The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-04-28
DR.. R. HHBHR NEWTON
States His Attitude Towards
the Tenets Of the c6u,oh
HIS ANSWER TO CRITICISMS
Drills Course---The Chu,ches of To.
day, He Says, Arc Foes to Faith.
His Views the Blble.. Charges
of Superstition.

NEW YoRK, April 27.-An unusually
large congregation crowded All Souls
Church yesterday morning to hear Rev.
DR.. E. Heber Newton speak upon the
subject that may be characterized as
"Foes to Faith" DR.. Newton has re.
Gently been so severely criticized by the
ministry apd laity OF the Episcopal
Church for alleged heresy that de-
claration OF his attitue toward the tenets
of the church was expected OF him, 1t
came in yesterdays sermon and seems
to leave no room for further doubt as to
Just what DR.. Newton does and does not
believe concerning the resurrection, the
inspiration OF the Bible and the value OF
religious creeds.
The sermon opened with a definition
Of true faith, which was explained to
be not a belief in any series Of proposi.
tions, not necessarily an assent to any
form Of creed, but trust in the sanity
Of the universe, something all summed
up in the one great elastic, simple word
God. ITO inspire and educate faith"
argued the doctor, "is the one supreme
function OF the pulpit, briefly summed
up the abiding and persistent foes to the
faith which meet each generation are
two fold. FiBt, the selfishness Of man,
and the low lsvel along which men
Wake, and; second, tho Bupsrstitions Of
the Christian Church OF to-day.
"In all times in all lands, under every
form Of outward belief, there has been
an intellectual foe 10 faith. which intel.
lectual minds have seen only too keenly.
There never has been found the posi-.
bility OF q statement that would cover
the problem of the universe. There
never has been found formula which
would exhaust the universe OF mystery.
There never has been found theory |
which interpreted all the difficulties Of
lie. There never has been found a
form Of faith which was large enough,
round enough, full enough for faith.
No one has ever been able to answer
every difficulty, TO solve every puzzle.
At the end Of every argument there has
been question mark. At the end OF
every creed there has been host OF
perplexities, nnmet by that creed.
"When affirm my faith in God when
l declare to you that OF whatsoever
thinking have been able TO give to the
problems OF the universe, have won o
secret Of peace, l DO not declare that
my difficulties are all solved, that all
things are clear and plain to me, that
there is nothing that can be raised to
stsgger my faith.
"Ihe only sane attitude for a reason
able mind amid the all encompasBing
mystery Is that which confesses It's ina.
bility 10 interpret that universe, but
affirms the conviction that there is an
Interpretation 10 be found in the uni
verse. Were the church to-day in any
sense Of the word that moral force in the
world which 1t Twas in the first century,
would there be tho unbelief which
there 10 to-day? Half OF the doubts
which oppress men to-day would vanish
were the church once more Inspired
with that enthusiasm and humanity that
1t had once. Alas, the church has be-
come the synonym Of weakness and in.
consistency from lack OF earnestness.
The religious world is unloVing, selfish.
WHERE THE cnuhcu FAILS.
"As tho Church fails in formal power
so does she seem to fail in Intellectual
power. Who is appointed to be the in.
terpreter, revealing to men the secret
OF life, stands athwart the door to tho
interpreters house and keeps myriads
Of men out Of the light that is within"
"Alas that 1t is the Church's work in
the world SO largely TO make faith seem
unreasonable, impossible. Hard words
for that mother church, which I love
and honor and revere, but which none
the less see 10 be missing It's high
mark In the world. The Intellectual
barrier to faith Is superstition, the
excess, the exaggerstion OF faith, It's
caricature, which the church, alas, il
stilfbusy in pGlming off in the world
in lieu OF the living reality, the genuine
article. Hosts OF thoughtful people are
kept away from the living faith, because
when they turn to the appointed guide
and teacher they hear that which
darkens wisdom by words without
knowledge, They hear demands which
seem 10 them impossible and have
prolered TO them in lieu OF faith what
is a virtual superstition. Protestant
ism offers to the world in Its creeds,
forms Of faith, miraculously given,
directed, authoritative
over the reasons OF men, fixed and final
forms Of faith 10 question which is To
doubt sinfuiiy.
SIS 1t any wonder that educated,
thoughtful men, unable to find any
form Of faith, any such miracle, unable
to suboTn their reason and compel its
assent to the letter Of the creed, should
be massing themselves in increasing
outside of every church as IN.
able to believe large part Of the skep-
ticism Of our day.
THE DOCTRINE OF HELL.
chow much Ct uRbeliel Is the natural
result Of the traditional doctrine OF hell,
presented as it has been by the evan
gelican churches?
at has simply Mortified the moral
sense, outraged coincidence and shocked
the spiritual nature. So again, the
Of the Bible Is robbing hosts
Of men Of q living faith. Whenever 1t
Is allowed to speak for itself 1t Is the
inspirer oil faith. II you go to II with.
out theory or pr, judice you will not
read 1t without having faith kindled
within you.
HBut the church tacks theory To the
Bible which 10 utterly preposteIoug,
Judged by the light Of our day. They
cannot read 1t without detecting the
handiwork OF men. They cannot place
upon the whole fabric as 1t stands in its
entirety the authorship OF God himself.
The church says: All or none. Alto.
gether inspired or not at all inspired
Here is aChurch in whose band Ia placed
the Bible, actually seeking 10 drive out
from its communion learned professor
who tells the truth about the book that
he may felp men to still reverence and
love the Bible, and Iheee men say that