The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-06-10
Daniel Webster,s Creed.

| of writer of the CoHgregdtiOndlist, in which
| Daniel Webster has set down a few PROPOSE
,iOns in the shape of articles, which are in
| tended "to exhibit short summary of the
doctrines of the Christian religion" as they
| impressed his mind. The document is dated
| Boscawen, New Hampshire, August S, 1907.
Ii is thought that this is the statement which
be read to the Congregational Church in
/ Franklin upon his being admitted to mem
| bership of that church. This is not unlikely,
a. the date of admission was September IL,
| 1907. The recent centennial anniversary of
| terest in Mr.. Webster, and this confession
of faith" will undoubtedly be read by many
people with interest:
| CONFESSION OF FAITH.
I believe in the existence of Almighty
| God, who created and governs the whole
| world. / sm taught this by the works of
| nature and the words of Revelation.
/ believe that God exists in Three Persons;
| this learn from Revelation alone. Nor Is
it any objection to this belief that l can not
comprehend how one can be three, or three
| one. | hold it to be my duty TO believe, not
what / can comprehend account for. bat
what my Master teaches me.
l believe the Scriptures of the Old and the
New Testaments to be the will and the weF6
of God.
believe Jesus Christ to be the Son sf God
in my mind His personal authority and render
it proper fer me to believe whatever He as
serts- l believe, therefore, all His declsrs~
tiOns, as we'll when He declares Himself &c
be the Son of God, when He declares snv
other proposition And believe there is no
other means of salvation than threagh the
I..erts of His atouement.
/ believe that things past present ana 10
come are all equslly present in the mind Of
Deity; that with Him there is no succession
of time, nor of ideas; that, therefore, the
relative terms, past, present, sad future. as
used among men, can not, With strict pronri>
ETY., be applied TO Deity. l believe in the
doctrine of fOrekuowiedge and preae<tination
as thus expounded, 30 Rot believe in those
doctrines as imparting any necessity on mems
actions, or IN any way infringing en- free
agency.
l believe in the utter inability of any
human being to work out his own salvation
without the constant aid of the Spirit Of ali
grace.
believe in these great peeuliarities of the
Christian religion, q resurrection from the
dead, and day of Judgment.
/ believe in the universal providence of
God; and leave to Epicurus, and his more
unreasonable followers in modern times the
inconsistency of believing that Sod made
world which he does not take the trouble of
governing. (Sherlock.
forms of worship, believe the Congrega-
tionsl mode, on the whole. preferable to any
other. l believe religion to be a m after, not
of demonstration, but of faith. God requires
us to give credit to the truths which He re,
veals, not because we can prove them, but be-
csnse He declares them. When the mind is
reasonably convinced that the Bible is the
Word of God, the only remaining duty is to
receive its doctrines with full confidence of
their truth and practice them with a pure
heart.
I believe that the Bible is to be understood
and received in the plain and obvious mean
ing of its passages; sin,c I can not persuade
myself that a book intended for the instruc-
ton and conversion of the whole world
should cover its true meaning in any such
mystery and doubt that none but critics and
philosophers can discover it.
l believe that the refnements and subtIe-
ties of human wisdom are more likely to OBJ
scurs sthem than to eniighten the revealed
will of God; and that he is the most accom-.
plished Christian scholar who hath been edu>
Gated at the feet of Jesus and in the college of
fsherpen.
believe that all true religion consists in |
the heart and in the affections, and that
therefore, all creeds and CT 9fessions are fali-
BILE, and uncertain evidence of evangelical |
piety.
Finally, believe that Christ has imposed
on all His disciples life of active benevo-
lence; that he who refrains from what he |
thinks to be sinful, has performed but part, |
and small part of his duty; that he is bound |
to do good and to communicates; to love his |
neighbor, and to give food aud drink to his |
enemy; and to sndeavor, far as in him |
lies, to promote peace, truth, piety and hap
piness in a wicked and forlo n world: be. /
lieving that in the great day that is to come,
there will be no other standard of merit, no
other criterion of character, than that which
is already established, "hy Fheir fEaits 70
ehall knew them"