The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-21
REV. MR.. BILLINGS REPLY
TO HIS EXCLUSION FROM TIE
MINIS Frs ASSOCIA ION.

The Park New Church's Pastor Thinks
the Celvenistic Tendencies of the
Evangelical Alliance Make it an I'm
desirable Basis for IChristien Union.
lis Exclusion on r ccount of a CUES
ton as to His Evan gelicalism - ne
Asserts His Orthodoxy.
Rev. F. NJ. Billings, pastor of the Park
New-Church, devoted his discourse last
night to the action taken a week ago by the
Minister'S Association, to which reference
has already been made. He first spoke Of
one or two matters personal to himself. II
any questioned his right to attend such
meetings he would merely reply, he said,
tina his brother, also New Churca minister,
was made secretary Of the ministers meet
ing OF the city where he labored. Mr.. Bill
lings then said that the article published
upon the subject was not printed
at his instance bus that the information
reached the people from some one of those
who had acted against him. That article
made him object 60 the way in which he
was excluded. This he had not yet done,
but he felt bound to condemn the mode of
action which excluded him without a
uoment's notice aud also placed those who
opposed him i'll q difficult p, sItion.
air. Billings in turn to his subject.
first asked, what should tue basis OF Chris
tian union beY He quoted John Wesley,
Charles Hodge and Emanuel Swedeuborg
| in support of a broad, simple basis; one
which could be accepted by men of many
minds; by men in all their struggles for life
and belief
MR.. BILLINGS DISCUSSES CALvINIsM.
He asked, secondly, what is Calvinism,
and gave concrete illustration in the
words Of George Macdonald, in which that
writer speaks Of how young Falo jner was
| troubled by his grandmother's creed. He
then quoted the creed of the alliance in
order to snow its weakness. 1t said not a
word about the necessity Of summing evil,
of the need of ubedience to the commands
| Of the Lord Jesus Christ, it spoke only, as
did the strictest Calvinist, of faith alone as
being the one means Of escape from the
utter depavity Of the fall. Here, he main
| aimed, the direct teaching of the Lord
himself, in his parable of the ten virgins,
was set aside. Oil was needed as we'll as
| lamps. Two essentials are mentioned, one
being confidence in the Savior, the other
being the life of obedience which made use
| OF that confidence as the oil used the lamp in
| its lght-giving work. The fact that so much
| evil had arisen because Of neglect Of
this duality rendered the maintenance
OF the CRlvinistio phrase, "SdLUdtiOn is bv
faith alone" very wrong. Mr.. Billings
then explained PauPs words, which are SO
frequently used to support this teaching by
| saying that the works of the law spoken of
by the apostle we're the Jewish rituals, and
that Paul never intended to DENY that
obedience to the commands of the Lord
Jesus Christ had a necessary relation to
salvation.
HE QUESTIONS THE MINISTER'S BELIEF
The speaker then asked, "Did Jesus die to
reconcile God the Father to rs, or was
Jesus the one divine father of men among
them as a man in order to reconcile aud
draw them to himsslfl What did the Sa-
vannah ministers believed The alliance
creed gave no direct hint, it was so vaguely
worded. Another objection to the creed OF
the alliance was its assertion that there are
three persons in the godhead, dogma
which christendom has never fully ac-
cepted; in fact only those whose reason has
been held by them in subsection to the be.
hests OF the theoloEians have sup
ported it. II you doubt this, Mr.
Billings said, ask your minister to ex-
respond that the Trinity is mystery, and
that God sends us mysteries to try our
faith. A quotation was then made from
Grindon, who says that there are but two
3ects OF parties in the religious world; one
with whom life or love is uppermosu and
I
lecturer held that the alliance creed did not
properly represent the former, among
whom the Arminian and the Methodist
might fairly be classed.
WHAT THE NEW -CHURCH BELIEVES,
The following is a verbation report Of the
close of the speech, which commanded the
attention OF the audience throughout:
81 will accept another official statement
OF the Evangelical Alliance for the purpose
OF bringing about pract cal cooperation in
Christisn work." said Mr.. Billings, 'pro.
vided only that one word of it that
is OF uncertain meaning be de-
fined in my sense. The statement
runs thus: We (the eliauce) affirm our be-
lief in the divine-human person and atoning
work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as
; the only and sufficient source of salvation,
as the heart and soul Of Christianity, aud as
the center OF all true Christian union and
fellowship The one word is atonino,
, What does the dtOnin0 york of our Lord
. Jesus Christ meGnf Three answers are
given. One ia, 4 don't know The second
is, that 1t means the making God one with
men, that mems evils had made him
mad, as Ingersoll said, and that he would
never forgive anybody until somebody had
made him full amends. l am giving you
the Culvauistic theory, we shall see whether
your ministers accept it, IL is on this point
that the chief difference lies, IL there is any
material difference. shall walt patiently
to know what they say in this regard. II
on the other hand they hold more or less
fully TO the New-Church answer, and tn s
is the third answer possible :then why do they
cast me out-or why do they bring in this
creed in order 20 cast me out? My answer
to the question as to the atoning work Of
the Lord Jesus Christ is that he IL the one
God himself, and not any second partner
in an impossible divine firm. There is but
one God The scriptures tell US that plainly
enough, and what human reason ever re-
bells against the statementl We have but
one Father in heaven. He wrought for
us. Every act, every word do 9 and
spoken by Jesus were done and spoken by
the one divine Father who was IN those
very deeds showing himself to his children
, This incarnation is the only source Of saliva
ton, because Goldman the one divine Je-
sus, has all power. There is no God OUT
side him. All divi 20 aids come from him
as redeemer from old troubles and as Savior
from present dangers.
"ln the past attacks on the New-Church
have some lines developed into slanderous
onslaughts, but we are ready to answer
/ sucn.n