BX
9522
U58
THE
UNLAWFULNESS
OF THE
SUBSCRIPTION
REQUIRED OF
8
THE MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL
OF THE
REFORMED DUTCH CHURCH.
BY A FRIEND TO THE BIBLE.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty." 2 COR. I. 17.
SOLD BY W. C. LITTLE, ALBANY-JOHN P. HAVEN, NEW-YORK—TER-
HUNE & LETSON, NEW-BRUNSWICK-E. LITTELL, PHILA-
DELPHIA.
G. M. Davison, Printer, Saratoga Springs.
1829.
#
BX:
9522
458
Tappan Presto Cens
2-13-1732
THE
UNLAWFULNESS, &c.
Form of the subscription-first objection, that the subscriber professes
to believe, what he has not duly examined, viz. the correctness of every
doctrine-multiplicity and intricacy of those doctrines-differences on them
among the wise and good-the youth of the subscriber, and his scanty oppor-
tunities to have examined.
THE writer of the following pages begs leave to submit to
the clergy and laity of the Reformed Dutch Church the rea-
sons which have satisfied him that the subscription required
of a minister of the gospel, at his licensure or ordination, is
what the church has not the right to demand, and to which
the minister has not the right to accede. Aware that the
subject is one of high moment, he has endeavored to count
the cost. While he expects to receive the maledictions of
every heated partizan, and to hear expressions of regret from
the fearful, apprehending a disturbance of the peace of the
church, he hopes to be received in a different temper of mind
by those who are friendly to free and sober discussion, and
who love the truth, however much it may thwart their previ-
ous conceptions; or who love to see the holy scriptures ex-
hibited in their real superiority over every invention of men,
however much that exhibition may distusb the self-compla-
cency of any community. The writer, moreover, is not
without hope that his Divine Master may accept this attempt,
as a sincere endeavor to subserve the cause of truth, and the
best interests of His church. Without further preface, I
proceed to state what the subscription is, and to prove its
anti-scriptural character.
The constitution of the church, in the 5th of the explana-
tory articles, gives the formula to be subscribed by every stu-
dent, before he can be licensed by the classis or synod to
4
}
preach the gospel. In the eleventh explanatory article is
given the formula to be subscribed by the minister at the time
of his ordination. The two formulas are in substance the
same; what is expressed in the first in general terms, being
declared with more particularity in the latter. The subject
will be treated as though there were but one form, and as
though that was subscribed at the time of licensure.
The following, then, is the formula of the subscription, as
given in the constitution, edition of 1815, page 206, and in the
edition of 1793, page 307:
"We, the under written, ministers of the word of God, re-
siding within the bounds of the classis of N. N. do hereby
sincerely and in good conscience before the Lord, declare,
by this our subscription, that we heartily believe and are per-
suaded, that all the articles and points of doctrine contained
in the confession and catechism of the Reformed Dutch
Church, together with the explanation of some points of the
aforesaid doctrine, made in the national synod, held at Dord-
recht, in the year 1619, do fully agree with the Word of God.
We promise, therefore, diligently to teach and faithfully to
defend the aforesaid doctrine, without either directly or indi-
rectly contradicting the same, by our public preaching or
writings. We declare, moreover, that we not only reject all
errors that militate against this doctrine, and particularly
those which are condemned in the above mentioned synod;
but that we are disposed to refute and contradict them, and to
exert ourselves in keeping the church pure from such errors:
And if hereafter any difficulties or different sentiments respec-
ing the aforesaid doctrine should arise in our minds, we promise
that we will neither publicly nor privately propose, teach or
defend the same, either by preaching or writing, until we
have first revealed such sentiment to the consistory, classis
and synod, that the same may be there examined; being
ready always cheerfully to submit to the judgment of the
consistory, classis or synod, under the penalty, in case of re-
fusal, to be ipso facto suspended from our office: And fur-
ther, if at any time the consistory, the classis or synod, upon
sufficient grounds of suspicion, and to preserve the uniformity
and purity of doctrine, may deem it proper to require of us a
5
T
farther explanation of our sentiments respecting any partic-
ular article of the confession of faith, the catechism, or the
explanation of the national synod, we do hereby promise to
be always willing and ready to comply with such requisition,
under the penalty above mentioned; reserving, however, to
ourselves the right of an appeal, whenever we shall conceive
ourselves aggrieved by the sentence of the consistory, the
classis or particular synod; and until a decision is made up-
on such appeal, we will acquiesce in the determination and
judgment already passed."
I. My first objection to this formula is, that it asserts what
in point of fact is not true, with regard to most of the candi-
dates who are required to subscribe it.
The fact asserted in the formula, the truth of which is de-
nied in the above objection, is, that the subscriber heartily be-
lieves and is persuaded that all the articles and points of doc-
trine contained in the Confession of Faith, the Heidlebergh
Catechism, and in the Canons of the National Synod of Dor-
drecht, do fully agree with the word of God.
The most illiterate member of the church of Rome would,
without hesitation, subscribe a formula, declaring his "hear-
ty belief and persuasion" that all the doctrines of his church
are precisely those which are taught in the holy scriptures.
He believes, because the church has so declared. This he
considers a full warrant for his belief. But this is not the
meaning of the formula in question, standing as it does in
the constitution of a PROTESTANT Church, where the doc-
trine of an implicit faith is wholly rejected. The hearty belief
and persuasion, then, avowed by the subscriber, is that which
is predicated upon due examination and rational conviction.
Should the formula be subscribed by an infant, no person
could deny that the assertion of belief, in such case express-
ed, would be untrue; because an infant has not capacity,
nor has he had time to exercise his mind in relation to the
doctrines of the church in such a manner as to be rationally
convinced of their truth; much less has he had the under-
standing or opportunity to weigh the reasons which may be al-
leged against those doctrines. But at what time of life is the
candidate for the ministry called on to make the weighty dec-
6
laration contained in the formula? In the greenness of his
youth, perhaps by the time, or even a little before the time
when he has attained the age of twenty-one years-when his
faculties are yet immature; when he has just left the school,
and all the prejudices of his education are fastened upon him;
in short, at the very time when he is in the most unfavorable
condition to have formed a belief founded on impartial, de-
liberate examination and conviction.
