Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1890-03-06
THE CONFESSION OF FAITH,
SHALL THE PRESBYTERIAN
CREED BE REVISED:
Ihe arguments of Rev. III. Il.
Thomas in Favor of
Revision.

pressed a desire for synopsis of Rev.
Henry E. Thomas remarks, which h ..
has kindly furn he'd:
The growing demand for the Revis-
ion of the Westminster Confession of
Faith, is largely due to the advance in
the knowledg- f the truth contained
in the Holy Scriptures. The church
| had not been guided into all truth
| when the Westminster Assembly com-
| pleted It's work, ~ John Robinson, the
sturdy old Calvauistic Puritan in the
days OF the Puritan fathers, said: Il
am very confident that the Lord hath
much more truth to break out of his
Holy Word. | cannot sufficiently be-
wall the condition of the Reformed
churches which are come 10 a period
in religion, aud will go no further than
the instruments OF their first rcforIua-
tlon. Though Luther and
calvin were burning and shining
lights in their tines, Yet they penetra-
ted Dot into the whole cuuusel of God: ::
but were they now living, would be
willing to embrace further light as
they then received" The creeds of
the church have grown up gradually,
one following and supplanting the
other, the formulating of the knowl-
edge of God as reached and received
at that time. And why with this
steady advance and growth of knowl-
edge, these new discoveries in every
other direction, and encouraged on
every hand, should we halt in our
knowledge of faith in the sublimest
and noblest and most helpful of all
knowledge-of God, and Christ, and
Christianity? Why should we halt
with the formulated word OF past gen
erations?
The speaker then read quotations
from Drs Schaff and Patton and Dan1
Webster, bearing On this same phase
of the subject. Jesus himself said: Il
have yet many things to say unto you,
but ye cannot bear them now. How
belt when he, the Spirit of Truth, is
come, he will guide you into all truth"
Did this guidance cease $50 years ago?
Can we look for no further light from
the Spirit of God? Then the prayer
for the guidance of the Spirit and the
shining of his light is a mockery. Are
we wrong in asking that the Confes-
sion be SO revised as to bring it, at
least, abreast with the Biblical knowl-
edge and Christian experience of the
present age?
In considering this subject, regard
should be had to the times when the
Confession was written, and the ideas
then current. ''It was the most intol-
Grant age Of Christendom." In gov
ernment, only absolute sovereignty
and judgment without mercy were
known. Love and mercy were un-
known quantities. And SO God was
known and pictured as tyrant. The
Confession represents God, the great
Creator and the Sovereign Ruler, over
against sinfulm man. Jesus teaches that
he is the God and Father of all, deal
ing with sinners as his children whom
he would save from their sins. The
love of God should be emphasized in
the Confession. That God is loving
and gracious, is mentioned in the I'd
chapter, but immediately the teach
ing follows that this love is only for
the elect. The doctrine of Redemp-
tion must be made general in it's suf-
iiciency and efficiency. Human re-
sponsibility in accepting or rejecting
the gospel, according to the teachings
of Jesus, must be emphasized. The
Confession practically denies this. 1t
asserts: Some men and angels are
predestinated unto everlasting life, and
others fore-ordained to everlasting
death" Mankind are utterly indis-
posed, disabled and made opposite to
all good, and wholly inclined to all
evil;" Man hath wholly lost all abil-
ity of will to any spiritual good accom-
panying salvation" This loss and
condition are due to the sin of Adam.
The sinner, hence, is not free to choose
between the evil and the good, and
cannot be held to responsibility in the
matter. The Confessions statement
of the doctrine of Election and Pre-
terition makes man a mere machine.
Preterition follows logically upon Con-
fessional Election, but it is not Bibli-
col. The Scripture texts adduced in
proof of this, prove on the other hand
that God only passes by those who re-
fuse to obey his voice and live. Even
the Confessional idea of Election seems
opposed tosthe Bible view of it. The
Elect are ''the firstborn among many
brethren" who are chosen in Christ to
gather their lost brothers and sisters