The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-08-04

remember that the thing which needs to
be done is not merely to remind our con-
tinental brethren of confessed inconsis-
tency. They do not allow that it is one
They think they have very good, criti-
cal argument to prove that the Sabbath
is abolished. Their consciences are pre-
cisely in the state, as to their shocking
delinquencies, of Presbyterian con-
science among Episcopalians, when they
should berate him for going rabbit hunt
ing on Christmas day, instead of going to
the communion. You could not make
that Presbyterian see any sin in himself
simply by berating him; or by lauding
"our venerable liturgy and canons ;" or
by urging the authority of the Church. =
The Presbyterian would sturdily reioin,
that the "Church" had no business with
any such act of authority that he did
not believe Christ was born on the 25th
of December at all: that if he was, neith-
er He nor the Apostles had commanded
Christians to solemnize his birthday as
sacred one. The only difference is, that
we are certain our anti-Christmas argu-
ment is authentic. Well: the German
Lutheran (erroneously, YETI honestly
thinks his anti-Sabbath criticism equally
solid.
Now with such case, mere hortation;
or boasting of our scriptural church or
der; or of our pious ancestors and how
they kept the Sabbath; or mere charges
of sin unsupported by demonstration; or
pious outcries about America s having her
old Sabbath, counts for nothing. To the
Lutheran trained in his creed, it is silly
and insulting. The thing which needs to
be done, is to meet and refltte the false
exposition of Luther (and of Calvin too)
and of Neander: even as the great Cal
whistle divines of Great Britain met it
In the 18th century, and convinced the
mind of British Christians impregnably,
that the continental reform was totally
erroneous on this point and established
the opposite doctrine, "a doctrine which
Calvin himselfrenounced with contempt
as mere judaizing) like great rock in
the Westminster Standards And l, for
one, believe, that this striking contradic-
ton between the Westminster and the
Lutheran Confessions, gives us the prac-
tical, instrumental cause of the grand
contrast between English and German
Professionalism in their outcome. 1t ex-
plains why the latter has been at stand
still nearly since Luthers death, hemmed
in by State lines and popery to its origi-
nal area; paralysed by Rationalism :;
while Westminster Christianity has leav-
ened a new continent, and is filing the
world with missions.
How many of our people really know
the difference of the two doctrines? {?
How many of them know the nature Of
the arguments by which the true doc
trine was run against-the commanding
authority and astute sophisms of the
great reformers? This battle of truth
urgently needs to be fought over again :;
and fought until there is no longer a foe
In the field to assert the blighting error.
What one sees here teaches him that
it was a great privilege to be born an
Old-School Westminster Confession Pres
byterian, and also great privilege to be
born citizen of truly republican
commonwealth, such as old Virginia
a0oS. OF this last point I will give you
some discussion in my next.
r T. d