The Saint Paul globe., 1903-03-09
BOYLE breaches
ON DR.. NEWMAN
Cardinals Great Hymn Is
Theme of Presbyterian
Preacher.

DR.. Boyle preached at the House Of
Hope last night to a great congrega-
ton, taking for his theme the life and
inspiration of John Henry Newman.
cardinal of the Catholic church, and
one of the great scholars who left the
Anglican church during the Oxford
movement.
DR.. Boyle discussed and anaIyzed the
prompttngs of Newman's nature, and
dwelt on the essential differences be-
tween Professionalism and Catholicism
before taking up the hymn Lead
Kindly Light
DR.. Boyle said in part:
"John Henry Newman's withdrawal
from the Anglican church was no simple
suit of two things. his religious tendency
and his religious environment His dis
position from very early age was that
OF the mystic even to the verge of super
Stluon AT the age of sixteen, when he
began his studies at Oxford, the tendency
OF ms thought was in the direction of
mystic idealism; as indicated in such
statements as the following: This whole
world as we see it is a thing of decep-
ton; Natural phenomena are only the
semblance of reality; The two things in
the universe of whose existence ] am sure
are my creator and myself
His bent from boyhood on his own
confession was in the direction of extreme
ritualism and his environment counted
among its influences the theology of Pus
ey. the mystic conceptions of Keble and
the companionship Of Fronde.
The destination of such tendencies un-
der such influences was clear. In 1921,
when only twenty, he embraced the doc
trine of priestly celebacy. In 1922 he
professed belief in the doctrines of ira
ditionalism, making this statement in de
Tense: The scriptures were never intend
ed TO teach doctrine. therefore if we
would have doctrine, We must have re-
course to the creeds and traditions of
the visible church. In 1928 he published
his belief in the real presence of Christ
III the sacTamental elements. AS the in
cumbent OF St MaryS, in 1888, he listened
TO private confessions. In 1912 he became
the head of a community of monks at
LIttlemore. and in 1916 he became in
name what he had been in reality dozen
years before a Roman Catholic priest
And have no objection to offer as I
am sure you have not l am Protestant
because, while standing for liberty of
the religious conscience and an open Bible
and no mediator between myself and
God ether than the man Christ Jesus, /
am am bound VI to respect the religious convic-
tons of others. There can never be an
InqulsIton or a St Bartholomew in Pro-
teStant Christianity"
Dr.. Boyle spoke of the origin of the
great hymn of Newman in a way which
was meant to clear the minds of his
hearers of a common misconception He
said:
1t is essentially hymn of Providence.
and is traceable not to the perplexity of its
authors mind while seeking for a rest
ing place in some organic body of be
levers. but to the fact that, during a
voyage on the Mediterranean for health he
looked up through the shadows of weak
ness and depression to the light and help
OF him who lives above the shadows
The hymn appeared in 1886 under the
title, The Pillar of Fire and not more
real was the mysterious pillar which
famed for Israel's guidance on the dark
wall of night 1000 years before than was
the pillar of Providence that rose for the
victory of the poets trembling faith as
he sang amid the perilS of the sea:
"a Lead, kindly light, amid the encircline
gloom.
Lead thou me on "