Religious Declension and Doctrinal Formulation

An extract from The Free Church of Scotland: 1843–1910 — A Vindication by Alexander Stewart (1910)

"There grew up in almost all the Churches a desire for what was regarded as freedom in matters of belief. The idea of progress was in the air. Men were unwilling to be bound by definite doctrinal statements. They were impatient of what they looked upon as the bondage of creeds. Among the younger members of the Presbyterian Churches in particular there was a growing demand for a revision of the common Subordinate Standards … Distinctiveness of doctrinal expression is an invariable outcoming of spiritual quickening. When the Spirit of God is working in men's souls it is never difficult for them to frame their creed. They believe, and therefore they speak; and the speaking will embody no hesitating testimony. With the fire of conviction glowing within their hearts, they give forth the truth with that tremendous directness which is one of its peculiar qualities. In a time of religious declension, on the other hand there is always a tendency to remove the landmarks of definite theological belief. Truth is held with a loose grasp. Its power has not become a matter of experience. Depth of conviction and clearness of enunciation give place to the specious attractions of speculative inquiry. The unyielding rock is abandoned for the shifting sands. Men lose the ‘plainness of speech’ which is a fruit of the evangelical hope and give utterance to what faith there is in them with faltering words and apologetic tone. The formulation which set forth the convictions of a more spiritual age come to be regarded as an oppressive yoke. There follows the cry for emancipation. Liberty is made to lend its name to laxity. Thus, it often happens that a revision of the Church’s creed is really a concession to unbelief.

“The system of doctrine set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith is one that is never likely to find favour in times of religious degeneracy. It does not exalt man. It proclaims with no uncertain sound the woefulness of his condition as a fallen being. It unfurls with unsparing fidelity the evil of sin. It declares with unflinching directness the consequences of impenitence. The patient is not merely sick with a disabling malady; the sickness has been unto death. With equal clearness the Confession sets forth the completeness of the Divine remedy. It magnifies the grace of God and brings into prominence not only the freeness of that grace but its sovereignty. It makes no attempt at being wise above what is written. Instead of professing to have solved all the secrets of God, it abides with reverent loyalty by the plain teaching of Scripture. If there are any regions of truth which the shadow of mystery has been left to overhand, it acquiesces in the divine reserve and refuses to speculate. If there are truths revealed which it seems impossible for the mind of man to harmonise, it rests satisfied with giving each its due place, with sacrificing the one or the other in the interests of logical consistency. This is a kind of creed against which, in a time of transition and unsettlement, men’s mind are likely to revolt.”