The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-05-25
Such Was Rev. Heber Newton's Declara-
ton Concerning ALI Christendom.
The Protestant Episcopal Rector Of ALI Souls
Church breaches q Sermon. in Which He
Defines His Much Footed Greed
Fiery Utterances on the Inspiration of
the Bible and the Resurrection.
The Celebrated Divine Declares the Doctrine
of the Trinity to Be q Purely Philosophi-
Cal Formula-Confessions Of Faith.
HIS FIERY UTTERANCEs.

HIS F1EHY UTTERANCES.
Rev. DE-. Heber Newton Declares An Chris-
tendon Paralyzed with Doubt
Special to the Indianapolis Journal
NEW YORK, May A-Rev. r Heber New.
ton, rector of All Souls Protestant Episco-
pal Church, who ~ charged with holding
heretical views and with preaching hereti-
cal doctrines. and especially with denying
the immaculate conception of the Savior.
and the resurrection of His body after three
days, took occasion this morning to answer
his accusers in o sermon on the Nicene
Greed.
AcongreGation which crowdedth the church
to the doors heard the sermon. which RAJ
in substance. as follows: Calvin once
said that the Nicene Greed was only ft to
be sung. That is its noblest euloRy.
Rightly understood Its u~tterances form .
hymn of thanksgiving. The creed 10
o poetic philosophy. and therefore
to be sung. Fancy the Westminster Con-
fession being sung. To what music could
it be sets / propose to speak of the Nicene
Greed as the charter of the church's liberty.
securing to it. when rightly understood.
the conditions of comprehensiveness. ana
holding for Christianity and for religion ut
large, the secret of reconciliation in tho
controversies which now agitate Christian
ity, as an article of peace. The Hicene Greed
with the Apostles Greed are commonly
spoken of as the Catholic creeds. They are
the two creeds which have been handed
down from antiquity as accepted by the
Church of Rome. the Church of England and
our own church alike hold fast to them.
The icene Greed Is an application Of
the Apostles Greed. The statements Of the
Apostles Creed reappear in the Nicene
cradle development The characteristic dis
tinction between the two creeds il
that the Nicene Creed is a more
philosophical statement of the truths af-
tirmed In the Apostles Greed. Beyond these
formal confession of faith. 1t 10 true
that our church accepted from the Church
of England the th~irty-nine articles. 1t did
SO, however, only under c0nstraint. At
first il deliberately dropped them altogeth-
er, and subsequently resumed them as Q
necessity of procuring episcopal consecra-
ton from England.
The t%hirty-nine articles were put forth
In the reformation era. not as O substitute
for the W great Catholic creeds. but as an
Interpretation of them in the thought cur
rent at the time. Other reform churches
dropped the great Catholic creeds or sub
ZIG SoulCoolono u ldltus tucu l0I
the first time drawn MP. The Church of
England never intended to place the thirty
nine articles in any such position. She
never ordered them to be read or sung in
the churches; For use in worship the two
great Catholic creeds remained the only
forms ordained.
by general consent the articles have no
binding obligation upon our thought to-
day. Pressed as a creed, they are self
thought and shield none. Every opinion
can find shelter beneath them. No opinion
can rest undisturbed within them. They
do not even exclude Romanism, as Dr.. New
man showed. All schools of opinion agree
practically in this view of the articles.
They are a foreign substance which has be-
come encysted In the church. This being
the state OF the case. see how much Is ruled
out from the essentials of faith in the
Protestant Episcopal Church. The thirty
nine articles stand for that secondary body
of reformation theology popularity known
as Calvinism. which 10 the irritating
cause of all the disturbances in the church
to-day. Accepted consciously by q large
part OF the Protestant Christianity. the
human mind is in revolt against il. Ac-
cepted unconsciously by q large part Of
our. W church, the opinions which it
against the liberty which the great creeds
ordain in our church. The trouble with
the good men who are intent On forcing on
q conflict in our church is simply that they
ml6tdko tu0 md8B Oh LQOukuL WHICH Q0G
grown up within the church around the
great creeds for living parts of the creeds
themselves.
ORTHODOXY TO BE TESTED.
"Thts simple distinction would clear the
whole atmosphere to-day. Nothingis to
be demanded of q clergyman in our church
a loyalty to the great Catholic creeds.
Orthodoxy is to be tested by no other
standard than those found in the creeda.
The thought of laymen need not concern it
self with any doctrine not embodied in
those creeds. WHAT q vast emancipation
the recognition of this catholic truth would
work among us. Scarcely doctrine which
is in dispute in the churches around Ms can
furnish q proper ground for dispute in our
roomy church. The only affirmation in tho
Nicene Greed is the large. elastic declara-
ton, Ibelieve In one catholic and apostolic
church. Nothing beyond is TO be de-
manded Of anybody as q matter of faith.
We can thus judge of the catholicity which
would rule the foremost man in the church
of the bishopric out because Of his opinion
concerning the episcopate.
What must we believe concerning the
Biblef Nothing beyond that simple decls-
ration of the Meme Creed: Who spake by
the prophets That is the SUR and sub
stance Of the church's official declaration
on the question of inspiration. You may
hold to the plenary Inspiration of tho
oh1
by the Almighty. or you may hold that
large and reasonable view, which is spread
ing through our church 90 rapidly, with
equal loyalty to one only authority. the
creed.
what does the church bid us believe
concerning the story of the crcationf Notn-
ing beyond the simple declaration: i be-
lieve in one God, the Father Almighty. the
maker of heaven and earth, and all things
visible and invisible You are equally
free to read the story in Genesis as q literal,
prosaic bit of history. or as q parable;
equally free to believe the world launched
into being 5000 years ago In SIX consecutive
days of ~twenty-four hours each, or to be-
lieve in evolution.
q What does the church command Us to
believe concerning the origin of evil-the
fall of mani Nothing whatever. The doc
trine of the fall Of man. 90 popularity re-
ceived throughout hristendom. 10 an extra
creedal belief.
what does the church command Ne to
believe concerning predestination and cleo
toni Nothing whatever. She 10 absolute
~ silent upon this mystery which 90 exer-
discs the souls of our CalvInistic friends.
What does the church teach us TO believe
concerning the atonementf Only that
which 10 contained in the simple. undog-
matte logic Of our creed: Who for Us men
and for our salvation Game down from
heaven
What does the church order us 70 be-
lieve concerning future punishmentf Moth
ing that is not contained IN the simple. I'M
dogmatic statement of the creed: II shall
come again with glory 20 judge both the
l Quick aud the dead, The reality Of adl-