Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-09-15
Daniel Webster's Greed.
The Avowed Religious Belief of the Great
Statesman.

The Avowed Religious Belief of the Great
Statesman.
In these times of Theological unrest"
and shifting definitions of doctrine the
following reprinted from q newspaper of
twenty-f years ago, will be read with
| interest
| DR.. Smith of Concord, n. H., has pub
lished the following letter of Daniel Webs
ter to the Rev. Thomas Worcester. form
erly pastor Of the Congregational church
in Salisbury, n, H., which is accompanied
with a confession of his religious faith
| both OF which are in his own handwriting !;
| BosCAwEN, August :, IS07-Eear Sa: The
| other day We're eonversipg respecting con.
| tesslons OF faith. Some time ago | wrote down
| for my own use a few propositions in the shape
Of articles, intended tn exhibit very short sum
mary Of the doctrines of the Christian religion "a
| they impress my mind. have taken the liberty
to lnclose copy for your perusa. l am str
| with respect, yours, ETC.
| DANIEL WEBSTER.
| II believe In the existence Of Almighty
God. who created and governs the whole
world. | am taught this by the works of
| nature and the word of revelation.
Il believe that God exists in three per-
sons; this learn from revelation. Nor is
it any objection TO this belief that cannot
comprehend how one can be three or three
one. hold 1t my duty to believe, not
| what | can comprehend or account for,
| but what my Maker teaches me.
II believe the Scriptures of the Old and
| New Testaments to be the will and word
| of God.
81 believe Jesus Christ to be the Son Of
God. The miracles which He wrought es-
| tablish in my mind His personal authority,
and render 1t proper for me TO believe
whatever He asserts. believe, therefore,
all His declarations as when He declares
Himself the Son Of G.d, As when He de-
| clares any other proposition. And be-
lieye there Is no other way of salvation
than through the merits OF His atonement.
II believe that things past, present and
to come are all equally present in the
mind of the Deity; that with Him there is
| no succession OF time. nor Of Ideas that,
therefore, the relative terms past, present
and future. as used among men, cannot,
with strict proprlcty, be applied to Deity.
believe iu the doctrines OF foreknowledge
| and predestinatlon as thus eIpounded
| do not believe In those doctrines as mpos-
| ing any fatality or necessity on mems ac-
tions, or any way infringing free agency.
| II believe In the utter inability of any
! human being 10 work out his own saliva
tion without the constant aids of the
Spirit Of all grace.
II believe in those great peculiarties Of
the Christian rcligion-s resurrection
from the dead and day Of judgment
II believe In the universal providence
OF God. and leave to Epicurus and his
more unreasonable followers in modern
times the Inconsistency Of believing that
God made a world which He does not take
the trouble of governing.
''tlfhDuuh | hav. ureat rpsy.rt fnr .pr,a
other forms Of worship, | believe the Con
gregational mode. on the whole, to be
preferable TO any other.
Il believe religion TO be a matter not OF
demonstration. but of faith. God requires
US to give credit to the truths which He
reveals, not because We can prove them,
but because He declares them. When the
mind Is reasonably convinced that the Bl-
bic Is the word Of GOD the only remaining
duty is to receive It's doctrines with full
confidence of their truth and practice them
with pure heart
II believe that the Bible Is to be under
stood and received in the plain and obvious
meaning Of its passages, since cannot
persuade myself that "A book Intended for
the instruction and conversion of the whole
world should cover its true meaning in
such a mystery aud doubt that none but
IlilINS anu lutIOSbtItIS Ndu NlStp'tf IT,
II believe that the experiments and sub
tletes Of human wisdom are more likely
to obscure than to enlighten the revealed
will Of God, and that he is the most accom-
plLshed christian scholar who hath been
educated at the feet Of Jesus and in the
college OF fishermen.
II believe that all true religion consists
in the heart and the affections, and that,
therefore, all creeds and confessions are
fallible and uncertain evidences Of evan
gelical piety.
Finally, | believe that Christ has i'm
posed on all Hi, disciples a life of active
benevolence; that he who refrsins only
from what he thinks TO be sinful has per
formed but part and a small part of hi.
duty that he j. bound 10 do good and
communicate, to love his neighbor, to give
food and drink 10 his enemy, and TO en-
dcavor SO far as in him lies, to promote
peace. truth, piety and happiness in
| wicked and forlorn world. believing that
in the great day which is to come there
will be no other standard of merit, no
other criterion Of character than that which
Is already enthusiastically their fruits ye
shall know them.