The sun., 1891-05-25

but Christ. We wfll not be bound By any Con-
fession Of Faith. nor By the Bible whom II ap-
pears ID Id against Christ's teachings. When
Christ says love your enemies and the
Psalms say differently. turn my back on
DsvId/ IAmy daily readings Of the Psalms
tain those things that are contrary to Christs
tesoAiR9 Our creed should bs In essentials,
unity-z b Jnon- n-essentlais Rs much liberty a.
any onS w3hts.'
Here n wherein there IL danger for the
Church's future. The young men who would
become her ministers pause on the thresh-
hold and ask whether they must pluck out
their brains and replace them with sawdust
whettlsr they can be believers and at the Same
time Prshbyterians.
Tho Gaperal Assembly stultlned itself last
year when It bound itself to keep within CAL
whistle lines. Don't misunderstood me- No
ono has moro respect for Calvin than myself.
but object to tying live Church to man
who has been under ground for 800 years.
Perhaps We can't improve on Calvin. but IL
hurts mo to think that the Church In which my
heart is bound up is anchored to graveyard.
1t will be as fatal to the Churchs future to pin
her to an old name rs 1t would be to
physical science. To tie us to tho
sixteenth century 10 an attempt to drive the
Presbyterian buggy with q hitched horse.
AhO uhouIoht suhs yOu hovO SkChi0u thO ouspt-
cion in PERSONS mind that the Church is not
In sympathy with n broad Christianity. you
have damned the Church in his mind As DR..
Van Dyke said so aptly the other day: . II we
cannot have liberty and orthodoxy both. let us
have liberty and let orthodoxy co.
Tho question OF tho inerrancy of the Scrip
turcs has been raised. am sure that It makes
no difference IN my restful belief touching tho
divine reliability Of the Scripture rs whole.
We believe the Bibie Is inspired. but we don't
believe that q coney chews the cud because in
Leviticns xi.. 8. It says: The coney because It
cheweth tho cud but divide,h not the hoof: he
Is MCLEAN unto you. But that doesn't wound
thea Scriptures In vital part. Tho Bible
thanh God. is too big . thing to hang on n
coney. These minor points ought TO be settled
by. tho scholars and not by you. The schol.
ars are saying that there are such errors
ae l lagte named. OF course. can assume that
thef6 care mono. but assumptions in tho In
tefestcof convenience are always revcnged
latsrbnr This is an intellectual cowardice.
II thofa ere errors. sooner or later they will be
known. Tho moro effort We make to keep
them hid the moro tho Bibie will suffer when
thcy nre known.
This question OF inerrancy Is not new Cal.
Win. Luther. and many others did not believe
in the Bibles inerrancy. II this is not ac-
cording TO the Confession OF Faith-I don't
know whetffsr it is or motive had better
square the Confession with tho Truth rather
than tho TRuth with tho Confession. Let those
who would prove that there arc no mistakes in
the Bible produce a cud-chewing coney. and
then We will consider the question OF iner-
rsncy.
III the Church is to go on In the way that
some are trying to persuade US 1t ought to go.
thexooper it gives up the ghost the better. to
sayo the medtcaaexpenses
"These cesramarks OF mine are to pro-
test against StheA whiting ways that are
abroad. They arc exciting the contempt Of
persons who think, and lead them to suspect
that religion 10 one OF those things that shows
best whom the light is turned down. Some will
say that my remarks operate to eneender skep-
tlcisHh Before God deny 1t. 1t would take
whole mountain Of Gospel preaching toatone
for tho work n the silly souls who
have tried to\a shut of light from
the Bible. To bVttEeseand defend is to betray.
To uncover. to throw down the gauntlet. and
challenge investigation Is our best confession
OF faith. May God Almighty cure US Of our
small ways! May God kindle light in our eyes
10 find 1t IN this blessed volume before mo and
~ publish 1t with triumphant assurance"
,DEtFAfghprst goes to Detroit to-day. as he
isoas,ot :hsw York Bpssbytery's representa-
tires III the General IA Isss!h bly,. He will find
his sermon there ahead pf Him.