The record-union., 1898-07-17

thoroughly convinced that such trials
work a vast amount of harm ana no
good that they are determined to aVolo
them as far as possible. 1t was tried
in the matter Of Andover Theological
Seminary. and everybody knows the
fruitless issue. Those who believe that
heresy trials are necessary believe that
they are necessary evils, never to be
resorted to if the heresy can be sup
pressed or rendered harmless by some
other method, and only to be entered
,1pon where the church is challenged
and put, so to speak, upon its defense.
II is quite doubtful whether this CEN
tury will see another important trial for
heresy in any Protestant church, ana
we are quite sure that when the tWen-
tieth century dawns it will have usher
ed in and for ever established a new
policy averse to the arraignment Of men
as criminals on charges of unbelief.
''In the multiplicity of machinery and
methods that mark our day there Is
danger of forgetting that the ultimate
and effective power Of the church lies
in its character product. The MISSION
of Christianity" says the "Watchman
(BaptisD of Boston,. lis TO redeem the
world by the creation and deVeIopmehI
of Christian character. In the church
this individual character is massed. IL
is inevitable that the world should
Judge Christianity-no matter now true,
pure, and beneficent its doctrines are
admitted to be--by what it makes OF
the men and women who profess II, ana
become its living Illustration. Inc
church is by its nature Christianity
object lesson. and cannot escape the
tremendous responsibility which TINS
involves. IF, then, the church toier-
ate a membership that carries Its creed
only in confession or in .. book ana not
into its daily life, leaving that Just
about as worldly and ambitious ana
selfish. as careless in matters OF per-
sonal integrity and in al the various
practices Of business and society, as 5
the average life OF those who make
no profession of q higher and hoIler
principle Of living, on what basis can
it appeal to thoughtful men? Nothing
could be more fatal TO the church tuan
to give cause for the slightest suspl-
cion that in its membership money Wl!l
cover a multitude of sins; that intem-
perance and immortality will be con-
doned on the score Of family or infiu-
ence or that conduct which falls below
the level Of common morality VIII ne
winked at The church cannot afford
to be negligent of its duty in the mat
ter of self -purifcation."
'The Rev. Washington GLADDEN., Col
umbus. O.. is reported as saying that
in twenty-five years the Congregation
al Church will be avowedly Universal
ist When that time comes let us
hope" says the "Universalist Leader
Of Boston and Chicago, ''the Congre-
gationalists will have the decency 70
bury the Burial Hill declaration or
their national council of 1870 wherein
are reafIirmed the doctrines OF the con
fessions and platforms of 1918 and
1850. These creeds involve all the
enormities of opinion on which Uhl-
versalism has waged war for nun
dred years such as original sin. and the
exposure of the race, through the mis-
deeds of Adam. to eternal damnauon,
the vicarious atonement Of Christ. and
the unending punishment of sinners in
the lake of fire and birthstone. The
national council in 1870 on Burial Hill.
Plymouth reaffirmed and gave blessing
to God for the inheritance Of these
doctrines Just at the present time
the Congregationalists are slyly coquet-
ting with Universalism, which seems
playing fast and loose with conscience
and honesty, while these creeds remain
as the standards of the church. If there
is any basis of fact for DR.. Gladden's
hopeful prophecy. the incipient Uni
versalists in the Congregational COM
munion, such as DR.. Gordon in Boston
and the Young Plymouth naStnr of Chi