Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-21

atonement, held in the ideal church, which
might not be forsaken tomorrow, in the
light of some clearer revelation OF the
meaning of the facts, and the church GO
straight on. That is one of the reasons for
the intellectual hospitality of the ideal
church. This blessed discrimination, which
sets the simple creeds above all philosphis-
ings about them, made it possible to well
come all manner of new truth from every
side, as help and not hindrance, as al
increasing contribution to our understand
ing of the facts. Theory after theory has
given way to deeper spiritual knowledge,
and will give way in future. But facts
never give way. And the church, holding
grows with the growth of man.
The Beginning and ths End.
The third excellent discrimination in
matters of doctrine is in the difference be-
tween the beginning and the end. For
there are two creeds. And while the same
truth is taught in both, it is not taught in
the same way. The Nicene Greed is longer,
more elaborate, more difficult, than the
Apostles Greed. And the church uses the
two creeds in different ways Thus the
is the shorter. The one that is appointed
for the service of the Holy Communion is
the longer. And that is what mean by
the difference between the beginning and
the end.
The church ought to recognize the fact,
to which all human experience testiies, of
q natural growth in faith. All healthy
people grow in faith. All healthy people
grow in spiritual understanding as they
grow in strength of mind. The church, ac-
cordingly, if it is wise, does not ask 80 much
in the matter Of doctrine of those who come
newly into the church, as Is asked after
ward. The only Greed which is to be re-
cited at the church door is the brief creed
of the Apostles. Then, as the ideal state
ment of the Christian faith, an ideal little
by little realized as the years go by, is set
the creed of the council of Nicea.
People of Questionable Orthodox.
It was discovered long ago in the history
of the church that the Apostles Greed is
wide enough to let in people of quite ques-
tionable orthodoxy And at the beginning
of the fourth century there had to be a great
council held to frame statement of the
faith Of the Christian Church, which should
more fully and adequately express the truth
about God, to which the church from the
beginning had borne witness. And thus
came into existence the creed of Nicea.
in retutation of all misunderstanding, as the
creed of the matured and instructed Chris
tian, as the creed of the communicant.
Nevertheless, the Apostles Creed was LETT
:: ust as it was. 1t was not torn up nor
burned, nor put out of the church. 1t was
still kept as the wide gate of entrance. The
church trusts in the grace Of God and in the
spiritual instincts OF man. The church
the need of making provision for
the difference between Christian childhood
and Christian maturity, between the fisher
man of Galilee and the faith of John the be-
loved disciple, between the beginning and
the end
I hope that the time will come when this
ideal shall be universally realized.
The Church Must Win Men.
We need to learn lesson from the
steward who is commended in the parable.
There was the bill which one of his lords
debtors owed-100 measures. of wheat. And
the wise steward made reduction in that
account of 20 per cent. There was another
measures of oil; and he gave dis
count of 80 per cent on that. And his lord
him. He lost some wheat and oil by that
but he gained the friendship of
The men. He won the men.
That is what we want to do: We want to
win men. The amount of formal acceptance
Of our statements of belief does not matter
30 much as the real allegiance of the heart.
And we will get that, and help our brother
and help the truth also, Christ seems to
each, by not being too exacting, by not in
'isting upon the entire payment even of our
Lords bill of faith.
Take off so per cent Let US be content
With faith in the two creeds.
GEORGE HODGES.