St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-10-27

That our knowledge of divine truth
is real and trustworthy, but limited
and partial OVerbelief should be avoid
ed that there is one God, existent in
three eternal distinctions of beings of
absolute moral perfection, who proves
himself in the moral and spiritual life
of Christianity that he has witnesses
in every age, and that his progressive
work through his chosen people looked
forward to and eliminated in Jesus
Christ, Gods real and final self-revela-
ton that Jesus Christ is the final and
infallible authority of faith that the
scripture is Interpretation in part and
revelation in part, the contents of
which are fulfilled in Christ that the
different kinds and degrees of revela-
ton are matters of critical study but
not of vital consequence that man is
a spiritual unity, possessed of moral
freedom and incapable of dissolution
by death that God from eternity
willed to forgive and restore man and
that his love led him to such outgoing
of himself as to exhibit OH earth the
realization of his eternal willingness to
forgive that while all theories of the
atonement ought to be taken as helps
none is satisfactory as perfectly eX-
planning the mysteries of grace that
the theory acceptable with most salts
faction is one by which is secured
Gods satisfaction of himself i'll his
whole ethical personality in the for
giveness of sin, the moral influence
theory being unsatisfactory that the
present dispensatiOn ends with the day
of Judgment that the world age is a
time of probation, and that every per
son born has one sufficient probation
under the conditions of grace that
the end of probation is the day Ofjudg
ment, which day of judgment for the
individual is his confirmed self-deter-
minatiOn in good or evil that the end
of probation of the individual is not
and cannot he in any outward circum-
stance, temporal accident or physical
change like the death of the body that
the conditions of eternal life are offer
ed i'll the gospel, and that whOsOever
willfully rejects them is in danger of
the sin against the Holy Ghost which
is never forgiven that if sufficient pro-
baton is not furnished in the world to
infants, idiots, antediluvians, some
heather and children who have no
moral chance, God will provide some
probation in Hades-I can but believe
Christ's preaching to certain spirits
warrants this assertion that Il logical
deduction of the biblical doctrine of
the atOnement permits me no authority
to offer any time but now for repent
ance, but that Christ may have OppOr-
tunities unrevealed to us of what
constitutes this probation we are not
the Judges, but God shall judge that
the obligations of Christian missions
rest on the commandment of God, will
increase as our conception of Gods
love increases, and that the cause is
not to be bound up with extra -scriptu-
raj limitations of Gods mercy that
such terms as "endless time" "ever-
lasting DURATION" are permissibly ex-
pressive of the finality and permanence
of the Judgment, but not of that eterni-
ty which transcends comprehension.
do not accept the burdens imposed
on this faith by the traditions of men,
adding vain and imaginary views OF
eternal life | cannot believe in ami
hilatiOn--the question how far moral
personality is self vacated am content
to leave until the future for an answer
cannot find that there will be a rec
onciliation of all evil to God think
that Jesus leaves open as a danger the
final rejection of the Holy Spirit ;
would preach the positive, verifiable
moral elements of retribution and be
content with a humble reverence and
reserve as to the last things, of which
there car be only negative concep-
| tiOns-GOd has not chosen to reveal
them to us now. Finally, accept the
historic creed of the church, and il
that line am not ashamed to stand
holding my inherited beliefs in the re.
| sponsibilities of Christian liberty, sub.
.iect to correction and expansion hop.
ing in all humility that may keep the
faith of Christ, and in the unity of tn,
spirit with all honest thinkers, pres,
forward to the full and final orthodoxy
of the kingdom of God.
Gen. Woodford's speech in Boston
excited some dismay among the repub
licans who invited him there. Tn,
Traveller thinks his speech was calcu.
lated to help Butler more than Bishop
and even the Advertiser says that hi
remarks should have been made il
New York instead of Massachusetts
But they are timely and apprOpriat,
everywhere in the land. 1t is not by
such speeches as this, recalling the re
publican party to its duty, that til,