Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-06-10
Church, and that while you were in that body.
you were in reality all the while, in doctrine, a
true Presbyterian, and then you declare,

Church, and that while you were in that body
you were in reality all the while, in doctrine,
true Presbyterian, and then you declare,
II communicated no such idea to have done it would
nave been folly and madness Were not Dr. Edgar and Dr.
Apsey present and they not well acquainted
yon win my history Of the Cumbeand church. and
'foyersy with Dr. Miller, and wod they not have called
me 70 account for the aIshoodl No. sir none but lrf
guage'n 80 -ff ~9f8 y =
To this We reply, if any word, or sentence, or
paragraph, in our article can be tortured TO make
any such impression, We eanno, perceire il, nor
did we intend it. Who then is the a,oilf,.l perpsr
ter,"' that "could have put such construction
upon" our '.langnage" DR.. Lapsley, Sir; did not
hear your speech, else il is very probable you
| would have been called to order, for.ycur whole
remarks were disparaging to the C. P. Church,
| which had he perceived, he certainly would not
have permitted; for the relations between our de.
nominations are perhaps now, more intimate and
friendly than they have ever been before. II ~
20 Our "yeracious witness" still persist, that you
did say that you had examined allthe Confessions
of Faith in this country, and that YOU chose the
C.iP. Church.. because in your estimation The
nearest of any to the .ruths Of the Bble.n We
press this fact, because it shows that you were
not forced to join the C. P. Church, but that you
did 1t from choice. ss5s5 y ze-C ss1s q. go.
As to your Inconsistency in preaching that the
.salyation of the sinner is of free unmerted and
sovereign grace while denying the doctrine of
Predestination, we have only to say that all G. P.
Ministers, that we have ever heard, are alike tn
consistezf! You well know Sir, that their system
ofTheology maintains the sovereignty and glory
of God in the salvation of the sinner while it gives
every sinner the opportunity of salvaton and lays
upon them the responsibility OF their own loss, if
they are not saved. While also they believe in the
final perseverance of the saints; you know, they
do not base it in the calvinistic doctrine of pre-
dstinatiOn. Their Inconsistencies in this matter.
are such as were common to the Apostles and
early christians, and in themthey love to indulge
and their maintainance they claim as their chief
glory. 0
Your charges against G.. P. Ministers, that they
have "taught that the death Of Christ on the cross
constituted no part of the atonement &c." are
simply gratuitous, or if they are not, then we call
COR the individuals to be pointed out that they
may be tried for heresy. No such doctrines are
held by G. Presbyterians, nor have we ever heard
before such charge preferred against them.-
Until the men are pointed out, and the fact estab-
lished that they have thus preached, we must
content ourself with plain denial of the state
ment. ..
Again you say: -a.- s--.
Il am that some Of you attempt make the i'm
preston that in doctrine there great unanimty sent
men among you but know better, and great many of
you know better" |
We do not know that our ministers have at |
tempted to make the impression that there is great
unanmity among them; but if they have they |
have only followed the example set them, by the |
Rev. james Smith, when he said concerning our
ministry, "Not one of these is under charge of
heresy. Moreover, it is believed, that the history
of the Church, from its origin to the present time,
does not record one single instance where charges
of heresy have been preferred against minis.
ter" To this we will add that so far as our |
knowledge extends, there is an almost universal |
unanimity among them to this day, upon the essen
tsl doctrines of Christianity. and we cannot now
of a single minister, who has been ex-
PEELED from the church for heresy. Is it any
wonder, fthe Rev. James Smith, d D., possess
ed the same propensities when a member still
among US, that he has manifested in the article
before us, that he "was denounced as a dsturber
of Israel as an exposer of the nakedness of Zion,
and destroyer of the Church." . |
There are number of points 10 this remarkable
production that we would gladly notice, but can
not now without extending tLis article to too great
a length.
Your appeals to the confidence that the Rev.
Finis Ewing reposed in you may easily be accoun- |
ted for by the fact, that Ewing lived in distant |
portion of Missouri, and consequently, could know
but little about you, save what was published in
your paper. -.--.- -,,.-. ..4' d. --.
The most perfect shufiing is seen in your effort
to get away from your statements, that Cumber- |
land Presbyterians preach an imperfect gospel" |
Who would object to statement that we, or any |
one, preach the gospel imperteetlyS But when
we are charged with preaching an imperfect gos-
pel,'' the case is materially altered. The Rev.
James Smith D. D. knew, that he was making |
false issue and endeavoring to lead his readers |
astray in all his statements on this point. "Was |
this honorable? was it worthy a CHI istian minis
ter? ~
Again you say concerning US. i
"Your last and crowning paragraph, and upon which
you base your hope of victory and the utter prosaOn of
INV character as of truth, is but statement Of un
truths did not you say, profess conversion about
1872 but at period Before that event. that worthy
and highly esteemed minister of the gospel Rev. David
Lowry and others bad travesed the Western part of the
then inhabited portion of the State Of Indiana and there
they had planted many churches
How much later than about 822' did you pro-
fess religion under this "imperfect gospel?" You
were minister in 1925 or 1876. and an editor in
1892. "Planted many churches We'have state
ment from under the Rev. David Lowry's own
hand, that at the period of your supposed conver-
zion. there were but seven G.. p. Churches in the
whole State of Indian. This is about truthful
as your present rendering of what you stated before
the Assembly that
1.-The inhabited portion of the State of Indiana west Of
Louisville as the result of their abors become dotted
with Cumberland Presbyterian Churches, and the same
also, Of Illinois"
nlnhabited portion" Who ever dreamed OF the
unnhabited portion being slotted over with church