New Series, Vol. IV, No. 14.
snutitau prolThriait.
THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 1867
LIBERAL BUT NOT. LATITUDINARIAN.
All that we give and all that we ask of
liberty in interpreting and accepting, the ,
Standards of Our Church is such as , a fair
and reasonable judgment of the
, documents .
would allow. Forced interpretations of the
teit'and radical departures from the dee
trines are out of the qaestion,,whether in
the interest of liberty or Of b r gotryfor they
may be made to serVe' heal, For our pur=
poses we discard them." We have no wish
to open the dOor 'to latitudirkarianism, or to
set the Presbyterian Church at sea without
compass or chart, in these stormy times.
Over those stormy seas the steady, light of
Presbyterian doctrine has beamed afar. It
has been neither shifted nor dimmed nor 'ex
tinguished. Great, irreparable to human
view, would be the loss, if the rising tide of
error should sweep that steadfast light from
its moorings. But it only obscures the light
or circumscribes its range to blend with it
too much of human philosophy; to insist
upon its minor points; to contend earnestly
for example, as if the whole faith once de
livered to the saints was at stake, for the
difference between mediate and immediate
imputation, to elevate to the rank of a lead
ing dogma, some theory of the precise rela
tion of the sin of Adam to my nature and
destiny, and to give Calvinism the peurile at
titude and mission of a sort of patent logic
machine, by which the attributes and gov
ernment of God, the character of man and
the universe itself are to be epitomized and
shown up to the entire satisfaction of the.
spectator. Calvinistic systems of that sort
are dark-lanterns. Should they be lost or
stricken from the recognized developments
of the doctrine, it would rather be like taking
the bushel off the candle and setting it on
a candlestick where it might give light to
all in the house.
'However, it is not our purpose at present
to boasb of the'services rendered by our
theologians in clearing and intensifying the
light of these doctrines, great as Nte believe
those services are. Our aim is simply to
show the claims of those views, which'have
been disparaged as " New School," to equal
recognition with any others entertained in
the Presbyterian Church of this country.
We desire to show the falseness and the
folly of the. charge of looseness and latitudi
narianism and " error," which is brought
against these views, by which old prejudices
are kept alive, a sound basis of re-union ren
dered impossible, and the hollowness of the
pretended union sentiment of some. is ex
posed.
Are, then, our views on Native Depravity
and the imputation of the sin of Adam " lati
tudinarian ?" The Confession defines Origi
nal Sin to be the " want of the righteousness
wherein he [man] was created, and the cor
ruption of his nature, whereby he is utterly
indisposed, &c., unto all that is spiritually
good, and wholly inclined to all evil."
Larger Catechism, Q. 25. (The first clause
of the answer will - be considered tinder the
topic of imputation.) With this statement,
and with what seems to us its plain mean
ing, we agree. The controversy here turns
upon the interpretation and connection of
the parts of the sentence. Is the corrupidon
spoken of in the second member a distinct
original fact in the constitution of the fallen
soul, or, as President Edwards teaches, is it
simply a consequence of the defect—" the
want of righteousness "—mentioned in the
first member ? Says President Edwards:—
" There is not the least need of supposing
that man is conceived and born with a foun
tain of evil in his heart, such as is any thing
F..Operly positive. The absence of positive
good principles and the withholding of spe
cial Divine influence, leaving • the -common
natural principles of self-love, natural appe
tite, &e., to themselves, without the govern
ment of superior Divine principles, will cer
tainly be followed with the total corruption
of the heart withorA occasion for any posi
tive influence at all." (This view of Presi
dent Edwards is fully endorsed by Dr.
Irodge:—Commentary on Romans, p. 290,
edition of 1864.) Others may teach that the
corruption is something independent of, and
additional to, the defect; not related to it as
effect to cause. They may believe that sin
is a positive, physical, original principle in
the soul. Yet it would be a bold and intol-
JohnA Weir
1 8july67
erant style of interpretation to maintain
that this view alone is consistent with the
meaning of the pas'sa'ge,' grid to brand file
causative view as dissent from the teachings
of the Confession.
