LIBERALISM IN THE CHURCH.
By James White
THE following interesting words are the opening of an article in the N. Y. Independent:— "Dr. Whedon presents a very important and serious thought in The Methodist Quarterly when he says that 'utter apostasy from Christianity may be attained through the route of progressive liberalism.' This is true and should be pondered by every one who ventures to question old accepted beliefs. If a man begins to doubt and ask reasons, and reject authority that is unsupported by reason, there is serious danger that he will become conceited in his self-sufficiency, and end by rejecting what has reason, as well as prescriptive authority, in its favor." And yet liberalism—perhaps under the name of liberality—is becoming undeservedly popular in this age. And that church is largely blamed which endeavors to preserve its distinctive faith in its membership. It has this right if it has any right to exist as a distinct body. We should claim this right for ourselves, and could not, therefore, deny it to others. Prof. Swing received the sympathies of the world, and the secular press, especially, were loud in their denunciations of Dr. Patton for prosecuting the case before the court of the church. Yet Dr. Patton was clearly in the right. Even allowing that Prof. S. had the right, as an individual, to hold to such views, and to proclaim them, he had no right to do so as a minister of the Presbyterian church. We do not deny the right, so far as human authority is concerned, of a Seventh-day Adventist to imbibe and teach Universalism; but we do deny his right to do this as a Seventh-day Adventist. Honesty demands that each one shall hoist his own proper colors, and not walk under a false pretense. Just now Dr. Thomas, of the M. E. church, is receiving a large share of attention. Of these two the Independent remarks:— "It is certainly very unfortunate that the great denominations should be unwilling to keep place for men who are naturally connected with them, who love them, and who are, like Dr. Thomas and Professor Swing, recognized abundantly as good Christian teachers as soon as they go outside the denominational lines." Persons of almost any shade of belief may be recognized as "good Christian teachers" by a certain class, and the more readily if the cry of "persecution" can be raised in their behalf. Prof. Swing is quite too liberal according to our ideas of the true evangelical standard; and Dr. Thomas' view of the atonement is, to our mind, subversive of the Scripture idea of vicariousness or substitution. H. W. Beecher holds that the death of Christ was solely to exert a moral force on the minds of men. He openly denies the efficacy of blood to cleanse from sin. Similar to this is the view of Dr. Thomas. Whereas the Scriptures teach that the blood of Christ was shed—he died for us, as our substitute—that God might justify the believer in Christ consistently with the claims of his own justice. Rom. 3:23-26; 1 John 1:7; Heb. 9:22. It is claimed that if the "essential" points of Christian faith be held, nothing else should be required in candidates for the Christian ministry. But if the truth of the atonement, as taught in the texts above cited, is not essential, we know not what is. The truth is that the human side of the doctrine of the atonement is the only side now considered of importance by a large proportion of professed Christians. They seem to forget that the first note of the angelic songsters at the birth of Christ was, "Glory to God in the highest." "Peace on earth, and good will to men," is all they know. To set aside the infinite justice of God is to rob him of his glory, as it is the denial of an essential attribute in the divine character. And, surely, to exalt divine mercy at the expense of divine justice is to distort the character of Deity, as each of these attributes of Deity is necessarily infinite, and does not allow of any diminution. The strangest part of the discussion of this subject is the light in which it is presented by influential Methodist papers. The Central Methodist speaks as follows:— "From Dr. Thomas' statement it is clear that he differs largely from the majority of his brethren. But the Bushnell theory of the atonement (it is only a theory or exposition of the Scriptures from the standing point of God's moral attributes) has been more largely accepted among theologians than we suspect. Within the present generation a great change has taken place among more intelligent Methodists, at least, especially in regard to the nature of future punishment, without reducing the effectiveness of our preaching or the progress of the work of God among us." We were aware that all the prominent lights in the Methodist church had ignored the time-honored, and to our view, the Scriptural, idea of literal fire in the punishment of the wicked. Thus far the M. E. church has made its bow to Universalism. Dr. Thomas has not yet decided, according to his statement in Conference, whether restoration or destruction is the final lot of the wicked. But we were not prepared for the announcement in one of the first official papers of the denomination that "the Bushnell theory of the atonement" has been so largely accepted by theologians of the present day, and to hear the paper speak so complacently of the change. It is proof of the fact that the old-time landmarks are fading away,—that the churches are, to a large extent, undergoing a transition. And who can forecast the end of these things? Seventh-day Adventists have been accused of holding to vagaries on the fulfillment of prophecy, mostly because people are slow to believe that so great changes will soon take place as the prophecies apparently predict. But their slowness to believe is mainly owing to the fact that they are not aware of the great changes which have already taken place, and are now taking place, in the faith of the great religious bodies of the day. That there is need of change, in some important respects, must be apparent to every observing mind; but we deeply regret that the change now going on is toward that liberalism which reasons away the most important declarations of the sacred word; which robs the blood of Christ of its efficacy to cleanse from sin, and makes his death a mere example, or illustration, of divine love, instead of a sacrifice to the claims of the divine law which rebellious man has trampled under foot. In all this we see the hand of the enemy of all righteousness, in his efforts to disparage the law of the Most High. Now, more than ever before, is it necessary to make our appeal "to the law, and to the testimony." Never before was there such a crusade made against the law of God. Antinomianism is lifting its head in bold defiance of authority almost everywhere. But God has not left himself without witnesses in this day of departing from the faith. 1 Tim. 4:1. The prophet said, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." Isa. 59:19. The standard has been erected in the prophecy relating to the present time. It is found in the message of Rev. 14:9, 12. "The commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus," is its central truth. The commandments of God, by which he will bring every work into judgment; Eccl. 12:13, 14; and the faith of Jesus, our remedy for sin and our refuge in the day of wrath. May God assist us to cling closely to the message,—our only hope for these last days.