New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-17
RENEWED RELIGION. no NEW ONE.
THAT is WHAT THE AGE NEEDS DIR. NEW
TON SAYS-FAITH IN THE CATH
OIIC CREEDS.

The Rev DR.. Heber Newton, rector OF All
Souls Episcopal Church. preached second ser
mon yesterday on ''Christianlty in Evolution. he
took for his text. II am not come TO destroy out
TO fulfil Among other things he said:
In reality no new religion Is possible, but only
renewed religion. broad new religion NJ "oa a 81
dlsprove itself Each greatest religion o. tne past n
1t arose rose out OF religion pelore ~, u,e% ~, p
out OF an early faith whatever in II was VITAE
transhgured It Into new and higher FORM, any
thus the old lived on In the new Inc contents o,
the problems of religion do not change IRON a t
to land from race to race AL tna' Is nncian
the growing man Is 70 reconceve those ancnem r
problems and resae them In terms OF the ob new
Ths is clean ne son o the
efIorescent II Is the universal ethical. spiritual
F hnst Ecnremonialsm in which il grew and
spreading out in beautiful Towering, exhahhs INTO
the heavens the aroma OF holiness - !, -,
The Christian Church has within It's outer body
of theology fine. fluent form Of theology when WI
the Nicene Creei. To return to these earlier forms
Of faith is to escape most OF the Theological d,cui-
ties which beset to-day. They have nothing
whatever concerning the actions SIX XXI thousaEd
years ago the Garden of Eden and the ran or man,
ment and other dogmas which most onend the
' The "i theology Which they fashion is simple,
ethical; and as far as II Is speculative Is hq nh
sd mystic poi % ever es a
and re-translation. The faiths of the Ncene Creed
tality and in Christ. God is affirmed but not de-
fined. In so far as he Is spoken Of, the thought
life and soul Of all that Ives, the spring OF az
energy the intelligence back Of the law, the will
behind force the heart which throbs and the thrills
Of human affection That thought, by It's very
justment whatever knowledge is streaming in
80 fast upon us; is the very thought by which alone
possible FOR the very thought back to which our
new knowledge IL eading US; is the secret of evo-
This faith as shrined in the Catholic creeds' is
undogmatic, reticent. free from any details which
asric i tbun Samnb ~ assning wbaavar sh nv
,b. kn0u eip md OFT fiifir ms NJ
Christianity adds to these two universal. essen
OF God. the Word made flesh the sacred symbol OF
Divine Man who has lived human dream OF
1saHlful soodhneIs VINO mas IN thus living re-
al goodness flows. In whom all human standards
Even in their archaic historical form. these
creeds need not offend the mind of man to-day.
Their form remaining the same outwardly. they
may grow neshly beautiful with new life In the
old terms as the gnarIed trunk sends forth its
which is coming upon Christianity the heart OF
the old creed Dungeons into the glory Of new
theology, which will be, after all. the old faith
This fresh flowing OF the catholic creeds will
some material which has subserved its function in
the past the husk around the kernel. That there
goes without saying The resurrection Of the body.
for example. Is clear case in point; There are
Re retired 20 the background as whether true or
untrue no longer OF the Importance once attached
10 tnem. Inc OF our ldltn cndnS-
ing from age TO age. We must look for such
shrnkage as the inevitable condition OF his
tOric creed.
The authority OF creeds lies In their expression OF
the Christian consciousness. Just so FAR and fast
as the Christian consciousness to find any
portion of the creed vital. thus far and fast
that portion of the creed becomes deadwood, and.
II II clings the creed. c.ngs Tusks. The time
may even come when these creeds will have to be
revised and condensed. Who needs to be told that
II this comes TO pass there will be such n revival
Of religion the world has not seen for many a
day? Man will touch God afresh and DO thrilled;
will heaven open again. his will glow with
light: will fediscover Jesus Christ. and fall In love
with Him again az he did eighteen centuries ago
Thus n new social enthusiasm will reawaken. az
II first reawakened in the early Church. When
men learn really to believe once more in the Divine
FatherhOod through the life Of the Elder Brother
they viii strive for veritable human brotherhood
on earth-that Republic whose other name Is Jus
iice The religion Of Jesus has not been we'll
enough worn to make II old.