The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1871-05-18
buman orotcbsts than tbo temper Of Christ.


cost of Sadducean Indifference to truth. Suppose
a higher and lower theology beside each other ID
the same communion, and the former advocated by
men who entertain an honest zeal tor God S truth.
None but men of this stamp are OF any value IN pro-
the truth and making an effective impress
sion upon the kingdom of darkness. Suppose also
that the erroneous teachers are equally Jealous Tor
their false creed; what can result except the most
unseemly strifes? A part of the testimony OF one
pulpit is contradicted by another; and both speak
by the cause ecclesiastical authority. Which shall
the laity follow? Or shall this disgraceful contra
diction be arrested by compact that both parties
shall preach only the fundamentals in which both
are agreed? Such covenant the erroneous are
never ooilling to keep and the orthodox dare not.
For no revealed truth is valueless Every doctrine
of the Scriptures is part of the herald message.
ANY suppression is liable, though not necessarily
certain to mislead soul. Shall | conceal it and
thus possibly get the blood of souls upon my skirts,
when the sword comes and takes them without
adequate warning? | dare not, and will not. linus
we should be always liable to that preposterous re-
suit which few years ago was presented IN the
latitudiuarian Reformed Church of Paris: IN the
same pulpit and by, the same authority, 7Honoa
might be heard, with matchless eloquence defend
ing that divinity of Christ, which his colleague
Coquerel the next Sabbath would assail with equal
eoqueuce.
Indeed, the ends designed by this so-called CON-
prehension can only be gained through Indifferent
ism. The theory has an obvious tendency to dis
parage the Importance of truth. What clearer
proof is needed that when we hear even the most
pious of its advocates while asserting their owl
personal orthodoxy, speak of the points assailec
by the opponents Of the doctrines OF grace as THE
uncertain" points of the Christian system while
those in which errorists condescend to concur are
honored as 'the certain points," Tried by such
standards, what precious truth would not be un
certain, for which one has not, by its very holiness
provoked numerous dissentients? Such repre-
sensations are mischieyous as we'll as unjust to the
history of the Church catholic. For when we ex
anime the testimonies of its different branches In
the purer ages of the Reform, we find that they
are as unanimous in condemning the errors which
this modern latitudinarianism would now fam com
prehend as not being certainly erroneous as the
Church has always been in asserting the funda
mental doctrines Of the faith These loose state
ments are not true to the glorious CONSENSUS OF the
true Protestant Churches Are any so ill-informed
at this day, of the Church's history, as not tC
know that indifference prompts negative preach
ing, and that this sooner later, rpens into posi-
tive error? a darker phase of this loose temper
appears, when we see men eager TO subscribe 9
creed which they do not believe, and to explain
away their unbelief and opposite convictions, a:
not diverse or new doctrines, but merely new meth
DDS Of adjusting the philosophic relations of the
old dogmas. What have we not seen coaked I'M
der this gozing pretext For often have mer
been known, under it, to sign an undoubted Cal
whistle creed, while advancing as explanation of il
false philosophy, which every intelligent Peagiar
and even Socinian hailed as his own, and which
every candid student Of history recognized as the
Evolutionary and utter opposite of Calvinism.
So benumbing is the spirit of indifferency be
gotten by this comprehension, that It's tendency il
to extinguish all true life in the Church which
practicesi it. Nothing except prevalent secular
mobre has usually been able to restrain this ten
dency, and that motive has usually been presented
in the form of a State establishment An estab
lished and endowed Church has indeed been seer
to survive this spirit of Moderatism, more thar
once and to survive long. In those cases The
power of honest conviction and attachment knit
ting kindred minds around a common centre o.
precious truth, has been far substituted by the
carnal desire for the "loaves and fishes of pre-
ferment, as to keep heterogeneous body peacea
BILE and numerous. But where this cohesive power
of money and place is lacking, the only permanent
bond of union the only effective energizer of con
certed action, is a sincere community of convic
tons. Experience presents US two results from
this policy of comprehension, where it has been at
tempted by Uendowed churches: either peace il
bauished by intestine struggles, which operating
like harsh medicine, remove the danger of spirit
ual torpor, by separating the discordant elements
or else peace is preserved at the expense of life
and the motley body diesi the stupor of its owr
indifference The latter seems to have been the
issue of the alliance of 1851, between the Presby
terians of England, and part of the Independents
In that "plan of union" it was covenanted that
the diversities in the testimonies of the two should
be suppressed for the sake of outward unity The
bargain was kept and the result was, that, despite
the presence Of Watts and Doddrdge, English
Presbyterianism was, at the end of the 18th Cen.
tury, virtually dead, asphyxiated by this dishonest
peace, into Socinianism.
Nv. But the advocates of comprehension plead
that if the later theologians in this mixed commu
MON do preach negative truth or partial error the
more orthodox have equal liberty to preach the
whole truth. Thus say they, this remedy may 60
along with the contagion (if contagion it be- as
fully as on any Other system. | reply: Not so;
the application of this remedy is fatally INSTRUCTED
by the complication of dissimilar elements, And
this is my final plea against the system the effec-
tual defence of orthodoxy is excluded by it, There
is, first, homey Haxim which substantiates this
objection: San ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure. 1t is much easier to keep out
error than to conquer it, after it is in. How in
dependent is this plan of campaign, which brings
the enemy into your own camp, and arms him
from the resources of your own power, before you
begin to contend against him Again, the friends
of truth have found to their cost, that as one can
not fight his adversary until he gets him at arm
length, so Ineffective testimony against error can
never be borne until the struggling elements sepa.
rate themselves, either the internal strife against
error tends directly to that separation, or it is flu.
tile. Witness the abortive struggles of the evan
gecal in the Anglican Church. They have had
on their side plumbers, learning zeal, orthodoxy,
honesty of purpose. But they were resolved at
the onset, that the glorious comprehension and
unity of the Church should in no case be rent for
the interests of doctrina truth consequently, their
very anxious testimony has gone mainly for moth
ing Their adversarieS advance steadily Rome
ward, regarding their protests only as imperti-
nences carrying, it is to be feared, the body of
churchmen with them So, in Scotland, the only
men who did anything ehectual to rebuke Mod
eratism'' and Patronage" were the Gillespies,
Erskins, and Chalmers, who did 1t By Seceding-
The reasons Of this are plain. In such commu-
Mon, the orthodox protestant is borne down by a
practical consciousness, that he cannot assai his
own brethren and equals. They would raise against
him the cry that he is disturbing the peace of the
Church. The temptation is thus powerful, to sup
press all reference to disputed dogmas and usages
and the testimony of the whole body becomes
merely negative. Again according to the consti-
tuition of such Church the laxer creed is freely
authorized by her as the better. The testimony
which denies the distinctive points of orthodoxy
is the churches testimony also. The world which
holds the Pelagian creed by natural inheritance,
finds of course the lower testimony more accepta-
bic than the stricter. No fortress is stonger than
its weakest bastians, so the moral weight of de-
nunciation never goes for more with the outside
world than that of the lowest doctrine which that
denunciation teaches. The Anglican Church has
decided OalvanistiGD creed and she has many cal;
every intelligent hearer since she has tolerated
Armenianism so fully has she ever as body made
calvanistic impression upon Christendom? Is
She not as much apprehended by the common feel
ing to be bulwark of the lower creed, as the
Wesleyan body itself? We conclude then that if
we would be faithful to our charge, and our Mas
H. A,o Ill