The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-09-07


Future punishment is the great sub
ject of Protestant discussion at this pc
Rod. Who are to be damned and who
are 10 be saved. or whether anybody
is to be damned eterDally are the agita-
ting questions.
The present Presbyterian movement
for the revision of the Westminster Con
iession was started by revolt against
the condemnation of the heatnen TO tho
ever lasting torments Of hell. The Mis-
sionary Board of the CongregatioDalists
whose formal creed is also Calvanistic.
has been compelled to meet the same
rebellion among candidates for appoint
ment as missionaries, who are backed
and stimulated by theological professors
in prominent schools of their faith
They are Mortified BY the teaching that
the millions Of heather, who cannot
know Of Christ, will be tortured IN hell
eternally because Of that blameless
ignorance. Hence Protestant theolOgi-
cal discussion generally is occupying
itself with efforts TO find o method Of
escape from a conclusion 50 repugnant
TO the human sentiment Of justice.
That inquiry is at the bottom Of he
whole OF the present disturbance over
articles Of faith.
The orthodox Protestant preaching
on the subject from the time of the
Reformation il thus expressed In the
Westminster Confession:
by the decree of God. for the mani.
festation of His glory. some men and
angels are predestinated into eveIlast-
ing life and others foreOrdaIned to ever
lasting death.
Others, not elected. although they
may be called 10y the ministry of the
Word. aud may have some common
operations of the Spirit, yet they never
truly come to Christ, and, therefore.
cannot be saved: much less can men not
protesting the Christian religion be
saved in any other way whatsoever be
they never so diligent to frame their
lives according to the light of nature
and the law of that religion they do
profess: and TO assert and maintain
that they may be very pcrnici0us and
TO be detested.
The eighteenth article of the Thirty
nine Articles of the Episcopal Church
is to the same effect:
They also are to be accursed that
presume to say, that every man shall
be saved by the law or sect which he
prOfesselh. so that he be diligent 20
frame his life according to that law
and the light OF Nature. For Holy
Scripture doth set ont unto Us the
name OF Jesus Christ, whereby men
must be saved.
The meaning of both these declara-
tons, of course, is the damnation Of
the heather, no matter how good they
may be under the light they have.
Not knowing Chaist, they cannot be
saved.
The teaching Of the Roman Church on
the subject was thus described by a
Catholic Layman" in The Sun of Fri
day, after consultation with several
learned priests Of this diocese:
"Heathens who have died without op-
pOrtunity TO hear and accept the teach.
Ings of the Church will not be punish
ed eternally for an unbelIef which. for
want Of light, twas wholly out OF their
power to remedy, and in which they
have not been guilty obstinate. All
SUM NiiDs dtbOlu iHS " tutI ODi-
science. have kept the natural laws OF
which men in state of nature have
more or less perception, to wit, not to
kill, not to 3teal, not to lie, not to do TO
others wha5 they would not like to
have done to themselves. who have
adored a Superior Being, and ac-
knowledged their dependence on Him,
according 10 the best light they had
such will find their reward after death
in an everlasting abode and state of
beatitude adopted to their unregener
ated and not supeInaturally elevated
natures
The Catholic teaching. in other words.
is that good heather will be assigned to
a lesser and inferior heaven. The new
Protestant school Of theology, as rep.
resented by the Andover professors.
proceeds much further, the volume pre-
senting their views saying:
ave frankly admit that it seems TO
Us probable that those who in this life
have no knowledge of Christ will not
be denied that knowledge with its cor.
responding opportunity, aftec death.
New York Sun.