Let us see what the youthful student declares by the act
of subscription. He solemnly declares to the world, before
the church, and in the presence of his omniscient God, that
he has duly examined and compared with the holy scriptures,
the thirty-seven articles of the Confession of Faith, many of
which contain several distinct theological propositions of
great importance, and some of great difficulty, on which ma-
ny ponderous volumes have been written; that he has, in
like manner, examined the one hundred and twenty-nine
questions and answers of the Heidlebergh Catechism, and
the fifty-nine Canons of the Synod of Dordrecht; and that
the mind of the subscriber has become settled and satisfied
that every point of doctrine contained in them does fully agree
with the word of God; so that he has no doubts or scruples
remaining. He ought to know that many of these points of
doctrine have kept in perplexity for years and even for life,
men of the greatest industry and research; men of the keen-
est intellect, most sound judgment and approved piety. To
particularize some of these doctrines, on which various sen-
timents are entertained by men acknowledged to be chris-
tians, by at least many of their serious opponents: The na-
ture of original sin, and of man's free agency; the nature of
his inability to perform the requirements of God's law; the
doctrine of election and reprobation, and the numerous ques-
tions agitated concerning them; the manner in which the
righteousness of Christ is imputed to the sinner for his justi-
fication; the nature and use of good works; in what sense
a man is justified by works according to the teaching of
James; the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son of
God, and of the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit; the
tests of the true church of God on earth; the proper form
Τ
of church government, whether episcopal, presbyterian or
congregational; the duty and authority of the civil magis-
trate in reference to the church; the nature, use, and prop-
er subjects of infant baptism; the true definition of saving
faith;
the doctrine of Christ's descent into hell; the nature
of the union subsisting between Christ and the believer; the
true ground of hope for the salvation of the children of be-
lievers dying in their infancy; the nature and ground of the
satisfaction made by Christ of the divine justice; the true
warrant of the universal call to every one to partake of eter-
nal life; the irresistibility of God's grace; the doctrine of the
final perseverance of the saints; and of the separate state af-
ter the death of the body. These are a few of the subjects
which have been much controverted in protestant churches,
and by men who are agreed touching the essential principles
of christianity.
Besides these differences, there are others, on doctrines
maintained or denied by grosser errorists, which the candi-
date, when he is required to subscribe, ought to have duly
examined and weighed, and decided for himself; and which
he may not receive on the credit of his parents or his instruc-
tors, nor on the authority of the church; such as-what are
the canonical books of scripture; the doctrine of the Trini-
ty, with all its numerous points and difficulties; the doctrine
of a special divine providence; the union and distinctness of
the divine and human nature of Christ; whether the bread
and wine in the sacrament become converted into the body
and blood of Christ, or whether he is corporeally present
with the elements; the doctrine of universal salvation, of to-
tal depravity, of regeneration, and the mediation of saints
and angels.
The foregoing is a hasty sketch, taken from a rapid view
of the standards, for the purpose of shewing the multiplicity,
the difficulty and controverted state of the articles and points
of doctrine, which the subscription implies that the minister,
previous to his licensure, has digested and settled in his judg-
ment, so as to warrant him to declare, in writing, his perfect
conviction of the truth of what he subscribes. Besides all
these, it is implied that he has acquired a competent knowl-
edge of every branch of didactic and polemic theology, ec-
clesiastical history and pastoral theology. Is there not rea-
son to believe that the greater proportion of candidates for
licensure, or even ordination, can scarcely have had time to
do more than dip into some of these depths of theological
science? It is utterly impossible for me to believe that the
mass of subscribers to our formula can have, in the course
of a three years study, mastered the difficulties in theology
which have exercised, and still have left in a state of com-
parative uncertainty, such minds as those of the ancient fa-
thers, and of Luther, Calvin, Melancthon, Knox, and after
them, Locke, Baxter, Owen, Bacon and Jonathan Edwards,
and which to this day perplex many of the wisest and best
men in perhaps every one of the christian churches.
The readiness of our candidates to subscribe the formula,
can be accounted for only by adverting to the previous train-
ing of the mind, by a sectarian education in childhood, con-
tinued through the years of boyhood, and followed up by the
systematic and imposing process of inculcation in the theo-
logical school. With the fact of this training in view, it is
not difficult to account for the strange result, that candidates
for the ministry in the popish and protestant; in the episco-
pal, presbyterian or congregational churches; in the Calvin-
istic or Arminian, podobaptist or anti-podobaptist, imagine
themselves to be well persuaded of the accordance of their
several and respective tenets with the holy scriptures. On
what other principle can the thing be accounted for? No
man, surely, is born a papist or protestant, Calvinist or Ar-
minian; but unless all creeds are right, and none wrong, one
or the other of these differing theological students is made
what he eventually declares himself to be. It cannot be that
he is made so by the free and impartial exercise of his facul-
ties in the study of the bible, as in that case it would be a
common event to see the student in one school embrace the
But how rare an occur-
sentiments of the oposite school.
rence is this? and wherever it has been witnessed, the result
has been attributed to every other cause than the force of
truth upon the mind of the individual. The denomination to
whose faith he becomes a convert, are willing enough to give
9
him, or rather their own creed, the credit of his change of
views having been effected by the operation of the truth on
his mind, while the church from whose faith he has departed,
will not fail to ascribe the change to his lack of understand-
ing or of honesty; and very fortunate will the convert have
been, if he has escaped such a course of persecution, as
would make it in prospect a very thorny path for any other
to tread.
It is not by a due examination of the numerous and diffi-
cult doctrines embraced in the confession, catechism and
canons, that the student has brought his mind to the "hearty
belief" of their accordance with the scriptures. From his
youth he is taught to believe that every article of our church
is certainly right, and that every article of another church,
where their's differ from our own, is as certainly wrong. He
is instructed to read the constitution of the church, and there-
in he finds it most positively asserted that every minister of
the church, from the time of its organization, has always be-
lieved the same truths. After the young man is introduced
into the theological hall, he has time only to read such au-
thors as vindicate the doctrines of the church. Those au-
thors who maintain opposite sentiments, he is not advised,
nor has he time to read. Perhaps he has not the inclination,
and perhaps not the courage to read and examine; for none
but a blind man can fail to perceive his hazard. Thus it is
evident, that not due examination, but the refusal or neglect
to enter upon and follow up this examination, leaves the mind
of the student in a passive belief that the articles of the church
are exactly correct. He believes, because he does not see
wherein they are incorrect; because he does not know how to
disprove their accordance with the scriptures. It is the faith
of the church; and he does not see the fallacy of the rea-
sons which his teachers allege in support of their truth. This
is altogether a different matter from investigating the truth
upon due examination; and thus it appears perfectly evident.
that the subscriber, in giving his assent to the doctrines in
question, may be under the influence not of rational convic-
tion, but of an implicit faith, by which I mean a reception
of the opinions of others without examination; a faith much
B
10
applauded in the church of Rome; professedly condemned
in every protestant church; but, it is to be feared, not whol-
ly banished from any christian community; much fostered
by the human systems of theology, of which some of the
protestant churches are very tenacious and very proud. "The
attachment to these systems," an author, perhaps justly,
though somewhat quaintly, remarks, "is often no more than
a temple consecration to implicit faith; and that he who en-
ters in there to worship, instead of leaving his shoes, after the
Eastern manner, must leave his understanding at the door;
and it will be well if he finds it when he comes out again."
