Columbus Whig. (Columbus, Miss.) 1843-18??, 1844-04-18
F1r tho Whiv.


N I0okinw over ahs laea number Of the ..sbnth
Weslern ChEstirn Advocate I discover flaat its
Edisgr who seems 20 be i sort. Of ecclesiastical
bully attacking every person who ventures To
publish N opinion IN Theology not accofdinp
!. Win mas owas has . second time noticed my
AEiege npen that subject; published In vour ma :
pcEs AZ - 20 be regretted that hiseditortass are
not more mild. and less O, arged with personal
inPutancnsl than they often ares for the cause
OF er1sa 60 Il seldom aided by denancation
and abuse. land / an d re that the mild and
peaceful doctrines OF the religion which lac ad-
vocntes would ACT suffer by the exchange of
violent and distemPered feeling, in its defence
or the calm vet more efficient power Of argu-
ent aud reason
In regard to his personal remarks, charging
with -ignoraa ea1 and my poor capacity
tn '3ameness," sa@ bve not word TO offer
Their in extenuatidhoSB denial: for it is ques-
on by means invcHved either in the truth or
seGood of those Christian doctrines upon
hch we differ, Nor have any recrimina-
ms Of ignorance and weakness 70 make, in re-
Hn against him. For though the first, in
soRae Instances, may be somewhat blameabie,
yet ahe last Is purely misfortune and - cn>
titled more to our sympathy than censure; and
If trae of him, charity comrels me to admit
that it is natures fault and not his.
lie takes up my last article upon the SUBJ
iect ofthe Trinity aud censares me for relying
on reason instead Of the scriptures for support.
same subject. published in number before that
he would have discovered that had already es-
tsbisked my positions, from ahcsevery scriptures
bypassages and arguments which he cod'd not
resist, and which / sure he would not at
tempt either to answer or explain And am
sorry he did not read it. for then perhaps |
ele2ld have heensayed the trouble of THE reply
ne .slects only two points from tie aftlcie
wh'ca no1seteDds 10 Fep'y to, and net the most
Pfotnfnehs Raj and without attempting TO meet
n q Al rfF.N.ar
which relied on stsssnrogs them. he merely in
PRODUCES other scrinspeas which. he thinks are
opposed To them. Is this 4at2 Il II doing Justice
10 the subject or IL those whorslupaasd On him
for instruction? Il his doctrines are established
by the scriptures which he refers 10, why did
he not reconcile theu, as he should have done,
with the pa sages ofscripture which he refereG
70, why did he not recol C IL them, he shouldl
have done, with the passage of scripture which
referred to against q emf The reason is, he
could not. And now with your permission
will show that his own scriptur do not su. tain
him.
The points which he takes issue on arc these:
"Fhat Christ is created being and "that his
death is not vIcaEious."
As am hurried for time, and limited by you
IN space, shall notice only few Of his strong.
est passages. One ofthese which he relies o
20 prove that Christ Is uncreatcd, is that who
declares that his throne is forever and ever"
But this does not show that his throne had exis-
TED frona eternity but only that it loiU exist for
ever. And IN the very same cha pter from which
this is aiken it is said that Christ ia "apoointed
heT OF al things" Wherefore being hear Of all
things anShaving taken his throne "by iaher
ttdnce, thers time when he had not vet
been appointed to this throne which he received
from his Father. And if the mere fact that this |
throne VIII endure forever be argument that
- was never created. then is the human soul |
uncreated also. because that will endure forever |
Another passage is, II am Alpha and Omega, |
the beginning and the end, tie first and The |
last" so he is the first and the last But The |
first and last of what? OF all things, whether |
created, or uncreaied7 Was he before God. and |
VIII he endure longer than Goo? l. that lie |
meaning of this passage? Surely not; and no
Christian could think so. And if God be excep-
ted, the meaning Of The passage becomes obvious:
and is simply thls:-That he is the first ard last
of all created beings. That is precisely in ac-
ceFdance with passage which / quoted, bot
which he did not notice, to show that Christ !
was created "Ihat he is the first born of evcrv
creature" But if Christ be uncreated he was
TepeT born, and he is no creature. He is uf~u
said 20 be the "express iHa~se OF his Father"
But that which Is 1ncreated and self existent is
no image. And if the bible be true, God is his
Father; and if God be his Father, he is the au
thor of his being. And ithe owe his existence
10 God, he is not unCreated. But again. if Christ |
be uncreated God is not the author OF all things
neither Is he the author of anything ichChrist
Is
destroys God1s Omni potence as have already |
shown in former article. And IN the same ar |
ticle proved that there cannot be but one Om- |
npotent being in the Universe Hence, if Christ
be5Omr ipotel God is not; and if God be omni> |
potent Christ is not. So much for that point
TN the next he is much weaker. He says that
Chrlsts death was vicarious because he died fer
our sins."~>because "he is the good she cherd
who laid down his lie for the sheep"-becausc
''he suffered the just for the unjust, that he
might bring US to God; = and because 1--WE are
reconciled 10 God through his death'-But not
one of these passages either proves, or hints at
the idea that his death was vicaTious. 1t is true
u at he did die for man; but not as a substitute
For If he did. the whole scheme was an abor-
ton: and he las utterly failed to accomplish
the end for which he died. The soldiers of
America, who fell in the BATHS of the RevoIus
tlon fought and died for the people of America,
out not as a vlcaTious sacrifice TO save them
from death. So Christ died not as a Vi ar:eus
sacrifice, but to accomplish some other object
for the benefit of II en-. And that object is en-
planned IN the very quotation have iust copied
from the "Advoeate.7 He died s TINT he rniobt
bring US to Cod" and shat s1e miokt become
70 ciied to his Father The who'll object of
his T. and death was to change the feelings of
men towards God, and not the feelings of God
towards men. But if he suffered TO make an
atonement, as Vicarious sacrifice for the
SINS OF men, the object is entirely reversed
At IS then TO operate upon God; to change his
ieeings; tn oppose his anger; ard 10 reconcile
him TO men.
have neither room nor time 10 rcpeaf nv
former arguments upon this subject. nor to add
anything more. IF Mr.. McFerrin could have
answered such as advanced before, he should
nave done SO. instead of evading the issue and
mlsdlrecting the attention of his readers. 3nf
ne was conscious that he could not, and / ven.
ture to say he never will attempt IT.
ne says that have manifested "but a very
Hh1uea knowledge OF the scripture arguments
generally relied on by those who have before me
advocated the same erroneous opinions But
with all my Ignorance quoted many rassages
from The scriptures, and some of them the very
words OF Christ, which neither he nor al y man
on earth can reconcile with the doctrine of the
trinity Some oftEem these. 1.-THE words
which ye hear are not mine but tie Fathers
ac"at1 Sent me. For my Father is greater than l.
AS the Father gore me n6e,eot -
DO can OF mine Oacn self do nothing seek
not "'t@e 0a0q s0iH bat the nOU Of the Father who
sent me- have kept my Fother'S command