Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-06-13

Suppose all were true that has been
charged against the Mormon peOpl,
as the result OF their religion, would
not the Divine Ruler responsible for
all these evils. still be paragon Of viz
tue compared with the cruel Being who
would predestine a hapless soul CWhetn-
er adult or infant--O, horrible thoughtD
Irrespective Of the innocence Of It's life
TO the endless and Infinite torment Of
hell-and a Presbyterian hell at that2
Yours inquirlngly
YOUNG MORMON,
The foregoing letter, from Il valued
friend, suggests some remarks on the
subject brought before the country by
the action Of the Presbyterian Assembly
at Los Angeles. To anyone who believes
In God as Just, merciful and loving
Father, the notion that He before Gre
ating the human family, by Divine de-
cree predestinated and foreordaIned
some men and angels unto everlasting
life and others TO everlasting death w
seems 50 awful and absurd as to cause
adherence and disgust, Yet that Is
one OF the plyots of the Presbyterian
creed and am essential Of its Comics
sion Of Faith"
1t is further asserted In that creed
that
"Those OF mankind who are thus pre-
destlnated unto life,' We're SO chosen
'0ut of His mere free grace and love,
without any foresight of faith or good
works or perseverance in either Of them,
or any other thing In the creature, as
conditions, on causes moving Him there
unto; and all TO the praise Of his glorl-
Gus grace"
IL Is further declared that,
"These angels and men thus predes-
tinated and foreordained, are parlcu-
larly and unchangeably designed and
their number is so certain and definite
that II cannot be either increased or d.
ruinshed,"
Nor can any of them be lost for it Is
announced that "they can never fall
from the state Of justification" though,
for time, they may by their sins fan
under Gods fatherly dispeasure.' The
Confession asserts also that:
"They whom God hath accepted in
His beloved. effectuaily called and sane
titled by His Spirit. can neither totally
nor finally fall away from the state of
grace; but shall certainly perseyere
therein 10 the end and be eternally
saved"
AS TO the others, the creed says.
"rhe rest OF mankind, God was pleas
ed, according to the unsearchable cOun-
sci Of His own will, whereby he extend
eth or withholdeth mercy as He pleas
eth, for the glory Of His sovereign pow
er over His creatures, to pass by and to
ordaln them to dishonor and wrath for
their sin to the praise Of His glorious
justice
The unfortunates-all but the few
who are predestined to be saved in
christ--are said to be ordained unto
everlasting death" and further that;
works done by unregenerate men,
although for the matter of them they
may be things which God commands,
and OF good use both 10 themselves and
others; yet because they proceed not
from an heart purified by faith
they are therefore sinful and cannot
please Cod or make a man meet 10 re-
ceive grace from God"
And again the creed declares:
"Others not elected. although they
may be called by the ministry Of the
word. and may have some Of the COM
mon operations OF the Spirit yet they
cannot truly come unto Christ and
therefore cannot be saved much less
can men not protesting the Christian
religion be saved IN any way Whatso-
ever be they ever so diligent to frame
their lives according 10 the light of ma
ture and the law " that religion they
do profess. and 70 assert and maintain
that they may is very pernicious and to
be detested.
All these lost beings dncluding the
entire heather world are doomed by
the foreordination Of God to "all miser-
les spiritual, temporal. and eternal. for
"the souls OF the wicked are cast into
hell, where they remain ia torments and
Ntter darkness" The description OF
those everlasting and incessant tor
msnts, given by The most eminent OF
Presbyterian diyines, is so frlRhtful as
10 cause a sensation OF horror In every
humane breast
That awful Doctrine has not been
changed. modified or set aside by any
action Of the Assembly at Los Angeles
The article Of the confession as to elect
Infants has been explained, so as to ex-
cmpt all children dying iu their infancy
from that eternal damnauou IN endless
torment forcordained for the non-elect
The original article remains. however
IN the creed unchanged as to It's word
ING. as follows:
ELECT Infants. dying in infancy are
regeneratcd and saved by Christ
through the Spirit. who worke,h when,
and where and how he pleaseth. So
also are all other elect persons, who are
lncapabe Of being ouiwardly called by
the ministry OF the word.
The logical Inference from that para
graph is thar as there are elect I'M
fants," there are some who are nom
elect; as there are other elect persons
saved after similar fashion
IN contradstlnctIon 10 those who
are not elect Il Is pleasing
TO know that The creed has been So
modified Ia lbs meaning as 10 embrace
among the saved an children dying
IN their Infancy. so contrary TO that
old Announcement from Calwnistic
pulpits familiar In our boyhood that
"shefe are coantless infants in he'll,