The San Francisco call., 1897-11-22
UNREST OF
THE CHURCHES
E. q. Nye Replies to the
Address of Rev. An
drew ]. Wells.
Religious Thought Not in Pace
With Scientific Ad-
vancement.
Uncertainty, Fear, Confusion and
Contradiction in Church
Theories.

E. II. Nye, president of the California
Mormon Mission, at meeting last night
at Pythian Castle. replied to the address
of Rev. A. J. Wells given at the Second
Unitarian Church few weeks ago on the
unrest of the Churches. Mr.. Nye, in
part. said:
Rev. Andrew ]. Wells of the Second Unita-
rian Church, in recent discussion referred
freely to 1.-The unrest OF the churches" and
gave his views as to the cause thereof. Among
other things he says: There is uncertainty,
fear. confusion and contradiction among the
Protestant churches to-day such as has not
been before in their history" He speaks OF
great thought revolutions, 1.-The new uni
verse" IN which we dwell, and directly con-
demned the statements made in the Bible re-
garding the organization of this earth and
the genesis OF man. Referring to the sclen-
tlfic discoveries and advanc ements OF the age
he said: I'VE know now that man was not
created 5000 years ago-perhaps not $4,000
years ago; tha he did not begin at the TOP
and fall, but at the bottom and climbed up;
that he started on the border line OF the ami
NAL, so far back that no date can be fixed and
developed by natural processes to what we see
him to-day" He referred To the DarWlnlan
theory as the working philosophy OF our col
knowledge of to-day ''discredits the medieval
theology utterly"
Is it any wonder that there IS .'uncertainty,
tear, confusion and contradiction" in the
world to-day with such an array of evidence
as is here given that men and churches have
ueparte ted from the proper worship OF the true
and living God and preach tor religion The
theories of men2 The prophet Isaiah gays
'To the law aud to the testimony, if they
speak not according to this there is no light
in them" Not only have they strayed from
the old moorings. the BIB ical statement as 10
the origin and fall of man, but the plans and
purposes of God, including the mission of our
Savior, while the theories of men like Darwin,
Huxley ana others are adopted as guide for
re igious thought.
| The Rev. A. j. Wells boldly says, spe king
| for the Christian world: ave do not believe
! in God. We do not believe that he is in the
modern world he was in the ancient"
Here is the grand secret OF "the unrest of the
churches" God has withdrawn from their
councils because OF their unbelief Revelation
| from God is no longer sought, no longer ex-
pected, nor would 1t be accepted. This prin-
ciple of direct revelation was the safe and
sure anchorage of Gods people for upwards OF
four thousand years.
By revelation all the prophets down to the
days of Christ received knowledge of ap-
| preaching calamities, and could warn the
| people 10 avert them. During ali those ages
God revealed his mind and will TO man.
According to the general theory OF the
Christian world, no word from God has been
| given since the days of Jonn, the Revelator.
and through all Oh the ages since man has
drifted III comparative darkness upon q limit
less sea OF divers fled thought without guild
ing star. Religious theories have multiplied,
until to-day certainty, fear, conf sion and
contradiction is the result The ministers
cannot see their way. Surely the days have
come as toretold by the prophet Isaiah, Dark
ness covers the earth and gross darkness the
people. They are drunken, but not with wine
they stagger, but not with strong drink" 2"
Men drunken with the religious theories
and doctrines OF men; they stagger at the
great diversity of opinions upon religious
questions. Surely the calm observer can see
literally fulfilled to-day the prophetic words
of the apostle Paul.
From the day that Watts was inspired to
harness steam for the use of man until the
present the Almighty has been pouring out
wonderful revelations upon the scientific
world through the inspiration OF his Holy
Spirit Elements whose uses were unknown
to our ancestors are now admi nistering to cur
wants. Amid these developments man has
vainly hugged to his bosom the egotistical
idea, ~ have solved these problems"
We are, as Mr.. Wells states, living in time
of "thought revolutions" or thought revela-
tions as we prefer to call it, as applied to the
material world. Now, can we expect our
Father TO reveal 10 his children all those
things that add to their comfort and material
progress and leave them always in spiritual
darkness-to lend them no ass stance on the
alllmportant question OF salvation?
The idea Is erroneous. The difficulty is tha t
religious thought has not kept pace with sci
entlfc advancements, so that Christians finQ
themselves IN new universe" scientifically,
wi tn only an abbreviated account of Gods
ual guide. The same ru les of government
Will not always apply now as they did the n,
because the conditions are different, and as a
consequence men become faithless. Yet the
race is ever the same. The Gospel is everlas l.
ing. Men are called upon to obey the same
ordinances to-day as in The days of Christ
Revelation Is the key to eternal life.