West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1902-05-16
MISSION Of Presbyterianismy Dr. Win.

Mission OF Presbyterianism" DR.. Min
ton said in part:
"A healthy and generous denomina-
tionalism need be no hindrance to the
progress of the church; it is only a
narrow, bigoted, selfish sectarianism
that hampers its advance. There is
no es sential part of the church CT
Jesus Christ in any age but may read
these words, and, by the blessing CT
God, appropriate their meaning to
Itself: Without us they should not
essary for every other; each is neces-
sary to the completeness of the whole.
This being so, we find the Divine fran
chise Of the Presbyterian church, as
Of all the others that have Divine
franchise, in this great truth. Today
We stand on the threshold Of new
century. New conditions are open
ing up; new problems are pressing
for solution. History proves that we
have been needed in the past, but
how is it today? Are our ccntribu-
tons out Of date? Is our faith a back
number and is the type Of piety and
character which, by the blessing CT
God, the Presbyterian church fosters.
unsuited to the conditions Of today?
Appeal to Rational Side.
I "Any consideration of the mission
Of Presbyterianism would be incom-
plete if, in the first place, it did not
note the fact as of greatest promi-
nence. that the Presbyterian church
has always held forth to the world
a confessional testimony to what it
believes to be the truth of God. 1t
has not said, with Newman, that all
there is in religion is dogma, nor has
it said, with Schleiermacher, that re
ligion is all feeling of life. 1t hes
Enthusiastically approached men on
their rational side, and assuming that
conviction shapes conduct, it has
aimed to enlighten the intellect and
to persuade the will by the plain pre-
sentation Of truth of God.
''It is idle to deny that strong
counter currents have set in against
this position. Doctrine is belittled
and creed is decried, and many
echoes are sounding out that the
function of a church in these last
days is to cultivate piety and to
quicken the generously ethical impulse
of men-and to stop there. On the
other hand, we devoutly believe that
the call is made all the louder by this
very tendency, for the witnessing
work of confessional church. Let
us not deceive ourselves; this is
theological age; not profoundly so, but
predominantly so, even though it may
think otherwise OF itself. In one
breath We call our age intensely prac
teal and in the next intensely intel
lectual, and both are true. Men are
thinking; intelligence is broader, if
not deeper, than ever in the past, and
it is always true that as men think
either broadly or deeply, they think
their way back to the eternal prob
lens of God. Theology lies implic
lily in the background of all think
ing, and to say that an age is at once
thoughtful and character
istically archaeological is to utter a
contradiction in terms. The man
who denies God has theological no
ton of the being he denies, and the
man who ignored God has theologi |
cal conception of the God whom he
more or less deliberately chooses to
ignore.
Testimony Held Forth. |
"Other communions may respond to |
other calls, but Presbyterianism has
ever answered to the rational call of |
the human mind for the truth of God;
and if this ministry is to cease today, |
then it must be because that call has
died away. But that call will never
die until the psychology Of the human
heart is changed, until the truth of |
God has ceased to be the means EN-
ployed by the Holy Spirit In saving |
men, and until something else than |
the truth shall be able to make men |
free"