The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-16

OF the popular creeds intellectually indefensible
allow themselves TO be persuaded that they have
say or do. I would assert as strongly as any OF
them that we have no right to question the ways
Gods words or ways. The things which men dare
not ~criticise or question are not divine mysteries
t tioSSs arc coS onsy aS@H ths sS %oras ond o May ,% oe SnS,
past have Incorporated themselves into crcods,
and we are expected to bow down TO and wor-
ship them because forsooth the Church chooses
to claim that they are divine.
by which that which Is inhuman and Unjust
on earth becomes In some mysterious. way divine
shall be at least s0s as good as good II men; and and that
which revolts our human. ideas OF goodness we
VIII not w9rShip Just because some church
The struggle then which is going on in tho
modern world is between the. newer and higher
the past. II Is between the cruelty Of the last
and the growing hnmaneness Of the present. IT
past and the higher ideals and the more i%nsistent
without fear S d successful contradiction s'f that
the God OF the Presbyterian confession of faith
for example land substantially the same is true
of other old.time. creedsl Is not anywhere near
up to the level, either intellectually or morally,
Of the best men who walk the streets.
When asked IL he thought hercsy trials justi-
fable, Dr. Savage said.
Catholic Church in Europe, just In SO far as the
Church was sincere IN the belief that it and 1t
heaven, persecution for heresy was looked upon
as not only right but merciful. II the burning
OF one man became the means of saving a thou
sand souls from eternal torment in hcllit would
seem to be thoroughly justified. II we consider
cere and earnest 1t will be unable 10
tolerate hcrcsy on the part of any of its preach
has q right to his opinions. even to tho extent Of
speaking or publishing them, but If he persists
dangerous to the salvation Of men then the
shah do this beyond the limits OF its feil wv " Te
accompiicc in the work Of destroying souls.
There is another point of view from which
has the right Of seifdefence. This is equally
true Of Institutions or churches. The man who
sive Of the confession Of faith. it is easily to be
seen cen, threatens thu, The existence Of the presby.
minister has a right to his own opinions. the
church, It must be conceded. has the right OF
" In the old days there was still another motive
for the persecution and driving out OF heretics
which the civilized world has largely outgrown
and which perhaps by the majority Is forgotten.
1t was believed, for example. that the king who
tolerated heresy or idolatry within the limits of
people and perhaps disturb the stability Of
on the part Of the rulers which led to the expul.
sion Of the Moors. In many cases in the past
the Church has threatened that it would call
AT the present time the motives for heresy
stinct for self-defence on the part OF churches;
and, second, the sincere conviction that human
souls are in danger unless the old plan OF sal.
walton Is preached in its entirety. Another
motive may. unquestionably be discerned. in
many special cases, which lacks the dignity OF
these two. and which, Of course, would never be
publicly. l refer now to the jealousy
which ministers are occasionally human enough
to feel toward one another.
Some curious anomalies occasionally present
themselves in this matter Of heresy trials. Now
and then one is compelled to wonder as to
whether orthodoxy Is a matter of locality and is
determined, by geographical limits. II remem
Der correctly. about the time that Prof. Briggs
quilted, Prof. Smith was tried on substantially
the same charges in the, West and was CON
question as to the size Of the man. Not a
great while ago an Episcopal clergyman
ministry for holding beliefs which have been
publicly avowed and openly presented by men
in more prominent pulpits in other parts of the
is more than a suspicion that a trial or a lack Of
1t Is dictated bY matters that look very much
like . worldly pPIics: II a m man occupies a promi-
harm, may be done by stirring. up the matter.
creating factions and precipitatins puolic discus
alone: Then again. whether Il man is to be de- |
clared a hereto or not frequently depends upon
tuc tcHpeE, tLt lOltlduCc, UT tHe uOBUlatlC us
from the Church II he belonged to one diocese
when. being fortunate enough to belong to
another, he is let alone,
1T is interesting to note how differently the
matter 0 fheresy may be treated in the Anglican
Church from the way in which 1t would be dealt
with here. Being a State affair, the court OF
final appeal in England is not a.Bishopo or a Bench
ing this, had an interesting experience with a
London clergyman a few years ago. Being on a
yisIst ther ne / r ,s S;ne' a letter ai;sr from q him him n., in;
chat In his study he called my attention TO the
fact that he had in his library, nearly all of our
to have, him laughingly tell me that he had
preached nearly all Of ny sermons to his own
was possible he informed me that his irregulari.
1sEv h rssn eSs 1itoP 3esds there OF hi, se ssR |shon in .s IG
book as did not suit him. and asked in
terms which reminded me of the late lamented
it. He added that ali the bishop could do would
be to interdict his preaching. the simple result
OF which would be that he would have u trench
when l asked him as to the condition of the
younger men in the ministry of the Church OF
studied until they found themselves on the brink
Of leaving the Church II they kept on. and that
and stopped thinking. He went on
To- o. say that many Of them were such Hgnos-
want them in the Unitarian pulpit.
The latitude permitted in the Church, of
at the present time is such that n man
may express any opinion he pleases In regard to
the Bible except that he must not say. that any
particular book ID not canonical. This is very
like forbidding any one to declare that
twice two are four.
ut is said that a reaction is going on in the
Church toward the High Church posi-
ton to-day, but tho cause of this has not been
noted generally. 1t undoubtedly il to be found
in the fact that the result OF scientific and criti-
study has left the Church nothing else to
on but this ecclesiastical tradition.
"As l said at the outset, the hereto to-day Is
not II bad man. not an enemy OF God or of his
fellows. He is not seeking to break down the
of God because he wishes to be n lawbreak-
er. What is taking place to-day. is nothing
more or less than the beginning of what Ia 10
be a great and general conflict between inner
tied traditions and old-time ideas and the new
OF the universe, of God, OF man, of
of destiny, which are being
out as the result of the sci.
entitc and critical scholarship of the
modern world. The hereto is the man who IL
with the new knowledge TO the extent of
feeling himself called upon to surrender this or
that part of the old scheme. When hc Is logical
enough md courageous enough to think himself
clear and to follow the results of his thinking no
to be a hereto in the old church and be-
comes q member OF the new church which. as i
avn q IN mil n Al n |