The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-05-11
"Liberal'' and PresbyterianIsm.

blDtIbl" anu kIebDyteflanIbm,
Editors Of the IntslIgcneer.
Over the signature Of ELlberal, = there
appeared In the 1NTRLnIaENcER OF Satur.
day an article which Is noticed here; but
only because silence might be construed
by some persona as an admission offs as.
sertions. Walk
This article Is a bitter TRAD, against
what the writer Is pleased to call historic
Presbyterianism. Il was tinCalled for,
because inwhRt "Knoxp said about the
trial Of Mr.. Swing, the only thing at
tempted was to correct erroneous i'm
pressiuns on the part Of the public in TO-
gard TO certain lacts connected with the
case, For a minister Of another denomi.
nation TO rush into print with more than
a column Of abuse Of Pfesbyterianism Is a
violation Of the kindly relations which
IN this age are supposed to exist among
the various branches Of the Christian
family. However, the deed has been
done, and now It's author Is responsible
for Il.
The article Of "Liberal" displays gross
ignorance. As an example, It represents
Mr.. Swing as on trial for saying that
"ChanniDg and Peabody and such men
are not in hell" Tho writer docs not
seem to be aware that DR.. Peabody Ia
alive, and thata very abort time ago he
delivered q. course Of lectures in New
York. Again, he represents infidelity In
Germany as in some manner an out
growth Of Calvinism. iHe appears not to
know that CalvinisnrneVer, to any great
extent, was taught in that country And
II he will get q copy Of the History OF
Rationalism, by DR.. Hurst, who Is not a
Presbyterian but q Methodist, he will
learn from that fair-minded writer, that
the sources oil German rationalism were
the controversial spirit, the decline Of theo,
logical instruction, o departure from
Christian living, the new PHILOSOPHERS and
tho like; but not Calvinism. he does not
seem to know that In New England, inf.
deity made no considerable progress until
after the old theology had in a large rde-
gree ceased to DO preached. He appears
TO be ignorant that In Scotland, where
Presbyterianism has been the strongest,
there has been comparatively little inf
deity. Until a man :acquaints himself
with tho elements Of ecclesiastical history,
he had better not put himself forward in
such matters.
The article Of Liberal" might be con.
strued as SANDER on o large scale. For
example, he asserts that in the fact that the
Presbyterian Church did teach infant
damnation. He Is dehed to produce the
evidence Of this assertion. It does not
exist. Even If he will give tho name Of
that Doctor OF Divinity who said that
there were infants in hell mot a span
long," and the words used, be will relieve
many minds Of doubts as to his inIorma-
tion on that point. Again, he says that
"the majority Of Presbyterian ministers
repudiate with holy Indignation the fear.
fui doctrine Of DEGREES" This is o mon
strous accusation to bring against them,
since at the reunion OF the Old and New
School bodies the basis which was adopt.
ed involved the acceptance Of the stand.
ards which contain this doctrine. The
rashness Of such an assertion must be ap-
parent to all; for can he who makes ii
pretend to be acquainted with the minds
Of majority Of Presbyterian pinisterss
II these statements do not involve the es.
Sence Of SANDER, then what does consti-,
tute It? - A- Y
This TRADE is virtually represented to
spring from some vague kind Of liberal
ism. The historian, Froude, will Ger
tainly not DO accused Of any narrow or.
thodoxy. But he puts q very different
estimate on Calvinism. d ,-..r.,...
Says he in his famous lecture on that
subject "IshAll ask you again, why, II
it be AGREED OF intellectual sesVitude, It
was able to inspire and sustain the bravest
efforts ever made to break the yoke Of
unjust authority.9 When all else failed
when patriotism failed, and human
courage has broken doWn-when intel
lect has yielded, as Gibbonh says, with q
smile or q sigh content 10 philosophize
in the closet, and abroad worship with
the vulgar-when emotion, and sentiment
and tender imaginative piety have boz
come the landmarks Of superstition, and
have dreamt themselves into forgetfulness
that there 10 any difference between lies
and truth-the slavish form Of belief call
ed Calvinism, inune or the other Of its
many forms, has borne ever an inaexible
front to illusion and mendacity, and has
preferred rather 10 be ground to powder
like flint than 10 bend before violence or
melt under enervatiug temptation"
In order to prevent Misrepresentation,
any intention to disparage the belief Of
those worthy Christians who arc not
PresbyterisnS Is here disclaimed. The
writer ever holds out to them the right
hand offellowship. But he believes that
most OF them viii appreciate the unwil.
lingness Of Presbyterians to remain un-
challenged the harsh accusations which