The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-08-09
webster,s Confession faith.

put In onr hand the following letter of
Danler Webster to Rev. Thomas Wor-
cester, formerly pastor OF the Congrega-
tional 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 maine in the records Of the
church in Salisbury enrolled among its
members, If we mistake not, about the
time the letter below bears date. He
remained a member of that church till
his death. The letter and confession
were never before published. They are
as follows :-Salent Register, June 22,td.
BoscAwEN, Aug. 8, 1908.
Dear Sir The other day we were
conversing respecting confessions oftaith
Some time ago L wrote down for my
own use u few propositions in the shape
of articles, intending to exhibit very
short summary Of the doctrines of the
Christian religion as they impressed my
mind. have taken the liberty to en-
| close copy for your perusal. am,
sir, with respect, yours, etc,
d. WEBSTER.
believe in the existence of Almighty
God, who created and governs the
whole world. am taught this by the
works OF nature and the word of revela-
| ton.
l believe that God exists in three
persous this learu from revelation a
lone. Nor is it any objection to this
belief that caunot comprehend how one
can be three or three one. hold it my
duty to believe, not what | can compre-
hend and account for, but what my
Maker teaches us.
| believe the Scriptures of the Old
and New Testament to be the will and
word Of God.
1 believe Jesus Christ to be the Son
of God The miracles which he
wrought, establish in my mind his per-
sonal authority, and render it proper for
me to believe whatever he asserts / be-
lieve, therefore, all his declarations, as
we'll when he 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 OF his atonement.
l believe that thugs past, present, and
to come are all equally present i'll the
mind of the Deity: that with him there
is no succession of time, nor 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 doctrine of
predestination, as thus expounded. l
do not believe in those doctrines as i'm
posing any fatality or necessity OH
mems actions, or in any way infringing
free agency.
Ibelieve in the utter inability of any
human being to work out his own sal
vation, without constant aids of the
Spirit of all grace.
L believe those great peculiarities of
the Cristian religion-a resurrection
from the dead aud a day of Judgement.
1 believe i'll the universal providence
of God and leave to Epicurus, and his
times, the Inconsistency of believing
that God has made a world which he
does not take the trouble of fgoverning.*
Although l have great respect for
some other forms of worship, believe
the Congregational mode, on the whole,
to be preferable to any other
l believe religion to be matter not
of demonstration, but of faith. God re-
quires 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 re-
ceive its doctrines, with full confidence
of their truth, and practice them with
pure heart.
[ believe that the Bible is to be un-
derstood and received in the plain and
obvious meaning of its passages since
l cannot persuade myself that book
intended for the instruction and CONVEX
sion Of the whole world, should cover
its true meaning in such mystery and
doubt, that none but critics and phi
losophers can discover it.
l believe the experiments and subtle
ties of human wisdom are more likely
to obscure than enlighten the revealed
will of God, and that he is the most ac-
Cristian scholar who hath
been educated at the feet of Jesus, and
in the college of Fishermen.
| believe that all true religion con-
sists in the heart and affections, and
that, therefore, all creeds and confess
ions are fallible, and uncertain eviden-
ces Of evangelical piety.
Finally, L believe that Christ has
imposed on all his disciples life of ac-
tive benevolence that he who retrains
only from what he thinks to be sinful,
has performed but part, and Il small
part, of his duty that he is bound to
10 good and communicate, to love his
neighDor, to give food and drink to his
enemy, and to endeavcr, SO far as in
lim lies to promote peace, truth, piety,
md happiness in wicked and forlorn
world, believing that in the great day
which is to come, there will be no other
iandard of merit, no other criterion of
character, than that which is already
C By their fruits ye shall
,now them"