The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-06-03
DR.. NEVTON'S
Sermon on Oreeds--- Right Living
One Thing
SUPREMELY IMPORTANT,
However Important MaY bo Right
Thinking.
CPEEDS USED AS CLUBS

Too Generally-To Convince Heretlcs oi
Their Error by Stunning Them"
New YORK, June 1.-The interest felt
In the series of discourses on creeds be-
ing delivered by Rev. r. Heber Newton
was attested yesterday by the presence
of congregation which filed All Souls
church to the limit of its capacity. Mr.
Newton's sermon was entitled, How to
Read the Creed" and based on the text;
"Understandest thou what thou read
est?" Act viii, 80 He said:
Let me try to help you to recogni'
ton of the simple principles by which
we are to interpret our form OF faith
and read Alright our creed. A creed is
to be read as understanding its true au.
thority. No creed rests upon the au'
thority Of Christ himself. Creeds do rest
apparently on the authority of the coun'
ellis which issue them. But this is not
all that might be desired. A universal
council is not q synonym for the Al
mighty. Creeds are not transcripts OF
some heavenly manuscripts set up from
copy and brought down by little angels
Constantine indeed commanded the as
sembled bishops TO receive the DEGREES
of the councilo Of Nice as dictates of the
Holy Spirit" but then Constantine is
open to the suspicion of not being an
expert in things of the spirit
The story of many of the councils is
tale of violent and acrimonious dis
putes, of metaph jsical hair splitting and
theological jugglery, OF political In.
trigue and ecclesiastical mungery, OF
bitter passions breaking forth into
words of eSecration, with anathemas
instead of bcnedictions scene OF
clenched fists and drawn swords, OF sol
diers keeping bishops from each others
throats, of bloody nassacres and
stealthy assassinations. The DEGREES OF
such councils are plainly not matters OF
plenary inspiration by any spirit, whose
dominating characteristic Is holiness
One thing Is thus made providentially
clear, that the truth of the creed rests
not on the Authority of the body setting
it forth, but on its own intrinsic truth.
fulness, its Interpretation Of the Chris
tian consciousness. Its authority Will
last so long, and only so long rs 1t con-
tinues to press the Christian conscious
ness and to interpret satisfactorily the
problems of nature and man in the
light of the spirit of Jesus Christ.
A creed is read Alright as It is continu-
ally carried back to its sources. The
Nicene creed was an attempt 70 state
logically and philosophically the teach
inRs of the new testament II can only
continue TO stand as IL is seen to rest
Enthusiastically on this foundation. This
forces on the church the continual duty
of showing that every affirmation of the
creed can not be proven from scripture,
and Of stretching her authority gener'
ally whenever there is any question on
this point.
The scriptures are not the bed rock
of the foundation of the faith. Reason
and conscience tested them and stamped
them as divine. A creed must be ever
brought back ~ this mint of man for
assaying. IL must be shown not TO
have deprecated. No creed can long
stand which does not square with fact,
which does not rest on the granite rock
of reason, which does not stand plumb
with the line of eternal righteousness.
A creed 10 be read Alright must be
read in the light of the larger life OF
faith out OF which ii springs, Of which
IL Is a part. As you see the truth in
your neighbor's creed you will better
see the truth in your own creed. To
know the creeds of other religions is to
gain many clue to the meaning Of our
Christian creeds What is the prospect
for an intellectual understanding OF It's
great creeds, II church practically re-
issues that ediet of the fourth council
of Carthage-"No bishop shall read q
Gentle book"
A cread is 10 be read as dealing with
themes transcending all human thought
and therefore its affirmations are not tc
be read as exact statements. The
themes with which a creed deals art
the profoundest problems which car
tax mans mind, the most massive
mysteries which fascinate his intellect
the riddles over which successive gen
erations have puzzled themselves
wehrily. What then must be the ma
ture of all his thoughts upon such high
things?
'Yords thrown out at transcendant
mysteries" Attempts TO express tn,
inexpressible, to define the indefnable
10 know the unlSnowable. The tru'
meaning Of a creed is to be found no
in what II states, but in what 1t sug
gests. A dictionary will not adequatel,
interpret creed.
A creed is TO be read as including
philosophy, which can be rightly In
terpreted only by the philosophical.
misded TIE language Of the Nicen
creed concerning the incarnation ispur
philosophy. We know this from tn
character Of the words employed. Tn
popalar prejudice against the doctrin
of the Trinity is mainly due TO thi
faftsre TO recognize 1t as philosophy.
A creed is 10 be read as form O
souss words, which may net only b
read but sung. A creed dealing wit
trauBcendent themes must not onl
philosophize IT must poetize-thus I
interpret through the imagination tn
mysteries Of the faith. God is declare
TO be "the Maker OF heaven and earth.
yet the Almighty Is no celestial carper
teri Creating is not manufacture
but growth. OF Christ It is declare
that ''he assembled into heaven and si
teth on the right hand OF the Father.
The most High has no right hand. Tn
throne OF Christ Is Of naught which ca
be seen. n is poetic statement OF tn
truth that Christ Is enthroned in pows