Excerpt from The Confession of Faith: Hand Books for Bible Classes and Private Students

In the previous section we noticed how latitudinarians in doctrine, disliking the exactness Of confessional utterances, make an illegiti mate appeal from the Confession to Scripture, thinking to find ap parent support for their views in a partial presentation of scriptural expressions. To maintain the view, however, just indicated in re gard to the interpretation of a subscribed creed is, when rightly understood, not only not latitudinarian, but genuinely conservative. It is the conservation of the essential principles embalmed in the Confession. This implies the genuine spiritual appreciation of those principles, the hearty adoption of those doctrines as our own deepest spiritual convictions. Dr. Cunningham has clearly expressed this position of true liberalism, which distinguishes the fundamental from the occasional, that which belongs to the explanation or presentation of a doctrine from the doctrine itself. Towards the close of his essay on Calvin and Beza In which he had been showing at length the theological developments of the latter divine, Dr. Cunningham maintains that, while he considers those additional determinations of Beza to be strictly in accordance with Scripture truth, and fair logical deductions from the principles laid down by Calvin, it would nevertheless be inexpedient that those precise and definite expressions should find a place in symbolical books, or be made a term of com munion. The individual Christian is required to make diligent search in order to acquire all truth attainable in regard to details as well as to general principles; but the Church must only formulate those statements of truth to which the many individuals belonging to her community may yield assent, and in regard to which unity of belief may be expected and claimed. One who goes with Calvin might refuse to go with Beza. No formulary should occasion divisions of such a kind. 'calvin probably would have made a difficulty about adopting precise and definite deliverances on some points, concerning the truth of which the great Calvinistic divines of the seventeenth century had no hesitation. But it will probably be admitted that he was qualified for the office of a minister in a Calvinistic church, even in this advanced nineteenth century.' (re formers and T lieology of the Reformation, p.

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