New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-15
DIR. NEWTON ON BRIGGS CASE
HIS VIEWS OF THE LIMITS OF LIBERTY
IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH.


The Rev Dr. r. Heber Newton rector Of All
Souls Protestant Episcopal Church, Sixy-sixth-st
and Madlson-aye., whose teachings have at times
been attacked by clergymen Of bis Church. preached
Yesterday morning on THE Limits OF Liberty in the
Protestant Episcopal Church." and said in part:
The issue which the last fortnight has raised in
Church is not as TO the correctness OF me
issue is the right OF scholarship to form US con-
illusions ahG ee 20 ,ea snd oTe mporant
than the question OF the admission or rejection OF
question one who feels strongly must speak frankly.
though with the courtesy Of the gentleman and the
There are limits Of liberty every organization.
Where there is no formulation OF the IDEAS or prln-
ciples which unite men IN the orgaiHzatlEEn 'nere
is still an unformuated body OF opinion which con-
strains the OF nS tna FAR snn9s be bond
OF union. Even among the uniarians-the freest
OF all organized religious bodies in this country
there is limit TO liberty. Ihere is pressure Oh
public opinion which constrains man INTO mar
monv with this general unformuated body or
opinion disposes him TO retire from the COM
munion. 1T, ,..o, ,,o,.,or,or &, IN
organization under such circumstances is the beiet
that the majority does not really repreTSSns 'he
course Is particularly true of the Church. There
is a tyranny Of the majority always possible IN any
S S1Sesaing But il there are standards in the
Church then these limit the liberty Of thought IN
the individual members OF the ChuIch' ana what Is
contrary 10 them cannot be allowed
PRAYER BOOK A COMPOSITE WORK.
In the Protestant Episcopal Church IL Is claimed
by many that the Prayer-book offers such stand
ard Our Prayer-book is composite work, the
product Of different ages and nationalites anc
schools 1t Is growth OF centuries. ii Is an out
come OF the spiritual life OF the Church Catholic.
II ronresents the Greek and Latin forms OF Chris
tIanity OF the early centuries. 1t represents the
pous beliefs of the Dark Ages and the scholastic
theology Of the Middle Ages-the forms Of thought
ruling in the Catholic Church prior to the Refor-
ont
tion movement in its widely different forms. IT
also represents the thought Of the men VINO IN our
day have turned their hands upon this ancient ark
of God 10 repair and improve H. rms composite
character makes Cur Pr4ysF-Po1K a tne NOR an
completely debaIs it from being what IT. is set up
nterpret Of Scripture or OF the creeds OF the
II we are to use the Prayer-book az an arsenal
from which 10 draw our weapons OF attack upon
one another there is free chance for every school
clerical subscription in the Church Of England was
ITO all and everything in this Prayer-book he
GIVES his unfeigned assent and consent" the
Which il he does the typical juryman Is beside
him genqT bd sG TO o ao mors lug
glery Either his mind or his conscience must De
The Thirty-nine Articles are by many considered
TO constitute the standard OF thought They date
from the sixteenth century an age or dsTSn and
c cGiiS but BY the church Of England They have
nat 9 s med They do not lake 6e form Of
creed They are not brief and simple statements
OF the fundamental facts and essential faiths or
the Christian belief On the contrary they form
an elaborate and prolix series OF propositions in
tended to be substituted for the creeds. on the
contrary, the creeds retain their proper place In
u" The articles are not used in any Office Of the
Church They never form part o. any WqrsnP OF
the creeds in the light and Growth OF me soul ana
mind Of man just so St icy our own 10 re has
dered them well-nigh va iueless and stripped them
tonarv mental process Of our period they have be-
come utterly archaic ana opsolete
STANDARDS ONLY IN THE CREEDs
Every tyne Of churchman can turn to them and
find a club with which TO beat out the brains o.
his fellow-churchmen. II we are TO demand a
literal compliance with them. the only conclusion
r that no one remain in the Church. IL Is
urelv a curious irony Of history that the despised
broad churchmen should be compelled to call the
attention Of his catholic brother in tho Church to
the fact that the Thrty-nine Articles do not form
catholic creed and that It is only in the catholic
creeds that the standards OF faith are 10 be found
There is fixed and final sense Of the creeds TO
be given authortatively and oracularly by the
forms of faitR. II men so say they SPEAK idly and
foollshly. Even If the House OF Bishops undertakes
terpretation Of the creeds. II IL ranscending not
| only its constitutional prerogatiyes but the pre-
! negatives of human nature.
! Ri in the Church unite in the affirmation OF the
pretations OF that doctrine differ radically as
Tho ecclesiastic mind differs from the philosophlc
]
| the incarnation But that doctrine may mean 10
/ one man simply disguised Aryanism. while 10
has right to call his brother hard name, because
/ ne differs in tho Interpretation OF doctrines. So
/ with every minor point in the creed
SO with the resurrection Of the body; Al the
is free to his own Interpretation OF what it means
| Thus 1t may be seen that the catholic creeds are
and roomy habitatons. The bond OF unity within
all these various interpretations OF the crecds IS
All the GneStions which are disturbing the minds
Of men in Professionalism today; provoking conten-
ton and strife. are outside OF the catholic creeds
These creeds have nothing TO say concerninG the
creation Of the world The churchman ", Is free free
The creeds have nothing whatever 10 say concern.
ihs World woe TX tSoussnd years ago as the Hebrew
legend runs. or he may have come myrads Of ages
to say concerning the fall Of man. or the doctrine
Of atonement The Church has no theory Of In
the iSoT Oh ner Sw snran cboaTshp for ts AZ
sertlon OF the facts concerning the Bible. How
, could the Church take any other positlon7 Has
she been competent in times Of unscho'arly know
edge to termine such questions Of pure scholar
ship? Is Il her province TO set limits TO the IN
conclusions? What has she to do with all these
questions? Leave them to scholarship to deter
II is high time for to face the full Significance
true position and function OF the Church. Thos'
who are lightly preclpitatlng such an Issue upOr
such questions as these: Are we now 70 give up tn,
work In which our Church has led the churches o.
which is to reclaim the workingman? How is such
an unkindnR OF the sooty flames Of theological
strife To warm the hearts OF churchmen for tbs
work or bringing In the Kingdom Of God OF earth
LITERARY CRITICISM LEGITIMATE.
But THE REV. DIR. s. PARKEs cADMAN SAYS
SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION Is
ABOVE IT.
The Rev. s. Parkes Cadman in metropolitan
Temple yesterday afternoon preached The TIES
timony OF Jesus to the Old Testament" He sal
IN part:
IT Is necessary that the Bible student should ma x
careful distinction between literary criticism an
spiritual Interpretation. The former Is a science
It's object Is 10 md out facts, as e. g. when. wher
and by whom book was written, what precs
words its author used and what precise nleanint
he intended 10 convey. Sometimes lis problems ar