The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1907-05-17

ward God and faith in Jesus Christ
as his personal Savior.
Over against the Calyinistic doc
triue of a limited atonement-that
emphasizes Christ's death as being in
behalf Of the elect only-Cumberland
Presbyterianism teaches that Christ
died for all men, in the same sense
making possible the salvation of every
poor sinner.
Where Calyinlsm teaches that the
future destiny Of every soul is deter
mined by his election or reprobation
even before it had an existence, Cum
berland Presbyterianism teaches that
the eternal destiny of every man is
determined By whether he accepts or
rejects Jesus Christ as a personal
Savior.
The best and clearest statement of
Cumberland Presbyterian doctrine
that / have ever seen is that "Jesus
Christ has by his atonement for sin,
made possible the salvation of every
human being, and certain the saliva
tion of all who believe on Him.
There is neither Calvinist nor an
Arminian on the face of the earth who
will accept this proposition as whole,
nor Is there one who can disprove its
truthfulness as whole.
The man who can disprove it don It
live, for it is the truth and no man
can disprove the truth. The man who
accepts it is neither Calvinist nor
an Arminian, but Cumberland Pres
byterian, care not where he holds
his church membership.
Brethren, believe, have always be-
lieved, that Cumberland Presbyterian
theology was neither Calvinistic nor
Arminian, but that it embraced all
that was true in both these systems,
and that it embraced none of the OBJ
jectionable features of either.
In this belief / am warranted by
every writer on either theology or his
tory in the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church, with the single exception of
Prof. r. v. Foster, who is and has
always been an undisguised Calvinist.
/, of course, do not know what their
private views may have been, but do
know that in every line and word ever
written by the five immortal Bs of
the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Baird, Bird, Blake and
Burney, they contended for just what
l have said.
But while some have gone out from
us, and have gone back into the noun
tains of Calvinism, like mother
cruelty stabbed to the heart by her
own children, the Cumberland Pres
byterian Church comes to-day, sore
and bleeding, back to the community
In which she was born, to stand upon
the plain upon which our fathers. all
long since gathered home to heaven,
stood, and to lift again, and Ii it be
possible, higher than ever before, her
system Of doctrine, and
to unfurl the banner trailed Ia the
dust by traitors never worthy of her.
just as Balak, the King of the Moa-
bites, hated the camp of Israel and
oribed Balaam, a prophet, to curse
them, so have the despisers OF Cum
oerland Presbyterianism bribed, by
promise Of ''larger things, ministers
II our own ChUych to turn against her
ind betray her.
Many Of our brethren have gone
his day upinto the mountain heights
If Calvinism, and are breathing the
,ostly odors and Intoxicating fumes Of
by means Of which they .
rope to be rendered insensiEle Of all
for the sad havoc they |
rave wrought. :
But, 1t IL said that when the Ro-
mans immortalized one of their EN-
erors, they called witnesses to testify
hat they had seen him 60 to heaven
ut of the fire.
This evidence was a strong intima-
ion that the fiery trial had passed !
pom him. II fiery trial can render I.
q institution immortal, then the y
cumberland Presbyterian Church, as {
be stands to-day, is certainly i'm 4
lortal. II
-Four years ago, suddenly as clap OF y
hunder from clear sky, the first fell 4
5roke at the life Of the Cumberland J.
resbyterian Church was made. At G
ne first our people stood aghast, and 4
sasoned that these trusted leaders ;.
,rtalnly intended US 20 wrong. G
Certainly we mean 40 harm. = said 4
lie leaders. I'VE are simply putting 5
up to the Pfesbyterians to acknowl- 6
lge the rightness Of our position or q
my II" !.
The leaders said. IN nrfvate. ~ fG