The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-01-28
For the Central Presbyterian.
WhoSoever Believeth "

gospel. 1T is also the chief ground of
skeptical cavil 1t is said that this doc
trlne is repulsive, if not monstrous: that
God, instead of judging men for their
conduct, should damn a large part of the
human family for not adopting an opinion,
and acquit the rest, irrespective of their
guilt because they have adopted that
opinion Is not intellectual credence.
they cry, an involuntary state of the in
telllgence, depending merely on the logi
cal force of the evidence seen? This ca
WI, perPetaally refuted, re-appears per-
petually; as in the works of Lecky. and
recent writers of that school it has
been exploded by this just answer: That
religious faith IS something far more than
intellectual credence; that it is eminent
Iy an act of the will, grounded in that
credence, whereby we receive and rest
upon Christ for salvation -; and that
hence, it does not by any means depend
upon the mere logical force of evidence
seensln the understanding: That it is de-
clslvel y influenced by the mans yolunta-
ry and responsible disposition towards the
right and the true: That the prime evil
dences on which faith is grounded in the
right spirit, are moral That hence the
wrong religious faith in any man who has
the gospel before his mind is the result
and index of a wrong heart, and not of a
defect of logical evidence only. Hence.
1T is right that, in this case. man should
be held responsible by God for the sin of
unbelief
Again they have exploded the cavil by
arguing from these facts: Men are natu-
rally IN moral state hostile to godliness.
and hence, as to God criminal, corrupting,
and perllous God has warned them Of
that Their state. God has provided an
eftectual remedy for it. God has express
~ conditioned each mans share in that
only remedy on his faith Hence, to neg
lect the remedy, which is precisely the
SIN OF unbelief, is the practical preference
tor, and retention of, that state, with all
us crlmlnallty, pollution, and peril
Hence, while this willful neglect is not the
exclusive cause of all the sins and misery
destined to emerge out of the criminal
state, this neglect is evidently the proxi-
mate occasion of them all 1t epitomizes
IN the one act of wrong preference, the
guilt OF them all. Thus, it is the iustest
thing In the world that God should in his
practical Judgment of that man. treat il
as the head and front of his offending
But there is even a simpler solution of
this cavil, which is often overlooked nor
haps because of its very simplicity, Let
1t be supposed, first, that man is bv ma
ture, IN fallen and sinful state that this
Is stubborn fact, and one for which God
is not to blame. That God, second, has
oeen moved, by the liveliest compassion,
TO provide an etfectual remedy for man,
to offer l., with perfect freedom and gra-
tulty, to every man in the world; so that
lie attaches absolutely no condition fo2. its
e'Yoyn'ent By everybody, except such {, one
as IS e'le0"a6[I necessary for the renedYs
gong the good designed by infinite pifg
Is there anything more to ask? If these
FACTS be granted, must not the most OBJ
stlnate caviller be silenced? What more
could even almighty goodness do? For
instance: Here is a philanthropist OF
ooundless wealth, who finds himself. in
wlntrry climate, surrounded by great
multitude of naked paupers, who are suf-
tering already and liable to perish from
wet and cold. He sends off and buvs
with his own wealth. a vast CARGO of
warm garments This certainly is sensi
Die philanthropy the warm garments are
precisely what is needed for these SILVER
ing backs. He then offers to distribute
them, without money or price" but at
taching this one condition, which he
makes strict: "The garment must be pd
on By the recipient :" otherwise. it will
not be given. l 90 to him and ask him
Sir, why did you, after a beginning OF
such splendid gratuity, attach ann coada-
ton OF all to your gifts have you not
marred the credit Of your generosity -
The answer is too plain. The sole end Of
the philanthropy is to shelter the naked
A garment, however warm, if not worn.
wholly fails of that end This one condi-
ton OF reception, therefore, is inevitable
from the very grace of the motive. Or.
let us suppose that the misery to be re-
lleved was that of famine. The benefac-
tor provides great store of food, and adj
vertlses that it shall be distributed. as an
absolute gratuity, on the sole condition
mat the PouPeyS eat II. Here, again. the
condition is inevitable food not eaten
by the starving man himself would not
save
Now, the thing I assert is. that God in
offering free salvation on sole terms Of
faith, has done precisely the parallel
thing because foitb ia H. -: .