A more important question has arisen as'
to whether, before actual transgression, in
fants are regarded as deserVing the wrath Of
God for the mere:Possession of such "a de=
fective and:' consequently corrupt nature?`'
Nbt whether` they are corrupt or 'Whether
they'need 'regeneration,—there is no differ
ence•of opinion on this point,—but whether
they personally deserve punishment for - the
depraved condition in whieh they born ;
Certainly one Could not infer it from'thb
language of the Cateehiion as quoted. Pos
sibly the Confession may be regarded 'as
teaching this doctrine in VI. 6, Where
clares that "every sin, both original and actu
al, being a transgression of the righteous
law of God and contrary thereunto, cloth, in
its own nature, bring OM upon the sinner,"
&c. ' This clauSe, if it'-proves anything,
proves too mueh. From the use of the act- .
ive word '" transgression," 'it is evident that
something more than native depravity is meant
by original sin. Native depravity may, in
deed, be deScribed as a Want of conformity
unto; but surely no as a transgression of,
the law of God. For, according, to one - Of
the issues of the 0. S. Board (which we use
in training the children of our own family,)
transgression is distinguished, from " want
of conforinityP by -the definitiOn: 'Doing
what God forbids." . (Catechism for Young
Children, .Qu.3o ) The Confession, there
fore, in speaking of " original sin" as a
" transgression," must have intended to char
acterize the sin of Adam. Only by bringing
in some act of sin Could they warrantably
use the Word "transgression,"according to the
definition of the word giv6 : ri by th&Pregby
terian Board. And no act of man . can be
described as original sin but the individual
first sin of Adam. We therefore boldlY deny
that, the Confession in VI. 6, or 'anywhere
else, by fair •construction, requires :us to be
liege'that the mere possession of a depraved
.nature is a 'crime. '
•
Those who-choose; may aseribe it to .r
the
authors of the Confession'; they . must not
raise the cry of "latitudinarian" bedause
we choose to consider the Westminster di.-
vines bettermasters of the English language
than their theory requires. Or, if they as
cribe to them the realistic view of the elder
Edwards, by which Adam did not represent;
but actually was the cellectiVe huinan•race,
so that his actual transgressions are my act
ual transgressions, and his original sin was .
an actual transgression of himself and all his
posterity, then they are Welcome to their
theory of the philosophy of the . Confession,
but they must not force it upon others; nor,
if it'can be substantially shown that such a
theory 'does underlie this section, can they
reckon itS denial as "latitudinarian." Dr.
lodge repudiates the realistic theory over
and over again in his Commentary on
the Romans. At all events, the denial of
physical sin, and of personal ill-desert 'in the
mere possession of a depraved nature is a
dissent from a certain interpretation of the
Confession which is at once damaging to the
literary character, and the good sense of the
Westminister divines. And if those divines
really meant to teach the doctrines which
most New School men reject, they assuredly
could not have considered them vital to the
system, or they would have put them in
language more readily and certainly under
stood iu that sense.
On this doctrine of native depravity, such
veterans and standard-bearers in our Church
as Dr. Duffield and Mr. Barnes teach the
very essence of the doctrines of the Confes
sion. Says Dr. Duffield: "Infants dome
into the world, not only destitute of this
[the image of Godj but with a nature in
clined to evil and only evil." "Original sin
is a natural bias to evil, resulting from the
first apostasy, leading invariably and cer
tainly to actual transgression." Mr. Barnes,
in his Commentary on Romans, speaks of
men being born "with a corrupt disposition."
"There is something antecedent to the moral
action of his (Adam's) posterity and growing
out of the relation they sustain to him, which
makes it certain that they will sin as soon
as they begin to act as moral agents. What
this is, we may not be able to say, but
. we
may be certain it is not physical depra
vity or any created essence of the soul, or
anything which prevents the first act of sin
from being voluntary. This hereditary ten-
PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY APRIL '4, 1867.
dency to sin has been' Usually,6alled
I, .
sin; and this the apostle eVidently tea,ches.' ,
"There'is therefore need of' the' hlOo r d 'bf
Atonement; and of• the agency of the Holy'
Ghost that an infant may- be`Sakred.''" Thege,
We suppose are some of the • peddlarities
Mr. Barnes' theology, which,l'aceerding to
our O. S.• coternporaries, arel`to be' denied
equal rights, in the proposed reunited 45hUrdhi
Witlitheltheology taught at'f'rinCeton:“.
