Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-21
DOORS OF THE CHURCH
They Should Be as Wide and as Easy
of Access as Possible.
NO NEED TO INSIST ON CREEDs.
There Are Two That Cover the Ground as
Fully as Necessary.
THE GREAT POINT is TO WIN MEL
WRITTEN FOR THE p1spArcH.I

And Philip said, "Understandest thou
what thou readest?" And be said, Chow
can I except some one shall guide me?"
Acts viii. 80, 81.
One of the purposes for which the church
exists is to do for ell of US what Philip did
for the man of Ethiopia. The church is
meant to be our guide. The book which
we are reading has more in it than the Ethi-
opian's book, which probably contained
only the chapters Of Isaiah. It is larger
even than the Old and New Testaments to-
gether. It includes the book of Holy
Scripture and the book of nature, and the
long commentary upon them both which is
written by experience. 1t is the book of
life.
The Ethiopian asked Philip to interpret
for him. He was in doubt as to the mean
ing of the book. And Philip, taking the
old writing into his hands, and reading it
with new emphasis, showed how the heart
of it was Christ. Thus Philip helped the
Ethiopian by selecting out of that great
prophecy of Isaiah its point OF chief impor-
| tance.
! Chariot Changed to a Pulpit
There are many ways in which the Book
of Isaiah may be proftably studied. Philip
might have said great deal about the mag
nifcent historical background of the chapter
which the man was reading. He might have
| discussed certain critical and literary ques-
tions which are debated among scholars as
| to the authorship of the paragraph upon
which the Ethiopian had his finger The
meaning of prophecy and the definition of
inspiration might have been considered
between them as they rode along together.
Instead of that, Philip singled out the
spiritual meaning and the practical applica-
tion of the words. He taught his congrega-
tion of one exactly that which it was most
important he should know. That is, the
chief Characteristic of Philips doctrine that
day, when he turned an Ethiopian chariot
into a Christian pulpit, was its wise dis
crimination.
The difficulty with the Christian state
ment of belief to-day is its lack of discrim-
ination. These long confessions, articles,
DEGREES, confuse rather than instruct. They
NAV be true in every word, but what is
needed is not so much the truth as the
truth Disseminated, sorted out, the most
important part of it emphasized. The
Bible is true. Shall we then require an
accurate and absolute knowledge of the
whole Bible, and an ability to explain all
the hard passages in it for every beginner
In the Christian life?
How Much Needs Be Known.
No; we gather together out of the Bible
what we account the most essential truths.
But is not our statement longer than 1t
needs to be? We do not require an under
standing of the whole Bible for admission
to the church, need we require an under
standing of the whole of the Westminster
catechism? Might not half of it be enough,
or a third of it? Cannot we be good Christ
ians without knowing any more about pre-
terition than Philips Ethiopian knew
about the higher criticism? Why not be
content with faith in the Apostles Creed?
Is there anything outside of the Apostles
Creed in which we must of necessity all |
agree to believe?
What we are seeking here is not mini |
mum of individual faith. Let the individ- |
uaI believe all that he can. But We do |
the better, to the amount of belief which |
we may require our brethren to possess. Is |
not the Apostles Greed enough? or say the |
two creeds, the Apostles and the Nicene. |
Suppose the Christian church we're to be |
content with these as sufficient statement |
of the essentials of belief would it not be |
enough? Would we not be following more |
closely than We are at present the good ex-
ample of the wise, discriminating Philip?
What the Two Creeds Contain.
The church ought to do just what Philip |
did-select out, emphasize, discriminate. |
The formal statement of the elements of the
Christian faith should be set forth by the
church simply in the two creeds. All that
is essential to right faith is contained with
in the compass Of these two symbols.
This choice of the two creeds as the suf-
fcient statement OF Christian doctrine in
wolves a three-fold discrimination. 1t
makes distinction in the matter OF doc
trine between the essential and the nom
essential, and between the transitory and
the permanent, and between the beginning
and the end
The difference between the essential and
the non-essential is not difference in truth,
but in Importance. 1t is true that the pres
encs of steam will set machine in motion.
1t is also true that the spires of Cologne
Cathedral are 81 feet higher than the pyra-
mid of Cheops.- But there is a considerable
difference between the value of these truths
to mankind at large. So it is with the
truths of religion. The church teaches
great many different truths. Some of them
have regard to ritual. They are statements
OF the opinion of the church as to the most
helpful ways of conducting the services and
|
for the sake of reverence and order, the
church ought to attach certain impor-
tance, but not a chief Importance.
Truths Presented for Information.
Some other truths which the church
teaches have to do more directly with the
ology. They are statements that were
drawn up by the leaders Of the church in !
the midst of the doctrinal controversies
of the Reformation. They represent as q
matter of history the positions that were
sented tor information, not for required ac-
ceptance.
All these lesser truths of ritual and of
theology should be forever open for re-
vision. They might be set aside tomorrow
and the church would 60 on unchanged.
The second wise distinction in doctrine is
between the transitory and the permanent.
Theories are transitory; facts are perma-
nent The two creeds are simple, unelab-
orated and unargued statements Of facts.
There is not to be found in either of the
creeds any doctrine Of the Trinity, nor of
the incarnation, nor of the atonement God
is, indeed, spoken of as Father, Son and
Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ is declared to he
the Son of God, conceived of the Holy
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, God
Of God IS light comes from light,
very God from very God. And it is
and that He suffered for US under
Pontius plate. But we will look in vain
for any theory of the Trinity, such as is to J
be read in the other creed, called the
Athanasian. We will look in vain for any
explanation Of the incarna-
tion. We will look in vain for any theory
Of the statement How it is that the death |