Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1860-01-19
Daniel Websler's Confession 0
Faith. .. Z

Faith. i.g.. z
DR.. Smith of Concord, N. r., ha
: vut into our hapds the following
! letter Of Daniel Webster, to Lev
Thomas Worcester, formerly pasto
) Of the Congregational Church il
! Salisbury, N. H., which is accompa
MED with a confession of bis rellgloul
faith, both Of which are in his owr
handwriting. We have seen Mr.
Webster's name in the records o
the church at Salisbury, enrolled
among its members. If We mistake axe
not. about the time the letter below
bears date. He remained member
of that church until bis death. The
letter and confession we're never
before published. They are as iol-
lows:
BosoAw EN-, Augsut 8, 1907. !
DEAR Sir: The other day we we're
copversing respecting confessions Of
faith. Some time ago | wrote down
for my own use few propositions in
the shape of articles intending to
exhibit a very short summary OF
the doctrines Of the Christian reli-
gion as they impress my mind. l
have taken the liberty to enclose you
a copy for your perusal. | am, SIR
with respect, yours, &c. D. WEBSTER.
/ believe in the existence OF Al
mighty God, who created and gov
erns the whole world. / am taught
this by the works Of nature and the
word Of revelation.
/ believe that God exists in three
persons; this l learn from revelation
alone. Nor is it an objection to this
belief that ! cannot comprehend how
one can be three or three one. |
| hold it my duty to believe, not
what I can comprehend or account for,
but what my Maker teaches me.
/ believe the Scriptures Of the Old
and New Testament to be the Will
and word of God.
] believe Jesus Christ to be the
son Of God. The miracles which
be wrought establish, in my mind,
bis personal authority. and render
it proper for me to believe whatever
he asserts; ! believe, therefore, ali bis
declarations, as we'll when be declares
himself the SON Of God, as when he
declares any other proposition. And
| believe there is no other way OF
salvation than through the merits oil
his atonement. s
believe things past, present, and
to come, are all equally present IN
the mind Of the Deity; and With him
there is no succession Of time, nor
of ideas; that, therefore, the relative
terms past, present and future, as
used among men, cannot, with strict
propriety, be applied to. Deity. !
believe in the doctrines Of foreknowl-
edge and predestination, as thus ex-'
pounded. / do not believe in those
doctrines. as imposing any fatality
or necessity on mems actions, or in
any way infringing free agency.
/ believe in the utter inability OF
any human being 10 work out his own
salvation without the constant aids
Of the Spirit Of all grace,
l believe in those great peculiari-
ties Of the Christian roligion-a resor-
rection from the dead and a day5ot
judgment. -
believe in the universal Prov
idenca Of God; and leave to Epicurus,
and his more unreasonable followers
Of modern times, the inconsistency
Of believing that God made a world
which be does not take the trouble
to govern.
| Although I have great respect fot
some other forms Of worship, pe-
lieye the Congregational mode, on
the whole, to be preferable to al any
other. . xIa ~.
! believe religion to be matter
mot Of demonstration. but Of M iaitn
God requires Us to give credit 70
the truths which be reveals, not De-
cause We can prove them, but because %!
He declares them. When the mlnc ,e
is reasonably convinced that the
Bible is the word Of God. the on:y