'Where then is the very.egsenc l eof thie'
doctrine more truly stated ith'an 'IA 'these.
ivOrds? What ground' is there'fOr the `COn'= ,
ceit that such doctrine savours . of,' open
the door to Pelagianism;' which ''m'akes'
the infant nature pure. an traces the-first
sin to external circumstances? Where
room for Dr. , N. Wi'TaylOris theory; that
under Other imaginable 'eireditthtancesthe
fallen:nature niight have developed into' holi-.
nogg instead of depravity? Grant aly'that
man' poesegseS. , at -•hirth. (natdre•Aotally
and in itselfhOpelessly depraved, and ivhatie='
mainske the doetrine•worth dispiiting:about,
or calli n g hard names, odthiSinde On that ?
Itniay .be an interesting: qUestien whether.
the Confession teaches a little .More than
this of not; 'but :is:it one 'Ossential :to 'the
great system of do'ctrine taught in the Con-
fession? Is any one adopting the :doctrine
,
.as thusstated, to ibe required , to-add 'any
thing, further to his belief on; this point; in
order le ,prove' himself so far a Calvinist?•
ThoSe r who hold to. the total, innate depra
vity:of the race are sufficiently sound to`en
joy, unquestioned; 'every right of -ministers
and
. members in the - propcfsed re-united ,
Presbyterian 'Chureh of the• United 'States
Those who would. require in , addition the
belief, = which : mayor' May : not be., in the
Confession, that the mere i)oseession• of
such a nature, is a matter of personal ill,de
sert, and who would make, this subordinate
and donbtful matter a -test :of oithodoxy
and of membership,,are the darklante,rrr Men
of> Presbytery. Not only should: they 'be
forbidden to prescribe terms ;union, but
they should be admonished ttatutheir own
status' in the Only re,-united ClArc.th eVer-liki3-
ly to be formed, will be a question of charity
on the part of :the union men of both bodies.
A RESPONSE FROM THE "PRESBYTERIAN
.BANNER."
The Presbyterian; Banner (9. S.) of 'Fitts-'
burg, one of our most highly esteemed and
valuable potemporaries, makes : proMpt re
ply to,our.,:question,- designed to elicit the .
degree in which our !‘ Old Schoor l brethren
have grown in the grace of liberality, and
to,discover the precise nature of the:Union
feeling in that body which, whatever it is,
has made some remarkable demonstrations
in the last four . years. The Banner Votes
largely from our columns. to show ,our own
liberal position, questions our , right to sub
ject it to catechism on the subject ; and more
than intimates that we have no business
with the subject at all, since it is in the
hands.. of Committees appointed for the ex
press purpose. The idea that the_ appoint
ment of a Committee on a _subject of: uni
versal interest and importance renders dis
cussion indelicate, is one to which the editor
of the Banner is welcome, as his < private:
opinion. Certainly it is not one acted-on,in
Scotland, where the discussion of-the sub
ject of Union ever since the appointment of
the joint Committees; has been most, lively
and most extensive„ If we remember right
ly, it was at the suggestion of the Commit
tees, who wanted light on the subject, that
these discussions were systematically carried
on. And we see no reason why the matter
should not present itself just so to our own.
Committee. For our partove are not apt
to fill our editorial columns with one subject,
when the mind and heart of the people is
occupied, and reasonably occupied, with,
quite another. But here is the answer of
the Banner:
If by "New School Theology" we are to under
stand the peculiarities of tlieology'as they appear
in the works of ALBERT BARNES and Dr. BEMAN ;
we say most unequivocally, that•we are not in favor
of it being "recognized as having equal rights in
the Church with that taught in Princeton, Alleghe
ny, Danville, or Chicago."
The Banner• further declares itself to be for
Union on the basis of the Standards; which
declaration, interpreted in the light of the
quotation just made, means the Standards in
the sense given them by the "0. S." party.
