Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1837-03-21

ably disposed, like ,',e prodigal son after he
came to himself: No sinner ever did wha,
brother Taylor considers as using the means
of regeneration, until God had first regen.
Grated hing The distinction between su.
premc selfshness, and self:love in the i'm.
pcnitent, exists only in theory, never in mat
ter of fact. Suppose sinner should go
to brother Tay lor and address him as fol-
lows, Il have always been dissatisfied with
the old doctrine of the entire sinfulness Of
the doings of the unregencrate. and there
fore have done nothing 10 make new heart.
But when / saw your views, was pleased.
found that | was right, that sin would
never be the means Of holiness, bit that
the exercise Of sclflove might be. Accord
ingly have suspended my selfshness, and
have not committed single sin for some
time past, and have been 10 work on your
plan from desire for happiness, or prin-
ciple of self.love. Thus / have made me
a new heart How would DR.. Taylor be
pleased with such an account? To me, it
sounds like the talk Of pharisee. No sin
ncr ever suspended his sclfihness, until sub.
ducd BY divine grace. The carnal mind,
the enmity against God-the heart Of stone
remains until slain, subdued or taken away
by the Holy Spirit"
This letter was written Sept. IS, 1929.
Three numbers of the treatise on the
means OF regeneration had then been pub.
lished. \ fourth number appeared in
December, designed TO obviatc objec.
tions, containing some statements which
in the view Of many were utterly incon.
sistent with what had been published in
the previous numbers. DR.. Porter of
Andover, speaking Of this in letter 10 a
friend says:
"Dr. Taylor's closing number on
means, was designed modification of the
former ones, partly at the suggestion of DR..
Bccchcr, The latter told him that he had
employed terms badly in speaking of the
suspension of selishness.' All that DR..
Taylor means, said he TO me, is that 'lhc
carnal n:iad is held in check, or does not
act, g. not that it it is extinct While this
carnal mind is thus checked, has it moral
qualities, said /. "Doubtless" he replied.
Is it sinful or holy ? or neither? (Pause,)
"Thc man is doubtless a sinner" said he.
Can one vino pugnacious y ,and os:cnta;ious-
w maintains that all sin consists in action.
maintain too, that carnal mind is sinful
when its action has ceased. (No rcply.)
These articles on the means Of regcn.
Grafton created serious alarm in the minds
ofmany ministers, and were the foundation
of the controversy between DR.. Taylor and
DR.. Tyler, which commenced near the close
Of the year 1929. But before proceed to
give an account of this controversy, will
mention some events which occurred pre-
viously in the course of this year. In May
1929, Dr.. Porter wrote his letter TO DR..
Bcechcr which has been recently published,
and which you have seen. The deep soil
cilulc. expressed in that letter, in view OF
the new theological spcculafions which were
coming up in New England, was not con.
fined to him, but existed in the minds of
many Of his brethren. In October Of the
same wear he thus wrote to friend,
"From some re-
marks which were dropped when you
and brother Humphrey were in my study,
| have supposed that both YOU and he
nave much the same views of DR.. Tay-
lor's speculative theory that | have. That
he was very much dissatisfied last May, |
know from his s:rong declaration and his
disquietudc, | presume, cannot have been
diminished by the subsequent character OF
the Christian Spectator. Since that time
too, have known that such men as the
Princeton Professors, DR.. Spring, DR.. Por.
Ter Of Catskill, DR.. Hyde Of Lee, DR.. Rich
ards Of Auburn, DR.. Griffin, &c. are dissat.
isticd.
1t has been currently reported in some
quarters that all the dissatisfaction with the
New Haven Theology, as been produced
BY secret whisperings, and rumors, sci
alloat by one or two individuals who were
personal enemies 10 DR.. Taylor. No rep.
resentation could be more untrue. Who
were the men that in 1929 were seriously
I'd Can it be possible that DR.. Taylor, Chris;
tan, and Christian minister of the nineteenth
century! speaks thus, concerning the doctrine
of regeneration, from his orn experience? We
hope better things of him, from our knowledge
of his character; even that his heart is clearer
from mists, than is his head. The Bible teaches
us the means and the agent of the sinners rcge'
| nerotion. revealed Trufh the means, the HOY
Spirit the great agent; or, the Bible the means
the Holy Ghost the efficient cause.
"Of his orn ,DiH begat he US, rith the rerd
of Truth, that we should be kind Of first fruit:
of his creatures" saith the apostle James: AND
the condition Of the believer is thus described by
Peter: "Bcing born agG,n, not OF corTuptl5le
seed, but of incorruptible, by the 'rord OF G0a
which livcth and abideth forever. And TINS u
the uord, which by the Gospel is preached unto
you" :.
"A IN tho neons which the sinner lis TO use, IL