The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-06-30
THE CASE AS 1T STANDS.

THE CASE AS IT STANDS.
The Cumberland Presbyterian in COM
menting upon some remarks made by
DR.. T. l.. Cuyler, before the two Pres
byterian General Assemblies, at their
centennial reunion at Philadelphia re-
Gently, says:
Presbyterian government suits our re-
publican institutions, is more liberal and
therefore more popular than Episcopacy
or Methodism, but Presbyterisns refused
to modify the rigid narrowness of their
high Calvinism, or to use the methods and
the men that Gods providence and Spirit
had chosen and snointed. And so the
Presbyterian candlestick in the West and
the South was in measure taken away.
There is still large place and great
work for Presby terrain church thor
oughly adapted to the needs Of this coun-
try and this time. Such a church needs
to shake itself free from the swaddling-
bands of medic valism. It must have q
scriptural creed in which not "whosoever
is elected" but "whosoever wilP' is writ
ten; it must have polity and an organi-
cation which will give place and work
to the humblest talent and sttainments
as we'll as the greatest.
There appears quite prominently in
the action of the orthodox churches of
the present time disposition to fall
back upon the original ideas for which
they stood. Thus the Congregational
churches take for thems elves the widest
latitude of belief, the merest fragment
of creed or none at all, as suits them
best, and yet claim that so long as
they adhere to the Congregational form
of church government they are Congre-
gationalists. The same thought is ap-
parent in the article quoted above.
When church has modified 1.-THE rigid
narrowness of it's high Calvinism; has
shaken itself free from the swaddling
bands of medi@valism; when it has
written upon its banner not whose
ever is elected, but whatsoever WILL" it
may still call itself Presbyterian, be-
cause it has chosen that form of church
| government. But, we submit that so far
as any distinctive theology or separate
and singular creed is concerned, the
whole bottom is knocked out. Presbyte-
rianism as an ism is dead, and the doc
trines for which the church has stood
are nowhere, just as soon as its banners
! are hoisted to the breeze bearing the in
scription, "Whosoever will" The Pres
byterian church has stood for certain
doctrines as we'll as for a certain form
of government through all it's existence.
Its membership is founded not upon its
form of government but its creed.
Though this does not appear in its
name it is still vitality true. Prof.
Swing and others were arraigned be-
fore its councils and set aside, not be-
cause they did not accept the Presby-
terrain form of government, but because
they repudiated certain affirmations Of
the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Apostates to the old faith are giving a
world of trouble in the Congregational
body because they still hold by Congre-
gational usage. Articles like the above
are misleading, therefore. They do
not state the case exactly as it stands.
In the historical sense the Presbyterian
church could not be such if the creed
were changed as indicated above.
The Presbyterian church, like every
other, stands for historic faith, as
anybody will find who attempts to enter
its communion. The Presbyterian
church of to-day cuts itself loose from
its entire past history when it attempts
any modern improvements in its iron
jointed, steel-bound Confession of Faith.