Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-30
TALMAGE'S NEW IDEA,
Bessie Bramble Thinks it Differs
Little From Ingersoll'S.
REVISION SEEMS TO BE GAINING,
Opening the Church Doors to Those Given
to Worldly Pleasures.
DISCUSSION SETS MEN TO THINKING


every Week through the medium OF the
press is DIR. 7. De Witt Talmage, of Brook
| lyn. In addition to his high position in
the great Congregational Tabernacle, he
has also become editor of the Christian
Herald, which, through his influence, is ex-
pected to reach the highest circulation OF
any church paper In the country, and with
the income of which the new Tabernacle is
to be mainly built.
But while Brother Talmage is thus build
| ing up his reputation as a preacher and a
business manager, ard magnificent temple
beside, he is no less engaged, it would seem,
in the still more tremendous work of pull
ing down and destroying the creed 80 we'll
known as the Westminster Confession OF
Faith, which the Presbyterian Church has
so tenaciously held since its doctrines were
formulated by John Calvin, over three GEN.
turies ago, and which at his ordination,
Brother Talmage most solemnly pledged
himself to support and defend. He
even talks of the founder of Calvin
ism with considerable disrespect, and
afirms that be could "call the names of 20
living Presbyterian ministers of religion
who could make better creed than John
Calvin" and adds that "the nineteenth
century ought not to be called upon to sit at
the feet of the sixteenth, nor should the
men Of to-day be called upon to hide their
heads under the sleeve of the gown of q
sixteenth century DOCTOR"
TALMAGE AND INGERsoLL AGREE.
He therefore plainly asks that Christians,
many of whom are only half liberated, and
many of whom are bound hand and foot by
religious creeds, should have their Calvin
istic bandages taken of-should have their
old-time prejudices removed, should have
their souls and bodies freed and be loosened
and let 60. This is also the demand of the
eminent agnostic, Ingersoll, who has done
so much to "loose men and let them co."
and the main difference, it would appear
now, between the reverend teacher of the
Tabernacle and the famous radical Ia that
the latter would not only let go the doc
trines of Calvin, but would revise Moses
and the prophets, and even the apostles,
while the former is willing to let the creed
and Calvin 60 together, but he wants to hold
on to paul, one of whose chapters on the
subject" he says, "are better than all of
Calyin's Institutes, able and honest and
mighty as they are."
1t must make the cold shivers 90 creeping
down the backs of the orthodox to hear these
understand from them how far he has got
along in following the footsteps of the skep-
tics who have criticised Calvinism and de-
nounced its leading doctrines for so many
years. DR.. Talmage expresses sorrow that
the question of the creed has been disturbed,
since it did not hinder Christian ministers
from offering the pardon and comfort of the
gospel to all men, and SAYS boldly for him
self that ''the Westminster Confession has
not interfered with me for one minute"
NOT LIVING UP TO HIS CREED.
This would seem to indicate that he has
not been living up to the doctrine he was
ordained to uphold, but has been running
along on his own hook, offering salvation
to everybody whether, by decree of cleo
tion, they were entitled to it or not He
has gone over to the Wesleyan idea, and
has been dealing out "free grace" with Q
liberal hand, although predestination is the
very keynote of Presbyterianism.
In CaIvin's day Brother Talmage would
have been roughly hauled over the Goals BY
the church authorizes, and very likely have
been prosecuted and banished, as was
Jerome Bolsec, who presumed to attack
Calvin's views on predestination, or perhaps
burned at the stake, as was Servetus for
questioning the Genevan doctrine. Ger
tainly in the times of the Puritans the great
preacher would have been driven out into
the wilderness, or had his ears slit or his
tongue cut out by the Pilgrim Fathers if he
had publicly advocated doing away with
the creed entirely and getting up "a brand
new one, which is his announced position
to-day.
"a man who believes in the damation of
infants himself deserves to lose heaven"
SAYS Brother Talmage, hence, as follows, he
gives up wholly the doctrine OF predestina-
tion, since one includes the other.
TALMAGE's NEW CREED.
That Brother Talmage has got very far
away from the teachings of the Fathers is
very evident. Having, as it were, burned
his bridges behind him and given up the
old creed in favor of a new one, he says:
''I move for a creed for all our denomina-
tions made out of the Scripture quotations
pure and simple. That would take the
earth for God-that would be impregnable |
against infidelity and Apollyonic assault
that would be beyond criticism, and result |
in the church of millennium" He an
nounces that "faith in Christ is the one |
essential to salvation, is the one criterion,
the test, the pivot, the indispensable" and |
insists that people shall not be hindered BY |
the idea that they are not elected"
"a mar" he asserts, "need not believe in |
election or reprobation. He need not be- |
lieve in eternal generation of the Son. He |
need not believe in everlasting punishment. |
He need not believe in infant baptism. He |
need not believe in plepary inspiration.
Then. as if all this was not sufficient. sur
render 10 the skepticism of the age. he
argues that people should not be kept out OF
the church because they drink wine, or
smoke cigars, or attend the theater and play
cards. or drive fast horses-such tests of fit
ness not being, as he says, sanctioned by
the Bible. There is one passage of Scrip
ture wide enough to let in all who ought to
enter and keep out all who ought to stay
out, and that is:
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and
.hou shalt be saved"
THOSE NOT INCLUDED.
The announcement, it will be admitted.
s hard on the 100000 Jews-the chosen
people OF God-it is severe on the IA, ,OO0, 900
'intoos the 10000, 900 followers of Confu-
ius, the 10000, 900 Hindoos, the POI, ,OOO,-
100 Mohammedans, the $40, 900, 900 Budd-
lists, and the 175, 900, 900 set down to other
,eliefs, though it may be comfortable and
asy enough for the 1888, 900, 900 Christians
# the Roman, Greek and Protestant
These figures, when carefully
onsldered, appear to support the doctrine
t election which DR.. Talmage repudiates,
ince the number of Christians seems to be
he elect few, who have been favored with
evelation of Christ, while the great ma.
ority of over 600, 00O, 900 are left in the
arkness of heathenism.
1t hardly seems fair that all of this mighty
1ultitude-to say nothing of those who
receded them-should be left outside
wathed ir the cerements of ignorance. |
ound hand and foot in errors chains and
lndered by pagan creeds from laying hold
the one essential necessary to their saliva
on, as held by DR.. Talmage, and urged by