The record-union., 1899-05-09
Ezpounds His Doctrine TO an Episcopal
Congregation at New York.
1.-THE New Methods of Study, the
Critical and Scientific Processes
OF Investigation Which in Our
Times Dominate All Realms OF
knowledge Inevitably Require
Changes in the Realm OF Re-
Hgion and Theology Also"

NEW YORK, May S.-Preacnlng TO
the congregation of Holy Trinity
Church, Rev. DIR. Charles A. Briggs
said:
"All truth is not in the sacred de-
post of the church. All truth is not in
the drift of tradition.
He who would grow in knowledge
must use all the talents God has given
him. He should not be content to use
rusty tools or antiquated methods, but
use the most approved methods, and all
the sharp edged tools of modern crit
lcism and science.
Truth is Gods daughter, and she
must be wooed with ali faith in order
10 be won. 1t is not sufficient to listen
to mems talk about her. to look at her
from afar, to learn by tradition about
her anG to accept and retain all men S
stories and opinion concerning her. The
divine wisdom is the fairest of women,
according to the conception of the Book
OF Proverbs.
Think you that Gods daughter will
manifest herself to the idle the care
less, the Indifferent, or to those that
think that they know her sufficiently
Well already? Do you think that she
will disclose her beautiful face and
94SAiOOo AOill dllQ speak Her dil-cOiIl.'
1ortipg words to mere traditionalist,
who is content to know about her
through the transmitted formulas of a
throng of generations? No, thousand
times no.
Ihere are those who think that the
whole divine truth is known; that it
was revealed to the ante-Nicene church.
In nothing could they be more mis-
taken The oh ba- Loo ,.-
in all the Christian countries and is
learning to-day. The church of Christ
is avoided because many great prob
lens of doctrine and life have not been
solved
The semblance of truth as taught by
the ancient and medieval church will
doubtless prevail and the acquisition OF
truth at the Reformation will not be
set aside. But with the growth in
Christian knowledge, the form of the
knowledge and the expression of it nee
essarily change.
We cannot know the whole truth of
any doctrine until we know the whole
truth of all doctrines. The new meth
ods OF study, the critical and scientific
processes of investigation, which in our
times dominate all the realms of knowl-
edge, inevitably require changes in the
realm OF religion and theology also.
There are men in every age who op-
pose the advance of truth They depre-
cate any advance in the knowledge of
truth, any methods of study. They de-
sire everything to go just as before and
We should hold and transmit the truth
OF religion exactly as they have re-
eelVed 1t. Such a thing is impossible
IN living, growing, thinking church
Such thing is impossible for any
man who is conscious of the Holy
Spirit dwelling within him and leading
on into truth Who ever heard of a
father or q mother who would have a
child stop growing and remain stunted
IN order to save the expense and care
or providing new garments? Does any
one suppose that the growing Christian
or the growing church can go on wear
ing the same clothes, using exactly the
same modes of statement as were used
in the infancy or early youth of the
organization?
The full-grown Christian and the
full-grown church will be the same
essentially as the Christian babe and
the infant church. The identity of or
ganization and the continuity of life
and character will remain in every
stage of growth, but the external dress
VIII change in size and style and mode
with every real growth.
Our age is an age of most exact,
painstaking and thorough-going crit
zeal scholarship. Holy Scripture has
been searched by critics as never be-
fore, and the result is that it stands
forth before the world in its native his
torical beauty, wealth and power as
the holy. divine, eternal work of God
to man.
Nothing of any historical value has
been lost or impaired. The church dec
trine of the Bible, as defined by the
church, stands forth more glorious
than ever Nothing has been injured
but human traditional opinions about
the Bible which never received the
sanction of the holy church.
TT is characteristic of the new the
ology that it believes in the HOLY
Ghost. A new age of the world is al
hand, an age of love and Christian
knowledge, an age in which the divine
spirit will snite all agnosticism and
pierce every doubt with the invincible
two-edged sword of truth