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aMgUShrisstiattadiwate. RALEIGH, N. C Rev. F. L. KEII, : : : Editor. Editorial Contributor: REV. W. S. BLACK, D. D. Subscription Rates : Oneyeai, in advance, Six month?, in advance, Fhree months, in advance, S-2.no 1.00 50 To ministers and the widows of ministers at halfrate. . Advertising rates furnished on application All the traveling and local ministers in iue Con ference are our authorized agents. Send money by Check, P. O. Money Order, or by Rpo-istered Letter, or hand to ymir paor. The date opposite your name on trie yellcw la bel which we paste on your paper each week, is the time when your subscription to the Advocate expires. Address all letrer to HEV. F. L. KEID, Raleigh, N. C. The General Conference. The Ninth General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South,con venes in Richmond, Ya., to-day, Wed nesday. It is a delegated body. It embraces thirty-nine annual conferen ces, reaching from Maryland to Califor nia, embracing a membership of nearly a million. It is composed of 2G4 mem bers, one half clerical and the other half lay members. It brings together a rep resentative body of men. It numbers among its members most of our leading clergymen and many of our most distin guished laymen. This fact, together with the fact that it is our only legisla tive body and meets 011I3- once in four years, makes its assembling to.day an event of unusual importance in our church. The General Conference meets under peculiarly gratifying circumstances. The past quadrennium has been the most remarkably successful one in our history. The membership of the church has increased during the quadrennium from 800,717, in 1881, to 990,994, in 1885. an increase of 130,277. Our for eign missionary collections have in creased from $103,000 in 1882 to $230, 000 in 1880, more than doubling in the past four 3'ears. The 'Publishing House, too, runs into the port of this General Conference with flying colors. The Nashville Advocate has nearly doubled its circulation, the other periodicals have grown wonderfully in circulation, a large number of excellent new books have been issued, no new debts have been made, the outfit has been greatly added to and improved, and the old debt has been reduced to such a figure that it is perfectly easy,and will soon be paid. Our Church Extension has succeeded finehr, and all our connectional officers come up cheerfully and with good re ports. We have great cause for grati tude and thanksgiving to Almighty God for the success that has crowned our la bors in every department of work. 'Let us come before his presence with thanks giving and make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation." The work of the General Conference will be to see what changes are neces sary in the polity of our church and to provide for them; to review our mission ary work for the past four years and to provide for its continuance and increase during the next four years; to review the wrork of our Bishops and to elect a suf ficient number of new ones to meet the demands of our church; to look into the work of all our connectional officers, and to elect such as are necessary for the next four 3'ears; to look after our publishing and educational interests, and to provide such legislation as ma3" be necassarj- for all our varied interests. More interest seems to center about the election of bishops than anything else. This U a very important matter, but we feel confident that, under the guidance of the Spirit, the Conference will find the right men: and that, too, without being misled b3' or consulting the devi ces of designing men. the nominations of the secular press, or the tricks of the ecclesiastical demagogue. The Church will watch the proceed ings of the bod3 with peculiar interest. It would be well to jn-aif as well as watch. We congratulate the Church upon the favorable,. auspicious circumstances un der which this Conference meets, and we cheerfully greet the members of this distinguished body, giving them no bet ter assurance than that the people at home feel perfectly safe with the great interests of the church in their hands. Mr. George Fentress, now of Cal ifornia, formerly of Raleigh. X. C. spent several days in this city the past week, visiting his father's famity here. Bro. Fentress is a delegate to the (Jen oral Conference in Richmond from Cal ifornia. His old friends here gave him cordial greetings, :u,d are glad to lind him in such lion cable position in our church. Two Codes ia Contrast. ; - and the Revised Code The code dwJTo nf North Carolina are in conflict with each other, it seems. By the coda duel lo we mean that