The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-09-03
OF Extremity in Either Direcdon-t
Short Greed in Harmony, With
/. " the Confession.

Snort Greed in iHarnonys With
the Confession.
AS stated In the In,elllgencer ,satur-
day, there will be. meeting OF the
Washington Presbytery Tuesday at
Mount Prospect near Burgettstown.
Pa, for the purpose OF voting on the
proposed change in the creed OF the
Presbyterian church Yesterday morn
ing at the Third Presbyterian church,
the pastor, Rev. 5R. r. Bigger. preached
an Interesting and timely sermon on
The Revision Question" In, the course
OF his discourse DR.. Bigger said:
1t Is! we'll known fact that within
the next few days the 239 presbyteries5
OF our great church Will discuss and
vote upon the question OF What shall,
We do with our confession of faith?""ss
The confession OF faith, including the
larger and shorter catechisms. consti-
tutes what is known as the Presbyte-
rlan, Standards Some authorities In
clude the form OF government; and the
book of discipline in the standards.
But the question which is now before
the church relates chiefly to the cons
fession Of faith. in which is contained
our system of doctrine. This is not by
any means q new question. For $50
years the Westminster has been the
symbol OF q great, most intelligent and
ever, growing body OF Presbyterians
over the Notwithstanding world. And
for the same length OF time It has ex-
cited opposition on the part OF those
who were Jealous for other systems OF
faith and church forms. During all
this time, not only from infdels, but
from Arminian pulpits, bitter things
have been heard against our system OF
doctrine. There Is no system. OF relig.
!ous truth which has been longer and
more fercely assaulted than Calvinism.
Time and again 1t has been charged
against 1t that 1t made God tyrant
and the author OF sin: that It denies
mans free agency and made man a ma
chine, etc. Tofread these opprobrious
charges one would think that Presby-
terians wear horns on their heads ani
have cloven hoofs. But will venture
to say that In the esteem OF the world.
both religious and irreiigious, the people
Of no church stand higher IN respect to
Whatsoever things are true, honest,
Just and OF good report, than those
whose lives have been shaped under
the. Influence of this awful(?) system of
Calviaistic doctrine.
What Calvirism Has Done.
1t is also an amazing thing that, II
| cur church holds such God dish0noring
views. that 1t should have such glo-
r!ous history, and that It should now
number more than 4 million comnunt-
cants. The Calyanlstic system has also
had . mighty influence In the world for
true manhood and 1t has done wonders
in behalf OF human liberty. The Rev
DR.. Mead c. Williams says: The New
England Purftans. the Scotch Cove
1ante.s. the Cromwellian soldiers the
sixteenth century reformers OF Eng
land and Switzerland ard Holland are
all Illustrations OF CaIvinlstic intiu-
ence." Bancroft says: He who does
not respect the memory OF John Calvin
knows little OF the origin of American
liberty" Froude. the great historian.
said: "Calvinism IS the spirit which
rises in revolt against untruth: the
spirit which has appeared ard reap
|! pe2-ed. and in due time will appear
again unless God be a delusion and
man be as hebeasts that perish. James
Russell Lowell In speech affirmed that
the doctrines OF CalvinIsm produced
some OF the strongest and nob!est
characters the world has ever seen, the
very fiber and substance of which en-
during commonwealth are made.
And yet all the time while caivinism
was doing so much to form strong
4 characters in men. and to make liberty
loving nations. 1t has been flercely az
saulted. No. No. The ugly things
which are being said against our con-
fession OF faith are not new and orig.
(. iua'. They are old charges revived.
They are musty with age. They are not
coincldent with the scientific spirit OF
our times IS some have supposed.
"Advanced Thinkers
The only novel thing about the recent
criticism against our confession IS that
It has ccme from within our own ranks.
. There Is a class OF ministers In our own
pulplts who seem TO think that in order
to be advanced thinkers" they must
1 asseII the doctrines OF their church:
| yes, even some of the books OF the
Bible. Among these men have been
Briggs. Smith, McGlffert and Hills, all
os whom. thank God. the Presbyterian
church as gotten rid Of But there are
few little Briggs and Smiths and Nc
| Gifferts scattered throughout the
church who advocate the throwing
away OF our confession of faith.
Ny advice TO such men Is this: II
you can find 4 church which stands for
anything or nothing. which you seem
| TO desire. than get out OF the Presbyte-
rian church. and the sooner the better.
We can get along better without you
than with you. Do Us Hills and McGit-
fert did: we are getting atong nicely
without them.
This applies to those who advocate
the destruction OF our present stand
ards. not TO those who desire moderate
revision.
At this juncturc 1t may be well FOR
me TO state the different views with
reference to the revision question. One
OF our able papers proposes that new
\. creed be prepared 80 which alone min
listers and elders shall be required to
4 subscribe" That the confession and