The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-13
CREED OF A BISHOP
DIR. M. N. GILBERT TELLS WHY HE
is AN EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
MAN
SAYS IT IS SIMPLE GOSPEL

Ey Beautiful, It's Faith Broad, It's
Memories Cherished, and the
Field, to Him, in Every Way I'm
rivaied by Its Worthy Neigh
bors.
Episcopalianism had it's inning in the
Lenten series of sectarian discourses
which is being given at the Peoples
church, and the ritualistic church and
its doctrines and polity We're edifying
ly discussed by no less worthy an ex-
ponent of the faith than Bishop Coad-
jutor MahlOn N Gilbert, Of the diocese
of Minnesota
Rev. s. G. Smith. in introducing
Bishop Gilbert as the speaker of the
evening, said that last Sunday night
I'VE were delightfully."- baptised and
l suppose that tonight it is proper that
we shall be received into the church, +"
and that if the church were going to
have anyone other than it's present
bishop there would be none that he
would rather have than his friend,
Bishop Gilbert.
Bishop Gilbert then spoke in sub
stance as follows:
My friends, I avail. myself very
cheerfully of the invitation that was
so courteously extended to me by the
pastor of this church to deliver one of
the lectures in the course which he had
prepared, and more especially because
1t gives me an opportunity of explain
ing some positions which I have oc-
cupied all my life, and perhaps to re-
move some prejudices, and to affirm
some positions which may be held by
others who are listening to me tonight.
1 would far rather always try to dis
cover the points Of contact between
the discovered hosts of the church than
to dwell upon the differences, and I
don't think I shall dwell upon the diff
ferences very much tonight. AS my
eye ranges itself over the audience
this evening I feel that there are fewer
points of difference than there are
points Of contact. and l will therefore
dwell upon the things that we hold in
common. am very glad to speak Of
these things wherein we enjoy what
common ambition.
WHY A CHURCHMAN.
have been asked tonight to speak
copalian?" Of course, if I were to
state the subject from my own stand
point and a little more satisfactorily
to myself, I should probably state 1t
as "Why Am 1 a Churchman," but
nevertheless as names are necessary
III OTQ6r TO ulSn DOOleS from one
another I am perfectly willing to ac-
cept this definition and to give my rea-
sons for the position I occupy. Some
years ago l was preaching In little
town in the western part Of the state,
and preaching a sermon which seemed
perfectly natural for me to preach-a
sermon which was the natural result
of my teachings-and there was sitting
before me in the congregation a very
excellent woman, and a very devout,
earnest Christian woman I am sure
the wife of the Baptist minister at that
place, and after the sermon she came
to me and said that she was exceed
ingly pleased with my sermon, but
she couldn't see how it was that man
of my liberal ideas should not stand on
the broad platform with the Bap-
lists. I answered as pleasantly as pos
sible and told her that perhaps. with
further enlightenment I might be able
to satisfy her ambition. but neverthe-
less I felt somewhat hurt by 1t, be-
cause 1t seemed to me to express that
general misunderstanding Of our
church's position which was so perfect
ly apparent to me myself. In the at
mosphere in which I have always been
reared, I could not preach any less Of
liberal sermon: it would not have
been possible; it was simply because I
was preaching that which had grown
out of the teachings Of my whole life,
and which had been confirmed by my
experience. that led. perhaps. to this
compliment. I shall try tonight to
make clear to you some of the reasons
that lead me to believe as I do.
BECAUSE WAS BORN ONE.
I have had for several generations
back Episcopalian ancestors. One of
my great grandfathers was a Congre-
gatfonalist, but on my maternal side
T hi to
break in the line Of my Episcopalian
ancestors. It was undoubtedly because
I was born in the Episcopal church
that I am there today Why should I
remain there? Why should I not come
out on some other platform?
My studies rave led me to look into
the platforms of other religious bodies
and I have tried to make as fair and
careful study Of them as possible. and
yet I am in the Episcopal church to-
day, and may / say so, I have never |
been a stronger Episcopalian than L
am today, and largely because I have
been able to discover no other
platform that seemed broader than
mine. l have been able to discover no
other foundation that seemed to be
more firmly rooted, I have not been
able yet to discover any other church
that seemed to fulfill the conditions
craved better than the church in which
I was born. l am an Episcopalian for
other reasons.
1T Is SIMPLE GOSPEL.
Now, I am not going to try to enter
into any of the details or specification
in my talk tonight; l have not the
time. even if l had the disposition. The
church always tries to present the sim
pie gospel of Christ. 1t has never re-
moved one word from the gospel de-
livered among the mountains of Cali
lee. Sunday after Sunday, year after
year, the old gospel which was read
by the disciples has been the gospel
of this church of God Never has the
church endeavored to so dissect it as
to discover, one member of it from an
other. 1t has always tried to read the
whole law Of God to it's people and
leave it there in order that it might
assist them in the way of eternal sal
walton, and so follows in the footsteps
of the Master, and no church clings
more tenaciously or Loyalty to the
teachings of the living God than the
Episcopalian church. 1t is the simple
gospel.
We don't take text from one por-
ton of it and ask the people TO base
their faith entirely on that, but we
take the law as a whole. We don't
sly: Here is the consideration upon
which we stand we take it as u
whole, and I simply challenge anyone
here or elsewhere to point to a single
instance where We have ever detracted
a single word from this body of the
Holy Writ, but we try to make it clear