Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-02-15
-, T.learnrn . n. R.ni,,s-.


ter the usual reading Of the Scripture,
the congregation sang,
Jesus shall reign where'er the sun,
DOH DIS successive Journeys run.
The sermon which followed was APP
parently suggested by the storm Of theo-
logical controversy now raging IN the
churches. In these times when II Is
quite uncertain what many Of the cier-
~ really do believe, this sermon makes
10 very plain what the pastor Of the
Brooklyn Tabernacle believes. His text
was taken from Luke 6;17, "And he
came down with them and stood in the
plain"
Christ on the mountains Is a frequent
study. We have seen him on the Mount
Of Olives, Mound OF BeatitudeS, Mount
Moriab, Mount Calvary, Mount Of As
CenSiOu, and 10 is glorious TO study him
on those great natural elevations. But,
how is II that never before We have
noticed him on the plain? Amid the
rocks, high I'D ia the mountain, Christ
had passed the night, but now, az early
dawn, he is coming down with some es-
pecial friends, stepping from shelving
10 shelving, here and there a lOOSened
stone rolling down the steep sides ahead
OF him, until he gets in level place,
so that be can be approached without
climbing from all sides. He Is on the
level. My text says, "He came down
with them and stood in the plain"
Now, that is what the world wants
to-day more than anything elsa
CHRIST Of THE LEVEL,
aaSv 10 get at. no ascending, no de-
scending, approachable from all sides
Christ on the plain. The question
among all cOnSeCrated people to-day Is
what is the matter with the ministers?
Many of them are engaged IN picking
holes in the Bible and Gpologizlng for
this and apOlogiZing for that. In an
age when the whole tendency is TO pay
too little reverence to the Bible, they
are fighting against Bioliolatry, or TOO
much reverence for the Bible. They
are building o fence on the wrong side
OF the road; not on the side where the
precipice is and of which multltudeS
are falling, button the upper side OF the
road, so that people will not fall uphill,
OF which there IS no danger. There Is
no more danger OF BibliOlatry, or too
much reverence for the Scriptures, than
there is that aStrOlOgy will take the
place OF astronomy, or alchemy the
place OF chemistry, or the canal boat
the place OF the limited express rail-
train. What q theological farce 10 Is;
ministers lighting against too muchrey-
erence for the Scriptures; ministers
making apology for the Scriptures; min
listers pretending to be friends OF the
Bible, yet doing the Book more damage
than all the blatant in6dels on all the
earth. The trouble is our theOlOgianS
are up I'm the mountain In fight above
the clouds about things they do not I'M
derstand. Come down on the plain and
stand besides Christ, who never preach
ed a techniCality or a didacuclSm.
What do you, o WiSc-Headed Eccleslas-
tic. know about the DEGREES OF God?
Who care fig about your Subapsarian-
ism or your supralapSarianism?
WHAT A sPECTACLE
we have in our denomination to-day;
committees trying to patch up an old
creed made two or three hundred years
ago. so that IL will fit on the Nineteenth
Century. Why do not our military es-
Adjustments take out OF the garrets the
coal-scuttle bonuets which your great
prandmothers wore and try TO tit them
on the head OF the modern maiden?
You cannot fix up three hundred year
old creed 50 as TO ft our time. Prince
ton will sew on a little piece, and Union
Seminary will sew on a little piece, and
Allegheny Seminary aud Danville SEMI
nary will sew on other pieces, and by
the time the creed is done IL VIII be as
variegated as Joseph'S coat OF many
colors. Think of having to change an
old creed 10 make it clear that all
infants dying 90 to heaven.
l am so glad that the com
mittees are going to let the babies In.
Thank you. So many OF them are a.
ready in that all the hills or heaven
look like a Sunday School anniversary.
Now. what is the use OF fixing mp
creed which left any doubt on the SUD-
feet? No man ever doubted that all IN
fants dying go to heaven, unless he be
a HerOd or q Charles GUiteGu. / was
opposed TO overhauling the old creed at
All. but. now that IL has been lifted up
and fits imperfectionS set up in the sight
OF the world, l say, Overheard
with II. and make u new creed. There
are to-day In our denomination 1ve
hundred men who could make a bet
ter one. could make better one my
self. As we are in process Of changing
the creed and no one knows what we
are expected TO believe, or will two or
three years hence be expected 70 be-
lieve, | could not wait and so l have
made a creed Of my own, which intend
10 observe the rest OF my life. ! wrote
IL down in my memOrandUm-bOOk some
six months ago, and IL reads aS follows;
"NIv creed: The glorious Lord. To
trust Hin, love Him, and obey Him is
All that is required. To that creed l
invite all mankind. L. Dewitt Tai /
mage
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
will have TO change its tack or it will
run on the rocks Of demolition. The
worlds population annually increases
i. 900, OOO No one DretendS that half
that number of people are converted TO
God. There are more than twice as
many BuddhistS as PrOtestants; more
than twice as many BUddhiSts as Ro-
man Catholics. ProteStantS, l3j, OO0,
GOO; Catholics, 1875, OOO,O 600; BuddhiSts,
400. 600. 600. There are l55,OOO, 600 Mo-
bammedans and 100000, 900 Brahmins.
Meanwhile many Of the churches
are only religious club houses, where
a few people go en- Sunday morn
ing, averaging one person TO pew or
one person to a half dozen peWS, and
leaving the minister at night 10 sweat
Though q sermon with here and there a
lone traveller, unless, by q Sunday even
-..-.l ,cuoarf ma can oct nuf An