Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-05-17
THE CONGREGATIONAL CLUB.
ITS MEETING IN MDpLEBrR TUESDAY

seven years ago. was held in the Con-
gregational church here on Tuesday.
There was a large attendance of the
members Of the club and of residents
hereaboutS, and the exercises were full
of interest from The beginning to the
close.
The morning session opened at 10:l5
o'clock. with Pref. :. +. Emerson of the
university of Vermont. The president. in
the char. Brief devotional services
were held under the conduct of Rev. Or.
Smart Of Brandon.
"Evolu1on: it, relations to the funda-
mental doctrines of the Christian re-
lgion, was the subject which had been
set for discussion. and this came next.
Prof Perkins of burlington began the
discussion with a learned and carefully
prepared paper. in which he maintained
that the theory of evolution was far
from being anything new. When Oar
WIN propuunded his theory of the origin
of species it was not much more than
had been indicated in the older writings.
although it had never before been
brought down TO a distinct theory
with a namo. President Branerd fol-
lowed. He had prepared a manuscript
address. bur after hearing Prof. Perkins
Abandoned his manuscript ana talked off
hand President Brainerd took a philo-
sOphica view of the subject, and in his
address of 20 minutes made some excel
lent pointS. Both he ana Prof. Perkins
were listened To with close attention and
were heartily appauded at the close of
their remarks. Rev. T. ID. Bacon of
Essex Junction. Chairman Emerson.
Rev George w. Phillips of Rutland and
others followed with remarks in the same
li,o II, 2; hn
was taken for dinner.
Most Of the members of the club pres
ent, with many ladies and laymen, took
dinner at the Addison House at |
o'clock. About 20 sat down to the
tables and enjoyed an excellent dinner.
The business meeting was held at , 10
O'Clock in the afternoon. but there was
not much business to transact Three
new members, proposed at the last meet
ing. were voted in. and Prof G. b.
Wright of Middlebury, committee on
membership. reported the names OF five
candidates for admission. President
Emerson then stated that there had been
some delay about getting out the manual,
as all tine members of the committee had
had Il good many things to see to. He
said that the committee on the manual
wanted to have good historical record
of the club to embody in the manual.
They wanted facts as to who called for
the meeting at which the club was or
ganized, how the call was published and
made known. and everything else bear
ing or the question, so that the hlStori-
cal summary might be made complete.
Rev. Mr.. Dickens of Mddlebury said
that he thought it would be pleasant
thing to exchange greetings with the
Congregational club of Eastern Ver-
mont, soon to he organized. and a COM
mittee composed of MIR. Dickens, Presi-
dent Buckham of Burlington and Rev.
DIR. Phillips of Rutland was appointed
to consider the subject. 1t reported
a hearty resolution through Rev. Mr..
Dickens at the close of the afternoons
session, and it was adopted.
There was church full of people in
the afternoon, attracted to hear Rev.
DR.. LYMAN Abbott, d. D.. the distin-
gushed divine of Brooklyn. DR.. Alb
bott was in his best vein and talked for
an hour in such way as to not only to
interest but to deeply stir his hearers.
His theme was '"Ihe Evolution of Chris.
tianitv." 1t would be impossible to give
an adequate abstract of his address. but
here are some of his principal thoughts:
Evoutiol does not pretend to explain the
origin or mystic V of life. Evolution is the
doctrine that all lite proceeds from lower to
higher forms. Some OF us are wholly evolu
tonists believing that all phenomena are eX-
planned by the theory of evolution; Others
are only partial evolutiOnists, believing that
such an explanation IN be made tor only n
portion OF the phenomena. Tn Christian
religion Is summed up in only two words
sin and salvation. Can, then, evolution be
/ recouciled with the Christian religion? As
Tor himself he was a radical evolutonist ana
4 81 naa hn saff n fl. l.s
held fast 10 the faith of his fathers, he could
not cling to their theology. We must recon
strnct our theory OF creation. Evolutionary
/ theology has no place tor the old doctrine
/ OF a first cause. God is the only law OF na
! ture-there are no others. He is not the
universe ITSELF but he is in every part of his
universe. We VIII have to reconstruct our
idea of man. Man is an animal; no doubt OF
/ that. The race has grown upwards from
/ something, and he tor himself would rs soon
/ have come from a monkey rs from mud
man with the breath of lltc blown into il. Man
/ is under Obligation TO live up to his know
/ ledge when he awakes to the consciousness
| OF spiritual nature. GldttOny il sin for Il
/ man, not tor hog; vanity Is sin fer man,
not tor Il peacock. Dudes therefore are sin
ners. There is "A higher law for man than for
the hog or the peacock
As to the doctrine OF the fall, it IS mention
ed only once IN the Old testament and sug
gested only three or four times in the new
testament. Christ never mentioned or limited
At it. He vas willing to take all the respOn'
I sihilitV OF Adams sins II Adam would as
sumo the responsibility for his. what evo.
/ lutiOnaY theology sees in the Bible Is n
library of 6G books, written some 400 years
| apart from the first To the last, with an un.
/ doubted advancement from the first book to
/ the last. But the Bible cannot be an intalli.
/ Bile book, because in that case all OF its
! writer's must have known intalibly that
what they wrote was true, the manuscripts
must have been preserved iniallibly and the
| translation must an have been infalible.
We all know that these three things are i'm
possible. The Bible therefore is merely the
revelation OF the living God and n history OF
the lite OF the race.
How IN the evolutionary theology, do We
regard Christ; Christ himself is the answer
to that question. "What am - and "What IL
Goa" are the two great questions IA man
must ask himself. Evolution Is really the
history of lite and OF the unknown great
cause which produced lite. Christ is the an
swer to the questions. He is God in the
flesh. As John says, God has been speaking
from the beginning and his highest manifes
tauon is Christ in the flesh. The babe l,
innocent as the kitten is, but not Yirtuous
because it has not known evIl and beer
tempted. There is no virtue without resis
tance to temptation, and there can be no Vir
tue without suffering. suffering mother
cannot save sinful child, n suffering pastor
cannot save a sinful congregation, and so nj
suffering God can save sinful world. Al
for himself he was an eVolutiOnist becaus,
/ evolution gives him "a clearer conception o
| God and Of nll his works