The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-12-03
THE MODERN USE
OF ANCIENT CREEDS
STRIKING FEATURES 0FSERMON
BKREV. DIR. SBYTH.

Abuses and Uses of Creeds-The Use
for Us of the Apostles Creed-Right
of Individual InterpretatiOn-A Call
to BeIief-PoInts of Recent Decision
of Secondary Importance.
The following is an abstract of Dr.
Smyth's sermon delivered at Center
\ church yesterday forenoon:
I. Cor, xiv, 20: Howbeit in malice be
70 babes, but in mind be men. The
\ first part of the text has now become
popular; the latter part is not popu-
lar call. Therefore the great apostle
OF charity, if preaching to-day, might
rejoice in the evidence of fulhlments of
the first part of His injunction, and
L pass on to emphasize and urge the lat
ter part, 'Tn mind be men,
1t is fitting text for many themes.
The use for us especially of the apos-
ties creed | do not propose to dis
cuss or to judge the recent decision in
one Episcopal diocese SO far as it re-
lates to the discipline of that commun-
ion. Of all INSTRUMENTATION criti-
cism restraining voice might be
saying, Let him who is without theo-
logical sin among We cast the first
stone. Happily the day of interchurch
stone-casting is now past We must
distinguish some prevalent abuses of
creeds in order that we may realize
their uses for us.
"A creed is abused when 1t is bound
as fetter upon faith. Truth is not a
chain. Truth is given to reason as. a
a lamp for exploration; truth is given
4 to the Imagination as wings for higher
n flight; truth is given to love as sun
shine for boundless JOY. Creeds are
n made for the truth, not truth for the
"a creeds. How is liberty in the truth to
be conserved under the forms of
q creeds? In two ways; First, by public
4 ly avowing the right of individual in
y terpretations. Secondly by maintain
N ing within any ecclesiastical body the
4 higher law Of confessional growth. One
N way of growth in nature is the method
Of the shellfish; obtain new shell
n when the old one Is too small. A high
n er method in nature Is for the bark to
a grow with the tree. The ascent of life
4 is through new adaptations, and varia-
~ tions growing out of older forms, hav-
81 ing the vitality and fashioned by the
forces resident in the older forms.
Hence the follow of the advice some
4 times given to men to leave their
churches because Of some points of
variation. We are not compelled to
cast our creeds as Holsters do their
"a shells. We may respect in the moral
sphere the laws of growth which God
u regards in the natural realm.
Again, creeds are abused when they
are made barriers between brethren.
There are many creeds and one faith.
A third abuse of creeds is to use
them as pillows for tired heads. There
% is some temptation now to such mis-
use of church creed; for we have de-
hveloped comparatively new charac-
] ter in this busy modern world-the
4 tired man in religion He may have an
Il alert mind for business, for almost
Z everything else; but he Is not in mind
a man when he comes to religion. His
in our churches is harmful.
Wills influence quenches enthusiasm; it
the standards of preaching, it
HIS as narcotic given by the pews
tito the pulpit; and worse than this, it
q onspires with other influences to keep
lmen of mind out of our churches on
Sundays Herein lies perhaps one of
NJ the providential necessities for heresy
& trials. 1t compels thinking on some
article of religion. If a church is in
danger of falling asleep over its creed,
s peradventure noisy heresy may
break in to awaken it.
Seeking to avoid such abuses, the fol-
lowing great uses of creeds, and par
ticularly of the Apostles creed, should
be emphasized.
First, 1t has use as a sign and SYM
Dol of Christian comradeship, The
2 Apostles creed Is the sign of the larg-
est and noblest fellowship. l would
subscribe to this creed of the church
as / once enlisted under the flag of my
country 1t is the symbol of great
devotion. One may maintain it as he
would take the freeman's oath to sup
port the constitution and laws. He
may not profess to be a constitutional
& lawyer; he may not know how some