Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-15
TRUTHS OF A PLAGUE.
Another Eminent Presbyterian Divine
Attacks Predestination.
REV. DR.. VAN DYKE ON FATALIsM.
he Argues That Every Man Is Free to Work
Ont His Own salvation.
HUMAN LIBERTY is FORE0RDAINED
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH. J

NEW YORK, Feb. 14-Rev. DIR. Henry
Van Dyke began course of sermons this
morning in the brick Presbyterian Church
ON "Vital Truths OF the Plague" His sub
ject to-day was: "The Bible Against Fatal
ism: or, the Liberty of Man by the Decree
of God -
DR.. Van DYKE, in the course of his SER
mon,' vigorously attacked the theory of pre-
destination as held by many in the Presby-
terian Church, and argued that each man is
perfectly free to work out his own saliva
tion.
After showing the tendency in the plague
to fatalism in general, the preacher said
that the burning question of the day is
whether man is fated or free. He quoted
from DR. A A Hodge that free will under
lies everything, and if brought to the ques-
tion, is infinitely more than Calvinism.
If free Will is gone the moral system is
gone.
A Clear and Distinct Answer.
Dr. Van DYKE asked his audience to
turn to the Bible, the source of authority
recognized bv Christians as supreme and
final and find from it whether the soul is
fated or free. He added:
The answer is clear and distinct 1t stands
on the side Of liberty. There is spirit in
man which Is made free from the law of
necessity, in order that it may answer to the
law Of responsibility. BY the decree of God
man has liberty to decide between good and
evil. between obedience and disoDedience
TO his Makers Will. and the destiny of each
soul must depend upon that choice. That is
revealed aS fact in holy Scripture. and
facts are the foundation on which our the
GLORY must be putt. We must proceed bv
1fl . OF ion nj
deduction from a definition. We have
10 right TO ignore or explain away
this fact of human liberty in order to make
room for our definitions of predestination
or ioreknowledge. On the contrary, we are
boGnd to limit cur theories so that thev
shall leave room for this fact. But how diff
1crent is the course which men have fol-
lowed il their theology. They say that
there is a divine toreknowledge, and they
20 ON to say that it must embrace all things
because it i perfect. If everything is fore
known they say il must be foreordained, and
every decision of the human will is deter
mined beforehand.
absurd, False and Unreasonable.
But how absurd is this argument, how
false to the facts and how unreasonable un-
der its appearance CT exacs logic. The per-
fection Of the divine foreknowledge consists
not only in its quantity but in its quality.
i il did not correspond to reality it would
rot be perfect. 1t is not foreknowledge of
things as they are not, but a foreknowledge
OF things as they are. If the moral decisions
o. each soul we're determined from eternity
God would foreknow il a. determined. But
since ii Is free God foreknows it as free.
Consider. also, the extreme form in which
the doctrine OF predestination has been
stated and see how il is vitiated by the same
iaiacv. Ii i said that God must have pur-
pose in the creation of the world, which is
true enough, but il is also said tnat this di-
vine purpose must include every thought and
TF4 sfr rnnnl a of ha
that q nd must therefore predestinate every
creature to an inevitable late. This is GER
tainly an example OF accurate reasoning
from incorrect premises 1t is an amazing
assumption to take il for granted that the
divine purpose must include the volitions as
determined. 1t may include them as free.
God Ioreordains whatever comes to pass. 1t
comes 70 pass rhat man has the power of
cnOice between good and evil. Therefore
human liberty is foreordained by the decree
OF God.
The Only Way to Seek tho Truth.
This is the only sound way to seek the
truth. We must not invent logical theory
and then come with it to the Bible for proof |
We must look first at the facts as they are
contained in Gods Word and confined IN our
moral consciousness, and then construct
oar theory in accordance with them. We |
must not confine Scripture to theology: we |
must cOnfine theology to Scripture. We |
must hold fast to the divine revelation of |
y
all human thoughts and feelings under |
an external decree, and reduces the ap- |
parent liberty Of the will to a mere |
power OF fulfilling destiny which was de- |
tcrnlned for every man before creation, is |
a. contrary to Scripture as it is TO our |
moral sense. a theology which makes the |
decisions and actions of our will lin KS in an |
iron chain of predetermined causes and |
effects binds rs to practical slavery, even |
though il faStens the end of the chain to the |
throne of God. But the Bible defends us
from that bondage for il is our stronghold !
against the fatalIsm of the age.
Dir Van DYKE argued that if mans actions
were determined beforehand he would be as
Irresponsible as the dumb animals. All |
through the Bible, Or. Van Dyke said,
mans power of decision was instanced, the |
Apostles following Christ and the Pharisees
rejecting Him: Paul, obedient to the heav-
enly vision, while Felix refused the offer of |
salvation. All this, he claimed, would be
a vain show if an eternal necessity assigned |
10 one man the part of hero and to another
TIE part Of villain These figures in the
pages Of the Bible were real, not cunningly |
devised puppets.
The Bible Against FataIism.
All through the Bible a free choice was
offered. and this, DR.. Van Dyke declared, |
would all be mockery if the choice were
already foreordained by God from all eter-
nitv He continued:
There is no hardening of heart by God
save for those who have first hardened their
own hearts. God Goes not pass bv any door
unless ii has been locked against Him from
within. Men may teach another doctrine.
They may disguise the deteTminism of Hux-
ley in the language of ST. Paul. and teach "a
fataliSm none the less absolute because it
has been baptized. But the Bible cuts all
the knots OF their logic with the sword of
the Spirit, and reveals the TRUTH which our
hearts confirm, that "man is free by Gods
decree. All are free TO resist and perish
or to come and live, and there is no eternal
destiny to divide them.
This, then, is the decision of liberty which
Is contained in the word of God. 1t is the
Bible against fataliSm. 1t surrounds the
freedom OF man by the sovereignty of God,
and defends Ii from all enemies by the Al
mighty power. 1t rises like q wall of ad-
amant against the invasion of the spiritual
world by the dogma of an eternal predesti-
nation OF each soul to good or evil. If you re-
iuse the gospel preached to you. if yon think
that YOU are bound, foreordained, |
lecessltate5. driven by a power within YOU, !
7r above you, or beneath YOU to an inevita-
lie goal, then you have created your own
late. Much has been determined for Won by
causes beyond your control, your circum-
stances, your Inheritance, yonr talents: but
1ne thing has not been determined-whatu use |
you will make OF them. Much has been ad-
7anced beforehand, the conditions of life, |
ihe way of salvation by Il Redeemer; but one
1nF 4 q,