The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-22
SEATTLE, SUNDAY, APRIL ~.
The Need for a Confession OF Works.


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The Need for a Confession OF Works.
The demand within the Presbyterian
church for a change in the expression
Of its creed IL causing a widespread dis
cussion Of religious formulate In general
and OF the Westminster Confession in
particular. Said DIR. Parkhurst in his
pulpit last Sunday:
I'VE ough. to have new confession
Of faith II ID surprising that the Pres
byterian church In able to do as much
AS It Is doing with such an incubus
strapped upon us as we are lettering
under In our present confession. In the
first place the thing needed Is not a
system Of theology. for that Is what o,f.
present confession is, but simple. brief
Saxon statement OF half dozen OF the
vital ingredients of Jesus Christs mes
sage to the world. could get along
with a confession Of faith containing
but the little that Jesus said when he
was trying to make Christian Of Mic
odemus, At any rate we want
new creed. Amending this one will
not meet the necessities OF the case.
Better give II dignified place in the
museum for what 1t is than knock 1t
to pieces and revamp II for what 1t is
not"
The construction OF creed seems to
be one Of the most dficult and danger
Gus feats of intellectual engineering
that can possibly be undertaken. II IL
hardly probable that It win ever be
satisfactorily performed.
The strong feeling In favor of rcvl-
sion that exists in the PRESBYTERIAN
church today is based largely upon the
feeling that the Westminster Confession
IL too explicit upon points. such as the
doctrine of future punishment. upon
which no emphasis was laid by Christ
himself The deepest religious feeling
OF the time lays It's stress upon action
'"'tN' Nhof 'ritrts dNl IN convinced
that the religion which Christ taught
has 10 do above all else with the life
We now live. Theological discussion
about state Of future punishment
seems futile, almost childish. TO the
man who looks out upon the world and
back into his own heart and sees that
simultaneous al Il
table but immediate Nemesis Is less
than days journey behind us all. We
suffer now TOR yesterdays misdeeds.
We are Judged at sunset FOR the morn
ing's sin. Hell is being what one woull
not be, and most OF US are IN &C. who
has 10 await some far-on Judgment day
TO feel the worm that dle,h not2
so, too. with the doctrine OF eternal
life, for Il also Is here and now. whether
or not Il is over yonder as well. and
this Is the eternal life, that they might
know thee, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ. whom thou has sent''-that Is
10 Hay. the man who Is able on the one
hand 10 divine and to ycarn Tor II.
finite goodness. tenderness, justice.
power aud en- the other hand 10 rscog-
niKc and 10 strive 10 follow the pattern
OF these qualities inearnate. Is already
leading the life eternal There are thous-
ands OF ssverent Christians who believe
tha, the word eternal" throughout the
New Testament is used In this sense
OF quality rather than In any sense u
duration; and who. therefore. when
questioned as TO the groundwork Of
their belief that that which Is eternal IS
immortal also, can only plead the ever
lasting fitness Of such a survival. and
Christs words. "It Il were not ~. +
should have told you H.
II. then. it is possible 10 deduce with
equal plausihui,y from the New Tesla
ment these doctrines which are the last
words Of liberal Christian thought, and
the ironciad statements OF tho West
minister Confession. does II not seem