barbarous custom, which used to be right common, of fight ing a duel to vindicate one's honor. In other words the code duello says in sub stance: if one gentleman insults anoth er, the v must go off with a couple of friends and, like two great fools, stand up and shoot at each otber until one or both are killed, or one is satisfied that the other is a gentleman. This is call ed "an affair of" honor." It would be more correct to say an affair of dishonor. The law ofXorth Carolina very wisely and strongly prohibits such folly. The Revised Code of Xorth Carolina, section 1012, says : - . "If any person shall send, accept, or bear a challenge to fight a duel, though no death ensue, he and all such as coun sel, aid and abet him shall.be guilty of a misdemeanor,-" and moreover be inel igible to any office of trust, honor or profit in the State, any pardon, or re prieve notwithstanding. " . Section 1013 of the Code says : . ."If am' person light a duel in 'conse quence of a challenge sent or received and either of the parties shall be killed, then the survivor, on conviction there of, shall suffer death; and- all their aid-' ers or abettors shall be considered ac cessories before the fact." The above is suggested by seeing a statement in the papers last week that one gentleman, of Ashville, X. Caro lina, had challenged another gentle man, of the same place, to fight a duel because the one had reflected upon the other's honor in discussing the stock law for Buncombe county. Both these gen tlemen were members of the last Legis lature. The challenged party declined to fight a duel with the other, and in doing so evinced decidedly more courage and good sense than did the man who chal lenged him. Xow, let the iaw be enforced. . If the Judge and Solicitor of that district per form their duties as sworn officers of the law, they will see to it that challenger and the gentleman who bore his chal lenge, and all who counselled, aided and abetted him, are properly presented and indicted for this violation of law. If a barefooted negro should go into a store in Ashville and steal a pair of shoes, he would be arrested, bound over to court and in due time sent to the pen itentiary, and thus suffer all the penal ties for larceny. And this would be proper and right. With equal prompt ness and propriety should the parties above mentioned be presented and in dicted, and then people everywhere will believe that the law is made to be en forced alike against rich and poor, high and low. We shall watch the course of the Solicitor of that district with pecu liar interest. An Hour With Other Editors. The Dan Valley Echo, published at Leaksville, X. C, has been enlarged and deserves a good patronage, which we hope it has. The Statesville Landmark, wre regret to see, is doing all it can against prohi bition. The columns of that excellent paper and the talent of its clever editor are worthy of a better cause. Some men are like the dog in the manger if the3r cannot succeed them selves they try to keep others from do ing so. The Nashville Advocate mildly puts the following bit of advice for their benefit : "If somebody proposes to promote your brother be3Toiid the measure of his merits or abilities, rou need not co-operate; but beware lest you in your recoil from such co-operation, do a worse thing namely, degrade a good man 1)3' 3 our excessive disparagement." The stirring editor of the Holston Methodist is wide-awake, and sa3's what he thinks. He sa3rs : "In matters of legislation vre need caution and conservatism; but these are not the only virtues that should be ex hibited by a General Conference; we need enterprise. Extremes of radical ism and fogyism should tee avoided. A church ma3' change too rapidly, produ cing in its members a sense of insecuri ty; if it does not change at all, it dies. The right to think has not passed awav with the age of miracles. Men still carry heads on their shoulders ; and the fact is prima facie evidence that God in tends them to use them." The Biblical Recorder says : "The music in the First Baptist Church, Columbus, Ga., is improved by the addition recently of two or three violins and a flute. What next ? This is carrying the theatre into the church with a vengeance. What next? Why, a menagerie and an educated mule of course.77 If our Baptist friends do get the me nagerie and the mule in their churches, we nope tneir "Close communion'7 pro pensities will induce them to keep them "all to themselves." The assessments are a source of trouble to man3' good people. The Florida Christian Advocate touches up all classes in the following pointed para graph : Some brethren are greatly worried over their assessments; the' think