The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1897-11-26
Correspondence.
Rev. II. Fay Mills and his Straw Man.


lister and evangelist. But lately he
has changed his mind and become a
Universalist Unitarian. In a recent
sermon in Music Hall, Boston, he
said Of his former belief that it
"breeds low ideas of God and hui
manity, OF the race and of individu-
ais. 1t produces fear and harshness
and moral blindness and self conceit
and senseless separation"
Now we may ask, how did Mr..
Mills find out that orthodox doctrines
have such degrading effect upon
those who believe them ? Did they
have this effect upon him while he be-
lieved and taught them i? If so we
think he was entirely justified in
changing his creed. No man has a
right to advocate doctrines which
give him slow ideas of God and of
humanity" and which produce in him
"fear and harshness and moral blind
ness and self-conceit and senseless
separation" But does Mr.. Mills
admit that while preaching orthodox
doctrines he had slow ideas of God
and of humanity" and was "harsh"
and "bind" and "self-conceited"
and "senseless 2" We doubt very
much whether he would be willing to
make any such admission or whether
he could make it truthfully. But
however this may be Mr.. Mills has
no right to assert that orthodox doc
trines have any such effect upon
others, for the facts do not bear him
out in the assertion. None have
higher ideas of God and humanity
than orthodox Christians, and none
have more genuine kindness and love
towards their fellowmen. This they
have proved by their works the world
over. 1t is quite evident that in
charging orthodox Christians with ir-
reverence and contempt for humanity
and harshness and blindness and
self-conceit Mr.. Mills has violated
the law of Christian charity, which
is the very essence of Gospel relig-
ion. What ever his new creed has
done for him it is evident that it has
not made him more charitable or
more just or more courteous. He
had scarcely made a public confess
sion of his "liheral" belief before he
began to make illiberal and uncharit-
able filings at his former associates.
Alas that consistency is so rare q
jewel
But | have a more serious charge
to make against this Apostate from
othodox doctrine; and that is, that
his augmentation is illogical and dis
honest. He knowingly misrepresents
orthodox doctrine that he may seem
to refute it. He constantly repre-
sents orthodox Christians as teach
ing that God condemns men to end
less misery for not holding correct
t.a..;,>:.,ns on tbaolna;1,oi------,J ~~~~.
Thus in his sermon in Music Hall he
says:
GA man may fail to be strictly
honest in his business dealings, he
may be selfish in his relationship to
his nearest friends and inconsiderate
and unklnd TO his wife and children,
and yet lie awake nights in concern
for his neighbor, who is honest, kind,
gentle and unseliish, for fear that
this neighbor may suffer in eternity
because his theological opinions are
not correct"
Farther along in this sermon he
says: "Do you really believe that
the wretched people who have not
possessed correct opinions concerning
theological dogmas = are now
grooming in endless misery"
care the unbelieviug peoples of
to-day, who have not appreciated or
confessed some Christian dogmas
lying into an eternal torment p
"Dare you teach your children that
A BRAN Garfield went TO Heaven be-
cause he had certain opinion about
Jesus and that Abraham
lincoln went to hell because he had |
lot p
Now in these sentences and others
If like import Mr.. Mills represents
orthodox Christians as teaching that
Tod saves men because they hold
orrect theological opinions and sends
hem TO perdition because they do
lot. 1t is hardly necessary to say
Nat this is gross caracature of or
hodox belief. No such teaching is
yer heard in any orthodox pulpit.
md moreover Mr.. Mills must be
ware of this fact. He has been an
rthodox minister for twenty wears.
lid he preach any such doctrine as
his Certainly not, for such teach
lg would not have been tolerated in
ny of the evangelical churches.
Why then does Mr.. Mills impute
lch doctrine to the orthodox church
Why, simply that he might
ave the credit OF refutino il. II 10