The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-24

tendon which, up to that date, had been formu.
lated, and the Westminster confession OF Faith is
the ripe, rich and perfect fruit Of all the ages pre-.
ceding its growth.
DOCTRINES NOT INVENTED.
The Westminster divincs did not invent the
doctrines that are. in some quarters, so severely
criticized. They did not invent the doctrine OF
election, or prCdcstnaton, or any Of the Five
Points OF Calvinism." They found these doc.
trincs in the writings of Saint Paul, and Of Saint
Augustine, and OF Luther, and OF Calvin and OF
all the reformcrs. They may not have used, in
all cases, the best possible language to express
the doctrines they promulgated, but it will he
acknowledged that their language is always Wig
orous and always Biblical.
Take. for example, the third chapter OF the
confession, which has been singled out by some
critics tor special attack. Read the irS section:
God from all eternity did, by the most wise
and holy council OF His own free will freely
and unChangcaby ordain whatsoever comes to
pass; yet So. thereby neither is God the author
Ut sin nor is violence offered to the will OF the
creatures. nor is the liberty or contingency Of
second causes taken away, but rather cstah.
liShcd" Now, let any one try ~ revise and i'm
prove that language, and | venture 60 say he
will not find il an easy task. But it i, the sew.
ruh section Of the third chapter tina, has rN.
cited the most violent opposition Of the critics.
That section declares that God extends or with
holds mercy lie please. and that lie passes 10y
and ordJius sinners TO 'diShonor and wrath, tor
lhcl sins to the praise o His glorious Justice"
NIGHT HAVE BEEN MISTAKEN.
1t is quite possible that the Westminster Assem-.
bly, made a mistake when They put that para.
graph into the confession, but they made no
mistake in holding the doctrine it embodicS. II
is severe doctrine. but il IL also true doctrine
They found it in the Bible. and they expressed
it in language that It would be rather difficult
to improve. There are those who tell us that
the Westminster dNinrs invented the doctrine
contained in that paragraph, aS well ~ the
doctrine OF the tenth chapter touching "rlect
infants dying in infancy but such persons must
have overlooked those passages Of the holy scrip
ture upon which these doctrines are based. They
must have forgotten what saint Paul says in his
epiStlc To the Romans about Jacob and ESau, and
about PhaoIh, and about the potter, power
over the ClIy," and about the "vCSsels of wrath
fitted to destruction" They must have over
looked that passage OF Gods word which says:
God hath made all things for Himself, yea.
even the wicked Tor the day OF evil"
The tact that two or three paragraphs of our
confession embody and express severe dOcuiue
is no good reason Nhy such paragraphs should
he either revised or eliminated. The urplelS-
ant and severe doctrines of the Bible are just
as true as those which are most sweet and at.
ractivc And it the dsagrccdhc doctrine, en-.
hoditd in our confession be Biblical, then they
mast be tue. ana il true, they ought TO be
retained. Hence the doctrines Of our COMES.
sion should neither be revised nor cNpmgod
until they are proved to be both untrue aud
un+criptmal.