they R A LETG H CHRISTIAN are too large, and starting out with this 1 5rW thpv exnect failure, and are not 1 disappointed. Again, some think: their assessments lar?e, but intend to ; raise i them, it possible, ana .succeed." iui once more, there are a number awio limit their dutv and the liberality of their charges io the giving and collect- , . .1 -K 4- inp 01 wnar is assesstsu. mis uuui not to be, for it is the duty of every pas tor to get all he can for every collec tion." ' Whilst there are many people who are idling; away their time, yet there are many who are killing .them selves for want of proper prudence and recreation. The Philadelphia Times says : ; .."Hundreds of Americans are .break ing down under high-pressure applica tion to the duties of the desk in the very prime of their. lives, vyho would live to a green old age. if they. . would display a little common sense in the matter of phvsical exercise.. Secretary Manning is a conspicuous fvpe of hundreds of similar cases which come under the per sonal observation of nearly every Ob serving person. It is a pityr that this class of" people do not-wa-ke up to the fact that if ,yfe is tdfprth diving, a small portion of it at least must be spent in some kind of invigorating pli3' sical exercise" Editorial Mention. Hon. W. M. Bobbins is to deliver the literary address at Davidson College at the coming commencement. Rev. W. L. Cunninggim, of Person St. Church, Raleigh, was nicely "pound ed" b3' his people recently. He emi nently deserves such tokens of appreci ation. Rev. T. W. Guthrie, P. E. of the Charlotte District, has been sick for a week or so. We regret to hear of his entire- illness and hope he will soon b ly well again. Rev. E. L. Pell spent last Sabbath in Raleigh en route to visit his mother at Greensboro, X. C. He preached an excellent sermon at Edenton St. Church Sunday night. The balance due on our new church in Winston, X. C, has been raised and the dedication will soon take place with out even a collection. We congratulate all concerned on this happy state of things. . . Rev. Dr. W. S. Black and wife and Hon. D. W. Bain and wife left Raleigh last Tuesday to attend the General Con ference in Richmond. Rev. Dr. X. II. D. Wilson went on Monday after his Quarterly Meeting at Franklintoru : We suppose that our other delegates are there by this time. Minister Jarvis has written a let ter home from Brazil, in which he sa3s: "In reference to myself, I am glad to say I am in fine health, and Mrs. Jarvis is much better. We have found the climate, country, and people all we could desire. The Emperor, Empress, and, in fact, all the royal famihy and Government officers, we have found to be plain, sensible, free from any foolish ostentation, earnest in their efforts for the advancement and prosperity of their country, and always extending a hearty welcome to those entitled to it." Death of Rev. W. H. Watkins. The Rev. W. II. Watkins, of the X. C. Conference, who has been afflicted with consumption for several 3rears. died in peace at Albemarle, X. C, April 27th, 1886. He was a pure, good man, and we deeply S3'mpathize with his be reaved wife. Rev. P. F. W. Stamey kindly furnishes us the following sketch which makes aii3T further notice of the deceased at our hands unnecessary: Rev. W. II. Watkins, the subject of this sketch, was born in Richmond -Co., X. C June 25th, 1847, and died at his home in Albemarle, Stanley Co., X. C, at 9 a. m., April 27th, 188C, aged 38 years. 10 mos., and 2 da3's, He professed religion and joined the M. E. Church, South, under the minis try of the Rev. Joseph Wheler,Xovem ber 15th, 1808 commenced preaching in the year 1873,and was junior preach er that year under Rev. M. T. Sherrill 011 Lilesville circuit. During the fall of 1873 he, together with this writer, and several other members now of the X.C. Conference, all Of whom now survive him, joined Conference at Goldsboro, X. C' His first circuit was ' Stanlej7, which he traveled in 1874. In 1875-0, Colum bia circuit. In 1877-8, Mt. Olive cir cuit. In 1879-80, Williamston circuit. The second 3rear of his ministry there he took measles which, in all probabili ty, laid the foundation for the disease which so soon brought an end to his earthly existence. In 1881-2 he travel ed Enfield circuit. In 1883 he was sta tioned at Plymouth, and while there his health gave way in August. He rested about 2 months, and then resumed par tial labors again until the close of the 3ear. In 1884, he was sent to the Lit tleton circuit his health gave way again after preaching on the first Sab bath in June. He remained in charge however until the close of the 3'ear, but employed the