The Progress., 1893-03-18
THE TWO EXTREMES.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN t!ERESY IN
NEW YORK AND CINCINNATI

Rev. Thomas Dixon. IT.. Prccede, His Reg
ular Sunday sermon WITH some Instruct
i've Comment ON the Smith and Brigg,
Heresy Csses-State Seotsrian schools.
New YORK. March l2.-The Rev
Thomas Dixon, Jr., preceded the sermon
IN Association hall this morning by re
view Of the status of the Briggs contro-
versy and the petition for peace. He said:
Professor Briggs OF New York stances
acquitted and Professor Smith of Gncin-
natl convicted of heresy by their respec-
tive presbyteries. And yet Professor
Briggs is the greater hereto. The diff
ference is between the presbytery of New
York and Cincinnati. The younger the
community the greater the yearning in
a majority of the average religious minds
for history" and traditions of the IA
thers." Having no historic institutions
or traditions of their own, the younger
Christian communities cling with fierce
fondness to old wornout garments long
since discarded and despised by their
spiritual parents. Hence young Amer
lea in matters of religion presents the
anomaly of extreme hide bound conserv-
atism and is ANONYMOUSLY a quarter
of q century behind the tradition ridden
old world in the true development of
Christianity. What a spectacle, after
all, the Presbyterian church continues to
make of itself
There never was an age demanding
such practical action as today. 1t is an
age of open gates. 1t is an age of bound
less opportunities. an age of crying soul
need, of measureless yearning for God,
the spiritual, the infinite, the eternal, to
be incarnated in life. All classes and
all peoples are crying for this word of
eternal life. The church must answer
this cry or die.
; The Presbyterian church is answering
by trying to gouge out the eyes of its
prophets. Well msy the judicious grieve
and circulate a petition for peace
II ever there was a time when the
church should be at peace with herself.
it is now.
But will they heed the cry for peace:
Hardly
If these fights should be dropped, the
names Of the great prosecuting commit
tee would be dropped too. And these
men never knew how important they
were until they began TO protect AL, |
mighty God from ravenous, devouring
heretics. These men are the self appoint. |
ed protectors of Jehovah, his second |
throne, his law, his people. Nobody eve. |
heard of them before these trials. And no. |
body will ever hearof them afterward.
That is the trouble.
Peace is impossible because these cham.
pions of Jehovah would be out of a Job.
They are not much on a fight against
the devil, but they are great on the court
martial of a saint!
And then. too. the difficulty about the
peace petitioners is that too many of
them belong TO the party of life and prog.
ress. They cry in the wilderness. 1t is
vain to cry peace, peace, when there is
no peace. There are some things worse
than war Surely a compromise that
settles nothing. but only postpones the
is but adding wrath to the day
Of wrath
If the Presbyterian church is really di-
vided. why not divide? Why live in the
same house and fight forever? Ii is
but giving small men opportunity to air
their insignifcance while the world
laughs Christian unity is not mechan.
cal uniformity. True unity is spirit,
nal fact, and organic unity in Christen,
l0fn will peve- lo raaEzad IN ;nsf;t,,+;o,,,
Until it lives in the hearts of the Christian
world. Uniformity is one thing. unity
mother
We are one in Christ when we do his
will, follow in his footsteps, live his life.
let US do this if we have to form new
hureh every day in the year. The hour
# true unity will come at last.