By the aid of creeds, confessions of faith, and human sys-
tems of theology, the mind of the student is, to say the least,
more readily bent into the faith of the church. It might be
curious as well as instructive, if there were time, to give a
few examples from some of those systems, to shew how ea-
sily a theological proposition is proved, from the scriptures,
to some minds. A text is cited, which has some distant
bearing on the subject, and the student is taught to receive
it as proof of the point; and if he does not see a palpable lack
of evidence, or if he can say it may be so, he will not be dis-
posed to quarrel with his author or his teacher, especially if
he is not of very industrious habits; or if he is somewhat in-
clined by his prepossessions, to support the system of his own
church. He lets it pass; and by meeting with frequent in-
stances of the same kind of proof, he readily falls into the
habit of receiving obscure intimations for positive assertions,
and probabilities for demonstration. Human systems also
serve to keep alive the spirit of party in the respective
churches; and this is the bane of truth, the great hindrance
to impartiality in our search after it. In politics, this is ac-
knowledged by all observing temperate men. After the spir-
it of party has subsided, politicians on both sides acknowl-
edge that in their party heat, they have maintained what is
indefensible, and denied what is founded in truth. So long as
the heat of contention remains, the combatants on either side,
as well as their partizans, verily believe themselves right in
all points and their opponents wrong; and this would always
continue so, if in politics as in religion the existing parties
11
were perpetuated. Now if politicians should reduce their
creed to a precise statement of facts and propositions, sworn
to by them and their principal aids, parties would be as per-
manent in politics as in religion, at least until the occasion of
the contest ceased, or until one party subdued the other by
numbers or physical strength. Every religious denomination
being tolerated by the civil government, there can be no con-
quest made by one of the other sects of christians; and these
having reduced their tenets to the precise form of creeds, ar-
ticles, confessions or catechisms, they are perpetuated as reli-
gious PARTIES, each in their zeal inclined to exact strong de-
monstrative proof of the creed of his opponent, and to take
up with weak inconclusive evidence of the peculiar faith of
his own church.
Notwithstanding all these tendencies to produce in the
minds of theological students an assent to the doctrines of the
particular church to which they belong, I hesitate not to assert,
that in point of fact, many of those who have affixed their names
to the formula now under discussion, do disbelieve, or at least
seriously doubt some of the points of doctrine to which they
have subscribed, while they dare not allege, that on those
points they have since changed their opinions. The proof
of this assertion I must now leave to the consciences of
the persons referred to, and proceed to consider the next
objection.
Second objection-that the subscriber resolves not to change his opin-
ion on any point; and thereby either boasts of the perfection of his own
judgment, or asserts the infallibility of the church whose doctrines he enga-
ges always to defend.
Admitting for the sake of the argument what cannot be
conceded without a total surrender of our power of observa-
tion and reasoning, that at the time of subscribing the for-
mula, the minister after a fair and impartial examination has
come to the belief that every article and point of doctrine
contained in the standards is correct, yet he cannot, or ought
not to be ignorant that many of these points of doctrine have
12
long been, and still are doubtd and denied by some of the
wise and excellent of the earth; and he ought therefore
to admit the possibility, that in some instances they may be
right and he in error; and therefore he ought not to be re-
quired by the church, and if required, he ought not to give
his consent to have his retreat from error cut off, in case he
should ever discover himself to have been in error. It is not
impeaching any man's veracity or sincerity when I pronounce
that the subscriber cannot be certain that he is right, when
he knows others to hold different sentiments who have pow-
ers of reasoning as strong as his own, and have enjoyed as
good a cultivation of their faculties as himself; who seek the
teaching of the same spirit, and maintain a course of conduct
and mental exercise as likely to cherish the guidance and
enlightening influence of that spirit.
For a child to express his belief in the creed of his parents,
or an unlearned church member to avow his faith in the doc-
trine of his church, is nothing new or strange. It may be,
to a degree, tolerable for a young minister, after having made
an examination, which from necessity must have been par-
tial and rapid, to assert his belief in the doctrines contained
in our standards. He may not see any objection to them.
All the reasoning furnished him by his own mind, or which
has been as yet furnished him, aliunde, may confirm him in
his confidence. Yet, a little time may furnish him with new
views. He may meet with arguments which are either new
to him or which he had not duly weighed. He may find pas-
sages of scripture which had escaped him, or the bearing of
which he had not previously seen. He may attain a better
knowledge of the original languages in which the bible was
written. He may discover facts that will have their influ-
ence in changing his sentiments. By a judicious course of
mental discipline, in dependence on divine teaching, and as
his judgment becomes more mature, the prejudices of his ed-
ucation may wear away and he become more competent to
perceive the weight of arguments; and, in short, more skil-
ful to discern, and better prepared to receive the truth.
There is, beyond a doubt, many a Lutheran who sincerely
receives, and as he thinks from sound arguments drawn from
13
the holy scriptures, the doctrine of consubstantiation. Ma-
ny a man in Portugal, Spain, and every country in Europe,
and even in this country, believe the arguments they are ac-
customed to hear, conclusive, to prove the propriety of mak-
ing use of images to aid their devotions. Multitudes around
us believe that infant baptism is unauthorized by the bible;
and whole communities avow, and seem conscientiously to
believe that marriage is wholly unlawful. It would seem to
us very unwise in these errorists, to bind themselves never to
change their opinions on any of these subjects. Nay, we
would not hesitate to charge them with binding themselves
always to continue in error. But they retort the charge on
us; they say we are wrong, while they are right; and that
by pledging ourselves never to change, we resolve never to
attain to the truth. Who shall decide between us? Is there
no standard? Yes, God be praised, there is a standard as
far superior to all human standards, as God is wiser than
man.
