Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-04-28
PURE RATI0NALISM.
DR.. HgBgR NRwTON ANSWERS BIS CRITICS
FROM TIE PULPIT.
&c Believes in GOd bu, Not in the Physical Rssur'
rsction-He Holds the Bible Sacred, but Doubts
IisInSpiradOn in Some IuS!ancss-Hs FavOrs
Practical Christianity Instead Of DOgmas.


New YORK, April 27.-An unusually
large congregation crowded All Souls
church yesterday morning to hear Rev.
DR.. r. Heber Newton speak upon the
subject that may be characterized as
"Foes to Faith" DIR. Newton has re-
Gently been so severely criticized by the
ministry and laity OF the Episcopal
church for alleged heresy, that declar-
alton OF his attitude towards the tenets
OF the church was expected OF him. 1t
came in Yesterdays sermon and seems
to leave no room for futher doubt as to
lust what DR.. Newton does and does not
believe concerning the resurrection, the
inspiration of the Bible and the value
OF religious creeds. The text was: 81
have prayed for thee, that thy faith
fail not"-Luke xii, 80.
The sermon opened with definition
of true faith. which was explained to be
not belief in any series of propositions
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. "TO inspire and educate faith"
argued the Doctor, sis 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 First, the Seliishness OF
man, and the low level along which
men walk: and, second, the supersti
tons 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 to faith, which intel
lectual minds have seen only too keenly.
There never has been found the posi-
bility OF 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
life. There never has been found
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 a question mark. At the end Of
every creed, there has been a host OF
perplextieS unmet by that creed"
"When | affirm my faith in God,
when | declare to you that OF whatSo-
ever thinking | have been able to give
to tho problems of the universe, ! have
won secret Of peace, | do not declare
u lffl,nn1ffns oil G0luQd fnuf
all things are plain to me, that there IS
nothing that can be raised to stagger
my faith.
1.-THE only sane attitude for reason
able mind amid the all-encompassng
mystery is that which confesseS its ina
biIitv to interpret that universe, but
afirms the conviction that there is an
Interpretation to be found in the uni
verse. Were the church to-day in any
sense OF the word that moral force in
the world which it was in its first cen
tury. would there be the unbeliei which
there is to-day? Half OF the doubts
which cypress men to-day would vanish
were the church once more inspired
with that enthusiasm and humanity
that II had once. Alas, the church has
become the synonym Of weakness and
inconsistency from lack Of earneStness.
The religious world is unloving and sell
fish.
As the church fails in formal power
so does she seem TO fail in intellectual
mower. Who is appointed TO be the in
terpreter, revealing to men the secret
of life stands athwart the door TO the
interpreter'S house and keeps myriads
of men out of the light that is within.
"Alas. that it is the church'S work in
the world so largely to make faith seem
unreasonable, impossible. Hard words
for that mother church, which | love
and honor and revere, but which none
the less | see to be missing its high
mark in the world. The intellectual
barrier to faith is superstition, the ex-
cess. the exaggeration OF faith, its cart
cature, which the church, alas. is still
palming 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 TO them impossible and have prof
fered to them in lieu Of faith. what is a
virtual superstition. Professionalism
offers to the world in its creedS forms OF
faith. mifaculously given, Supernatur-
ally directed, authoritative over the
reasons of men. fixed and final forms Of
faith. to question which is to doubt sim
fully.
lis it any wonder that educated,
thoughtful men, unable TO find any form
of faith, any such miracle, unable to
snborn their reason and compel its
assent to the letter of the creed, should
he massing themselves in increasing
numbers outside of every church as
they are unable to believe large part
of the scepticism of our day, is the
natural reaction against creedS."
GLOW much Of unbelief is the natural
result of the traditional doctrine Of hell,
presented as it has been by the Evan
eelical churches"
"It has simply Mortified the moral
sense, outraged conscience and shocked
the spiritual nature. So again, the
snnerstition of the Bible is robbing hosts
of men OF living faith. Whenever it
is allowed to speak for itself it is the
nspirer OF faith. Ifyou go to it with
out theory, or prejudice, you will not
read it without having faith kindled
within YOU. But the church tacks a
theory to the Bible which is utterly
preposterous. judged by the light OF our
dav. They cannot read 1t without de-
tecting the handiwork OF men. They
cannot place upon the whole fabric as
II stands in its entirety the authorship
of God Himself. The church says:
All or none. Altogether inspired, or
not at all inspired. Here is a church,
in whose hand is placed the Bible actu-
ally seeking to drive out from its COM
mnnion learned professor who tells
the truth about the book that he may
helm men to still reverence and love the
Bible. and these men say that he is
foe to the faith, because he tells the
truth"
The real foe to the faith is the
church which piously quibbles about
the book in the name OF God. There Is
the superstition OF the resurrection
which is much exercising the minds OF
some good people to-day. Immortality
Is one OF the two great funds of religion,
faiths by which man walks. 1t carries
with it, of necessity, the belief that
man who lives beyond the grave shall
live in some bodily form"
I'VE know nothing OF life that is en-
bodied. Not content with affirming life
bevond the grave in bodily form, the