The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-01
LIBER.L.ZING OF CKEEDs.

Calvinists, is the Westminster Confess
enter the Presbyterian ministry are
compelled to subscribe. This confess
sion, so far as it relates to Gods eter-
nal decrees," is as follows:
BY the decree of God, for the mani
festation of His glory, some men and
angels are predestinated unto everlast-
ing life and others foreordained to
everlasting death. These angels and
men, thus predestinated and foreor-
dained, are particularly and unchange-
ably designed; and their number is so
certain and definite that it can not be
either increased or diminished.
Those of mankind that are predestin-
ated unto life, God, before the founda-
ton of the world was laid, according
to His eternal and immutable purpose
and the secret counsel and good pleas
ure of His will, hath chosen in Christ
unto everlasting glory, out of His mere
free grace and love, without any fore
sight of faith or good works, or per-
severance in either of them, or any
other thing in the creature, as condi-
tons or causes moving Him thereunto.
grace.
AS God hath appointed the elect unto
glory, so hath He, by the eternal and
most free purpose of His will, foreor-
dained all the means thereunto.
Wherefore they who are elected being
fallen in Adam, are redeemed by
Christ, are effectually called unto faith
in Christ by His Spirit working in due
ittSf
fed, and kept by His power through
faith unto salvation. Neither are any
other redeemed by Christ, effectually
called. justified. adopted, sanctifed
and saved. but the elect only.
The rest of mankind He was pleased,
according to the unsearchable counsel
of His own will, whereby He extendeth
or withholdeth mercy as He pleaseth,
for the glory of His sovereign power
over His creatures, to pass by and to
ordain them to dshonor and wrath for
their sin, to the praise of His glorious
justice.
These ideas of glorious justice" have
proved peculiarly revolving to advanc-
ed Christians and have led to a move
ment of withdrawal from the ministry
of the Presbyterian Church which can
only be stopped by revision or civili-
z2tion of the creed. That such a re-
form is coming may be judged from
he expressions of evangelical pulpits
al over the world, not excepting Ha-
wall, where the spirit of eighteenth
century theology survived longer than
1T did in the New England churches,
where 1t had so dark a manifestation.
A new creed for the evangelical
churches, most of whom have in the
past taken more or less color from
Presbyterianism, seems to be in pro-
cess of definition. Theology is left out
of it and the simple early form of
Christianity let in. Honolulu pulpits
have lately heralded this new dispen-
sation in wise words, as witness Mr..
kincaid's sermon of Sunday week,
wherein he said:
What then becomes of the great
doctrines of our faith? To be a Chris
tan must not one hold certain views of
the Trinity, of the atonement, and of
the church,"
The first answer Is very simple Here
are men all around me to whom some
OF the great truths of my faith are alb
solutely meaningless. They are more
precious to me than diamonds but
they find little or no significance I'm
them. What shall / say then? Shall
L say that they are not Christians?
God forbid. by their fruits We shall
know them" 1 go back to Jesus and
listen as he instructs his disciples as
TO how they are to distinguish his true
followers. Does he say that only those
who accept the doctrine of the Trinity.
ana some particular ones of the atone
ment or the church are his followers?
On listen. He that is not against us is |
on our side; for whatsoever shall give
you cup of cold water in my name. |
because you belong to Christ; he shall |
not lose his reward"
The Rev. Mr.. Hay spoke as follows
on Sunday morning last:
The faith which the early church |
preached was faith in a person: not |
faith in church, nor faith in doc
trines. Personal trust in a personal
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. was
the faith of the ancient Christian and
1t is the vital element in the faith of
the modern Christian. The Master
said, whatsoever shall confess me be-
fore men him will confess also before
my Father which is in heaven. But
whoever shall deny me before men him
Will L also deny before my Father
which Is in heaven" Peter confessed
Jesus. Upon comparing other script-
ures we find an agreement concerning
the subject matter of the faith reouir-
ed-as in John 20:30, 81. Acts liza
1928. John AIS, John ST..
This confession made by Peter is So
simple that child properly taught
can make 1t and so comprehensive that
the most learned theologians with life
long study do not exhaust IT, but
await with delight the ampler under
standing of its terms which the life to
come shall reveal.
There is long backward road be-
tween these declarations and those of
Jonathan Edwards which defined evan
gelical Christianity in the previous