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About Christian herald. (Portland ;) 1882-18?? | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1883)
• . ’ ■ * " J....... ■ * . ~ *’ ? - T V' '~-T * I • CUH ï STIAN 4 ent denominations was not deemed for their broad and cultivated in the people and thus to call upon hristian erald other gods. Thus little by little either a necessity or a virtue. Each tellects, but they abandon the Bible .«n 'S as well ; and just here lies* the se- »nd in thisjierHts ¿hey <li"iTte< a- ... had ft“ • EDITOR: ground on which they had been members must stay. No one” Mr. Beecher for example. Is it not J. F. FLOYD. dared call in question an article of firmly established by Christ and a fact that his abandonment of the inspired teachers, bound the his creed or to lift up his voice in FRIDAY, FEB. 9, 1883.. creeds is simply another name for churches hand and foot bv the fet- j the true • spirit of investigation. liberalism ? As he goes out from his Creeds. ters of human creeds and confes- His hands were chained, his mouth was locked and thus he became a old church and creed his utterances • As the primitive dirlstlniw liad" xlaiK nf faith, and ill this way mental '“"and flTOlUl t® I imh ■ ■■■Lacnnie more ami more character no creed by which to be governed covered up and made void the party and -his master—the human ized by liberalism and infidelity, in matters of faith and practice teachings and commandments of and it should be remembered that he, creed. —- - save that which was of divine au Jesus Christ by their own tradi But there is another feature to is only a sample of a large class who thority» they were not troubled tions until the Dark Ages, the are drifting in the same direction/ with the discussions and revisions Pope and the Inquisition were the this question, and it is this that we Let our scribes study these arti of human creeds. When they ac culmination of this fearful apostasy. wish to make most prominent. It cles of the Review more closely, and cepted the word of God and that But this state of things was only has come to pass during the last we thinVthey will find that those alone as their standard of rectitude for a time. A few more centuries few years that some men and whose faith in the positive utter they had a creed that was not only rolled by and the grand reforma churches have become tired of their ances of the Bible remains unshak absolutely safe to follow but one tion with Luther and others at its creeds, and have broke loose from en, taking Howard Crosby as a re that was perfectly adapted to their head was ushered in, and as a re- them, declaring themselves free presentative of that class, are per-, of thiv effort, the -Bible—was men ami free -churches. During natures, proper education ami wants fectly satisfied with thlitr edit creeds; under all circumstances and during again put into the hands of the the year of 1882 this has been es while those who clamor loudest for all time, and which thoroughly people. For awhile the Protestant pecially noticeable. Several prom- a revision or the destruction of -™—furnished the man of God unto all world was seemingly united against inent theologians have declared creeds are running clear past Jei ti -— ----- good works Hence such a creed Romanism in alt its shameful and them sei ves~ -dissatisfied with their id have even salem. While then we rejoice'Tn needed no revision, and a proposal to degrading forms; but still one of respective ci the fact that uninspired creeds are that effect would not only have* the essential features of a successful, gone out from the denominations losing their .influence over the been regarded by the disciples of reformation was yet lacking, the with which they . stood identified. minds and consciences of the peo Christ as an idle tale, but as an act idea of human creeds had not been This disposition characterized by ple, we confess that we have but of open rebellion against the govern destroyed. Hence when the fierce an unusual degree of boldness is be little faith in Beecherism as an in ment of Heaven. They had a creed conflict between Protestantism and coming more apparent every day, dication of a speedy return to the that contained all the articles of Popery had abated and was about and looking simply at this feature to result in a glorious victory for of the question, all is very well. teachings of Christ and the apostles. ---------- ]xnntsof ^focUuie pertain- ing to the salvation of fallen men, the former, men began again to " But Soipc of our "cdnteTnpbraric'T' The Protestant have taken up these facts and held Worldliness in the Church. and which was sufficiently plain to make creeds. guide them into all things necessary world mistaking a successful vic them up to the world as a striking We think the time has fully come to be done both as saints and sin tory in behalf ofyProtestantism for example of a return to New Testa for preachers and papers to speak ** ners in order to the remission of a complete surrender of Roman ment Christianity and Christian out on worldliness in the churches their sins and their ultimate glori ism, began casting about them for union upon the Bible alone. In of Christ; ami as the following ex fication in heaven. They needed other things with which to occupy the January number of the Not th tract from an able article on this no other creed, thev wanted no their time and attention. Promi American Hevieiv a discussion on subject by Bro J. T. Toof, of Quincy other. By this creed they were nent among these was the recon the ‘ Revision of Creeds” was com Ill, in the Christian Quarterly Re willing to live, those who walked struction of creeds. Protestants . menced by Newman Smyth, Lyman view so nearly expresses our according to its teachings were not were not satisfied with their op Abbott ami Henry Ward Beecher. thoughts and is so well said, we afraid to die, and by it they were position to the system of Roman The discussion is continued in the give it here to our readers : willing to be judged at the last day. ism, but as the hottest of the battle Feb. number by other able writers. It is largely because we pract Such was the simplicity of Apostolic was now over and as new ideas and From a few admissions made by ically, in a multitude of cases, make Christianity, and such should be interpretations of Scripture sprang some of these writers which seem the Church a common beggar, by the lives ami the motto of all Chris- up among them, and different to favor the abandonment of creeds, soliciting of the world alms for her phases of dogmatic theology began some have thought that these men sustenance, that the masses of the tianf to-day. But the depraved and rebellious to assume a more definite shape, I are making rapid strides towards people outside of the Church have • . seriously > lunvi concluded uuv she, is weak, natur^fmAn was not long satisfied they conceived the idea of division | princi- non i se lf-supporti»; -and,— con - with the simplicity of Gods system, among themselves. Opinions were pies for which we as a people plead. quently, surely not divine. Why hence a few soon set about to devise shaped into articles of faith, and But it occurs to us that these papers should God create a kingdom to ways and means that were more in each new article was made the have overlooked one of the lead overthrow the kingdom of Satan, harmony with their mode of think basis of division. The party spirit ing characteristics of these articles and then draw from Satan's purse ing and plan of operation. The grew till those who had gone out and have fallen into a dangerous the means required to sustain it in . its work ? The supposition of such Christ had ascended to his Father from Babylon l>egan to divide up fallacy. We greatly fear that they a thing must be offensive to Him and his personal influence was no among themselves. Daughters and have mistaken the rejection of hu who secured for us the blessings of longer felt to the same extent grand-daughters were born unto man creeds on the part of a few as this kingdom at the tremendous among them, the apostles had died, the spiritual Mother, and this pro- positive evidence of their accept- cost of the life of “ His only son.” — - and hence-could not- lift- up- their I cess of division and multiplication ance of the New Testament and a Such royalty of origin and such in- voices of . warning against sin ll as "gone on till all the existing I closer adherence to its teachings, calculabiy rich priee of purchase cei tainly forbid the assumption,even and departures as they had once sects with their respective formu-1 j This does not necessarily follow. for a moment, that the Church of done, the days * of miracles lated creeds present themselves to I ndeed the course of some of these God must depend, in any manner and of the spirituraj gifts had our view as a solemn reality. These men is a living witness to the con whatever, on the generosity of its ceased and a few hundred years sectional lines were so -tightly i trary. Progressive theologians enemies. The world also regards even “the I drawn that Christian fellowship passed away and men began of the nineteenth century not only songs of Zion” as impossible in the pakc creeds for thegwelvcs and for and cooperation among the differ- abandon creeds as being too narrow Church, but fur the helping hand « C i, <3 ■ IT ERALP 4 H . —l—— * I