paul.
| st. John, Luther and Fenelon the light
of Christ shining in different degrees un.
| der different dispensations."
1t is clear that tolerance is a tradition of
the Methodist church from the DAYS of
Wesley to the advent of Professor Dawson.
who has just been granted a respectful
hearing.