Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-21
The Presbyterian Doctrine
and the RevisiOnists.
An Interesting Paper on Mat
ter Of Creed.
The Difference Between the Nom
Elect and the Elect.
An Interesting and Logical Paper on an
Abstruse Subject-Some Fine TheO-
logical Points Discussed
In Detail.

LMr. John Shirley Ward, in the Occi-
dent of March 9th, has the following
article on "Reprobation in the Re-
vision" 1t is OF particular interest to
Presbyterians and of general interest to
allwho care for theological questions
The revision committee, having pub
lished its report, to be submitted to the
q proper discussion by the church.
We now propose to analyZe briefly
sections and of chapter of the old
Confession, and to compare them with
the same sections as reported by the
committee.
Before doing 80 it may throw some
light on the general subject by advert
ing to the origin of the thought of re-
vision and the wide divergence of theo-
logical views of the two distinct classes
of revisionists.
The earnest and honest protest of
thousands OF educated, evangelical
Presbyterians against tine teachings of
sections and 3 on the DEGREES of God
gave birth to the thought of revision.
A second class OF revisionists, while
accepting and believing the doctrine OF
reprobation as set forth in these Sec
tiOns, admitted that there might be
some verbal infelicities in the language
chosen to express their views, and
hence were willing for such verbal
changes as would take the cold shiver
off of those sections, provided it did not
affect the Calvinism of the creed. In
other words, they propose to conceal the
bitterness of the medicine by enclosing
it in a capsule, or rather, to make the
preterition OF God more palatable by en-
shrining it in softer and more flexible
dialect.
The first class of revisionists do not
base their desire for revision on the
ground of ambiguity Of the language.
They know full well that the Westmin-
ster assembly was called to crystalline
the theology of John Calvin into creed
for Presbyterians, and they know, also,
that chapter was but a reproduc-
tion OF the pith and marrow of the doc
trines of Calvin, as set forth in his In
stitutes OF the Christian Religion, book
3, chapter 81, wherein writing OF pre-.
destination he says: eternal life is
fOreOrdained for some, and eternal
damnation for others;" and further, in
the same chapter, he says: "In con-
formity, therefore, to the clear doctrine
OF the scriptures, we assert that, by an
eternal and immutable counsel, God has,
once for all, determined both whom he
would admit to salvation and whom he
would condemn to destruction.
This was the doctrine of Calvin and
aembly. The men who sat in that
assembly were the peers in accurate and
critical scholarship of the best scholars
of today, and they believed, with all the
intensity of their natures, the creed they
had formulated. There was no ambi-
guilty in it to them. There were no
Talleyrands in that assembly who used
language simply to conceal their
thoughts. They were d-fearing, earn
est, devoted men, and would have gone
to the stake to vindicate their sincerity
but they were not inspired.
To the great mass of Presbyterians to-
day there is no ambiguity nor uncer-
tainty OF meaning in the language OF
these sections; they believe that they
teach just what the Westminster assem-
bly, meant they should teach. They be-
heve, by legitimate and natural con-
Btruction OF language, they teach repro
baton or preterition.
1t ia a criticism of the culture OF Pres
byterians to say that they cannot under
stand the meaning of the strong, pure
English of the confession.
In order to give your readers correct
idea Of what changes the committee on
revision have made in the chapter on
Gods eternal DEGREES, we publish Sec
tions 2 and as they appear in the pres
ent confession and will then note the
changes that are reported.
Present Confession, Section by the
decree of God for the manifestation OF
His own glory, some men and angels are
predestined unto everlasting life, and
Others foreordained to everlasting death
These angels and men, thus predesti-
mated and foreordained, are particularly
and unchangeably designed, and their
number is so certain and definite that it
cannot be either increased or dimin-
ished. "Those of mankind that
are predestinated unto life, God, before
the foundation of the world was laid,
according to His eternal and immutable
purpose and the secret counsel and good
pleasure of His will, hath chosen in
Christ unto everlasting glory, out of His
mere free grace and love, without any
foresight of faith or good works, or per.
severance in either of them, or any other
thing, in the creature as conditions, or
causes moving him thereunto, and all to
the praise of His glorious grace" 4.
Neither are any others redeemed by
Christ, effectually called, justified, adopt
ed. sanctitied and saved, but the elect
alone"
This is section 8, and it has no uncer-
tain sound:
First-It declares that God, before the
foundation of. the world, predestinated
and foreordained definite number of
men to eternal life, without regard to
any act, moral or otherwise, performed
by the individual, but simply by his
free grace.
Second-It declares that none others
"but the elect alone" are redeemed by
Christ.
The whole fight for revision is on this
chapter and its corollaries.
Under the very shadows OF Westmins-
ter hall, where this creed was moulded
into form, along the banks of the Ge-
nevan lake where the national life is
vibrant to the spell of Calvin's genius
around the grave of Scotland's iron
duke, John Knox; from the Atlantic to
the Pacific, Presby yterian battalions are
preparing to make a grand assault to
snatch from the banner of Presbyterian
ism the baleful star of "reprobation"
L.