The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-12-19

asticRl misfortune and a very serious
damage to the cause of Christ.
sin The fret place it is a waste of time
and ammunition. For three weeks an
acting either as participants or spectators
III a case of ecclesiastical court martial.
when they could have accomplished more
for the Kingdom of God by attending to
their parish duties and ministering to
perishing souls around them.
Whatever DIR. Briggs theological
opinions may be, it is generally confessed
that he is an earnest. Christian man and
an enthusiast In the cause of Christ.
"Nowswould it not be more profitablet to
let the good man alone, n combine
against the forces of evil. which in all
our large cities are well nigh omnipotenr.
One plucky fight like that of DR.. Park
hurst against villainous and venal office
holders, Is worth more b a hundred
heresy trials. Let the brethren who are
now sitting in judgment on Professor
Briggs give the poor man q rest and fall
in behind DR.. ParkhurSt. Let the clergy
fight to some purpose and not diminish
the power of the Church by these internal
theological dissentions. There are
enough real foes for us to face, without
wasting time upon imaginary foes with
in the camp.
again, in such a broad and liberal age
as this, when even the Catholic Church Is
reshaping itself, such trials as these bring
the church into contempt among a very
large proportion of the American people.
Dogmatic chickering's they justly regard
as opposed to the teachings of the meek
and lowly Jesus. who went about doing
good, n the essence of whose doctrine
was love and forbearance. Our motto
should be- Peace on earth, good will
towards men,"
HOW TO REACH THE MASSES.
ssTho nTJ1Sftop 10 fran1apflu aHKad GHnpu
shall we reach tine masses?' multitudes
of whom seldom enter the sanctuary and
have no Interest in religion. Now, let it
be we'll understood that enc of the surest
ways to turn men en- masse away from
the church, and keep them away, is for
Christian peopls to wrangle among them
selves over theological questions. 1t
and poison the minds OF those who are
well disposed. We'll wait until they get
through quarrelling,' they say. and by
the present aspect of the religious world
they will have to wait a long time.
''This contention between the old the
ology and the new theology is not con-
fined to the Presbyterian Church; we,
Congregationalists, have our share. Dur
grand old American Board is rent in
by differences in doctrine, and re-
cent signs show THAT the wal in that VEN
cradle body has only commenced.
snow, what is the reason the followers
of Christ n be satisfied with the
simple creed of the Master, which was
love to God and man? Why cannot we
combine on this metropolitan platform,
and go forward in solid column to fight
the battles of righteousness and regener-
ate the world? Why not throw our theo-
logical differences into the ashbarrel and
have them all dumped in the Atlantic,
out of sight of land?
THE THEOLOGY OF TODAY.
"WhaJ If the theology OF our day is un-
dergoing a change and crystalliZing
around new centresl The eternal prin-
ciples of tru religion can never change,
any more than the avs of light aud heat.
What IL Moses did not write every word
in the Pentateuch? What has his to do
with the Rock of Ages? l am willing to
leave this higher criticism to such sincere
and conscientious men as DR.. Briggs,
who, by the way, knows more about
matters than q score of
preachers. Most of us
have little time for such studies: and
sin is too appalling to warrant Jul giving
our minds to such nonessential questions.
My personal conviction is that DR.. Briggs
will be acquitted, and the recent princely
gift to Union Theological Seminary as
SIZE. 600 from such men as William E.
Dodge, Morris K. Jesup and DR.. Willis
James, indicates very clearly which way
the current of opinion runs among the
practical business men of this generation.
Certainly every true man deprecates the
of such trials, and prays that
they may become Increasingly unpopular
in the land. Let us not retard the prog
ress of Christ's Kingdom by the public
ventilation of our differences and sitting
in Judgment on one another"