MODERN HERESY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2448, 22 January 1881, Page 4

MODERN HERESY.

The Rev. Charles Strong, of the Scots Church, Melbourne, having annoyed the orthodox of his commission by Ids bold and somewhat sceptical views, in replying to an address of sympathy from his congregation is reported to have spoken as follows: “ This was an age of development in which the things of the past were merging into the wide and open future. Ministers had to adapt themselves to many classes of people. He had in his congregation the old and the young : the old who were slow to abandon the cherished ideas of their youth, and the young, who were eager to keep pace with the ever-moving spirit of the age. He had among his listeners men of different degrees of culture, men who thought, and those who had few opportunities of thinking. . . . He felt heartily thankful to know that he had been able to guide them into a clearer understanding of matters which had formed the subject of inquiry among thoughtful men during the last few years. He felt sometimes that he might be. regarded as an iconoclast; what he desired was to build them up in the Christian faith. They all knew that in God’s providence changes wore taking place greater than any yet seen in the Christian church, and his desire was to anticipate those changes so that when they took place the people might not be alarmed but strengthened in faith.”