The above remarks would prove the impropriety of a
man's resolving not to change his opinions, formed in the
greenness of his years and judgment, if there were no oth-
er consideration than the folly of shutting up the mind against
the knowledge and reception of truth. It would be wrong
in the physician, the lawyer, the philosopher, or the man
professing any science, so to forestal the future exercise of
his power of observation and judgment, as to bind himself
not to change his present opinions. But in the minister of
the gospel, in matters of religion, which may have a bearing
not only on his own happiness, but on the happiness of
thousands of immortals, it is criminal. So long as man is a
sinner, he is liable to mistake in his apprehensions of divine
truth. No man can boast of that measure of light in the per-
ception of divine truth on any one given subject, but that he
is susceptible of a greater measure of light; and whether ad-
ditional light will confirm him in his present views, or extend
them, or change them, he cannot possibly know. The
thought is shocking, that even an aged minister, who has
made theology his study for thirty years after his judgment
has been matured, and who has bestowed laborious attention
终
​14
on every point of doctrine embraced in our voluminous
standards, and may feel settled in his mind on every one of
them- —yes, that even such an one should presume to say,
"Now I will never change my opinions on any one of these
doctrines." It would amount to this: "So far as these points
of doctrine are concerned, I have no need of growing in
knowledge; I am perfect." How much more unwarranta-
ble in a young man just receiving his license, and who has
not had time to weigh half the arguments urged against the
doctrines of his church and in favor of the opposite doctrines;
who has barely had time to go through with a hasty consid-
eration of the arguments adduced in favor of his opinions, to
assume the high ground, that his knowledge has already reach-
ed to perfection; he needs be taught no more.
As though
a man could ever divest himself of the character of a disci-
ple or learner in the school of Christ; as though the com-
mand to increase in the knowledge of the Saviour did not ex-
tend to him, or as if he had escaped or advanced beyond
its obligation. This man does not subscribe the formula on
the ground of his confidence in his own examination, and the
exercise of his own judgment upon the articles; but he re-
poses himself upon the correctness of the opinions of others;
of those who first penned the articles; those who have for
two hundred years afterwards sanctioned them by their sub-
scriptions, and the men who now constitute the church.
In truth, he subscribes, because he takes it for granted that
the church is right. If this is not his confidence, he makes
a surrender of his conscience to his own vanity. If what has
been stated be his confidence, then he makes a surrender of
his conscience and his understanding to the church. Is the
church then, the authorised keeper of the understandings
and consciences of her members? Then the Roman Catholic
church is right in requiring of her members, their implicit
faith in whatever she declares to be true. The subscription
to our formula, is as complete a recognition of the undoubt-
ed and perfect correctness of the Reformed Dutch Church,
as the express article of the the Roman Catholic Church is
of the infallibility of the Pope; or else it is true, that we safe-
15
1
ly may, and ought to yield our consciences and our under-
standings to the keeping of a fallible, imperfect judge.
The ground of my present objection is, that the subscriber
does in effect pledge himself never to change his opinion on
any one of the points of doctrine expressed in the standards.
If the reader will turn again to the formula, he will see that
the subscriber binds himself diligently to teach and faithful-
ly to defend the doctrines of the church. His obligation to
teach and defend is as broad as the declaration of his belief,
extending, by necessary implication, to every article and point
of doctrine. The duty to continue in the teaching and
defence of the articles of faith, is very evident from the fact
that no limitation of time is fixed during which this duty is to
be performed; nor is any time or contingency mentioned, or
left to be implied, when the obligation shall cease. If, then,
he is bound to continue in the teaching and defence of these
doctrines, there is no room left for him to change his opin-
ion as to any one of those articles or points of doctrine, un-
less we are prepared to justify the absurd and impious course
of continuing to teach and defend what we no longer believe
to accord with the word of truth.
I am aware that the formula recognizes the possibility that
the minister may change his opinions subsequently to his act
of subscribing; but it does not, in that event, relieve him
from the obligation to teach and defend every doctrine of the
church. He is not released from the duty of teaching and
defending the very point on which he may have undergone a
change of opinion. For what is he to do? Let the sub-
scription speak for itself: "If hereafter any difficulties or dif-
ferent sentiments respecting the aforesaid doctrine should
arise in our minds, we promise that we will neither publicly
or privately propose or defend the same, by preaching or
writing, until we shall have first revealed such sentiment to
the consistory, classis and synod." Well, does this disclo-
sure relieve the man from persevering to teach and defend
what he does not believe? By no means: the disclosure is
not made with that view; but to the end "that such senti-
ment may be there examined." A consistory, it is presumed,
would hardly dare to support the minister in the preaching of
16
sentiments at variance with the doctrines of the church. A
classis or synod will not be more likely to grant that indul-
gence. These bodies are composed of ministers and elders,
the former generally constituting the majority. Will the
ministers of the classis, who have, by their subscription, prom-
ised diligently to teach and faithfully to defend the doctrines
of the church, and have rejected all errors militating against
those doctrines, and have solemnly agreed " to exert themselves.
in keeping the church pure from such errors"-will they be dis-
posed to sanction the propagation of sentiments differing from
the articles of the church? That would be a novel method
of fulfilling their pledge faithfully to defend the doctrines,
and exert themselves to keep the church pure from all errors
militating against them. As it respects the elders in the clas-
sis, it will scarcely be imagined that they would set them-
selves in opposition to the ministers on questions of doctrine.
The doubting or disbelieving brother may not not do any
thing to prepare the way for presenting his case to the clas-
sis. He is prohibited, by the very terms of his subscription,
from publicly proposing his doubt or change of sentiment;
and also from doing the same in private. He may not, in
confidential conversation, discuss or even mention the subject
to minister or layman; much less may he publish his doubt
or difficulty in magazine, pamphlet, political, moral or reli-
gious newspaper. He must needs argue out the point with
himself, until he comes before the classis, and then, in organ-
ized court, propose his doubts or views to the astonished min-
isters and elders. No person, in the enjoyment of his un-
derstanding, can doubt the result. The classis would tell
him not to be obstinate, but, like a true son of the church, to
yield his doubts, or-be deposed: and so the poor man, in-
stead of gaining liberty for his conscience, remains under the
binding force of his first subscription, with the superadded
obligation imposed on him by the order of the classis or syn-
od, to persist in teaching and defending a doctrine which he
believes to be contrary to the Word of God; for by the same
subscription, he agrees to submit to the judgment of the con-
sistory, classis and synod, under the penalty, in case of refu-
sal, to be ipso facto suspended from his office.
