The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-01-17
70 CONGREGAT1ONALIST
PRESBYTERlANS
METHODISTS

~ - S@AElaZA ~
Evidently there will be few people
In these highly intelligent Christian
bodies ready to insist, MS our fore
fathers did, that this element of faith;
Is essential to salvation. Few Of us
would agree. with Brother John Calvin,
the great architect Of this creed, that
fellow Christians rejecting this doc
trfne should BIC burned Mt the stake,
as Brother Calvin decided In respect
to Brother Servetus. No, thank God.
we have outgrown some of the mar
rowness which 80 terribly fettercd
sonc Of our brethren during the dark
ngcs.
Few any longer believe that there
are Infants In hell not a span long,
because non-elect. Even where tie
doctrine. or Election Is still blindly
held, few have the, te1nerity. to state
their belief that any Innocent infant
wns .predestlnated to everlasting tor
turc. But Brother CnIvin's conten-
tTon expressed lii the Westminster
Confession is that there are no innocent
infants-thnt the condemnation of
Original Sin was to eternal torture and
that Adams children. born In sin and
shapen In iniqulty." were therefore not
Innocent, but guilty-born under the
sentence OF eternal torment and sui
rable from 1t only through membership
III the Church Of Christ. Indeed we
may say that tlils theory wns still
older than Calvin, for did not st. Au-
gustinc first declnre the danger Of liz
fants to eternal torture and the neccs
sity of their being brought into the
Church Of Christ by baptism In order
to escape eternal torture? And Is not
the force of this teaching still manifest
amongst both I'rotestnrts aud Catho-
lies. rs evidenced by their fear to
have nn infant die unbHptized-so TINT
some. in extreme cases. even practice
baptism In. utero"'
Dgctrinally Metlodism is Indirectly
opposed to CAlvlhism In every sense
OF the word. Possibly M%ctllodists Will
have less to collccde than Cnlvinlsts.
because. although In Weslcy's dny the
doctrine Of Free Grace vas combattcd
on every hand, II, is now the tncit faith
OF the vast minority OF C~Eristcndom.
The .docirine. that God had prenlcdi-
tatcd ulll irrevocably f~orcordnined the
eternal torture Of u rncc except n
mindful Of the Elect was too horrible
a ono TO stand So the Methodist doc
trine Of Divine Love for nil and Free
Grnce rs respects salvation has APP
,pealcd more anl. more to the growing
Intelligence of mankind. Nevertheless
we cnnnotf Do otherwise, than %conccle
that 1t will matter little to the thoti.
sands of millions which all "orthodox"
crecds consih to eternal torture
whether they shall suffer eternal
ngonics rs n result OF Divine lovclcss-.
ness In foreorlnininE their suffcrlngs
or to Divine inability to outwork for
their benefit the supposed advantages
Of Free Grace arranged for them by
Divine Love.
Tho More Excellent Way.
Our suggestion is that now, in the
tapping time Of this Gospel Age with
the oncoming Millcnnlnl Age, as the
arc electric light casts the candle of
tue past into the shadow. so the clear
or light now shining from the pages
of Gods Word casts into the shadow
MI the doctrines of the dark ages
relieving us Of the horrible nightmare
which. once becloudcd our hearts and
lives and made us fenrful or our Gre
ator MS an all-powerfnl, but mcrcI-
less sovereign. lii this blessed light
low shining from Coils Book have we
not Il basis for Christian nnion? Let
us see! If We a find in Gods Word
that the doctrine of Election and the
doctrine OF, Free. Grace are both true,
both Biblical, but TINT one belongs to
the Church In this Gospel Age and the
other to minkilid in general Iii the
coming Milleiihlal Age. will not tllIs
solve our problem and give us doc.
trlnal union instead OF Il mere fedora
ton based upon the ignoring of doe.
trlne? We ali assent to this, there
fore let lis examine the fncts.
The Bible nssliredly declares n Di-
vine election according to n Divine
purpose forcordaincd-but not stich an
election rs, Brother Calvin outlined.
God f%oreordaincd the selection Of "A
Church.. predestinnting the number
who would constitute its membership
and the character OF each. one, who
would be acceptable rs a member. He
f~orcordained tests OF. the worthlncss OF
these members aud the glorious RE-
ward that should be theirs and n great
work which they Shall, be privileged to
do for mnnkind-limitedly now, fully
during the Millennium. Accustomed to
the election OF fellow-citlzens TO the
Presidency. to Congress, etc, where
they will have the. opportunity for
blessing the %non.c!ect. we Should hive
carried this same thought to the Di.
vine election OF The Church. We should
have dlsccrncd that the elect Church.
tho seed or Abraham" Galatians Iii.
1N. IL SDrrin1Iy intended In hr fin