4
denomination of the Church of Christ, and is, by means of the changes and trials of her earthly condition, removing those things in her “which are to be shaken, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain;" and is thus guiding her onward to her glorious consummation of millennial perfection and bliss.
We are to rest in the conviction that the Church is passing through such changes as are necessary to her perfection in the outcome of her inner life; and that she will be defended and guided so as in the end to appear before the world “fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.”
Controversy, which is her necessary ordeal, is not in itself an evil, but the fire of her purification and strength. It is the “odium theologicam” with which controversy is so often conducted that is to be deplored. It is matter of surprise and grief that so many controversialists should forget what manner of spirit they are of, and imagine that the bitterness of their ire and fury of their wrath is the holy unction of the spirit of truth. They should ever have hung in their view the words of the heathen poet, “Tantanœ animis cœlestibus iraœ" (“Dwells there such wrath in heavenly minds”), or the reply of Christ to the disciples when they were for bringing down fire from heaven to consume those they imagined were against them, or when they were for hindering another from casting out devils because he followed not with them.
We shall endeavour to keep these things in view as we proceed to the investigation of the disputed and agitated question of marriage with the sister of a deceased wife, announced for discussion to-night. In connection with this theme, or as forming a part of this discussion, it will be necessary in the first place to inquire, What is the position of standards of belief among brethren? or, What is the legitimate influence of creeds in the Church of Christ?
Creeds or standards of belief are necessary to the union and co-operation of men of imperfect discernment, and to the protection of the Christian Church from the errors of schismatics and assaults of foes. As long as the Church was without division of sentiment and error of belief, there was no room for creeds, the apostolic influence and writings of inspiration were all that were needed; but the moment that error crept in, and division sprung up in the Church, that moment brought with it the necessity of a creed around which the adherents of truth might rally, and exhibit their opposition to the error that was assailing the truth; and the circumstances which necessitated the introduction of creeds into the Church require their continuance in it still.
A human creed is man’s interpretation of one or more portions of inspired Scripture, or the view of certain doctrines of Holy Writ taken by the ecclesiastics of a particular time. A creed is thus necessarily an imperfect and partial, if not a one-sided, view of Divine truth. Creeds are the human husks which contain in them