Rev. W. W. Rose to do the preaching, but Bro. Watkins went with him to nearly all the appointments superintending the work making short talks occasional- pmying and in structing penitents, and visiting among the people. In the fall of 1884. during' the session of Conference at Wilmington, he wars superaunuatad, and soon thereafter he ADVOC A f K. MAY 5, iSft came to ' Albemarle, where he remained j.n n A'A-ruic A.tu - UllLll tUG .Urt V iiio.ucaiu. ., , fields of labor in bringing souls to Christ; and in building and repairing churches and parsonages he had but few equals. He was beloved by the people he served, and many were the messages of love and sympathy he received from them during his sickness. In the year 1875, Feb. 4th, while he was in charge of the Columbia circuit, he was happily mar. ied to her who now mourns her loss, Miss G. P. Hearn of Albemarle, Rev. T. Page Ricaud officia ting, Avith whom he lived as a dutiful and affectionate' hnsband, and whom he loved so ardently, and - about the last rational expression cthat cfell from his dying lips was', "when askeefby his wife, "Do you know me?77 "Jvuow your Do -yoiV'think that V ever "could "forget you?" But death has separated their short union here, and let us pray that they may live together in ..the bright cimes of the "better world.'.' ' ... .. w- As a Christian, Bro. Watkins was a model one. Xo one can lay aught to his charge. He made both saint and sinner 'feel, while" in his presence, that he was a man of solid piety. During his entire sickness his conversation was of a spiritual nature. He would get al most shouting happy when I would tell him of a good meeting. The gospel he preached to others sus tained him all through his afflictions. He spoke as calmly of his approaching end as one going to sleep. He did not fear, but welcomed death. Of course he desired very much to live to preach the gospel again if it had been God's will, but when he saw he could not live he prayed to die. He often quoted Paul, "For me"to live is Christ, but to die is ?ain." He washed to die ust like one going to sleep, and if possible on a beautiful bright morning. The good Lord granted his request. I never saw a more peaceful and easy death. He died without a struggle; and on a bright and lovely spring morn. While the ra3rs of the morning sun were falling in golden tints upon the green toliage 01 the trees, and upon the green grass and beautiful flowers, and when the birds were praising the Creator of the uni verse in chirp and song, he breathed his last. Oh ! what a lovety morn was that upon which our dear brother died ! He and I entered the X. C. Confer ence at the same time, and finished our Conference course together. But little did I think then that in the space of 12 short 3rears I should help to close his eyes in death, and perform the painful service of preaching his funeral, and carrying him to his last resting place. I. felt very much attached to Brother Watkins. I shall miss him! We know his faithful companion and devoted wife, who stood by him and helped him in the great work of saving souls, will miss him. His aged parents will miss him. His friends and relatives will miss him; yes, the church he so faithfully served, and especially those to whom he minis tered in holy things in his various fields of labor, will miss him; and poor sinners will miss him too. "Servant of God, well done! , Rest from thy loved employ; The battle fought, the victory won, Enter thy Master's joy. "Soldier of Christ, well done ! Praise be thy new employ; And while eternal ages run, Rest in thy Savior's joy." P. F. W. Stamey. For the Advocate. Our Georgia Correspondence. The Conflict of Centuries. BY REV. G. G. SMITH. Dr. Chas. W. Miller was m3r personal friend. He was a big brained, true hearted, somewhat fight-loving Ken tuckian. With no very good early op portunities he had made good use of those he had. He found himself con fronted in Kentucky b Campbellism, which is a cheap kind of Rationalism, with llyper-Calvinism and with Catho lic Sacramentarianism, and perhaps a phase of Methodism which annoyed him, which we ma3' call, without disrespect, second blessing-ism. In battling with foes as he thought them, he endeavored to so to the bottom, and voumr as he was, to grapple with the great problems of evil and God. He wrote a book which he only published after he re ceived his death wound. It was called The Conflict of Centuries, an unlucky resemblance to Beecher's "Conflict of Ages." The book was, as we know. sharply reviewed, and few of us forget the pain we felt when the sick man turned so savagely on his reviewer, who was, we thought, as free from aii3r per sonal feeling as possible. Since then Dr. Anson West has taken the extreme left as Miller had the extreme right. I have not seen West's book, but I read Miller's with great care. I do not a- gree with him, but I do not purpose to comDai nis views. 