The San Francisco call., 1897-04-21
DID THE WHALE
SWALLOW JONAH?
Belief in the Story Not
Essential for Sal
vation.
Common.Sense and Reason Ought
to Be Used in Interpreting
the Bible.
Rev. DR.. RAIDER at the Bay Con fer snce
Comm nds the Course of DR..
Lyman Abbott.

The Bay Conference of Congregational
churches was held yesterday afternoon
and evening at the Park Congregational
Church, on Pags street, near Baker. Rev.
George Mooar was made moderator pro
TEN. and called the meeting to order.
After devotional services the following.
named officers were elected:
Moderator, Rev. ]. X. Mclean; scribe, Rev.
committee on credentials-Rev. w. w. Scud-
der, Rev. j. H. Goodell, Rev. E. Z. Williams,
Rev. w. W. Chase and Rev. E. d. Hale; CON-
mittee on missions-Rev. G. b. Hatch. Rev.
mittee-Rev. G. B. Hatch (ex-offic cio), Rev. C. S.
Nash and Rev. S. f. Bufford; committee on
lay preachers Rev. J. 4. Harrison, Rev.
George Mooar aud Rev. Z. Galloway; nomf-
mating committee-Professor Foster, Deacon
Grove of Plymouth and Rev. W. Frear.
"reminiscences of DR.. c. o. Brown
foated in the air like the summer mist
of eventide when the following was read l.:
1t is proposed to amend article VII, section
2, of the constitution as follows: Striking out
ito inquire into the case and to report TO the
conference, which shall then proceed accord
ing 10 the Scriptural method and extent" and
inserting-"And, after inquiring, TO report to
the conference, which may then, at its discre-
tlon, take steps to secure the calling OF an
ecclesiastical council to consider the matter;
but this conference shall never exercise legis-
laiive or judicial authority nor consent to act
asa council OF reference"
A silence ensued, but before it became
too painful because of Its intensity DR..
Pond arose to a question of order. He
could not see how the conference could
pass the amendment constitutiopally.
Without any discussion 10 speak of the
matter was postponed until the Decemb Der
meeting.
DIR. Brown was tried by the Bay Confer
ence, and it appeared that the conference
regretted the disagreeable act and desired
not to be saddled With repetition thereof.
DIR. Cruzan, representing the Congrega-
tional paper the Pacific, com mplained that
subscriptions were not as plentiful as they
should be and said the paper could not
exist unless the church stood back OF it.
The reports of the different churches were
then given, showing a decided improve
ment in every way. In speaking of the
American Board of Foreign Missions Mr..
Adams said that more religion came back
TO us in this country than we ever sent
out. and 3 great deal of our trade to-day
was the result of foreign missions, Rev.
Dr. Scudder stated in a few brief words
that the society was $47, COO behind last
year, and spoke of monthly concerts as a
method OF keeping up the interest in the
work.
The salient feature of the evening ses-
sion was the discussion on the question,
"Is Congregationalsm drifting away from
vital truth, or is it taking the tide at the
flood and entering into vital truth 2"
DR.. RAIDER read paper in reply to the
question, in the course of which he init
mated that it was not necessary to believe
the story OF Jonah and the wnale in order
to gain eternal life. 1t was not an essen
tiai. The following extracts will show the
scope of the essay:
1t sounds well to say that you acce ut every-
thing in the whole book from cover to cover
but The statement does not accomplish any
thing. Statements TO the contrary must be
matched by statements Ridicule is not argu-
ment; denunciation is not logic. The only
theological safety is freedom in Christian in
quiry.
/ confess moreover to a little surprise at the
treatment accorded Lyman Abbott of Brook
lyn, who, more than any other man of his
generation, is translating the doctrines of the
Bible into the language of the people. No the
illogical seminary influences as many minds
as this modest Christian preacher. No man
who has ever assumed the difficult task of CIV
ing popular instruction TO the people concern
ing the vital truths of Christianity has sue
ceeded in being SO fair with his opponents or
so gracious in the presentation of the truth.
For many successive Sunday evenings he has
crowded the great Plymouth Church, and
after each sermon he has permitted the peo-
pie to ask him as many questions as they
chose, In order that the truth might be made
plhlu AS Cdll lIudRlu6 Ly man ADDOtt silt
ting there before that throng, teaching them
the Bible, can conceive of no Dobler picture
OF Congregationalism. The Don Quixotes who
go through the land saulting windmills and
advertising their theological nostrums and
settling for all time this question are not to
be compared with such spirit and such
man, and /, for one. am quite willing to mod
estly, yet heartily, commend Lyman Abbott for
the gentle spirit of his scholarship and for
leading thousands of people out in to more
rational inter pretatiou of the Scriptures
There is a certain powerful positive spirit
reinforcing the message ana animating the
man, which leads many good Congregational al
lists to believe that he time is not far distant
If it is not already here. when the Abbott type
OF thought rather than the Behreod type will
become The exponent of progressive and vital
Congregatonalism.
l have thus far confined my remarks to the
controversy about the Bible MAY conclude
this portion of the address with the Thought
that the drift is in the direction of vital truth
as that truth is apprehended by common
sense, rational thought and a profounder and
more discriminating faith in the Bible as con-
tanning the word of God.
After brief addresses by Reys. Hill
Tubbs, Lloyd, ScuddeI and Deacon Dexter
the conference closed with hymns and
benediction.
Nearly two-thirds of the population of
main raad rif