The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-16
DIR. JOHN WATSON'S R
MlE0T j. SAVAGE DISCUSSES THE
CASE OF "IAN MACLIREN."

says the Fausous scstohr.sn UndoubtedIy IL .
Herctic. strichIy speahinG. but the Herotics
OF To-day Are Only the Fsrerunners OF the
Newer. Grander ReliHten-The Ola Ortho-
do1y IL Dead. KILLED by tho Demonstration
That NHan IL Net Fallen, hut Ascendea-
The Case or the new. MI. savage Himself
A preacher who thinks for himself Is in danger
OF the Judgment of q church council those days
When many Americans hoard that w. Kennedy
Moore, d. d., had presented n petition to the
Synod of the Presbyterian Church of England
with charges OF heresy against DIR. John Wat
son clan Maclaren' y, they could hardly
believe their cars. what, that man, with his
ennobling creed I" they asked. and England
answered YES, and the inspiration Of the
movement against DIR. Watson came from
your side of the ocean, The trial ended
Just as the so-called hcretics in this coun-
try predicted 1t would. English and Scotch
Presbyterianism is very different from Ameri-
can. II DIR. Watson had by chance been tried In
this country he would have been compelled ito
be purged by tho fire from above" as tho ortho-
dox followers of the Calvinistic croed here put
1t. In other words, he would have had to face
his accusers and made explanations concerning
his honest beliefs, and in the end, Judging by
the history Of others brought to trial, would
have been convicted Of heresv.
The English Presbytery. however, formally re-
jected the petition containing the charges by a
vote of II to /. 1t is said that strong feeling
was shown. The petitioners explained their po-
sition by saying that all they desired was that
DIR. Watson himself should assert tho sound
ness Of his position. The Synod fatty refused to
call on him for an explanation, and, be IL said to
the credit Of the intelligence of the body, the
,n.n To anttIal ,tln, ,-zx N-.r. L..
and the vote was rs nearly unanimous as
it could be without being entirely so.
This is probably the last that will be heard Of
the heresy Of John Watson, but it is interesting
to hear what one OF the foremost theological
thinkers in this country has to say concerning
his heresies and heresies in general. When
questioned on this subject. the Rev. Minot J.
Savage. d. D., minister Of the Church Of tho
Messiah. said:
"Ihave not followed DR.. Watson's case with
such closeness as to enable me to give a very
definite opinion, but l think there is no question
as seen in the light of the standards Of his
church that he ia a hereto. I have a feeling
that ministers ought to do one Of three things;
either stand honestly and squarely by the creed
of their church, get that creed changed
so that 1t expresses the earnest beliefs
of to-day, or else leave their churches. l
can't understand how a minister consents to
stand on a platform which he repudiates. I
went through this battle on my Owl account a
good while ago. l was trained in the Orthodox
Church in New England, the Congregationalist.
and when 1 found that, as the result of prolonged
study l was no longer in accordance with the
beliefs of the church in which I had been trained.
1 felt as an honest man that there was but one
thing to do; that was to leave the church.
That's why ] AIN where / am to-day.
"Thprp were no end NJ n n a md perannal
friends who begged me TO stay in in spite of my
heresies and. as they expressed it. to help them
4" fight it out from the inside" l am aware that
there are n great many who occupy that position
and feel they are justified. but it seems to me
that it is u good deal like wearing the Federal
uniform while doing all one can for the victory
of the other side. lido not feel myself justified
in saying that the men who are doing this are
consciously or purposely dishonest. but I do
feel like saying very strongly that it would be
dishonest for me to do it.
I'm the carly days Of the Church it was as.
sumed to be a clearly drawn battle between the
Church on one hand and the Kingdom of Satan
on the other, and the man who was disloyal to
the Church was treated as the enemy Of God and
of his fellow men. Some remnants Of that feel
ing are still left. 1t is generally assumed
by a good many ministers, newspapers, and
reviews that the hereto Is q wicked man who is
attennfinH tO undermine the faith and take
away the hope of the world, though why any
bodv sbouId he sunposed m wish m do this has
never been made vcrv clear Rnt as n matter
NJ fact the hattle going nm today IL hetween the
newer and higher revelation of God and |
the crude and partial theories of the
nast which tool sban. in tho tim.. ., tbo
comnarative ionorance The here
tics to-day are not the ,onorort mo-
nile. thew are mt the had neonIe Tbev arc III. |
man tho nbiIosonbors tho s,udonts
the critics. the trutb.seekers They arc noble
elf-sacriacinp tendor.bearted They are the |
ones who are devotino themselves In every do.
nartment NJ life IN belning the world forward
They arc doing what tbey can IN better the con
n, human life Tbe ignorant Tho Iou,oat
sacs In that aense the undevo1oned IN both
Enrone and America arc nearly all ortbodox
.Wh.t tho, dooo ,h,s th;,a oorod hor..u
"na., Inen, uoes .his 'h'ns ane noresy
meant That scheme OF the universe. that the.
Dry Of God. of the origin, nature and destiny of
man which constitutes what 10 "a lied orthodoxy
u w llNh oIbl ICs M a Ao vi I