Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-21

would have thought to have heard
! the same from a Presbyterian pulpit
| by Presbyterian preacher? Think what
the world has come to, when Brother
Parkhurst affirms that really good Presby.
| terians will not be bound by the Confession
of Faith-that they will accept no man as
master-that they will not be bound even
by the Bible when it seems to contradict
Christ. Christ tells US to love our enemies,
but the imprecatory. Psalms encourage men
to curse their enemies and pray against
them. In such case the reverend doctor
proposes to turn his back upon David, and
says he always reads the Psalms at his SER
vices from an edition of the Psalter from
which all OF the cursing Psalms have been
expurgated
Holding Fast to the Old.
Then he got after the General Assembly
and Calvin and his doctrines. He asserted
that the Assembly made itself ridiculous by
contning its Committee on Revision of the
Westminster Confession of Faith within
the lines as laid down by Calvin. He ridi-
culed the idea of tieing great church in
this live nineteenth century and in this
great country to the opinions and views OF
a man who has been under the sod for 300
years. He did not profess to know whether
as great man as Calvin could be found in
the Presbyterian persuasion NOWADAYS or
not, but he did not like the idea of his be-
loved church being anchored to o cems-
terry
He thinks the Church must move on or bs
left-that it will be as fatal to its future to
pin it to the old name of Calvin as it would
be to pin science to an old name A six
teenth century church will not do in
these days. He has no patience,
it would appear, with those who
assert that the Bible being divinely in
spired contains no errors He makes spe-
cial protest about the little 'ouibblfn1
ways of some in their defense of God's
Word" " 1t is this little pettifogginc. craven
eowardliness that excites the contempt Of
people "who do their own thinking, and
have conscience enough to see through its
poltroonry."
Critics VIII Not Be Frightened.
The attempt to shoe off the critics at this
stage of the game, he thinks, will be futile
and he urges that the Bible should be omen
to criticism; that the proper way to proceed
In that matter is to throw down the gaunt-
let and challenge investigation; to stop the
dickering policy and let the truth come out.
or, In the words of his text, to ''Prove ali
things, and hold fast that which is good
DR.. Parkhurst evidently trains with
Brother Briggs, and seems to have a consid-
able flavor of the philosophy of Herbert
Spencer. 1t is not often that the Church
and its people get such a hauling
over the Goals by one of its own
ministers. But Brother Parkhurst has
courage and energy, and believes evidently
In calling spade spade. He breaches
the doctrine of love, and asserts that vast
quantities of this will be needed in the ners
few years "to prevent the Presbyterian
Church from becoming. veritable hades
ABOVE ground" He thinks the battle is on,
and the creed OF Calvin must 60 If he and
those who think like him cannot get this
done inside of the Presbyterian Cbnrcb
they will do it inside of some other church
not so hide bound. He got in clip at
Princeton, which, he says, desires to turn
out Presbyterian preachers as a machine
turns out shoe pegs, and to secure church
unity by cutting off the legs of those VINO
do not walk In step, or taking of the heads
OF those who do notthink in step.
Nobody Sleeps Through Such Talks,
This sort Of sermon attracts the multt-
tude. There was no nid-nid-noddinr ovsr
these remarks The church was packed and
everybody was alive and waiting for what
would be said next The staIwarts will
most certainly have to be up and doing.
when such radicals as Brother Parl. hurst ara
around. dis hearers seemed to be with him
In sentiment from first to last. 1; would
not be surplis ng to hear that the authori-
ties proposeu 70 "sit" on him as a case Of
heresy.
1t is quite plain, however, that the Pres
byterian Church is bound to have lively
time of it for awhile. Great bodies nova
slowly, but the severity of the creed of Cal
win has to be crowded out if Briggs and
Parkhurst can do the shoving-and they an
pear to think they can What seems strange
Is that Parkhurst has not been hunted down
as q hereto long ago What things will
come to nobody knows, but this turmoil in
the churches, this indulgence in freedom Of
thought, this demand for revision of creed
and Bible and the renunciation of old au-
thorities is wonderful manifestation Of
progress
Judging the future by the past when
Calvin comes down from his pedestal. %
would not be much greater change or sur
prise if Tom Paine should be held as sub
o<vf fOr nn,I1 r..