Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-02-21
DIR. BRIGGS IN NEW HAVEN.

A Stirring aud Aggressive ADDRESS Oh
"Church Unttyo by This Noted DE-
vine at the Davenport Church Last
EvenIng-Commended by Professors
Fisher and Baldwin Of Yale.
The mid winter meeting of the New Ha-
ven Congregational club was held at the
Davenport church last evening. Supper
was served by the ladies of the church
from $50 to 7:45 At O'Clock an address
by the Rev. DR.. Charles S. Briggs of Union
seminary, New York, was
listened to by a large audience, among
whom were many of the Yale faculty,
nearly all the Congregational clergymen
and other prominent citizens. Rev. Mr..
D. M. James, pastor of the Second Congre-
gstional church (Fair Haven), and presi-
dent of the Congregational club, presided
at the meeting and introduced DR.. Briggs,
who spoke in part as follows:
will not epesk to you tonight on the
subject Of 'Ch1istian Unity" as an
nounced, but on one of far higher import
ance, "Church Unity" Perhaps you will
say that I am the man who last of all
others ought to speak on church unity-a
man on whose head strife rages--s man
who may possibly be the cause OF division
in the great Presbyterian church. II these
obstacles which are at present In dispute
can be got over much greater peace and
harmony than ever before existed may,
however, be made possible. Men dispute
now as ever. Whether there is Presby-
terianism, whether there ia Episcopacy,
papaey or any other denomination there
you will find strife. Men wage holy war
against each other.
In the times of the early church there
was only one grand apostolic church. And
there are devices which can trace to day
which seem to me to lead toward Christian
unity. One of the principal causes which
Ia advancing church unity is the change In
method Different methods of teaching
the billie and studying it, different meth
DDS of preaching. The deductive method
used to be in vogue, making the deductions
from the holy scripture as infallibly true.
But when you study analy tically, how
many passages are there which support
the doctrine of regeneration Or even of
the Holy Trinity Very few indeed on
which vast superstructure could be
raised.
am not fighting against Scripture OF
against the Westminster confession, but
ASHiuet all AAt5I ~ OuhtloA VI L1i6t COA10SsAOA
which is quite modern, and which g school
Of theology is trying to impose on the
church.
Tuls deductive method has now prac-
tically passed away, and we are studying
the inductive method-the method Of gen
eralization And this has developed q
strong movement toward church unity.
It has alao developed biblical theology as
distinguished from Systematic theology.
Now, how do these two theoloRies differ?
In the biblical theology you study not emily
the one passage which may inculcata a
doctrine, but all the passages which bear
on that doctrine.
Take the doctrine Of the creation. If you
look in the Westminster confession you
will find that that is founded on the first
chapter of Genesis aud another passage in
the Bible. But as a student of biblical
theology you would have to study numer-
Gus other collateral passages in the Bible
which teach this doctrine.
But l did not come here to talk to you
about Systematic or biblical theology. Our
forefathers in the seventeenth century held
that everything was prescribed by divine
right.
But how different 1t is now. There are
now no Congregationalists who think that
Congregationalism is prescribed by divine
right. And so with the Presbyterisns and
Episcopalians. And if these forms Of
church government ara not by divine right
beg leave to ask if church unity is not
much more important than any Of these
formsa Copgregationalism has fought for
the rights of ths church people, and it has
gained it not only for Congregationalists,
but for Presbyterians and Episcopalians.
Presbyterianism has fought for represent
alive church government, and has gained
it not only for itself but for the other de-
nominations.
The Episcopal church has fought for the
supremacy Of an executive officer. And it
has gained it In a measure. For every
Presbyterian and Congregational church
needs an executive officer. And I firmly
| believe that If the presbytery of New York
| had had wise and just bishop there never
( would have been Smith case or Briggs
best in the Presbyterian church, in the
Congregational church and in the Episco
| pal church we would have the grsndest
| church that ever existed.
| think that you will see, If you look Al
1t closely, in how few points we have {
right to demand allegiance In the organi
cation of the Christian body. We have nc
right to put upon another man an elabor
ate church system. Thus, there are man,
American ministers excluded frnn tn,
Presbyterian church. 1 thank God, how
ever, that they may be accepted in thu
Congregational church. In this respec
| you have gone much ahead of the Presby
terrain church. This excludes many me1
from the ministry in the Baptist church,
| whom this church recognizes as Cody
men.
Now we try to find out from the Bible
| itself, what ia the true doctrine of holy
| scripture. Doubt must spring in the mind
| of every honest man when he sees the dis
crepancies with history and science. Won
derfnl has been the progress in the arts
and sciences. Countries are now now nc
longer very far apart. Newspspers every
day bring us the events that are going OF
in India, Persia, Russia, Japan and
Turkey.
| And thus we are coming more to recog-
| nize the universal brotherhood of man.
| kind. It was very easy for our forefathers
| here IN New England to believe that all
| the rest of the world was consigned to
everlasting death because they did not he
lieve in the Ln1d Jesus Christ But now
| no sensible Christian believes that. For
there are over Thousand million heather
to-day after eighteen centuries of
Christianity.
The American Episcopal church of to-
day is more like the ideal of the Westmin-
ster divines than the Presbyterian church
itself. History has brought the Episcopal
church to it, and has carried the Presby-
terrain church away beyond in the direction
of Congregationalism. You are struggling
here with the problem of city evangelical
ton. This is certainly great question in
New York. The churches appear too
much like social organjz atoms. The
church is called upon as never before to
consolidate its forces and to send such an
army of Cody men and women against
the heather as would bring the world to
Christ.
The Salvation Army has been doing q
wonderful work in retaining the poor and
degraded in our great cities, and strongly
commend the movement. They have baen
doing the work that ought to have been
done by the churches.
Let us keep in mind the unity of Christ's
CHURCH, and then we will be in harmony
with Christ's design when he came into
this world.
An informal discussion followed his ad-
dress, in which Rev. Professor Fisher of
the Yale divinity school was the first par
ticipant. He commended DR.. Briggs in the
strongest terms for the animated and slim
ulating address which he had delivered.
Professor Simeon E. Baldwin of the Yals
law school followed, speaking of his ad-
dress in the most commendatory terms.
On motion of Rev. DR.. Phillips of the
Church of the Redeemer vote of thanks
was extended to DR.. Briggs for his bril-
liant aud eloquent discourse.