The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-15
Aanostics and the Ministry.

This remarkable question Is asked OF the
editor OF religious paper In Boston I:
"What encouragement should be given to
| aenostics TO enter the ministry"
This ia simply asking whether an infidel
should be encouraged to preach religious
faith. for practically agnosticism and inil-
deity are synonymous. Tho ministry Is
for the propagation OF religion. dependent,
and necessarily dependent. on faith In SUI
pernaturaism. Agnosticism Is merely the
recent and contemporary name for the In
fidelity that denies the human ability to get
further than natural causes. 1t Is the rele-
cation OF all religious belief in GOD
and divine government and immortali-
ty to the domain OF the purely fanci-
full Imagination. In other words. 1t treats
faith In the supernatural, whether 1t
is tho faith OF the civilized Christian
or the fetish worship OF the lowest
savage. rs simple superstition. 1t does not
say fatty, with the old-fashoned atheist.
that there Is no COP. for it denies the pos
sibilty Of mans knowing whether there Is
Cop or not. 1t says simply. that that Is
question which the human intelligence Is
as incapable OF deciding as the human eye
OF seeing through milestone. or course,
then. it rejects revelation. from which. in
one form or another, all human BELIEF In
COP is derived, for it contends that 1t Is i'm
possible for man to determine whether any
communication is supernatural or not.
Practically. then. agnosticsm is infidelity
OF the EXTREMIST sort, hopeless and I'M
changeable into faith. Supernatural re-
ligion cannot reach it. for the two cannot
A
may be converted into a believer in GOD;
but when man says: II do not deny the
existence Of COP. but neither you nor I
know anything about it. and 1t is impossi-
BILE for either Of US to know anything about
It," what can you reply? You can only
answer that you believe on such and such
authority; but the agnostlc rejoins that the
authority knows no moro about the matter
than either you or he.
How, then. can any reasoning creature
propose the question whether an agnostic
should be introduced into the ministry OF
religion /? He might as well ask whether
blind man should be employed to look
through a telescope. or Bob INGERsoLL
elected as the next Pope.
The proper question to ask Is, what
means the Church ought to take to get rid
OF the agnostics who are already in the
Christian ministry? That is sensible and
q pertinent query. for the principles Of ag
Mysticism, OF rank and incurable infidelity.
have invaded the pulpit. The higher criti-
cism Of the Bible. as it is called. is purely
agnostic. 1t refuses to take tho Bible
on faith as a revelation OF COP, but pro-
ceeds to gather and present proofs. as
it regards them. that the Scriptures
are Of human fallibilty. and are conditioned
as to their truth by the limitations OF
human knowledge. OF course that is
agnosticism, pure and simple. DIR. BRIGGS
Is an agnostic. though he dare not acknowl
edge it to himself. and he Is tumbling into
all sorts OF inconsistencies in his painful
efforts to escape from the end to which his
reason and his logic are forcing him. So it
is with all his followers. They are engaged
in an attempt to explode and demolish tho
foundation on which the theory OF revela-
ton rests. and without revelation only
agnosticsm remains.
For the salvation OF the Church 1t is
requisite that believers and agnostics
should be separated; that the goats should
be driven out in order that the sheep may
fatten undisturbed in the pasture Of faith.