1 design merely 'to exhibit them. a i I think an exhibit will be sufficient ; -. show that the prob lem that Lie In 1. x and Edwards and Bledsoe and Young tried in vain to solve, remains unsolved still. THE OBJECT OF THE BOOK is to discuss in some three hundred and twelve pages two of the profound- est questions of theology and of religious 1... ud:.. . . 3 ! puiiusupuj. cuu, us origin, its na ture and its effects." The Doctor intro duces his book b3r the somewhat daring figure of one who is about to cleanse a piece of sculpture from all that mars its beauty and present it as it is. This he is to do with the great question of Evil and God. THEORIES OF SIN. He enters at once in me lias res. Draw ing freely from the masterly work of Julius Miller he presents the different Bro. Watkins was a successful preacn- wen u m 11. ... er. His sermons- were sound, logical , The Greeks explained evil by tahsm, and impressive. He was a good preach- the Orientals by Buahsin-the 1 hiloso er, a fine pastor, and an untiring work- phy of Liebnitz bv limitation, the Ma- ' iTn a,.,.nfiii nn all his tenalists by sm resultant from appe- ; views of those who have grappled with I thfi snbiect of Greeks and Orientals as ! , , -v p tite and the control of the sensuous na ture. Dr. Miller rejects each of these theories. He then gives a summary of the THEOLOGICAL THEORIES. These Kg divides into two classes Anti - Ausrustinian'and Augustiiiian views. The Theological Historians have generally divided the first three centu ries of the church into separate etas,but Dr. Miller considers them as if they were all alike. He. however, when he begins to give an account of their views exhibits .their diversity. Justin Mar tyr " lie. sa vs. asserts' 'that our sins results not from depravity but from evil iiiflu- flnp.es'' and ; so' Ireneas Clement of Alexandria had different views .'and thought we were ! fallen Oregen that our hearts are burdened by our own; but Tertulian Clement and Jerome that men are born depraved though they are not'guiltv. I think, itvWould not be dif ficult to show that while the fathers dif fered with each other that they all agreed that a child needed regenerating grace. It was not to. be expected that in the few pages he devotes to these statements that the3r should be full and accurate the views of ' AUGUSTINE 1 ' he states more at length. The teach ings of the great Bishops of Heppo are well known. He taught the entire loss through Adam's fall of all that was good from human nature, and he be lieved not only in corruption but in im puted guilt. The corruption was wash ed away in baptism, the sin bv election. Dr. Miller agrees with Augustine in the fact of the fall, but claims that through Christ the effects of it are done away. Denying that the corruption of our na ture is washed away in baptism, unwill ing to admit that it exists, he explains its absence in another way. He objects to the Augustiiiian idea of entailed corruption by saying if the na ture is corrupt then regeneration did not take place and could not take place. Universal corruption forbids the idea of antecedent regeneration. The views ot PELAGIUS Dr. Miller now presents. He does not agree with Pelagius, but thinks him a wise and good man, and thinks he was naarer right than Augustine. He sa3s Pelagius" denied positively that there was any moral corruption and said Adam's sin onl3r injured himself. Men are born without sin or virtue, and can be saved without the gospel. Grace is not needful, nor is baptism. Dr. Miller objects to the view of Pel agius that there is no moral corruption. He sa3rs there is, but that it is engen dered by the subject himself after his birth, or descends from his immediate ancestry. Pelagius would himself have disputed that position. DR. MILLER'S OWN VIEW. Dr. Miller now makes his own state ment as to the effect of Adam's sin. Adam's fall brought, he says, death to our bodies, and an enfeebled moral and physical constitution to all. To what extent this moral enfeebling goes he does not say; nor does he give any rea sons for this view he holds. Perhaps the fullest presentation of his real views are given in his statement of three of the Remonstrants, Arminus, Lineborch, and before them of Cassiau. He represents Cassiau, an Eastern monk, as holding the middle way be tween Pelagius and Augustine. He taught that man's will was free, but grace was needed because the race was universally depraved. The effect