Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-24
THE WEATHER.
TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL.
DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH.


Rev. George Hodges Talks on the Tenets
OF tho Episcopalians-A Clear Distinc-
ton as to What Is Essential and What
Is Not.
The second lecture Of Rev. Mr.. Hodges
course on the Episcopal Church was deliv-
cred last evening to large and interested
congregation. The subject was 'The Doc
trine of the Church" The speaker said:
One of the great purposes for which the
church exists is to do for all of us what
Philip did for the man of Ethiopia. The
Church is meant to be our guide. The book
which we are reading is tho book OF nature,
and human experience, the book of life. As
Philip showed the Ethiopian that
the heart of the book of Isaiah was Christ,
so it is the teaching mission of the church
to show that all Christian doctrine centers
| about Christ. What we are in search of is
the formal statement which the Episcopal
Church, that portion of the great body OF
Christian believers, about which We ought
to know the most, makes of the elements OF
the Christian faith. This statement is found
in the two creeds the Apostles and Nicene.
All that the church requires anybody to be-
lieve is contained within the brief compass
of these two ancient symbols. This choice
of the two creeds as the sufficient statement
of tire Christian faitll, makes most i'm
portant distinction in the matter OF doctrine
between the essential and the unessential,
and the permanent and the transitory, and
between the beginning and the end.
Clear Distinction.
In the first place the Episcopal Church
makes clear distinction between what is
essential and what is not essential in Chris
tian doctrine. This is not a difference in
truth, but importance. The Episcopal
Church teaches great many truths. Every
page of the prayer book is full of tea ching
as to the method of conducting the service,
and to all this, as tending to the preserva-
tion of reverence and order, the Church at
taches importance, Dut not the chief import
ance. Nobody who comes into the
thing in particular about ritual. Some
other truths are in regard to theology.
Such are the 80 articles which correspond
exactly with the Westminster Confession of
Trent, except in this, that they are prescribed
for information, not for required accept
ance. There they are, and true they are.
But no member of the Episcopal Church is
ever asked if he believes them: neither does
any minister of the Episcopal Church set his
signature to them. Truths of both these
classes are always open to revision. Even
the prayer book and the 80 articles are
not vital parts OF the Episcopal Church,
but the two creeds are, as was shown by the
action of the Bishops at the Chicago Con-
vention, and afterward at the Lambeth Con-
ference.
The second distinction is between the per-
manent and the transitory. Facts are per-
manent. Theories are transitory. The two
creeds are simple, unelaborated and unar-
gued statements of facts 1t is noticeable
that the words "trinity, incarnation" and
''atonement" nowhere occur in either of the
creeds. The facts of all three are set forth,
but no explanation of any of them is under
taken.
That is one of the reasons for the intel
lcctual hospitality of the Episcopal Church.
This blessed discrimination which sets the
simple creeds above all PHILOSOPHERS about
them makes it possible to welcome all man.
ner of new truth from every side, as heep
and not a hindrance, as an increasing con-
tribution to our better understanding 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 holds to the great creeds,
and to these only, and grows with the
growth of man.
The third discrimination is the difference
between the beginning and the end. The
Apostles creed is the baptismal symbol
standing at the entrance, and the Nicene
creed is the sufficient statement of the
Christian faith, which is what is meant by
the difference between the beginning and
the end.
The Heart of tho Creetls.
The doctrine of the Church then is to be
looked for in the two creeds. The heart of
the creeds is Christ. The middle part of
both creeds tell us who Christ was and what
he did. The first part and the last tell US
what Christ taught
The meaning of two or three articles Of
the creed is open to misunderstanding.
"He descended into hell" The word trans
lated "hell" is hades. which means the place
of departed spirits, The word which means
the place of punishment is gehenna- The
article is strong statement of the reality of
the death OF Christ. Associated also with
this article is the suggestion by many pas
sases of Holy Scripture that heaven does
the faithful, but that all souls wait in para
disc till the kingdom OF God comes. "The
communion OF saints" is another article in
which this belief finds statement. "The for
the sinners condition as regards his sin.
Effect must follow cause. The change is in
the relation between the sinner and the
s away from God God. But When he he turns Gs
bacl! and loves God again, he is
forgiven. There is again mutual
love between God and the sinner.
"The resurrection OF the body' is to be in
terpreted according to the sense of Holy
Scripture. God will give us another body, a
spiritual body. and yet in identity the same
body as Il plant and the seed out of which it
grows are essen TALLY the same.
1t remains to consider what is the founda-
tion of our belief in these and all other
articles of the creeds. Christ is not only
the heart of the creeds, but He is the
supreme teacher upon whose assurance we
rely when doubts assail us. Without the
testimony of Christ we could deduce the ex-
istence and the power of God. But for His
fatherhood we need the testimony of some
one who can speak with knowledge and
authority, and we find such q one i'll Christ.
And the same is true of such facts US that
God will forgive our sins and raise US up
to eternal life. Our acceptance of such
truths as these comes from our faith in
Christ. And Christian faith is not different
in its nature from any other kind of faith.
1t Is, first of all, supreme trust in person,
and then, naturally following upon that, is
that person says! The Church sets the reve-
lation, the assurance of Christ, in the two
creeds, and there are no arguments set down
beside it.
The next lecture of the course will be de-
ivered next Wednesday evening at 8
o'clock. The subject is the discipline of
the Church"