The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1909-07-22
REV. HIGBY
ON CHURCH
AND STATE
Pastor St. Paul's Church Declares
Church Should Attend to Its
Own Business.
DON'T BELIEVEIN DEVIL
CHURCH INSISTS ONLY ON NECES
SARY THINGS AND NOT ON
LEGISLATIVE EN-
ACTMENT. 'lEH'

"a man may belong to this church
and not believe in hell at all He'll
is not a part of our creed" said Rev.
Rev Arthur W. Highly, pastor Of st.
Pauls Episcopal church, in his Sunday
morning sermon on Necessary
Things"
THE church insists only upon the
necessary things Nice questions of
conduct and refinement are not prop
erly the subjects of legislative enact
ment," he continued, saying in part:
1.-THE apostolic church at its first
council held in Jerusalem as recorded
in the fifteenth chapter of the Acts
of the Apostles, took the position that
ii would insist upon the essentials
only in faith and practice. In this 1t
was claimed the Holy Spirit guided her
legislation The church at that time
adopted the principle that her mem
bers must not be deprived of their
rightful freedom.
Both in belief and in conduct only
the minimum was required, and great
latitude was allowed both in belief and
in morals. Said a man to me once:
Would any church of todoy be so
liberals? | replied, L think SO; the
Episcopal church of today acts on the
same principle, allowing liberty both
in belief and in conduct while Tequir-
ing only the minimum, just the essen
tial things of it's membership
EVERY member of this church
should appreciate the position taken
by the church and held in the face
of much opposition from the radicals.
At the same time this church encour-
ages great self-denial; carefulness in
daily life is inculcated, moderation in
all lamusements and conscientiousness
in all the relationships of life. Just
as our government with it's liberal and
tolerant principles produces some of
the best citizenship that can be found
in the world, so does the Episcopal
church with all its liberation and char
liable disposition, produce some OF the
best specimens of manhood and wom-
anhood to be found anywhere.
THE church insists only upon the
necessary things, but she inculcates all
the Christian virtues. 1t is not nee
essary TO be snarrowminded to be a
Christian; indeed, the Christian should
be broad-minded and liberal. The
church has no universal system OF
statecraft to inculcate. What is i'm
portant in one locality may not be i'm
portant in another locality.
THE customs of one race must not
be imposed on another race; nice ques-
tions of conduct and refinement are
not properly the subjects of legisla-
tive enactment; social reforms in the
various states are not essentially a
part of the mission of the church; but
it is the church's duty to teach the
underlying principles of Christian
morality and to leave each state and
each country to work out its own So
cial problems in its own way, ac-
COrding to the judgment and inclina-
ton of its own people.
Each state must bear its own bur
den and the church has no business
attempting to dictate what the state
shall do or shall not do. One OF the
things the apostles refused to do was
to make prejudice the basis of legis-
lative enactment The apostles wisely
refrained from demanding the Gentle
converts to accede to Jewish pTeju-
dices.
only the necessary things were re-
quired of them, and only the necessary
things are required of us. A man
may belong to this church and not be-
lieve in hell at all He'll is not part
of our creed And thus do we main
tain our ancient liberty of opinion.
Believing in the few essential things
enumerated in the apostles creed, no
one can dictate to us what we shall
believe, or what We shall do