17
Since he may not, publicly or privately, propose his diffi-
culties or change of sentiment to any person, being deprived
of all foreign aid, as has been already observed, he must
needs argue out the point with himself. But even in this hẹ
must proceed with the utmost caution, lest he fall under the
inquisitorial power of the church; for he has bound himself,
by the same subscription, at the requisition of synod or clas-
sis, to answer any question in relation to his religious opin-
ions; not those only which he may have avowed to others in
public or in private, but to be catechised as to any sentiment
he may have been heard to whisper in his secret prayers or
meditations. His only security is absolutely to stifle his very
thoughts, unless he is conscious that they run in the precise
channel of the confession of faith, the Heidlebergh catechism
or the canons of Dort.
Were there any provision that the doubting or dissenting
minister might be honorably dismissed from the Reformed
Dutch Church, he might yet find employment in some other
denomination of christians. But there is no such provision.
Having once put his name to the subscription, he must con-
tinue to teach and defend every doctrine of the church, even
after he has ceased to believe them, or be deposed in dis-
grace. And it makes no difference how important or unim-
portant the point may be, nor how practical or how abstruse;
whether it be the doctrine of the union of believers with the
Lord Jesus Christ, or of his descent into hell; of the eter-
nal procession of the Spirit, or the duty of the civil magis-
trate to make use of the sword to build up Christ's kingdom,
as taught in the 36th article of the Confession of Faith; ev-
ery subscriber must persist in teaching and defending these
doctrines, and exert himself to keep the church pure from the
contrary" errors."
I now solemnly put the question to every man, whether
licensed or expecting to be licensed or ordained in the Re-
formed Dutch Church, who has given him the right thus to
deprive himself of the liberty to embrace the truth when it
offers itself to him, or may be within his reach? Has God
given you this right? In what part of the Bible do you find
it? In what book, chapter and verse? (for express author-
C
18
ity is demanded) do you find the doctrine that any circum-
stances whatever can discharge you from your obligation to
seek after and preach the truth? or justify the binding of
yourself always to preach what you may hereafter, for aught
you know, believe to be untrue? Tell me not that the au-
thority resides in the church. Then has the church author-
ity to subvert common sense, and even the holy scriptures
themselves. Then the church of Rome had authority to de-
pose Luther and Calvin for not continuing to defend her doc-
trines in relation to the eucharist, the mediation of saints and
angels, purgatory, and justification, after they were satisfied
that these doctrines were palpably erroneous.
Third objection,—that the subscriber virtually rejects the
teaching of the Holy Spirit.
Necessity of his teaching-his willingness to teach-the method of his
teaching-his offer to teach may be rejected-these topics applied to the
subject-conclusion.
My doctrine is, that the Bible, being a written declaration
by God himself of what man is bound to believe and prac-
tice, is of itself sufficient for those purposes; that a man is
bound to exercise his own faculties, and form his own judg-
ment of the meaning of the scriptures; that God has not, in
any part of the inspired volume, discharged the individual
from the duty of searching and deciding for himself, nor refer-
red him to the opinions of another individual, nor of any
body of men, not even to the church, as the standard of
scriptural interpretation. As God deals with the conscience
of every individual who has powers of mind to constitute him
a moral agent, it is the business, the indispensable duty of
every one, to discover from the written Word what he ought
to believe and what to do. While he may avail himself of
the thoughts of others, he may not adopt them until they be-
And cer-
come his own by the reasoning of his own mind.
tainly he may not so far adopt them as to resolve not to lis-
ten to or seek for divine teaching. He must seek all the
His all de-
help he can bring to his aid; for he needs it.
pends on the manner in which he treats the revelation made
19
>>
to him by God in his word. He needs to employ all the fac-
ulties of his mind. But his reason alone is not sufficient to
guard him against error, and material error. By means of
man's depravity, his understanding is darkened. His evil
dispositions tend to prejudice and sway his judgment. He
is prone to pervert the scriptures, so as to make them con-
sistent with the indulgence of his lusts; and hence have aris-
en all the heresies that now exist, or ever have existed. God
well knew this liability in man to wrest the truth to his own
selfish purposes; and therefore he has taken pains in the
Word itself to inform man of his liability to err, in relying on
his own wisdom, and of his necessity to have the assistance
of an infallible teacher, even the Spirit of truth himself. The
Word of God is of itself a glorious light, and so it professes
to be: "Thy word is a light to my feet and a lamp to my
path." But it is not such to every one, because it shines in
a dark world, “and the darkness comprehendeth it not.'
Men are dead in trespasses and sins; and while they con-
tinue in that state, they no more perceive the real glory of
the Bible, than a blind man perceives the light of the sun, or
a dead man feels its warmth. And when a man is quickened,
the whole light of truth does not all at once break in upon
him. It is the work of the Holy Spirit gradually to dispel the
darkness, and cause the light of truth to shine upon his soul.
Much of the prejudice of preconceived opinions, and such
prejudices as are awakened by our selfish passions, need to
be removed. The Holy Spirit alone knows how to perform
this work. It is in his power so to direct our researches and
mental operations, as to enable us to see things in a light
wholly different from what we should without his aid. He
thus frequently leads the inquirer in a way that he knows not.
David prays God to open his eyes to behold wondrous things
out of his law. Christ promised his disciples that when the
Spirit of truth was come, he would guide them into all truth.
His disciples did not comprehend the prophecies of Christ's
death, until after his resurrection he opened their understand-
ings that they might understand the scriptures. The man
who is conscious that he lacks wisdom, is directed by the
apostle James to ask of God, and the promise is given that
20
God will give him liberally. I shall not attempt the task of
shewing all the manner in which the blessed Spirit performs
his office of teaching the soul the knowledge of divine truth.
One of his operations is doubtless to incline the soul to look
and seek to God for instruction, and to cease from man, for
that all men are liars; and being made to feel his own insuf-
ficiency to discover the mind of God, he is content to sit as
a little child at the feet of Jesus.
If the teaching of the Holy Spirit be needful for one chris-
tian, it is needful for every christian. The Canons of Dort,
the Heidlebergh Catechism, and the Confession of Faith, are
not the work of inspired men. The promise of divine teach-
ing is made not so much to churches, synods, councils, or
ecclesiastical assemblies by name, as to individuals, and men
convened for social worship. At all events, no promise is
made that God will so teach any church or assembly of di-
vines as to make their interpretation of the scriptures of any
authority to individuals, or so as to supersede the necessity
of every man being taught of God. "They shall be all taught
of God." Not some taught of God, and the rest by them;
but all, every one shall receive his teaching immediately from
God. So "if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God."
