The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-10-28
THE WEEKLY PIONEER AND DEMOCRAT
Daniel Webster's Confession of Faith.

Daniel Webster's Confession of Faith.
DR.. Smith, of Concord, New Hampshire,
has made public the following letter OF Dan
iel Webster to Rev. Thomas Worcester, for
merly pastor of the Congregational church
in Salisbury, N. H., which is accompanied
with a confession of his religious faith, both
of which are in his own handwriting. We
have seen Mr.. Webster's name in the rec
ords of the church in Salisbury, enrolled
among the members, if we mistake not,
about the time the letter below bears date.
He remained a member of that church until
his DEATH The letter and confession were
never before published. They are as fol-
lows -
BoscAwAN, Aug. s, 1907.
DEAR S1R-The other day we were con-
versing respecting confessions of faith. Some
time ago wrote down for my own use a
few propositions in the shape of articles in.
tending to exhibit very short summary
of the doctrines of the Christian religion as
they impress my mind. have taken the
liberty to enclose copy for your perusal.
l am, sir, with respect, yours, &C.,
DANIEL WEBSTER.
] believe in the existence of Almighty
God, who created and governs the whole
world. l am taught this by the works of
nature and the word of revelation.
believe that God exists in three persons
this | learn from revelation alone. Nor
is it any objection to this belief that l can
not comprehend how one can be three or
three one. hold it my duty to believe, not
what can comprehend or account for, but
what my Maker teaches me.
| believe the Scriptures of the Old and
New Testaments to be the will and word of
God.
believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of
God. The miracles which he wrought esta-
blish, in my mind, bis personal authority,
and render it proper for me to believe what
ever he asserts +; believe, therefore, all his
declarations, as we'll when he declares him
self the Son of God, as when he declares any
other proposition. And believe there is
no other way of salvation than through the
merits of his atonement.
believe that things past, present and to
come, are all equally present in the mind of
the Deity that with him there is no sue
cession OF time, nor of ideas; that, there
fore, the relative terms past, present and
future, as used among men, cannot, with
strict proprety, be applied to Deity. 1
believe in the doctrines of foreknowledge
and predestination, as thus expounded. 1
do not believe in these doctrines, as impos.
ing any fatality or necessity on mems
actions or any way infringing on free
agency.
l believe in the utter inability of any
human being to work out his own salvation
without the constant aids of the Spirit Of
all grace.
believe in those great peculiarities of the
Christian religion--a resurrection from the
dead and day of judgment.
believe in the universal Providence of
God and leave to Epicurus and bis more
unreasonable followers in modern times, the
inconsistency of believing that God made
world which he does not take the trouble of
governing.*
Although l have great respect for some
other forms of worship, believe the Con-
gregatiopal mode, on the whole, to be prefer
able to any other.
believe religion to be matter not of
demonstration, but of faith. God requires
US to give credit to the truths which he
reveals, not because we can prove them, but
because he declares them. When the mind
is reasonably convinced that the Bible is
the word of God, the only remaining duty
is to receive its doctrines with full conf
dence of their truth, and practice them with
pure heart.
l believe that the Bible is to be under
stood and received in the plain and obvious
meaning of its passages ; since 1 cannot
persuade myself that book intended for the
instruction and conversion of the whole
world, should cover its true meaning in such
mystery and doubt that none but critics and
philosophers can discover it,
believe that the experiments and subtle
ties of human wisdom are more likely to OBJ
scure than to enlighten the revealed will of
God, and that he is the most accomplished
Christian scholar who hath been educated
at the foot of Jesus, and in the College of
Fishermen.
1 believe that all true religion consists in
the heart and the affections, and that, there
fore, all creeds and confessions are fallible
and uncertain evidences of evangelical
piety.
Finally, I believe that Christ has imposed
on all his disciples life of active benevo-
lence that he who refrains only from what
he thinks to be sinful, has performed but a
part, and small part of his duty; that he is
bound to do good and communicate, ito love
bis neighbor so far as in him lies to pro-
mote peace, truth, piety and happiness in a
wicked and forlorn world, believing that in
the great day which is to come, there will
be no other standard of merit, no other
criterion of character, than that which is
already established. BY their fruits ye
shall know them"
Doctor Sherlock.