The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-01-28

OOOs-.-s-.-.-s..-s-s-.
the great architect OF this creed, that
Christians rejecting this doc
trinC should he burned at the stake.
as Brother Calvin decided in respect
to Brother Scrvctus. No, thank God,
We have outgrown some of the mar
rowncss which so terribly fcttcrcd
some of our brethren during the dark
ages.
Few any longer believe that there
are infants in he'll not span long"
because nOn-clcCt. Even where the
doctrine OF Election is still blndly
held. few have the tcmcrity TO state
their belief that any innocent infant
was prcdcstiuatcd to everlasting tor
turc. But Brother Calvin'S COntcn-
ton expressed in the Westminster
Confession is that there are no innocent
infants-that the condemnation OF
Original Sin was TO eternal torture and
that Adams children. born in sin and
shapcn in iniquity." were therefore not
innocent. but guilty-born under the
sentence of eternal torment and sal
vablc from it only through membership
in the Church OF Christ indeed we
may say that this theory was still
older than Calvin. for did not st. Au-
gustinc first declare the danger of in
fants to eternal torture and the nCccs-
Sity of their being brought into the
Church of Christ by baptism in order
TO escape eternal torture? And is not
if,lt
amongst both l'rOteStants and Catho-
lies, as evidenced by their fear to
have an infant die unbaptized-so that
some, in extreme cases, even practice
baptism in utero|'
Doctrnally Methodism is indirectly
opposed to Calviuism in every sense
Of the word. Possibly Methodists will
have less to Concede than Calvinists,
because, although in Wesleys day the
doctrine of Free Grace was combatted
on every hand. it is now the taCit faith
of the vast majority OF ChristendOm
The doctrine that God had premedi
tated and rrevocably foreordained the
eternal torture of our race except a
handful of the Elect was too horrible
trine Of Divine Love for all and Free
Grace as respects salvation has APP
pealed more and more to the growing
intelligence Of mankind. Nevertheless
we cannot do otherwise than concede
that 1t will matter little to the thou.
sands of millions which all "orthodox"
creeds consign to eternal torture
whether they shall suffer eternal
agonies as "A result of Divine loveless-
ness in foreordaining their sufferings
or to Divine inability to outwork for
their benefit the supposed advantages
Of Free Grace arranged for them by
Divine Love.
The More Excellent Way.
Our suggestion is that now, in the
tapping time Of this Gospel Age with
the oncoming Millennial Age. as the
arc electric light casts the candle of
the past into the shadow, so the clear
er light now shining from the pages
Of Gods Word casts into the shadow
all the doctrines of the dark ages"
relieving us of the horrible nightmare
which once beclouded our hearts and
lives and made us fearful OF our Gre
ator as an alI-powerful. but merci-
less sovereign. In this blessed light
now shining from Gods Book have we
not basis for Christian union! Let
us see. If we can find in Gods Word
that the doctrine Of Election and the
doctrine of Free Grace are both true.
both Biblical, but that one belongs to
IN tn, 81
other to mankind in general in the
coming Millcnnal Age. will not this
solve our problem and give US doe.
trinal unioh instead Of mere federd-
ton based upon the ignoring OF doc
trine! We can all assent to this. there
fore let us examine the facts
The Bible assuredly declares a Di-
vine election according to a Divine
purpose foreordained-but not such an
election as Brother Calvin outlined
God foreOrdained the selection of a
Church, predeStinating the number
who would constitute its membership
and the character Of each one who
would be acceptable as a member. He
foreordained tests of the worthiness Of
ward that should be theirs and Il great
work which they shall be privileged to
do for enthusiastically now, fully
during the Millennium. Accustomed to
the election OF feIlow-citizens to the
Presidency, to Congress- etc, where
they will have the opportunity for
blessing the non-e!ect, we should have
carried this same thought to the Di-
vine election OF the Church. We should
have discerned that the elect Church
the Seed of Abraham" Galatians iii,
29), is specially intended to be the
channel Of Divine blessing to "all the
families Of the earth" Genesis xviii
IA.
How strange that we overlooked this
and the assurance that with the com.
pletiOn Of the Church Messiah would
eXalt her in the First Resurrection"
to be his Bride and ioint-hcir in his
Millcnnial Kingdom, to be established
for the blessing of all mankind. How
strange that we did not notice that