1889 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

the Confession. Indeed, I find my soul recoiling from thesestatements with increasing rather than diminishing force. I readof the distinction between preterition and reprobation which ishere so nicely allowed for, but I find my mind still almostfiercely rebelling against theR1168 : page 5dogmatic statements I here find. I find also, on comparing noteswith those who, like myself, know little and care less about thetheological subtleties, that the idea of God which this chapterpresents is utterly abhorrent to them. And I cannot help feelingthat there is something in their experience of moral revulsionthat is as worthy of being taken into account as the logic of thesystematic theologian. If, as some of us believe, we haveGONE BEYOND THE WRITTEN WORDin order to the completeness of our system, the quicker we getback there the better. It is proposed to insert in this chapter thirdsomething concerning the love of God which will, and speciallyas inserted here, relieve the hardness of the Confession, and dowhat many believe it now fails to do as it ought--put God beforethe world more as the New Testament reveals him. But we aretold this is altogether unnecessary; that this truth is by no meanslost sight of, and to prove it a number of clauses are gatheredtogether from different portions of the Confession expressive ofthis truth. Inasmuch as they have been picked out and puttogether we shall have to confess that they are there, but weshould never have surmised it, from the simple reading of theConfession. This truth, it strikes me, is of enough importance tobe put where we can find it without searching for it. It ought tostand forth so plainly that no one could help seeing it. I am gladif there are any upon whom the Confession already makes thisimpression. There are a good many of us upon whom it doesnot."As for the section on elect infants, I for one do not care, exceptas a matter of historical knowledge, what meaning it wasintended originally to convey. I know what meaning it wouldconvey to the average mind of to-day, and I doubt whether anyamount of historical information will make him believe it meansanything else, and that is that, of those who die in infancy, someare elected to salvation and some are not. The PresbyterianChurch does not believe this."----------And yet, if you ask a Presbyterian what he believes, he willrefer you to the Westminster Confession and Catechism. And ifyou attend an installation service, you will hear the vow of theordained man that he will believe and preach only what thiscreed declares to be the truth. Notwithstanding this, Dr. Schaffdeclares that he subscribes to it with mental reservations; and