Whoever feels his lack of wisdom, is not only permitted, but
commanded to ask of God; and the promise follows, that
"He giveth liberally unto all." He must ask of God, not of
the church or of the standards; not of God through the me-
dium of the church, or of the standards, but immediately of
God; and the promise is of a personal teaching by God
himself.
Since, then, every christian has need to be taught by the
Spirit, and has the promise of being taught, if he feels his
need, ministers of the gospel are included as well as students
and private christians. The Lord Jesus did not intimate that
his disciples, whom he had already licensed to preach, had
been so perfectly instructed by him as to need no teaching
by the Holy Spirit; but it was expressly to them he declar-
ed that when the Spirit of truth should come, he would guide
them into all truth. And who can read, without astonish-
ment, of the obscurity of the disciples' views before the de-
21
scent of the Spirit, and the clearness of their views after his
descent! How soon were their carnal prejudices relating
to the nature of Christ's kingdom, and his designs of mercy
to the Gentiles, removed by the teaching of the Holy Ghost!
The nature of the light communicated by the Spirit at this
day, is the same that it was in the time of the apostles. The
only difference is in the measure; and that difference may
be owing to the fact, that we honor not the divine agent as
we ought, but dishonor him, by withholding our belief in his
power and willingness to teach as fully now as then; or by
neglecting to ask him; or by leaning upon weaker aid, such
as the interpretations of great men, councils or churches;
thus rendering a portion of that honor to men, which is due
to God alone.
Now, if divine teaching be necessary, it is our duty to give
up ourselves wholly to it. We must be willing and desirous
to receive what light the spirit offers to our minds, and pre-
scribe no other limits than what God himself has assigned.
The spirit teaches "through the word," not contrary to it ;
nor does he make any new revelation beyond the scriptures.
It is necessary to admit this limitation, because the Word of
God requires it; and we may not allow any other, because it
is presumptuous in us to set any other bounds to the power
and ability of God to teach his rational creatures, than he has
authorized us to set. All that a man who yields himself to
the divine teaching has a right to take for granted is, that the
scriptures are the Word of God. This he may and must
take for granted, because it is only in these scriptures that he
is taught to give himself up to the divine teaching. He is not
required to abandon his reason in his reception of light from
above; for God has given man his rational powers to enable
him to comprehend His truths, and God reasons with men
throughout the greater part of the inspired volume. But it is
absolutely indispensable that a man when he gives himself up
to divine teaching, and ever after, should be willing to yield
pre-conceived notions and opinions. He must become
like a little child, feeling his ignorance, and believing that his
father knows all things, and is willing to instruct him. Has
the man been brought up a Jew, he must be willing to receive
22
the light of divine truth, when he reads the prophets, even if
he should be taught that Jesus is the Christ. Is he a Ro-
man Catholic, he may not dismiss the spirit of light as soon
as he begins to open to his view the fallibility of the pope or
the church, or the idolatry of relying on the mediation of the
virgin Mary. Is he a Unitarian, he may not close the bible
whenever the spirit may shew him the fact that there is a
Trinity. Is he an Arminian, he may not say to the Holy
Ghost, "Teach me any thing but the doctrine of election
and reprobation, and of irresistible grace, and of the perseve-
rance of the saints." Nor may the Calvinist dismiss, without
examination, every Arminian sentiment that may be sugges-
ted to his mind while he is reading God's Word. No; the
frame of his mind should be, "Lord, teach me thy truth,
whatever it be, yea, even if it lead me to adopt the tenets of
Arminius." The wisdom of the divines at Westminster or at
Dort, and that of all their successors, is folly when compar-
ed with the spirit of light. He can make the uncultivated
mind of a Peter more clear in discerning the meaning of the
prophets, than all the learning of the scribes and Pharisees
could enable them to do without his aid.
To be more particular-a Calvinist may not refuse his as-
sent to the doctrine that a converted man may totally fall from
a state of grace, because it is an Arminian tenet, or because
the canons of Dort, which his church have adopted,
teach the contrary. Nor may he so take it for granted that
those canons accord perfectly with the bible, as on that
ground to reject the doctrines condemned in them; for, on
the same ground, the papist and the Arminian may refuse to
yield themselves to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, when
that contravenes the standards of their own church. They
have the same right to try the spirit by their standards that
we have to try the spirit by the articles of the Reformed
Dutch Church. What I mean is this: when a man meets
with a passage in the scriptures, the obvious reading of which
raises in his mind a doubt as to the correctness of any prop-
osition contained in our articles, he may not silence and stifle
that doubt with the argument that the articles of the church
settle that point; nor may he take it for granted that the
23
point is there correctly settled-and by these means dismiss
the doubt, with the subject, from his mind. No; it is his du-
ty to pursue the subject, with prayer for divine teaching, and
persevere, yea, for his whole life, until he becomes convinced,
from the bible itself, what is the true sense of the passage.
If we are at liberty to check our thoughts on the meaning of
the scriptures, by throwing the burden of our care on a long
line of wise ancestors, or on the church, how will it be prov-
ed that an Arminian may not do the same; and when he
reads texts teaching the doctrine of unconditional election,
that he may not say to himself, "that cannot be the true inter-
pretation, because it is the Calvinistic doctrine, and is con-
demned in my church?" The papist, also, has an equal right
to refer his doubts and scruples to the infallibility of his
church; and thus it might be proved that the ministers of
every denomination may consistently yield themselves to the
authority of the church, instead of admitting God alone to be
the arbiter of their faith ;—and that they may with propriety
limit, and dictate to the Holy Spirit how far he shall be per-
mitted to teach them as though they might say, "Teach us
what it may please thee, only teach us not that the articles of
our church are incorrect; this we cannot listen to; we are
estopped by our assent to the truth of those articles, and by
our solemn covenant, always to teach and defend them to
the utmost of our powers.
وو
Let it not be supposed, that a man by yielding himself
wholly to the teaching of the Holy Ghost through the word
of God, will expose himself to be tossed about with every
wind of doctrine. If it be quite uncertain whether God is
willing to teach the humble enquirer, or whether he will
teach any thing but the truth, I admit the force of the ob-
jection. But these points will not be insisted on. Where
then, is the danger? Why, a man may mistake his own fan-
cies or the dreams of another for the preaching of the Holy
Spirit of truth. So he may, and should be the more earnest
in his prayers, to be delivered from such delusions. But is
there a better and more certain way of attaining to the truth,
and holding it fast, than God himself has pointed out? Now
if he has directed the disciple to call any man, council, or suc-
24
cession of men, his master, my argument may be weakened.
