The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-14
THE QUESTION OF cREEps.
Discussed by Rev. w. +. watkins at
Christian Church.


Rev. W. T. Watkins at the Christian
Church last night preached an eloquent
sermon on What the Disciples of Christ
Have to Say on the Question of Creeds."
He drew his text from John. 9:S5. "Dost
thou believe on the Son of God?"
THE questions Of creeds," he said, may
we'll be called one OF the burning ques-
tons of our time. At the recent great
Ecumenical Missionary Conference in
New York "a distinguished speaker bold
ly proposed to put all the creeds into a
pile and set fire to theml And he urged
that the fire department. should not be
called out to extinguish the flames!
Everywhere there is unrest and in many
quarters open revolt against these an
Client symbols of the Christian
their history, dating back some sixty
years, the people who call themselves
Disciples of Christ or Christians only,
not the only Christians, have strenuous
ly opposed the use of human statements
of faith as tests of church fellowship.
Starting with the desire and determina-
ton to promote Christian union, they
found that man-made, authoritative
creeds are divisive and factional. Alex
ander Campbell held that "Creeds make
parties and parties made creeds." Among
the objections to any summary of human
opinions which is made a bond of union
may be named the following:
First. They have no spiritual face.
People are not converted or sanctlfied by
test of a creed than the spiritual utility
of it. Creeds give a cold, hard, mechani-
cal view of God. Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they shall see Cod
Second. The man-made creed Is illogi-
cal. A clear and convincing state
ment was made by one Of the
earliest and ablest of "the dis
ciples of Christ to this effect: ''If creeds
contain more than the Bible, they contain
too much; If less, too little; and II they are
just the same, they are not needed, for
the people have the Bible itself"
Third. Human creeds are essentially,
and necessarily sectarian. Their tendency
is to separate, and to keep assunder those
whom God meant to join together. There
is only one true bond of union. and that is
devotion to Jesus Christ. 1t is not agree
ment on propositions that will bring about
or maintain fellowship. Witness the pres
ent upheaval in some of the denomina-
TONS
Fourth. If the general tendency of
creeds of human device is sehismatic,
then they are in the way of the world s
conversion to Christ. But tt must not be
supposed that the disciples are without a
creed. Human statements as binding as
the conscience of men are rejected and
resisted. Do you ask, What is your creed?
1t is not the Westminster Confession of
Faith. 1t Is not the so-called Apostle 8
creed, or the Nicene Creed. It is not the
Philadelphia Confession of Faith. 1t Is
not the Augsbery Confession. 1t is the
creed of the Apostolic Church, as contain
ed in the New Testament. viz: that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of Cod st. Peter
said: Thou art the Christ. the Son of the
Living God" Thus was the first formal
confession of faith made under the Chris
tian dispensation. And it was regarded by
the Great Head of the Church as all that
was essential to the foundation of His
Church upon earth. That is the divine,
the New Testament creed, the statement
that must ultimately be the universal
creed of the universal church.
1t shall stand when the heavens and the
earth pass away. 1t is the fundamental
article of faith. st. John, in sum-
ming up his memories Of Jesus,
wrote: 'These, are ali written that
we might believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God; and that bless
ing We might have life through His name"
DR.. Schaff in his 'Creeds of Christendom,
says This is the fundamental Christian
confession, and the rock on which the
church is built This is the peculiar cSeed
of the Disciples of Christ. They neither
add to it, nor take firm 1t. To every per-
son applying for church membership the
test question is: "Dost thou believe in the
Son of God? Do you take him to be your
Savior? Do you agree TO follow Him"
Christ is exalted. In all things He has
the -eminence. Back to the Christi He
alone is our Master! No man is saved or
lost by believing or disbelieving any hui
man system of doctrine. Back to Christ
Crown Him Lord of all.