Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-06-21

ana nau u consult the big dictionary
for meaning. OF course we have to
make new words all the time to keep
up with inventions and science, but
these words are old, us old as John
Calvin, and they seem to have ere
atcd a mighty discussion in making
up the Presbyterian Confession of
l'aith,at Westminster Abbey 25O
years ago. was pcrusing an cdi-
torial in New York paper in which
il was stated that over forty Pres
hytcrics of the Northern church
were in favor OF amending The Con-
fcsSion of Faith and going back to
SupcrapSarianSm, which was the
doctrine OF John Calvin. That the
Westminster Confession vas sublap
sinaran and not Calyinistic. That
'"1s revelation to me, and so have
been reading up on these ahstrusc
things and find that there was Il long
and bitter discussion ut Westminster
rs to whether God dccrccd the doe
trinc of election before the creation
of man or after he fell. Calvin de-
clarcl the former, which he called
SublapSinarianiSm, but the West.
minister Assembly declared that the
decree o! election and rcprobation
was not determined on by God until
-Adam had sinncd and fell. tell
you, my Christian friends, those two
long words are to the common mind
AS unintclligiblc and incomprrhcnsi
blc as were "unintclligibility" and
"incomprchcnSibility" to me when n
school boy. | have got along with
out them all these years and am
not going t" strain my mind with
them now. There is enough in the
Sermon on the Mount to guide us
and comfort us in the Journey of
life. These old-timc theooyians
were desperately in earnest on doe
trlnal matters, for they were in a
mighty controversy with a mighty
foe and no man had a right to be.
licvc as he pleased and be at peace.
Even Calvin had Scr,ctus arrested
and burned rs Il hereto because he
denied the trinity Of the God Head
Scrvctus was n Unitarian i'm faith
and a good man in all the relations
Of life. Sometimes ! fear we have
too much complcxity Of doctrine.
! mean some Of the preachers and
thcologianS Of the schools. The
people are all right and give them
selves very little concern about doe
trinc. Thcy want preachers to
preach about life and duty, how to
live and how to die. 1t is not doe
trim" that takes converted people
into this church or that church. 1t
IS ASSOCIATION - prcdilcction - our
ia'Ilc'S were lIiVrc or our mothers or
our special friends, and we wor-
shipped there or attended Sunday
School when children, and we feel
more at home there. The urculiar
doctrines Of this church or that
church are not considered. Not one
member in ten can tell the difference
between CalvInism and Arminiansm,
and doubt vhc;hcr a dozen Con-
fcSSions Of Faith can be found
among the members Of any prcsby-
trrlan church in Georgia.
What the humble Christians Of
any Protestant church want is a
simple Christian faith untanglcd
with ab,truSc doctrines and long
words Of learned length and thun-
dcrimg sound. They put our
Heavenly Father away off almost
out Of reach, though st. Paul de-
clarcs that he is very near to every
vic VI U.s. itN'tll SpHlt verses lnal
come home to me whenever | hear
a preacher indulging in doctrines
concerning election, prcncstinaton
and free agency and shooting away
over the heads Of the people.
\ parish priest Of AuStcrly
tlimcd up Il high church stccplc
TO be nearer God, and from there hand
down
Ills word unto Ills people.
When HE sun was high,
When the sun was low
lie sat unhccdimg Suhlunary things,
And with the Lord was ever pleading.
Now and again when he heard the crcak
OF the weather vanc turning,
He closed his eyes and said: II know
From God | now am lcarning.n
Ills pi"uS thoughts he daily wrote.
Thinking that they came from heaven
lie dropped them down on his people $
heads
Twice every day in seven.
In his old age COD called " id:
Come down and die,
Aud he cried from out The Stc,
"Whcrc art thou, Lord 2"
And the Lord replied: