The Wilmington daily Republican., 1891-05-25
REV. HEBER NEWTON
The Eminent Clergyman on Tho
Nioene Creed"
Els ANSWER TO HIS AoCUsERs

The Nicene Creed the True Founda-
tion OF Christian Belief-It Is an
Article of Peace and u Charter of
Liberty-The Thirty-niuo Articles
Not Binding.
NEW YORK, May 25.-The Rev. R.
Heber Newton, rector of All Souls
Protestant Episcopal church, who is
charged with holding heretical views
and with preaching heretical doctrines.
and especially with denying the immac-
ulate conception of the Saviour and the
resurrection of his body after three days,
took occasion yesterday to answer his
accusors in sermon on 1.-THE Nioene
Creed" A congregation which crowded
the church to the doors heard the SER
mon, which was in substance as follows;
The Niccne Crced.
"Calyin once said that the Nicene
creed was only fit to be sung. That is
its noblest eulogy. Rightly understood,
its utterances form hymn of thanks
giving. The creed is a poetic philoso-
ply. Fancy the Westminster confess
sion being sung. To what music could
~ D3 btbE L llOpOSO W bpbfth VI buO
Nicene creed as the charter of the
church's liberty, securing TO it, when
rightly understood, the conditions
of comprehensiveness, and holding
for Christianity and for religion at large
the secret of Cancellation in the contro-
versies which now agitate Christians.
II is an article of peace. The Nicene
creed and the Apostles creed, commonly
spoken of as the Catholic creeds, are the
two creeds which have been handed
down from antiquity as accepted by the
church at large. The Greek church,
the Church of Rome, the Church of
England and our own church alike hold
fast to them. The Nicene creed is an
ampification of the Apostles creed.
The Thirty-nine Articles.
"Beyond these two creeds our church
recognizes no other formal confession Of
faith. II is true that our church ac-
eepted from tho Church of England the
Thirty-nine Articles. 1t did so, how
ever, only under constraint. At first it
deliberately dropped them altogether,
and subsequently resumed them as a
necessity Of securing Episcopal conse-
Grafton from England. The Thirty
nine Articles were put forth in the re-
formation era, not as a substitute for
the two great catholic creeds, but as an
Interpretation of them in the thought
current at that time. Other reform
churches dropped the great catholic
cTeeds and substituted confessions of
faith then for the first time drawn up.
The Church of England never intended
TO place the Thirty-nine Articles in any
euch 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 or
dained.
The Articles Not Binding.
'sBy general consent the articles have
no binding obligation upon other
thought today. Pressed as a creed, they
are self destructive They cover all
schools of thought, and shield none.
Every opinion can find shelter beneath
them. No opinion can rest undisturbed
with them. They do not even exclude
Romanism, as DR. Newman showed. All
schools Of opinion agree practically in
this yiawiOf- the articles. They are O
foreign. substance which hns become en-
cysted in the church. Nothing is to be
demanded of clergyman in our church
nave loyalty to the great catholic creeds.
The Christians Belief.
'.Nothing beyond belief in only one
apostolic church is to be demanded ol
ANYBODY as matter OF IllIn,
"What must we believe concerning
the bible. Nothing but that simple dec
larAtion of the Nicene creedg Who spakt
by the prophets v"
Regarding the creation he says; "Y OF
are equally free to read the story in Gen
eSis rs literal, prosaic bit OF history
or as parable; equally free to believe the
world launched into being six thousand
years ago, in six consecutive days OF
twenty-f hours each, or to believe il
evolution? What does the church com
mend us to believe concerning tn,
origin, the evil, the fall of mani Moth.
ing whatever.
"What does the church command III
TO believe concerning predestination ant
election2 Nothing whatever. She il
absolutely silent upon this mystery
which so exercises the souls of our Cal
whistle friends. What does the churcl
teach US to believe concerning the atone
ment? Only that which is contained il
the simple, undogmatic language of on
creed: Who for us men and for ou
salvation came down from heaven.
What docs the church order US to be
leve concerning future punishment
Nothing that is not contained in thu
simple, undogmatic statement of tn,
creed: He shall come again with glory
W Juu6S pOVh tiAO diioh anu biiO uottd'
The Resurrection and the Sacrament
What does the new church compel III
TO believe concerning the resurrection
This and this alone; And l look fo
the resurrection Of the dead
"You are free to interpret this in tn,
most literal phrase Of the body lait
away in the grave if it so helps you
You are free to interpret in the largel
sense in which most men must read it
II they are to believe it all. What doe.
our churh order us to believe concerning
the sacraments? Nothing beyond tha
which may be necessarily meant by tn,
great phrase of the Nicene creed.
acknowledge one baptism for the remis
sion Of sins.' You are free to read thi
as referring to the institutive, the rit
itself, OF you are free to read it witt
that vast hczt in the church which ha
always refsffed this language to the in