The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-12-14


praise of both statements. When we
consider the radical changes OF
thought which have taken place in
every department of study since 1913
it is remarkable that creed made at
that time serves so we'll today as
does the Winchester Profession. The
latest scholarship of orthodoxy, as re-
presented in Prof. Laid, has just
caught up with the position then
taken by our Universalist fathers that
the Scriptures simply contain rev.
elation" and are not IN toto revela-
tion from God. 1t is praiseworthy
that this creed is so brief, having less
than one hundred words. The mis-
take was not made of trying to define
our thought on every point. This
also applies, and with even greater
force, to the proposed creed. The
shorter creed which will serve the
purpose for which it is designed, the
less it deals with details, the better.
The new creed is only two-thirds as
long as the old.
But despite theg great good sense of
the trainers of the old statement it is
too much to expect that they would
be able to make a statement which
would satisfy for all time. 1t is too
much to expect that they could make
a statement which would fit the ideas
of today, necessarily unknown to
them, so well as statement made by
men of equal scholarship and catao-
licity today who know the existing
conditions. 1t will not be denied
that the men who composed the Con-
vention at Meriden in 1895 we're as
scholarly, as religious, as devoted to
the interests of the Universalist
Church as were the men who met at
Winchester in 1903. Nor will it be
denied that in some respects our
thought has changed since that early
convention. 1t would be disgrace
to us if we had learned nothing of
Gods constantly unfolding revelation
since that time. Marvellous have
been the advances of the present
century in knowledge; it is without
doubt the most remarkable century
of the world in its amount of prog
ress. We, too, as church, as think
ing men and women. have shared in
this advance and in this change of
thought. 1t is only natural to expect
that creed written in 1903 should be
now partly obsolete. 1t is no refec-
ton on the wisdom of the trainers Of
the present creed if we say that it
does not faithfully represent the pre-
valent thought of the church today
in all respects.
~ The Winchester Profession
Misleading. = The first objection,
therefore, to the present creed is that
it does not fairly represent the pres
ent attitude of the church in certain
important matters. 1t has been
stated that its first article practically
makes the Scripture the basis of au-
thority in religion. But it is evident
to every unprejudiced person that
this is not the present position of our
church. Rightly or falsely our edi-
tors and preachers and divinity
school professors do not rest on the
authority of the Bible. 1t is rever-
enced as a grand and helpful book;
it is still our chief religious Script
ures; but, when we seek to justify
our theological beliefs, we do it ulti-
mately not by appeal to Scripture but
by appeal to reason. The human
reason, as enlightened by God today
through all the channels of knowl-
edge, is recognized as the seat of au-
thority in religion. The first article
of the present creed is, therefore, mis-
leading, interpreted either by the un-
ders landing of its trainers or by the
common thought of the Christian
church as whole. But if any one
will not concede it to be misleading,
he must grant that it is, at least, very
indefinite and unsatisfactory in stat
ing our view of Scripture. 1t would
be far better, as in the proposed
creed, to say nothing about our view
of the Bible.
The second article is also mislead
ing to the ordinary mind as regards
our attitude toward the Trinity. 1t
is entirely safe to say that the Uni
versal;st Church is Unitarian as re-
spects its idea of God; it certainly is
not Trinitarian. Now while the sec
ond article of the present creed does
not distinctly affirm trinitarian views
it comes as near the trinitarian form
ula as possible. Like the boy who
was reproved for throwing stones at
a robin and said in reply that he was