Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-11-24
THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION
The Strain on the intellectual Con-
science.

science.
No. 3-By John Shirley ward.I
During the discussion Of revision before
the Presbytery of San Francisco, Dr.
Mackenzie condensed his views upon the
subject into one epigrammatic paragraph.
This paragraph we propose to analyze, as
neither minister nor elder has proposed
to resolve it into its original elements,
and weigh its meaning. In order to be
perfectly fair, We quote every word of the
beloved and learned doctor, as follows
because the strain on the intellectual
conscience in subscribing the confession
is already severe, and because the lati-
tude allowed for the differences arising
from the personal equation of men is at
present sufficiently narrow, and because
the present tendency of revision is
toward rigorous exactness of words on
subject too profound for any uninspired
words, and is therefore a tendency to
make the strain more severe and the lat
itude still more,narrow, and thus to limit
the liberties we have long enjoyed, am
opposed to revision"
There are three reasons for opposing
revision.
/. Because the strain on the intellect
ual conscience in subscribing the confess
sion is already sufficiently severe"
Now this is our first reason for favor
ing revision. 1t is to prevent the "strain
on the Intellectual conscience" that we
demand a simplification or modification
of much of the phraseology of the
Westminster Confession. Why is there
a "strain on the intellectual conscience"
in accepting the Westminster Confession
There does not eeem to be any very great
'strain on the Intellectual conscience"
in pretending the teachings of Christ
or of his Apostles. The Westminster
divines, in their effort to solve and ex.
plain the hidden mystery of Providence,
only made the subject more mysterious
by their efforts to give language to q
thought which they did not fully COM
prehend. They clothed what they re.
garded as the teachings of Christ in lam
guage and formulary which even now
are "strain on the intellectual con-
SCIENCE"
Why the necessity OF this strain of
intellectual conscience? Why struggle
to express thought for which no ade-
quate language has been given? Why
attempt to crystalize in theological Lam
guage mysteries which neither teacher
nor taught can understand?
The formula OF Calvin were we'll
enough for his day. But the world
moves. Three centuries have poured
their converging rays of education, SCI
ence and discovery on the religious
thought of Calvin's age, and this light
has lifted much of the mist which hung
over it, and through the riffs of the van.
ishing clouds we begin to catch glimpses
of the beauty and simplicity of the apos-
tolic age.
God never intended that in order to
mprehend the plan of salvation his
children shall live under a strain of in
tellectual conscience. DR.. Mackenzie
says this "strain" is already sufficiently
severe. That is our reason for desiring
revision. Our Westminster brethren
bound us with gives of hard, unmeaning
theological expression. We have chafed
under this strain of intellectual con.
science for two hundred and fifty years,
and now our bounding blood and grow
ing limbs, Sampson-like, are about to
rend the withes which have fettered US.
Procrustes must not be cut down to suit
the bed, but the bed must be made large
enough and long enough to suit Pro.
crustes.
The second reason given by DIR. Mac.
kenzie for opposing revision is:
2. because the latitude allowed for
the differences arising from the personal
equation of men is sufficiently narrow"
If the result of the revision is the SIM
plitication of our religious creed, in what
way will it affect the latitude allowed
for the differences arising from the per-
sonal equation of men?" Will it not
rather broaden this latitude?
The phraseology on the pivotal points
Of our creed is such that our ministers
seldom pretend to explain its hidden
significance. There are but few minis
ters who have the courage to preach to
their congregations on three successive
Sabbaths on sections three, four and five
of the third chapter of the Westminster
Confession. If it is good for the spirit
ual ediication of the people to teach this
doctrine, why is it not just the proper
thing to preach it? If these mysteries
cannot be explained, why insist on their
being retained as part of their creed?
DR.. Mackenzie's third reason for op-
posing revision is
8. because the present tendency of
revision is toward rigorous exactness
of words on subject too profound for
any uninspired words, and is therefore a
tendency to make the strain more severe
and the latitude more narrow, and thus
to limit the liberties we have long en-
joyed, am opposed to revision"
In what respect is the present tend
ency of revision toward rigorous exact.
ness of words? The very effect of re-
vision ia to express our creed in such
simple language that there can be no
hair.splitting metaphysical dissertations
on the "exaUtness of words"
When we read the closing line of the
learned DOCTORS reasons we first thought
huge joke had been perpetrated on him
by the printer, interpolating the words
opposed to" when he intended to have
said ''in favor Of" as all his reasons,
from our standpoint, are potent ones in
favor of revision.
There was time in the past when the
pulpit thought for the pew. There was
time when the private member of the
church accepted his theological food from
the hands of his pastor, asking no ques-
tions. That time is pact. The pew now
wants to know the reason why. 1t is not
sufficient reason to the private member
that he is allowed to put his own con-
struction on the knotty problems in
volved in Chapter Three of our confess
sion. II the private member is allowed
to put his own construction on the
questions OF Election, Predestin.
alton and Fore.ordination, and the
nl16rghin IN fo ba rarrf1itad