The position of the Banner, therefore, is
clearly the same with that of the. Presbyte
r•ian of this city. By Union it means uni
formity, which is quite another thing, and
wht;llyd as'awe think the Ban-
erftself m ust know
Ilke 'Whit 11 o . Vir fO - r the answer 'Of the only
r6Erfainiiigo - rgan of the body` whOse senti
. .
ments on the subject.have ..riot been definite ,
lr expressed, but 'which at the' same time
has is6en , the most zealous'advoCate: for re
union; the. Presbyter. Tile last nuMberi quite
excePtionally;•contitins nothing whAtever on
the editoi's: favorite:
OUR' LONIION CORRESPONDENT.
::r;.• lid4dx;,liarcll, 1867.
"The fliibilioA - subject, to all men's thought:
subject', _ gets
who go' bde step below the, siiilaoc; is still
RituatiSm. The Times; which Cook: the sub-
pet up 'very vigorously,' Suddenly dropped
itUStiaty , Wild a column or two-devoted
dairy - Willa subject, and 'co - natant Corres
pondence 'Of 'much interest , : now, all
might have no exiStenee,
for a - reader'4 the Times, faving' that' some
dr'ear'y case- or Other which drags' 'slow
and:serpentine way throughthe Ecelesiasti
cat Oohrts; brief •riOtiCe in . "the law
reptift"'of - the 'day. " One permanent good,
howeVer, dame:of its VigprOuS, though brief,
oiletditht. The Reco7'd newspaper is the or- .
ganef-the 'Evangelical 'party.: So'rmich - is
this - the'ease that's large bulk of the .
Evan
gelicals go by the name , of '"Becordites."
The Paper is - sound, , tho Ugh Poorly edited:
It:appears three times' a week; and 'has
Very large circulatiOn: 'RS:Polley, so far asit
has any, isthatof "Do nothing ;wait, watch,
but-'hold en:by the endoviments." Siirred up
_by the' Timis;it started a :Vigorous—vigor
'one for it-crusade' Against Ritualism. It,
'too, deVotes no* a &Annan . or .two to facts: on
`Ritualisin; 'but after the - silence of the
Times, it is not likely to continue long. •
One phase 'Of - the questioniii . rather start
ling. The Bishops usually hold a' meeting
at'tainbeth Palace previous to the meeting
of - the Parliament and COtriOcation. At
their 'Meeting this year, it appears,' they
discussed, in a brief way, the subject* of
Ritualism; -and issued- the result' of - their
deliberation in the form of a " Judgment"—
which Was laid before, and accepted by, both
House§ of Con - Vocation. This "Judgment"
is curious. This word "Judgment" has
at least two meanings. In the sense they
use it, it can mean no more than " opinion ;"
hut for obvious reasons they prefer the word
"judgment." They would like to have the
power ,of pronouncing effective "judgment"
agam, both on men, things, and doctrines.
At present they are tied hand 'and foot, and
their mouth is so far gagged . that their
"judgreent" means no more than "opinion."
The "judgment" was drawn up, it after
wards appeared, by the Bishop of Oxford,
and all men who knew him, knew, whatever it
may seem to mean, it can really practically and
mean nothing. " Tinieo Danaos- et dona fer
entes."
The judgment, however, reads well. It
speaks loudly against novelties; speaks
against inhovation—above all against assim
ilations to Rome; advises ratber.the concili
ation of Nonconformists—as if he of Oxford
cared for Dissenters !—and in the close re
commends all cases Of doubt and difficulty
to be brought before the Bishop. That is
the ridiculus mus, which this parturient
mountain has brought forth. To all sane
men the meaning is clear; a sop to the die
senters; a "Hush, hush, be still !" to the evan
gelicals; and "Meanwhile, ye Ritualists push
on your lines; keep all you have got, stand
fast, watch your opportunity, then press on."
Meanwhile if protests, memorials, coin
plaintS, resolUtions—on paper—can be of any
service, the work is being well done, 'for
that sort of thing is abundant. "It was re
solved, seconded and carried unanimously
that" so and so, and such and such; then
the meeting goes away home in the individ
ual fragments that composed it, the local
Times reports the thing in full, and:there the
whole matter is at an end. Everybody
supposes that now the thing is done, and
yet the thing is not even well begun. The
Ritualists do not speechify much, nor r,?solve
much, on paper; they go on acting; the thing
is consolidating, and spreading, and all see
ing men are wondering whereunto this thing
will grow.
