The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-02
.RIDD|CK REPLIES
To LYMAN ABBOTT
Large Congregation Listens TO
the Discourse
MORE PlTlED THAN BLAMED
Quotes Freely from DR.. Abhott's Utter
ances and is Congratulated on the
Mastery Way in Which He
Answered Advanced Ideas
MORE PlTIED THAN BLAMED

The Rev. DR.. C. B. Riddick, pastor of
the First Methodist church, preached an
eloquent sermon yesterday at the even
ing service in answer to the recent ut
terances Of DR.. Lyman Abbott on God
and the Bible.
A large congregation was present, not
withstandlng the inclement weather. and
DR.. Riddick was given profound atten-
ton throughout his discourse. That DR..
Riddick's words made a profound i'm
preston on his hearers was demonstrat-
ed after the services when many of the
congregation came forward and con-
graduated him on his sermon.
DR.. Riddick's scripture lesson was read
from the Seventh Chapter of ST Luke
from the 18th to gard verse.
He said in part:
Men who suddenly renounce opinions
long held and taught by them. publicly
and privately, are not regarded as safe
guides. On the contrary they are looked
upon with suspicion, distrust and some
llIHtS even Will pitSs tiAliht oS q wv
they are to be pitled more than censured,
especially when their very profession
holds them up as examples of sincerity
and decision as well as moral and In
telligent conviction. When a man like
Mr.. b. Fay Mills, who Travelled all over
this country, North, South, East and
West, holding revival meetings and de-
If ofr
want of faith and spirituality much Of
the stock in trade of these travelling
evangelists), turns directly around and
disclaims all allegiance to what he once
preached and for which he received large
sums of money from honest, but In my
judgment, misguided pastors, thoughtful
people, honest people every where easily
reach the conclusion that such an I'M
stable, double minded man is not to be
trusted as a teacher is so sacred a realm
as that of religious truth, indeed In any
other. Hence his retirement from his old
views to accept a Unitarian pulpit ended
in a brief passionate and now he seeks
refuge and mecca for all such change
lings.
To be Pitled.
What a pity that an old man, "a good
man like DR.. Abbott, who has written
so much and preached so long in defence
of the Bible and the wonderful Christ
should all at once, when the weaknesses
of old age are coming upon him. an
nounce through the public press that all
the convictions of his early life and his
mature manhood, all the honest study
of many years, have suddenly received
an awful twist, and a new Bible and
new religion, and a new God have
dawned upon him. Not one word of I'M
kind criticism as to his motives would
utter, but reasonable, fair minded peo-
pie can but regret his instability and pity
his apparent anxiety to air his new
found opinions and thus as far as he
can undo the faith and the hopes which
he has so strenuously taught throughout
a long life.
| am quite sure he has not meant to
say half of what he seems to say and is
quoted to have said, but all the greater
pity for that.
In all fairness, the best way to answer
any man is to quote his own published
and authorized opinions. I have been
quite a reader of DIR. Abbott's sermons
and addresses for many years, and will
read a few extracts from some of these
and submit that no palmer advocacy and
defense of the Bible OF the Divine Christ
have been heard from any American pull
49, 4
discourse delivered from the text an
nounced by me this evening. His subject,
"Christ's Evidences Of Christianity"
Quotes DR.. Abbott.
1.-THE evidences OF Christianity" says
he, "are in the nineteenth century as in
the first, the things which we hear and
see. What are they? The blind receive
their sight and the deaf hear, and the
lame walk. 1t is the operation OF Christ
to make men receptive who before were
not receptive, to widen their horizon and
enlarge their vision. 1t is perfectly safe
to say that no large educational system
has ever been established in the worlds
history outside of Christ to stimulate in
CURRY. arouse activity and widen observa-
ton. The great stimulant to freedom OF
inquiry, liberty, to see and hear for our
self, has been the church of Christ. Kaul-
backs famous cartoon. in which Luther,
holding aloft the open Bible. is presented
in the center of magnificent tableau, in
which the great thinkers. writer's, investi-
gators and discoveries are grouped to-
gether is historically true as we'll as ar
tistically sublime" How does that sound.
my hearers, by the side of a statement
made to me the other day that there are
so many men who say that they are too
well educated to believe the old wives
fables that are preached from the Bible,
and you must find something else to at
tract and entertain, and the recent pub
lished statements of DR.. Abbott were
quoted in support of this view. Yes, 1
should smile-excuse me--the smile not of
slang but of righteous and intelligent con-
tempt.
Bible Field for Thought.
Great thinkers, writer's, investigators
and discoveries gathering around the
Bible in Its resplendent field OF thought,
as the greatest educational system In the
worlds history, and yet we poor fools are
1;et a,,i,., fro,,, Sabbath 70 So hath t0 old