We find no such direction; for by a command of that im-
port, the Lord Jesus Christ would have established the expo-
sition of the Scribes and Pharisees as authority to the Jews.
Instead of doing this, he constantly cautions his disciples.
against receiving their interpretations, and enjoins it upon
them to "search the scriptures." Tell me not that these
were unholy men. Be it so, all men are unholy and liars;
and who shall decide between the comparative holiness of
Calvinists and Arminians, pædobaptists and anti-pædobap-
tists? Again-why should a man who yields himself to the
teaching of the God of truth, be tossed about with every wind
of doctrine? Is the Bible so obscure and contradictory as to
be calculated to keep a man always unsettled, and subject
to change with every wind that blows? The danger arises
from man's natural lack of wisdom and holiness; and what
better means can a man employ to become holy and wise,
than by yielding himself to the guidance and teaching of the
Spirit of holiness and wisdom? Once more-what have they
to establish them in the faith, who are fearful to be deceived
by yielding themselves to the teaching of the Spirit? Noth-
ing but the opinions of fallible men; and however wise and
good they may be, their opinions are disbelieved and contro-
verted by men of equal wisdom and goodness. I do not say
that a man will ever attain to that degree of certainty as to
say, now I have no further need of divine instruction on this
or any one given subject. No, he always remains open to
conviction as to all his opinions; and yet the same man will
be more thoroughly grounded in his belief than any man who
really believes in the absolute perfection of his church. He
may not, he will not, evince the same positiveness as the man
who pins his faith on the sleeves of another. The most ig-
norant are usually the most obstinate in the maintenance of
their religious tenets, whilst the wise are most disposed to
hold their opinions in modesty. When the christian soldier
feels his weakness, then is he strong; when he feels the
weight that incumbers him in the race, he often makes the
swiftest progress; and why should it be thought strange that
while the disciple feels his ignorance, his liability to err, his
25
need of divine teaching, the danger of being positive, and the
sin of being bigotted, he should in fact become settled, and
rooted and grounded in the faith. Is it the positive man, or
"the meek,” that God promises to "teach his judgments?"
It is the duty of the christian to be established, but not inde-
pendently of God; to be strong, but not so as to walk with-
out God as his defence and support; to be wise, but not so
as to dispense with God as his teacher.
Al-
In that happier period of the church which we believe to
be approaching, there will be more holiness than has ever
been witnessed, at least since the primitive times. As holi-
ness increases, the true knowledge of the bible will increase,
until the "watchmen shall see eye to eye." The present
discordant state of religious opinion is a libel on the charac-
ter of the scriptures; as though God had given a revelation
to the children of men, so vague as that they must of neces-
sity be employed in perpetual controversy while endeavoring
to discover the mind of God. No; these dissensions have
not arisen from what the bible contains, but from what men
have devised or learned, aside of the scriptures. God will
vindicate his own character, and that of his own word.
ready has the blessed work of uniting the church been com-
menced by the Holy Spirit, melting together the hearts and
minds of christians of various denominations; and already
have the enemies of union taken alarm at the indications of
its growth through the means of bible societies, sabbath
school and tract operations. Some sectarians are made to
tremble, because they see their distinguishing tenets are in
danger of being lost; and from the apprehension of this dan-
ger, have begun to recede from these benevolent and pious
institutions, conducted in the most lovely and scriptural form,
under the pretence of carrying them on to more advantage
upon sectarian grounds. Thus, the high churchman among
episcopalians cannot consent to co-operate in the circulation
of the bible, with the American Bible Society, because that
society will not accompany the sacred volume with the book
of common prayer. The methodists will not retain their
connection with the tract society, because they cannot
through that society teach and inculcate their peculiar views
D
26
of the doctrine of election, and free agency; while some of
the congregations in our own connection have receded from
the American Sabbath School Union, because they could
not, while attached to that union, teach to the children of the
Reformed Dutch Church, "the holy scriptures in the light
of our own standards.”
If the watchmen are to see eye to eye, how is it to be ef-
fected unless by christians in the different denominations,
yielding themselves to the teaching of the Holy Spirit through
the word of God alone? It is yet the point of honor with the
contending parties, which shall yield. But the Holy Spirit
can give them to feel the necessity of sitting more loose to
their respective tenets. He can make them willing to stand
still, throw aside all animosity, all pride of opinion, all desire
of maintaining the mastery, and with ingenuous hearts in-
quire, "What does the word of God say?" He can incline
them to believe that on some points of difference, their ad-
versaries may, after all, be right. He can breathe upon his
children the fulness of his influence, and inspire them with
that freedom of soul, which will enable them to rejoice in
the prospect of the triumph of truth, whether the result of
that victory be the establishment of their own denomination
over the whole earth, or its obliteration from the list of
christian churches. Then free and candid discussion in the
spirit of truth and love, will take place of proud and bitter
controversy, and will be blessed to the increase of light, and
holiness, and love. Glorious prospect! beheld with agoniz-
ing desire by the ancient prophets, but much deprecated by
many of whom we ought to expect better things.
J
Yes, this prospect might long since have been realized, if
men did not resist the offer of the Holy Spirit to guide them
into all truth. That his influences may be resisted in divers
ways and by various means, is very apparent from the facts
and injunctions of the holy scriptures. They may perhaps
be as effectually resisted by the indulgence of party pride as
by any other means. Who was ever more proud of his
church and more tenacious of its doctrines, than were the
Scribes and Pharisees? How often did the Saviour point
27
out to them the error of their notions, and silence them by
unanswerable arguments from the scriptures! Can it be
supposed that the Spirit did not strive with them on such
occasions? Throughout the whole of Christ's ministry and
that of his apostles, miracles, mighty works and reasoning
from the scriptures were employed by the Holy Spirit to con-
vince the Scribes and Pharisees of the truth; but they found
the means of resistance, not so much by the attempt to main-
tain their ground by argument, as by taking it for granted that
their church was right. They would not admit the thought
that Jesus Christ, Peter, John, Stephen, or Paul understood
the prophets better than their wise ancestors from whom they
received their traditions, and to whose opinions they perti-
naciously adhered. During the whole period of the minis-
try of John the baptist, and of the Saviour, until Stephen's
death, the Jews kept themselves in this constant state of re-
sistance to the teaching of God: and this is the charge which
the dying martyr urges to their faces, "Ye do always resist
the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye." It was un-
der the consciousness of having himself, in his unconverted
state, participated in this resistance, and with the knowledge
that this crime may be committed by christians, as well as
by Scribes and Pharisees, and that christians are in great
danger of committing it, that St. Paul cautions his Ephesian
brethren, "not to grieve the Holy Spirit," and exhorts the
Thessalonian believers, "Quench not the Spirit."