Perhaps two exceptions might be made;
the first what we might call a.County meet
ing, held at Dorchester, straight under the
nose of the Bishop of Salisbury, who is a
Papist in all but name, a meeting of the
laity presided over most ably by the Earl of
Shaftesbury, and attended by the elite of the
G-enesee Evangelist... No. 1089.
town and t county. Things got called by
their right names; the speaking was excel
lent,-bold, out-spoken, fearless; the one grand
mistake, was ( that nothing whatsoever was
done. Resolved, resolved, resolved—on pa
per;
,and then, "now let us go home for our
dinnerAbrAhe 'evoningg are, dark and cold
just now t "-and there the matter ends.
E - xception the, second.—a course of lec
tures 'in St. .lames!s Hall, London, on the
whole subject, of Ritualism. I put some
trust in these lectures, for they have been sin
gularly able,,clear, and conclusive; one on:
Priesthood,, by that gallant Champion of
Protestantism—Dr. Hugh lac Neile of Liver
pool, having been a, perfect success. Crowds
pack every,. corner of the Hall; and listen
with body and soul; and men must at least
be taught how evil a thing and how bitter
this Ritualism, is.. The lectures• when com
plete are to be published and they will be a
really valuable contribution to this contro
,versy.
PROGRESS OF. THE TEMPLItANCE MOVE
MENT.
The Temperance Revival which for some,
time past we have hoped for rather than be-
lieved in, has assumed the proportions of
solid reality. The frightful advances of in
temperance ; its shocking, humiliating and
intolerable manifestations at the seat of the
National Government; the unfathomable
depths of fraud in_ the manufacture and
traffic in intoxicating drink revealed by the
operations of the- Internal Revenue laws,
have combined to open •the eyes of men in
low places and in high, to the- immediate
and urgent necessity for a return to old tem
perance principles and to the old zeal in put
ting them in practice. The formation of a
Congressional Temperance Society, through
whose, instrumentality several drinking
members have been ind aced to attempt a re-
formation, has been followed by a joint; reso
lution to prohibit the selling of liquors in the
Capitol. It is a pity that in this,, as in other
re.forms,.Congress is obliged to work against
potent influences at the other end of the
avenue.
Pennsylvania, we are proud to say, has a
teetotaller in the. Governor's chair; a man
who stuck to his principles through the long
political , campaign which, made him Go
vernor, and who is not ashamed to avow
those principles before a Temperance Con
vention to-day. It was a good omen for the
new State Temperance Society, recently
formed at Harrisburg, that the chief citizen
of.the Commonwealth hesitated not to give
it his hearty countenance and support, not
in the full tide of its prosperity, but in its
weak and uncertain beginning. In this
speech, the Governor informed us that the
Lieutenant General of the Army of the
United States is about to become a Son of
Temperance. In New York State, the Tem
perance men are full of energy and determi
nation. The State Society is holding fre
quent conventions, and Mr. Greeley in person
and through the New York Tribune is doing
his utmost to promote the cause and to de
feat the periiiStent efforts of the liquor deal
ers in New York - city to break down the
wholesonie ExciSe Law of the State. We
are certainly in the beginning of a Tempe
rance Revival which promises to be a move
ment of great depth and power,.
THE COVENANT A REALITY.—The Pfedo
baptist papers, recently quoted the statistics
of Andover Semiintry, as showing how God
accepts the consecration of children by pious
parents, in calling them into the highest
paths of usefulnesS. The Baptist papers re
tort by quoting cases in which the " un
sprinkled " children of pious Baptist famil
ies are called in large proportion, (or all of
them), to the same work of the ministry.
We are exceedingly obliged to our friends
for showing that the Abrahamic covenant
"with you and with your children," is a
reality, and asserts itself even when the nar
row views of men ignore and deny it. God's
covenant mercy is broader than man's recog
nition of it.
WEST POINT REFortm.—The effect of a West
Point education upon the character of many
of its graduates is such, that its entire abo
lition would be an advantage to the morals
of the country. We are glad to see, how
ever, that something is being done to im
prove matters.
The appropriation for the Military Acade
my was so amended, through the interven
tion of Senator Wilson, as to prohibit drills
and parades on Sunday, and to make it the
duty of the chaplain to organize a class for
biblical instruction, and give his whole at
tention to the religious welfare of the cadets
I
4