Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-04-21
AT DWIGHT HALL.
An Address Last Night by Professor
william North Rice of Wesleyan.

william North Rice of wesleyan.
Last night the Oxford club of Yale was |
addressed in Dwight hall by Professor
william North Rice of Wesleyan univer-
sity on the ''Skeptical and Dogmatic Ten
denotes of Christian Thought" President
Dwight introduced him as Yale graduate
and from the faculty of the nearest col
lege, and he spoke somewhat as follows:
sFellow students of Yale: AS Yale
graduate it gives ME pleasure to speak to
you Every one must recognize that re-
ligious belief rests on evidence merely
probable and not demonstrative. There
can be no demonstration of God nor of
the life and death and resurrection of
Jesus, nor of any particular doctrine.
Every human mind must believe that
ideas on such vast themes can only ap-
proximate the truth. And such things as
appear near the truth to one age will be
done away with by another. Every re-
Hgion, therefoee. is subject to change. We
can never be sure that the bridge we
90 over will not break, that the medicine
we administer will do good, or that pc
Gtical measure will improve the peoples
condition. And yet in all these things
men do act on the basis of certainty, and
do wisely in so acting. Thus we find
warrant for two different Christian tenden-
cies-frst, that all religious beliefs are
more or less uncertain; and on the other
hand we find tendency to act on our con-
victions as truth. These two tendencies
have called the skeptical and dogmatical.
Though the names are unfortunate, they
are the best words for the meaning Both
of these tendencies derive a warrant from
the history of the Christian church.
The religious belief of the nineteen tn
century is not the same as that of the ff-
tenth, nor will it be that of the twenty
fifth. The angelology and demonology,
once essential parts of Christian faith,
have passed into oblivion. And yet there
has been continued unity in all Christian
thought belief in God and sin and the
redemption and the expectation of vast
difference to be finally made between those
who have done good and those who have
done evil. Every truth that budded and
blossomed in the gospel existed in germ in
the Old Testament. When there we con-
tend for the faith once delivered to saints,
we contend for the faith running through
all ages.
Like mighty army
Moves the church of God;
Brothers we are treading
Where the saints have trod.'
tThe dogmatic tendency would seem I'M
necessary. There must be truth, how
ever, that we can get hold of. We must
believe something vigorously: to be ready
to live and die for i'll do not define how
much. The men whose names are
written in letters of light in Christian his
tory and all time were the heroes, not of
skepticism, but of faith. Dogma may in
deed be developed abnormally, and then
from it springs bigotry. The reality and
the spirit of persecution lies in every mind
that believes itself in possession of abso
lutte truth. But error, which may be
cured, is less evil than Indifference to
truth, for which thereis no cure. We seein
this Pilates scornful question, What is
trutha We get benefits from both ten
denotes. The dogmatic has sent out mis-
sionaries and crusaders and strength tc
meet the forces of evil, and the skeptical
has kept the church in unity. Continu-
ing, the speaker enforced the thought that
there is mean between the two extremes.
There is a kernel of religious belief thai
has come down to US. modified by reason
This will lead to a working faith, till the
man can get something better. He will be
| always ready for new ideas, and to modify
| wait till this creed-building is complete
but to act on our belief, and sc
duty shall be the strength of faith
and faith the joy of duty. Fol
| If ye continue in the truth, ther
are ye my disciples indeed said Jesus
Christ. It is never possible to reach ar
absolute truth here, though we approach
continually nearer to it and grow towards
it. So we put ourselves in harmony with
God and the world. Our religions are
not garments to put on and take off with
the: occasion, but part of ourselves, al
organic continuity. We shall be born il
that better life already for the beatif'
vision, and the songs we shall hear will bs
the same that we have heard on earth per
| fected"