The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-10-16
OUR STANDARD.
BY REV. G. G CONNER.
CRAwFoRDsvILLE, Ind.


Extracts from discourse delivered in
Lacrosse, Wis, July 4, 1897.
WHEN a change in our Profession
of Faith was first proposed many of
us were greater sticklers for opinions
than we are now. Our church has
grown, its ideals have been lifted up,
the demands upon it have widened,
aud it has been adapting itself to
new and large order. Within the
last twenty years the internal recon
struction and renewal has been as
great and vital as in any period of
corresponding duration before, but it
has been of that character which
shall carry with it the disposition to
leave undisturbed the symbols and
formulas Of tie past. Before, we had
aspired to exactness of doctrinal
statement. We had carried forward
warfare against false opinions Our
credal conscience had been thor
oughly aroused. We censured our
selves for publishing what was not
nicely adjusted to our belief.
Our church has shared in theolo-
gical revolution in the present CEN
fury. 1t would be claiming too much
to say that we had wrought it, In
part, we have wrought it, or in SO far
as we have laid hold of the truth and
taught it. But the truth has been
larger than we, and in its results to
the Christian world we have been,
most humbly speaking, sharers. We
have left the shadows of the grounds
of the Augustinian theology as GER
tainly as other of our sister churches.
The battle of opinions as to the out
come of the government of God was
commenced in the shadows.
A day was dawning of which we
knew not The theology of Clement,
the religion of Christ and his apos-
ties which had filled the atmosphere
of the early church with spiritual
ozone and moral healing, were yet to
flow in upon us and battle us and
save us unto others salvation. When
they did, we began to beat up our
archaeological swords into plowshsr.
for the cultivation of Christian har-
vests. We began to withdraw our
guns that had been leveled at theo-
ogical foes, for these were disappear
ing. We have felt that all the Chris
tian hosts should fight common foe,
that we have one Captain of saliva
ton, that he leads in a struggle
wherein sin and wrong must be sub
dued and righteousness and peace
established in the hearts of men.
Year after year now we are becom-
ing less and less inclined to let our
faith repose in the letter and more
and more eager that it should live
and work in the spirit. Words are
susceptible to widely diverse inter
pretations. We have come to the
conviction that no verbal declaration
may be final. Wemight go on rein
ing and improving our creed forever.
and yet we should have gained moth
ing in the life and strength of our
cause. We should cherish an eternal
principle, while the radical is learn
ing to be conservative in work that
shall build up our forces for spiritual
conquests in the world. Many among
us are saying that there are too great
and important things claiming us for
us to be wasting years in splitting
hairs and tinkeriDg creeds.
Prof. Bruce has said truly that
"creeds can not be manufactured to
order, nor is creedmaking the bust
ness of every age" He thinks also
that new creed, fresh in conception
and expression, is the work of crea-
tive and not of critical age: that it
is the outcome of a new religious
life. A substitute is forejudged and
foredoomed as critical. David Swing
took solace that the period of criti-
cism is nearing its end and that "the
scenes of life will soon surpass those
of death, and that times of religi-
GUS peace will come, not by the way
of barbarism or bigotry, but by the
way of that deeper second thought
and longer and sweeter thought