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ASSAULT ON THE CREEDS.,.

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ASSAULT ON THE CREEDS. There are two forms in which the presaleiiu 01! tions to evaDfelical truth present theinsents. The 01e, diaputiDg the claim of any person he he e.tc ier 0r believer, to the possession of absolute truth the Other, the inexpediency and injustice of making such a supposed faith the condition of Christian union and c°-operatiou. It is demanded that theology shall take its place by the side of other subjects of investigation, aQd, as such abide the results of independent inquiry, This appears a just and moderate request. Yet it is Emitted by all the controversialists that theology is exclusively to be found in the Divine revelation, which is so marked by the Divine impress as to justify its ,Co. claim to acceptance, confidence, and obedienco. it this be conceded, theology has an exceptional advan- tage, and there is the pobability that the book con- tains some great and ultimate principles which are eSsential for its purpose, and that must be accepted. I This is the simple philosophy of the orthodox creed, and the explanation of the tenacity with which it is I Maintained. And here the dogmatic believer finds himself in the companionship of the dogmatic astrono- *her, chemist, scientist of every kind, whose sole object in analysis and inquiry is to define and reduce his creed to the fewest principles possible. lhe chemist, as the result of the labours of generations, finds his creed narrow to a few simple elements the astronomer, equally so, and co-workers proceed IU t le Same course of close ami limited definition. 1 e Christian imitates their example. Accepting t>>e sacred Scriptures, he looks therein for tho-e ultimate Principles of faith, and he discovers that the evangeli- c!"l truths form thu ultimate object of Divine revela- tlOn. These truths, in his esteem, constitute the glory and Power of the Gospel, and their practical value is Soured by the firmness with which they are held. i;.heir importance is not made dependent upon either ls Preference or prejudice, but is vindicated by their OWn Power and the manifest impotence of all other to 'affect the acknowledged purpose. These truths are regarded, not as an arbitrary arrangement or effecting a purpose, but as the essential means of seeuriDg it. Without them the Bible and its supreme object would be an absolute failure. The great doc- trines and facts that constitute an evangelical creeu to him not only great truths and phenomena or the world to recognise 'and review, but as revealed doctrines charged with spiritual energy which should act on and transform human character, and constitute the agency by which the Holy Spirit should effect his 1 "dilatory work. T, Such convictions dare not tolerate distrust It is the corrosive poison that brings paralysis. If human feebleness and ignorance Ccinnot find a ^Dtoinchj-iw- Spired imide if human penitence cannot had a Divine Saviour to redeem, and a Divine Spirit to purify, de- spair must seize the awakened conscience. Evangeli- cal truth acknowledges the danger of the sinner by making known to him a. salvation whose very aspect is Divine. The slightest rejection ought to convince the inquirer that any surrender of either of these truths would be both criminal and fatal. They com- bine and cohere. The penitence of the sinner, the faith of the believer, the aspirations of the Christian, the ordinary experiences of the Christian life, are the human forms to which evangelical truth adjust itself. Let one factor be omitted, and the whole product is ^tiated. The evangelical view of the Atonement may J-*6 taken as exemplifying this fact. It is not an iso- lated and independent doctrine, but holds togethi-.r correlative doctries, giving to, and gathering impor- tance from, this central truth. Other opportunities May occur of describing this relation, but it proves the absolute necessity of a vigorous hold of truths deemed essential. When Evangelical churches or denominations are asked to broaden their bases beyond these doctrines, thev nre requested to commit all act ?f self-destruction. The doctrines they hold are the Justification cf their existence, and these form the creed professed or the theology adopted. We are toid that it is Christ, and not Christianity that the world requires. Here we see the ruling am- blguity of the attacks made on the faith. Christianity, We understand it, is the shrine of Evangelical truth where Christ is worshipped. They are inseparable. p e know of no Christ apart from Christianity, nor of Christianity apart from Christ. What is Christ out- the Evaugelical faiih ? Tlie mind which refuses the Christ of Evangelical faith will find nowhere else the Lord and Saviour which the human heart and Necessity alike demand. The experiences or the pre- sent hour confirm us in this belief. The organisations ?L tlle Christian Church everywhere tell of the vital 01 ces of these old, but now maligned, truths. They; j\re hourly proving not only their absolute value in of the individual, but their energy in lUckening into life an action all that miuisteis to "e Well-being of men. They are inalienably allied to every form of civilisation and every school of human improvement. The Evangelical Churches, which have long and happily cherished these Divinely re- Vealed provisions for men's salvation will not be cea.dily induced either to abandon them or tolerate their neglect. Their supernatural character consti- tutes their glory and power. The origin of their evangel is Divine their progress and tinal triumph are assured Christian Signal.

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