Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-01-27
PRESBYTERIAN BELIEF.
REV. WILLIAM p. SwARTZ breaches
ON REVISION.

tral presbyterian Onurch, TOOK Tor the
subject of his discourse yesterday morn
ing: rs tAere Larger Hopper The ser
men had reference TO the revision OF the
fourth section of the tenth chapter Of
the Westminster Confession of Faith,
that standard of belief, the discussion on
the proposed revision of which Is agita-
ting the great Presbyterian Church to its
foundations.
Mr.. Swartz discussed but the one sec
tion named, because of Its practical bear
ing and far-reaching effect on foreign /
missions, the annual collection for which /
was taken In Central Church yesterday |
The tenth chapter of the Confession of |
Faith is on the calling of "all those |
whom God hath predestinated into life |
= out OF state OF sin and death, |
. to race and salvation by Jesus |
Christ"
The text Of the section discussed by
Mr.. Swartz is as follows:
''Others not elected, although they
may be called by the ministry OF the
word, and may have some common opera
tions of the Spirit, yet they never truly
come to Christ and therefore they cannot
be saved much less can men, not pro-
Tossing the Christian religion be saved iu
any other way whatsoever, be they never
1 80 ulllEtul 70 AIdlut lntAI ilNtt httOIuiuK
to the light Of nature, and the laws OF
that religion which they do profess; and
to assert and maintain they may Is very
pernicious and to be detested"
| Mr.. Swartz took for his texts the three
following passages, which he did not an.
nounce at the beginning of the sermon.
but as proof texts towards the middle Of
his discourse: "For all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God Rom
ans, 3, %; For as many as have sinned
without law, shall also perish without
law and as many as have sinned In the
law shall be judged by the law, +" Romans,
2, 70; Neither is there salvation in any
other, for there is none other name under
Heaven given among men whereby we
must be saved, Acts, 4. 10.
In opening Mr.. Swartz said that the
Confession Of Faith was something of the
church's setting up. 1t had human
framing, and must stand or be rejected
in accordance with the scriptures. After
reading the section quoted above, the
speaker said In part:
1.-THE confession speaks Of two classes
Those in Christian lands who are unre-
| pentant and for whom there is no confes.
sion and no faith, and those in other
lands who hold other religions. Can
these by following the light of nature,
living up to what they know, or obeying
what they profess, be saved2 The con-
fession says it is utterly impossible. Is
q there salvation in Christion OF heather
lands except through Christ? Ought
this section to be modiied2 Is 1t too
Q narrow? Our creed asserts that the
broadcast hope and fullest salvation is
i. Christ Jesus. That is a broad hope
: because it can reach every necessity Of
man, but is there broader hopper Some
hold that those who do as well as they
y know, who live righteous lives, win be
g saved That God is not so unjust to send
3 a man to hell for Adams sin, in which he
o had no part.
9 Il believe that no one is condemned fol
original sin, for, AS in Adam all died, 81
" in Christ shall all be made alive. 1t I
i the same all saved in Christ that died il
s Adam. It is only on this hope and belle
}. that the little ones who pass from us ar
s saved. They are not convicted fo
Adam sin.
Taking the question in a broade
y sense-is there salvation for those Wit
y believe that what they do is right accord
Z ing to their belief i believe that tn
= man who does as required by God and hi
u own sense of righteousness will be saved
= But are there any such The scriptur
says not one. Can It be that those VIII
K do as their conscience dictates win b
y savedg And that servant, (which knew
T his Lords will, and prepared not himsel
e shall be beaten with many stripes
IA But he that knew not and did commi
k things worthy Of stripes shall be beatei
with few stripes, Luke 10, 47-4S
~ looks as if those who knew will be pun
ished and also those that did not know
but to a less degree.
5. "Again, can the heather who findstha
D. what he does is pollution before his con
IS science and turns to God and accepts til
sr essential Christ be saved / believ
" that any who have not heard Of tn
historical Christ, and, throwing them
selves on God accept the essentis
= Christ, will be saved. Yet is there an
~ considerable number who do thus
= Plato came nearer to being Christia
- than any other man of heather times
Professor Orris Of Princeton, deep Pla
tonic scholar, says: There is not any
= where in Plato a glimmer of hop
Il through Christ. The heather are lowe
u than Plato; shall we presume that the
so believer
at Many say that God cannot, in consist
n ence with his immortal being allow any
w body to go to hell. Yet there is a si
t. against the Holy Ghost which will not b
on forgiven: and in the broad way man
k there be and in the narrow way few.
l. "0thers who believe that there is no sa
r walton except in Christ as Saviour. ys
s. seeing multitudes growing up in ignor
of ance of Him, say there must be som
s, way beyond death through which tn
lip multitudes will be saved.
VI can the assumptions are based o
error The first two assumptions al
wrong in fact. Are there any who liv
up to the light of nature2 cat this poin
L. the speaker quoted his three texts, show
"e ing that there were none) The idea 0
universal salvation Is a mistaken one
in It is based on the belief that God
all love and no justice. They say thf
r. retribution is not punishment but chas
tisement, and is intended to purify an
prepare. Are men hanged until they Al
ne dead to reform theml Does a man WI
n drinks to drown trouble, until he finds
last foretaste Of hell itself, find restorl
ct ton or gain healthy Does the licentiai
on become sound and whole in body an
soul2
.ba ''The fourth supposi tion makes IL
ground of salvation justice; God owes u
and must give us a chance to be save
If God did not need to provide salvatici
, a it is not necessary, that if he chose
MI save some, he must save all. We are
Gu be judged according to our improvement