The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-10

seemed to be a forgotten sound amidst
the roar OF the battles God s saints were
Waslng for the truth. in the Westminster
days; They saw truth imperiled. and
sturdily. like heroes of a heavenly COM
mission, they fought and bled and died
Tor 1T. They stated much of Gods truth
with bold and matchless clearness. and
they produced what has been we'll termed
the consummate flower of the reformed
SYMBOL. But they forgot their march
ing orders. They heard no inspiring and
eager word of evangel and conquest.
And when they made the creed of West
minister, as to any transcript of Gods
mind relative to vast and periShing
heather harvest fields, they were dumb
70 the command of the great commits
sion and to the cry Of heathendom they
answered not a word.
Brethren, in the dawn of this greater
missionary century, let US break this sad
silence of our creed. How can we stand
clubbing about changing our confession,
and refuse to let into it this great mis-
slonary doctrine and duty Of world wide
discipling? And surely no better place
can be made for this last order of our
Master shan in the~brief restatement Of
our faith which we may lift to the sight
of our hammered host and fling before
the new century as our conviction, our
testimony and our battle cry.
Z. But restatement comes to its chief
crown and glory in the superior possibili-
ties IT furnishes for setting forth the
gospel in some worldwide aspects and re-
lations.
Across our confession could Justly be
written these words: THE gospel for the
elect only" l say this with the profound
est respect for the fathers and in the
fullest appre citation of the doctrine they
brought outfits orderly succession, It's
mastery definitions, it's grasp Of the deep
things of God, its spiritual reverence. it's
exhibition Of the sovereign, changeless,
eternal purpose, and It's consummate ex-
altation of man redeemed But 1t was
written under the absolute dominance of
one idaa-the doctrine of predestination
based on the unconditional sovereignty of
God So Christ is mediator for those and
those only who were given him from
all eternity to be his seed" So those thus
predestined, ''and those only are effec-
tually called. So those effectually called,
down through the successive chapters,
the justified are adopted, the adopted are
regenerated and sanctified. The grace Of
faith is given only to "the elect" The
perseverance of the saints to the end
depends upon the intmutabilty of the
decree Of election" This is the logical
fession pertains only to the duties, cblf-
cations, privileges, relations and final sal
walton of those thus chosen from all
eternity to be Christ's seed: except so far
as 1.-The rest Of mankind get incidental
notice, and at length are given over to
everlasting death.
BELIEVE IN DIVINE ELECTION.
do rot ute this rigid order of thought
to condemn it. l do not for one moment
arraign the doctrine Of divine election.
L oelleFS III II, INA IN all the issues or
1t. And for the gospels Astounding ard
superabounding fullness to the elect, I
thank GOD. But to shut it up to the elect
is to take away something of its glory,
and because the confession does this, |
plead for a restatement of our faith that
will better keep the gospel balances
There are three great truths of scrip
tHfe that are the peculiar gl3ries of the
Son of God Gods love for lost world,
Chr1st.s compassion for a lost world,
and the gospels universals for lost
world. If these are not the scripture,
nothing is the scripture. If these are
not part of the good news we are COM
missioned of God to tell. then there is
no good news to tell. But they are not
in our Presbyterian confession of faith
not one of them.
Go search our confession for on une-
qu1vocal statement of Gods love for ali
men as sinners. You will not find it
You Will find set forth Gods goodness
1dence; you will find God himself set
forth as most loving, gracious, merci-
full, torglying iniqnity, tranSgression and
sin, but not word under Creation
or providence or the covenant with
man." or Christ the mediator" or any
where, that sweeps out beyond the elect,
and tells Of Gods love for dying worla
Other CalVanistic ereeds of Christen-
dom find room for this y bite lily of God
But II shut up to our Westminster con-
fession you would not know, without
Bible, that such a fair flower of divine
grace had ever bioonned,
So, too, with Christ's compassion for
the lost. See Him seeking the lost sheep.
per, seeking to compel the lame and
halt and blind to come in. He did in
deed say that those hidden who refused
| should not taste His supper" But they
| were hidden. He wanted them to come
| in. He used kind Of loving violence to