The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-13
4 CONFESSION or FAITH.
A Believers Eloquent RcJoinLcr to
the Confession of nm AEnostic.

experience OF n Christian. Il may help him,
and any readers OF THE SrN who think as
he does to happier state OF mind than
that which he exposes.
In my first religious training. all divine
authority Was mcdated by what was pre-
scented to me as the infalible testimony
OF tho Church; md the fret and fundament-
al duty incucatcd upon me, was to believe
the Church. ] was taught in my early years
that since the Church was before the Scrip
lures. therefore only by her testimony can
we know their authority. and only through
her Interpretation can We know their mean
ing. and that apostolic traditions and apos-
tolic documents are for the guidance OF the
Church and the confirmation OF her domi-
Mon over human minds. and that her de-
crecs are the final rule Of faith and prac-
ticc. from which there is no appeal. Hence
| In those days the Bible was as Ear remov-
ed from my practical concern. as at the
present time are the secret counscls of God.
| To me. what the Church said, and what
| God said. were identical.
! But the eXtravagant claims OF the Church
as to her own authority, could not nullify
the inherent power of any truth which she
Jesus of Nazareth. in His person and bene-
ficence Losing sight of her and her claims
| to authority over my mind and conscience,
and captivatcd by the beauty and grandeur
| OF the Saviour, whom she presented, be-
| lieved in Him and yielded to Him all the
aspirations of my heart. lie was to me an
| idea the real existence of which would be
all I wanted as was a sinner. and as
| | Craved eternal life. It was not from the
! Bible, but from the Church, that first re-
! ceivcd the notion Of Jesus Christ And
! from my first conception OF the thought of
Him. as expressed by the Church, have
never ceased to believe habitually that He
is real. and that the Christian report OF
His birth and life and death and resurrec-
ton is substantially true However | may
! have questioned the ground of the author-
ty by which the Church impolled me to
think OF Christ. | have never, since
did think OF him. deliberately denied the
history which the Church believes and
teaches in relation to Him. To my
mind the Church idea OF Jesus. and the
truth OF this idea, logically 20 together.
1t surpasscs the power Of human invention
1t is "a divine thought. and. therefore must
be the truth. The Gospel, il not true Is
a superhuman lie. 1t cannot be Satanic
lie. for its whole tendency and influence
and character are holy. 1t cannot be OF
man or Satan hence it must be OF God and
Heaven and is therefore true. I have al
ways in some degree felt the power OF q
belief that Jesus was and is. There Is no
thing worthy to be compared with His stor!
t,lIt ;,,,E.t i,~nti nnCN
the human race. There is but one Jesus
holy. harmless, undeflled. separate from
sinners. Hottest and lowliest, most just ant
most loving; omnipotent. yet suffering ma
tcs;ic. yet put to shame; lord OF life
though dead and buried
But as regards the authority OF the Church
and consequently OF the Scriptures. "hicl
she professed to hold as her credentials
was thrown adrift. when a boy, fourteen
years old. The shock which severed tn
bond Of my ecclesiastical obedience was al
ministered in the form of proud priest
indisCretion. | was rebel. lie WAS
"loyalist" | was charged with high treason
, and liable to be hung. drawn, and quarter
ed" The diEnitary sent for me. ana at som
. risk | went to his house. The comfort thl
| MAMMOTH graduate. who had received a.
Government stipend and had made the oat
/ and promise on which it was conditioned
, the comfort this diGnitary administered
the young zcalot and patriot was: Wei
, YOU have put your neck in the halter-it vii
not take much of a string to strange YOU
! nor will it be much of a task to cut ina
! little, long neck. and sever those teshles
loose Joints of yours" Indignation hndere
! the distinction between the man ana IN
priest the office. and the abuse OF tn
office. the Church, and the minion OF
, | hated throne, posing in Churchly preten
| sions At once was free. the nucleus OF re
volt was created. and many facts and re
miniscences gave 1t magnitude and po"ei
! became very soon free thinker or
nationalist. To me revelation and tn
: | church were practically one. and aloof frol
, the former, | knew nothing OF the latter
: now acknowledged 10 guide but my ow
natural reason.
took with me from the church OF m
!, birth the thought of Jesus 1t had entere
into my reason. and its influence upon m
l. life was generally potent. even before b'
a came acquainted with the Bible. My eth
: cal nature too had been well developed
o early religious teachers. | have ever foun
y the church of my birth to be at once MOI
reasonable and Scriptural as regards que:
. tons OF morals than is any OF these dc
II nominations of Christians who differ fro
" her. These often remind me OF the lin"
# To sIli refined ,",d - paint lh' lily,
=. 10 IlT"w :. perfume on H." NIH"t,
Il To smc,th the ice. add another hue
d rG E' SEX o H. ",% "y" q rc","i to garnI
Is wHstrful Gti RIDICULOUS excess.
. They seek to improve on the morality
,. Jccus Christ. and though they take Him
>. the only Saviour, they are prone to set
|, John the Baptist as better example
: morals, while, alas, they follow neiher, full
Although | had this admiration for Jesu
-, | and this cultivated moral sense. | was
- agnostiC-not a mere materialist, but OF
ii who knew no guide " supernatural chara
= ter. ana who judged of all the questions r
ri lating to moral government and divine b
r neyolCnce, and mans Immortality in T.
w. pure light OF nature. Yet, am to-day
4. firm believer in the divinity Of III" Bible
that it is a revelation and the very wo
" OF God.
st was more than twCnty-One years OF a
y, when ! first took Bible in my hands, The
!" is hardly an objection raised to its satcmer
is about God which | did not entertain on l
first pcrusal Of it's pages. There Is not
g. question as to the moral government OF q
u which ii propounds. insisted ON by skeptt'
, that did not receive entertainment in my re
III son and engage my moral judgment,
perplCXity and consequent gloom and dcprt
H. sion continued lOr ycara-lOng enough to q
st able me to sympaIhi2c with thos" whom
IL know to be in like darkness and to IN
~ | roughly respect the man whose faith, VIII