Most protestants believe that Luther was brought to re-
nounce the errors of popery through the word of God, un-
der the teaching of the Holy Ghost. But the case of that
extraordinary man and his coadjutors in the great reforma-
tion, are of a character so singular, and the history of their
conversion is so familiar to the protestant community, that it
may be quite unprofitable to attempt any illustration of our
present subject by a reference to their case. Permit me,
then, to cite a case of modern times, from the history of the
Spanish inquisition: A man by the name of Solano, being
vicar of Esco, in the diocess of Jaca, a man of benevolence
and exemplary conduct, was, by a train of providences, led
28
to the perusal of the few books which his little library afford-
ed. The bible was one of those books, and Solano was
brought to the resolution of reading that book, "with a sin-
cere desire to embrace religious truth as he found it there.”
Having gradually cleared and arranged his views, he drew
up a little system of divinity, which agreed in the main points
with the fundamental tenets of the protestant churches. His
conviction of the Roman Catholic errors became so strong
that he determined to lay his book before the bishop of the
diocess, asking his pastoral help and advice upon that most
important subject. An answer to his arguments was prom-
ised; but despairing, after a lapse of time, to obtain it, So-
lano applied to the Faculty of Divinity in the University of
Saragossa. The book was sent by the reverend doctors to
the Inquisition, and he, cripple as he was, lodged in the pris-
ons of the holy tribunal. He was required to renounce his
errors; but persisted in maintaining his liberty of conscience,
until he was condemned to be the subject of an auto de fe.
He was saved, however, from the horrors of the execution
of his sentence by sickness and death in the prison. While
he lived, the most strenuous and earnest efforts were made
to bring him back to the faith of the church. While he
evinced a grateful sense of all that was done for him, he de-
clared that he could not renounce his religious persuasion
without offending God, by acting treacherously against the
truth.
Had this vicar of Esco, while he was reading his bible,
and as new views presented themselves to him, stopped short
with the reflection that his church had settled every impor-
tant doctrine of the bible, and that the fathers of the church
being much wiser than he could ever expect to become, it
was therefore needless for him to pursue the subject, he
would have resisted the teaching of the Holy Ghost, and
would have died a Roman Catholic. By sincerely resolving
to embrace the truth as he should find it in the bible, he put
himself under the teaching of the Spirit through the divine
word, regardless of the creed of his church. This is pre-
29
cisely what is required of every man who desires to know
and practice the truth. But in what light must we view such
a subscription as that which is required of the minister in our
Reformed Dutch Church? The conscience of the man is
absolutely bound not to yield to the influence of the truth,
if the truth is in fact to be found elsewhere than in the stand-
ards of the church. There is no escape from this conclu-
sion. He has surrendered, at least, the future exercise of
his judgment to that of the church; so that if, in reading his
bible, any sentiment at variance with our standards should
for a moment be suggested to his mind, he would, as soon
as he recollected his subscription, have reason to be alarmed;
he would fear to make it the subject of further thought and
examination, lest he should find the sentiment correct; and
instead of praying, "Lord teach me the truth on this point,"
he would, if faithful to his subscription, decline and reject
the teaching of the Spirit of God!
CONCLUSION.
I sincerely declare my utter inability to perceive how the
foregoing inferences can be avoided, in regard to those who
subscribe the formula after weighing the full extent of the
obligation to which they subject themselves by their subscrip-
tion. It may be very different with those who perform this
required act as a ceremony, or without a due consideration
of the nature of the instrument; and I am willing to believe
that most of our ministers are of this number. The result
from this fact will be, that while a careless performance of this
important act is comparatively innocent, he who does it delib-
erately, understandingly, and arguing it out with his con-
science, is grossly criminal.
If the objections stated in the foregoing pages be well tak-
en; if the subscriber is made to assert what in point of fact.
is not true, namely, that he has duly examined all the points
of doctrine contained in the standards, and that he is satisfi-
30
ed on rational conviction, so as to have no doubt remaining
of the perfect accordance of every one of those doctrines
with the holy scriptures; if by the subscription he solemnly
binds himself never to change the opinions he therein ex-
presses, and thereby avows either the perfect and indisputa-
ble correctness of his own judgment, or the infallibility of the
church which has sanctioned those doctrines; if the sub-
scriber virtually rejects the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and
thereby proclaims his independence of God as his future.
teacher; or if any one of these objections are founded in
truth, the unlawfulness of the subscription is established. It
would be a waste of time, and wholly unworthy of the cause,
to bring forward any one of the numerous objections that
might be urged to shew the inexpediency of what is already
proved to be absolutely unlawful.
If the arguments adduced in support of the foregoing ob-
jections are unsound, we doubtless have men in the church
capable of shewing their fallacy; and it is hoped that if the
subscription has its friends, they will not be disposed to shield
themselves behind established "customs, or the great multi-
tude, or antiquity, or succession of times or persons, or coun-
cils, decrees or statutes;" all which we are informed in our
confession of faith, (see constitution, 7th article,) are vain rea-
sons, for that “ all men are liars, and more vain than vanity
itself." We are surely a protestant church, and "scriptural
discussion is the strength of protestantism: it is the death-
blow to popery. Infallibility never assigns reasons; its si-
lence is its safety.'
دو
Should our religious community, by their silence or other-
wise, yield their assent to the force of the objections urged in
the foregoing pages, it cannot be believed that the subscrip-
tion will be permitted to remain a satire on our good sense and
love of truth; or the occasion of driving away our theologi-
cal students to other churches, where there is more regard
for the liberty of conscience and the supreme authority of
the holy scriptures. But we have the right to hope, that
those whom it concerns will not shrink from the performance
31
of their duty; and that the GENERAL SYNOD will not wait
until our theological hall shall be emptied of its occupants,
and the churches stripped of their ministers, before they WILL
EXPUNGE the unlawful, unscriptural formula of SUBSCRIP-
TION FROM THE CONSTITUTION: And every true friend of
the church will say,
Stet veritas, ruat cœlum.
THE END.
"
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