The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-06-09


doctrines which need not here be specif-
ed; and therein lies our third, Which is
a negative, but still mutual, affirma-
ton.
am not asked to specify our differen-
ces Hence go Oh to further mutual
affirmatiOns. We all hold that there is
one God, who is revealed to us as Our
Father, who has illustrated in our crea-
iiOn, in the life of Jesus Christ, and in
every exalted character among men, the
kinship of the human and the divine
spirit, and the adaptation Of his eternal
LOCUS to become incarnate in human
life; who is not localized or limited, but
is an ever-present Spirit, known in some
measure by. all those who worship in
spirit and in truth. We agree in our
affirmation that there once lived in Cali.
lee man who felt God in his human
blood and brain, from the bench
at which he wrought to the. NOUN
tain on which he taught, and from the
manger where he was laid to the cross
on which he died, and that he who thus
knew God has brought that blessed
knowledge Of God to men. Together we
affirm that sin is in the world, and that
God loves and seeks to save the sinner.
Together we hold that it is a terrible
thing for a man to live in sin, and none
of us hold that it is safe for a man tn
die in sin, Together we affirm that
GOdlinesS is profitable for all things, for
this life and every other where God
reigns. Together we hope and strive
for the coming Of his kingdom.
have not stated these doctrines as all
among us would prefer to state them,
nor all Of them as prefer myself to state
them. have not tried to state all doc.
trines which seem to be desirable, mol
even all that | personally hold dear; but
out Of these materials think it might
be possible to construct creed quite as
useful and authoritative as some of larg
er pretensiOns and Of greater length.
If in any way 1 wrong you, or any ont
Of you, in attempting at your invitation
to speak for my bretheren, may at least
speak for myself. My mutual affirma
tiOns are these: Ibelieve in the sovereign.
ty of God and the freedom Of man, ant
am therefore Calvinist, plus all Of gOOC
/ can find in the doctrine of Arminius
| believe in the unity of God as much a
D any Unitarian; and believe in the Fa
therhOOd Of God, the human life Of God
and the personality Of the divine Spirit
l as much as any man who spe axis, as d
, not, OF three persons in one God. l au
: therefore, though l do not like til
e name,-a Trinitarian, but not Trith6
e ist. | believe that GOd made ma
1 out OF thu du1t OF the earth, ant
u presumably out Of the best dust whicl
God had, but that God breathed his Ow
u life into man, and he became a liyin
soul. am therefore, in company wit
Moses. and have no quarrel with Dal
e win.
My faith does not end here. l still bt
: lieve more. | believe that the wages {
+ sin is death; but the gift Of God is eve
: lasting life through Jesus Christ on
= Lord. / believe that God was in Chri:
v recOnciling the world unto himsel
e and that in that reconciliation Il
h life of God becomes regnantin in the life {
e man, who was made in his image. b
= lieve that righteousness is salvation, an
l. that without holiness no man shall 81
], God. believe that the work in what v
r call redemption is indeed remedial, b1
IS is primarily constructive, so that whel
l. sin abOunds grace shall much more
1t bound. believe that the Good Shephel
TO seeks the sheep that is lost until he fin
D, it.
a Not only do / feel that most Of n
l- brethren Of other denominations agr
lie with me in the essence Of this, my theC
1t Ogy, but also claim share in what
d peculiarly theirs.
v In my admiration for the enthusias
4 and righteousness OF MethOdism, l gla
Al ly sit at the feet Of Wesley. In so far