Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-03-09
NUMBER 43.

minimizes man and exalts God This is
what dIsturbs DIR. Vincent and others of
like mind. PauPs utterances were too
much In the interest of the ring of the
: elect, as, for example, when he says, And
we wthat all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to His purpose
Now, leaving out the last clause, how well
this declaration would fit into creed of
which the universal atonement idea is the
predominant feature. But the rub for
these men is the last clause. All things
, work together for good to a special class.
The difficulty which DR.. Vincent and
others have with Paul only shows that the
trouble Of which many of the advocates of
revision have complained is not, after all,
located IN the Confession, but in the Word
of God"
The Christian Union says: factions
oeak louder than words. To the platform
o. DIR. Storrs we venture to affirm Liberals
wi Il make no objections. To the adminis-
trza ion in Boston they do object. They
find, in fact, that administration using the
Boan to indorse some seminaries and to
oppcSa others; submitting students from
lone sea linary to questions not propounded
to str1Is uts from other seminaries; refusing
men wihs do not accept the hypothesis of
future F,N 'bation for any man, because they
refuse to d 'cept the dogma of the decisive
nature Of IL is lifes probation foFsSlif man;
rejecting mt of open minds and acknowl-
edged spirIsI al elements of power in their
faithI in a SEA rch after 'catechisms' on legs
and reporter of seminary lectures; in
short. admirist ering their trHst, if not for
the purposing winning theological vic
tory for party in the church, atleast in fear
lest the other pal ty should seem to have
won victory L )r. Storrs has the ear and
carries the convict ions of the churches; but
thus far DR.. Allen has had the ear and
carried the votes of the Prudential Com
mittee. We have a, lmirable letters from
DR.. Storrs and pro- 4criptive and polem-
ical policy from the missionary rooms.
The issue between Dr. Storrs' platform and
DR.. Aliens administration is more clearly
marked, if that were possible, by this let
ter than ever before. Its for the churches
to decide between the two. And unless
either the Prudential Committee adopts DR..
Storrs' platform by commissioning Mr..
Covell on the papers already in their
hands, or the Board at Minneapolis de-
clares itself in terms which the committee
at Boston cannot misfnterpret, or the COM
mittee of fifteen provide without delay for
giving the churches direct voice in the
constitution of the Board we do not see
how the churches can declare themselves
on this issue except by following the ex-
ample set them in grave constitutional
crises by the English Parliament, and re-
sorting to the power Of the purse"
The Christian Register (Unit.) says: "The
Rev. DR.. Storrs has written another letter
to the Independent on the subject of the ad-
ministration of the American Board. DIR.
Storrs makes it clearly evident that he
does not mean to favor the Procrustean
method of dealing with candidates for
missionary work. He declines to set him
self in opposition either to Andover or
Bangor, New Haven or Chicago. He asks
for men of earnest temper, mot catechisms
on legs His letter contains also express
sions of sympathy for candidates entertain
ing certain doubts that have not reached
disabling conclusions But it is made
distinctly clear that no one is to be sent
as missionary who afirmatively holds the
theory that opportunity for repentance
unto eternal life is reserved beyond the
grave for those who have here not heard
the Gospel Liberal and concessive as is
the spirit of DR.. Storrs letter, it is in itself
sad Indictment of Christianity. For
this eminent preacher and orator we have
the greatest respect, and his kindly spirit
is shown in his desire to put as much
elasticity into his system of theology as it
will bear. But Dr. Storrs well knows that
it cannot be bent beyond certain point
without breaking. 1t is not and cannot
be orthodox to maintain that there is any
hope beyond the grave for repentance to
those who have not heard the Gospel
here. In taking this ground, DR.. Storrs
is consistent; but we repeat that is sad,
indeed terrible, Indictment, not of the
heather world, but of Christianity itself.
Did the Board take the opposite ground,
and refuse to take missionaries who de-
MED the opportunity for repentance here
after, it would seem to.be more in accord
ance with the better spirit Of our age. To
limit the mercy of God in its relation to
human souls to brief spark of time on
this small speck of globe, and to suppose
that through the infinite future an unde-
veloped soul, heathsn OF Christian, is to
have no opportunity for redemption from
selfishness and sin, Isl gospel of hopeless
pessimism, even though 1t wear the name
of Christianity"