The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-01-23
Election and Prcterition.

Tho committee Of tho Presbyterian Cen
eral Assembly who are engaged in revising
their revision OF the Westminster Confess
sion. deserve the sympathy OF all good and
reasonable men. The task set before them
is hard. They are instructed to keen
the Calvinism OF the Confession uninlpaired.
and yet they must satisfy the great body
OF Presbyterians to whom the system seems
to be altogether hateful.
They are men OF much intellectual ability.
and generally they are well-trained logi-
clans. but in order to perform the task re-
quired OF them they must sacrifice their rep
utation for reasoning capacity and present
themselves to the world as ignorant OF the
significance Of terms within the comprellen-
sion OF the most ordinary intelligence.
They must make 2 and 9 equal 5. or, ut
least not equal as matter OF necessity.
OF course. the foundation Of the Cal vim
istic system is the doctrine OF election, with
its consequences of prcterition and the
dnmnation of tho heather and OF infants:
but the whole movement for the revision OF
the Westminster Confession had its origin
in a revolt against that doctrine. Except
for it. tho committee would never have been
appointed. All the other Wort; to which the
revisers have addressed themselves was
trivial as compared with the amend
ment Of tho Confessions articles touching
election and prcteriton. or the passing by
of those whom GOD did not choose to elect
to salvation. To keep Calvinisnl. and yet
to destroy its corner stone and the pillar on
which 1t rests. was therefore the superhu-
man and impossible labor imposed on these
unhappy theologians.
The Calvinistic theory Of election Is sim
ply that as GOD knows all things. as for
Him there Is neither past nor present. as
whatever happens was decreed by Him be.
fore all time. and as some Of mankind are
to be saved and some lost. He must have
known from the beginning and decreed
from the beginning exactly and particu-
larly. the Dumber OF the redeemed and OF
the damned. After stating this doctrine.
so far as it applies to the elect. the Con-
fcssion proceeds to define thus the conse-
quent doctrine OF preterition. as it IL called
by theologlans:
'The rest of mankind IoD was pleased according to
the ursearchable counsel OF His WILL whereby He
ex'endeth or wishhodeth mercy He peaseth for the
glory OF ms sovereign power over His crestureA to
pass BY and to ordan Them to dshonor and wrath for
their sin, to the praise OF His glorious justice"
Nno' 40 c'ea' ehouSh 10 % cOnprehenSl-
Bile by the simplest intelligence: bnt 1t Is
an uncomfortable doctrine for many Of the
Presbyterians Of our day. They do not like
to believe that GoD ordained anybody to
"dishonor and wrath" merely "for the
glory OF His sovereign power over His
creatures" 1t seems to them cruel. NOR
strous: and yet very few Of them have the
courage to got rid OF it wholly by declaring
their keli.f that Con did not plumber the
damned und ordain their daInation. for the
reason that there is no dalnnation. They
prefer to omit I'll reference to the Disagree
able subject IT, the Confession. as 1t is now
omitted In a. most every polite pulpit. But
the Commit 70 Of Revision could not satisfy