The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-09-09

your intended application, particular
ar universal, of the phrase ''elect in
fants"? the Confessions very mute
ness says; None whatever. What
cod has not told me, / cannot tell
Won. This / do Itnow; Elect infants
diving in infancy are regenerated and
saved by Christ through the Spirit.
There is no ambiguity in that teach
ing. None patent, as its face shows.
None latent, as an essential element
in the definition shows. Therefore,
none at ALL This is our. conclusion.
Y. IMPORTANT NECESSARY IN
FERENCEs.
/. Let the Confession alone. 1t is a
INIT. As it stands, it can construe
itself A change anywhere may ma
terially damage the symmetry every
where. A body mutilated is a body
weakened DR.. Warfeld is right: the
time demands, not revision, but intel
ligent affirmation.
2. Be serene when somebody tells
YOU that somebody else says that the
Confession teaches infant damnatlon.
Base your defence upon the unambi-
guous Confessions right of self-con-
struction. BE not drawn away from
this impres nable citadel.
3. Do not excessively worry over
what somebody says the Westminster
Divines said. Read calmly Dr. Briggs
book WHITTIER" wherein he quotes
seven Of these "Divines.'' as having
held to infant damnation. Listen
without terror to the anonymous and
spectral shrieker made by misrcpre-
sentation to walk up and down
through all non-entitY saying some
thing about infants III hell d Sl'''"
long"
In only one of the seven quotations.
does Dr. Briggs seem clearly to prove
his point. But what if he had been
successful in all of them? Resort 10
debates and to personal declarations
is not held to be the highest form OF
evidence i'm settling the meaning OF
even admittedly ambiguous docu-
ments: and one unambiguous state
ment from the documents own lips
can chase a thousand.
A. Dismiss the thought that any
thing is the matter with the ConfeS-
sion which is not also the matter with
the Bible. The dissatisfaction with
the clause ''elect infants dying in IN
| fancy" arises from its unambiguous
silence as to any application, univers..
nj or particular, of the word elect
This reserve is a virtue, not vice.
| 1t springs from two causes: the one
general: the other special. Inc
! former is the Confessions oath-bound
allegiance to the Bible. The latter is
its special awe of the whole superhu-
man subject of election. The Contes-
sion takes its own advice. "The doe
trine of this high mystery OF
predestination is to be handled with
| sDecial prudence and care.
But right under it's impressive 81
lence as to the ,nings which are not
seen even in part, the purposes OF COD
as eternity alone can show them-the
church prints the words which make
the salvation of infants as sure as
Christ's own averment and as broad
as the compassion of the heart of Him
who gathers the lambs with HIS
arm and carries them in His bosom.
Right beneath the much traduced
''elect Infants clause are the words
which the Church binds indissolubly
to its teaching: ''And they brought
unto Him infants that He should
touch them; but when His disciples
saw it, they rebuked them: but Jesus
called them Gnto Him and said: sur
fer the little children to come unto
me and forbid them not, for OF such
is the kingdom of God. The
Church thus says: My teaching is as
the width of Christ's outStretched
arms. and as warm as the bosom that
shelters the lamb. Is not TINS
enough?
With reverent spirit, therefore, the
| Confession ventures to the last limit
of divine revelation. With shadeq
eyes and bowed head, it there pauSes,
lingering to adore. 1t hides not the
light struggling down from eternity 5
counsels. but reioices in it-and none
the less because it comes in subdued
splendor and in broken CLEANS. Ihe
| Confession, knows that, with all of the
! Bibles completeness, there are YET
secret things which belong to God:
there is vet another veil which the UNI
seen hand is to rend in twain from
top to bottom. before Jehovah's aw-
! fui throne and then we shall know
who are Gods elect. Here let the
Confession stand before this hidden
and most holy place, saying to the
Shechnah within: Speak Lord; thy
servant heareth.'
CONCLUSION.
Amongst the many defects of this
paper, prepared in the midst of busy
pastors duties, and in the heat OF
summer, the fault of rashness in
choosing position cannot be included.
/ have slowly and cautiously taken
my ground after patient thought and
careful correspondence with breth-
rem in whose judgment ] place very
great faith. 1t is my deliberate con
viction that the Confessions Gibraltar
is the unambiguously Scriptural Con-
] feSSion