Connecticut western news., 1900-04-26
brand new oue.

an appropriate creed for our times. John Calvin was great and good man, but he died 336 years ago. I could call the names of 20 living Presbyterian ministers of religion who could make a better creed than John Calvin. The nineteenth century ought not to be called to sit at the feet of the sixteenth.
 Doubtful Destiny.
 But" you say, it Is the same old Bible. and John Calvin had that as well as the present student of the Scriptures" Yes; so 1t is the same old sun in the heavens, but in our time it has gone to making daguerreotypes and photographs. It is the same old water, but in our century it has gone to run ming steam engines. It Is the same old electricity. but in our time 1t has be- come a lightning footed errand boy. So 1t is the old Bible, but new applica- tions, new uses, new interpretations. You must remember that during the last 300 years words have changed their meaning, and some of them now mean more and some less. I do not think that John Calvin believed, as some say he did, in the damnation of infants, although some of the recent hot disputes would seem to imply that there Is such thing as the damnation of infants. A man who believes in the damnation of infants himself deserves to lose heaven. 1 do not think any good man could admit such a possibility. What Christ will do with all the ba- bies in the next world I conclude from what he did with the babies in Pales- tine when he hugged them and kissed them. When some of you grown peo- pie go out of this world, your doubtful destiny will be an embarrassment to ministers officiating at your obsequies, who will have to be cautious so as not to hurt surviving friends. But when the darling children go there are no ifs" or ''buts" or guesses.
 We must remember that good John Calvin was logician and a metaphysi- elan and by the proclivities of his na- ture put some things in an unfortunate way. Logic has Its use, and metaphys- ics has its use, but they are not good at making creeds.
 Harmony Not Necessary.
 What time we have had with the dogmatics, the apologetics and the her meneutics! The defect in some of the creeds is that they try to tell us all about the decrees of God. Now, the only human being that was ever com petent to handle that subject was Paul, and he would not have been competent had he not been inspired. I believe in the sovereignty of God, and I believe in mans free agency, but no one can harmonize the two. It is not necessary that we harmonize them. Every ser mon that 1 have ever heard that at- tempted such harmonization was to me as clear as a London fog, as clear as mud. My brother of the nineteenth century, my brother of the sixteenth century, give us Paups statement and leave out your own. Better one chap ter of Paul on that subject than all of Calvin's institutes, able apd honest and mighty as they are. Do not try to measure either the throne of God or the thunderbolts of God with your lit tie steel pen. What do you know about the decrees? You cannot pry open the door of Gods eternal counsels. You cannot explain the mysteries of God s government now, much less the myste- ries of his government five hundred Quintillion years ago.
 I move for creed for all our denom- nations made out of Scripture quota tions pure and simple. That would take the earth for God; that would be impregnable against infidelity and Apollyonic assault; that would be be- yond human criticism. The denomina- tion, whatever Its name be, that can rise up to that will be the church of the millennium, will swallow up all other denominations and be the one that will be the bride when the Bridegroom com- eth. Let us make 1t simpler and plain CT for people to get into the kingdom of God. Do not hinder people by the idea that they may not have been elect ed. Do not tag on to the one essential of faith in Christ any of the innumera- ble nonessentials. A man who heartily accepts Christ Is a Christian, and the man who does not accept him is not a Christian, and that is all there Is of it. He need not believe in election or rep rotation. He need not believe In the eternal generation of the Son. He need not believe in everlasting punishment He need not believe in infant baptism He need not believe in plenary inspira ton. Faith in Christ is the criterion Is the test, is the pivot, Is the indis pensable.
 But there are those who would ado unto the tests rather than subtract | from them. There are thousands wh(
 would not accept persons into churcl membership if they drink wine or i | they smoke cigars or if they attent
 the theater or if they play cards or i l they drive a fast horse. But do no | substitute tests which the Bible doe
 not establish. There Is one passage o | Scripture wide enough to let all ia wh, ought to enter and to keep out all wh
 ought to be kept out, Believe in tn | Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt b. | saved" Get mans heart right, an,
 his life will be right. But now tha
 the old creeds have been put unde
 public scrutiny something radical mus
 be done. Some would split them, som
 would carve them, some would elongat
 them, some would abbreviate them. A
 the present moment and in the presen
 shape they are a hindrance. Lazaru
 Is alive, but hampered with the ol graveclothes. If you want one glori
 ous church, free and unincumbereG
 take off the cerements of old ecclesias
 tical vocabulary. Loose her, and le
 her go!
 | In the Shadows.
 Again, there are Christians who ar
 under sepulchral shadows and fear
 and hoppled by doubts and fears an
 sins long ago repented of. What the
 need Is to understand the liberty of tn
 sons of God. They spend more tim
 under the shadow of Sinai than at tn
 base of Calvary. They have been sing
 ing the only poor hymn that Newto