of the fall as Cassiau presents it, was that through it man became mortal that the soul was weakened in its power for good, so that men needed grace, but he does not say for what. This view Dr. Miller says accords with Scripture and with consciousness. The Doctor now gives us a summary of the creeds. The view of the Lutheran was that of Augustine. So the views of the Reformers as formulated at Con cord so the Hillderburg Catechism. So the Gallae, the Belgean and the Scotch, and the English Confessions, while not distinctively stating it, all these creeds, according to Dr. M., im pty that infants are guilty and condemn ed and ma3' be damned. ARMINIUS. Arminius, he says, taught that infants were not condemned, and he recognized no moral pollution, sin or guilt in in fants, involving condemnation. But he does not give the view of Arminius as to the fact of depravit3r, or the sin ward tendency. If Arminius believed that our depravity results from the hearts engendered by constant trans gression, or if he denied the fact of mor al corruption at birth, Dr. M. does not say so. He simply presents him as de nying the statement that a man is con demned for anything he did not do. LINEBORCH. He sars of Lineborch, after giving his views, that "this statement is full, lu minous, and accordant with revelation and reason." What is the statement? 1. It is admitted there is an inclina tion to sin, but that this inclination is not sin, until it ultimates in positive violation of law nor is 2. This inclination moral corruption, for children are examples to adults,who must become like little children to enter into the kingdom of heaven. MR. WESLEY AND MR. FLETCHER. Having fully endorsed Lineborch,wlio denies that the tall of man had anything to do with the corruption of his nature" he now makes an effort to show that Mr. Wesley endorsed this view. As I said in the beginning ray purpose is not to controvert Dr. Miller's views, but to state them as fairly as I can, and J shall not eater any discussion as U whether Mr. Wesley is properly repre sented or not. The question " How does Dr. Miller represent v? ls He admits that Mr. Wesley's c-u-l tings would deny him a pia,.. ZWri such Remonstrants as Li iebord endeavors to account for that f i, I11'1 alleges that Mr. Wesley chan'i. f 5 views later in life, and product ' extracts from Mr. Wesley's lott(-nie prove this position. The first i':u.tls t0 sented to prove this change of 1 ,re" that in 1 758, a year after Mr v?T 1 treatise on Original Sin, wind, v.". 2 " Armnn nrnnminees the i . A- most elab of all Mr. Wesley's works, was u- . atfc Mr. Wesley in a letter to Mr i !l said: '.'What is the first part of t U r" birth ? Baptism ? It is the sign of that inward and spiritual VT. but no part of if at all. It is innx in' it should be. The outward si-n K more a part of the inward graC( n the body is. a part of the soul " i"1 rtJiiUGJ. can uctiuG wueuit'i tins proves that Mr: Weslev l'as cn:ui'T0. 1. - vievs on original sin or not. IN ITr,,.. however, says Dr. Miller., was a yaH .!': certain, but if made, certainly rail;,-.,'' In 1773, some 15 years after 'tin; u'n tiseAvas written, Mr. Wesley -avs-"Nothing is sin strictly speaking ijj,7 voluntarv' transgression of a kmnvn l.,'1 of God'." - ; ,Uv ... If the doctrine of. his book on orH,,,,, sin contradicts this almost ;!xiinut':'. statement that there can be no jt" a transgression of law made, winv',1' volition or knowledge, then Mr. WcsKv had changed his views. But Dr. Miller averts that i:i the ar ticles of religion published in the pr;iv, v book of 1784 Mr. Wesley evidenced tip', his views wrere decidedby clianeii . ' the 7th article as it is there irivi's'v Wesley's views on the subject of pravity they are certainly not the view, which Dr. Miller holds as true, and very few Methodists can find in them an v. thing to object to. Perhaps if Dr. i'. ler had seen a copy of the original $;. vice book brought over by Dr. Cok,( il copy of which the Rev. P. A. I.:toiiiJ1 has in his libraiy, and which I have ex amined, he would have seen in the hqi. tismal service, which Mr. Wesley nv(s an evidence that though his views .:j other subjects underwent a change, that not even Augustine himself held mmy advanced views on the fact of human depravity. The service as we at ind ent have it, is strong enough in its in terances, but it was far stronger then. FLETCHER. His statement that John Fletcher !k lieved that children were born pure from corruption, will be rather new to tho. who studied Fletcher's appeal to -nw. of sense and reflection," in which, by elaborate argument, he endeavors t" prove the doctrine of total depravity. Mr. Fletcher he quotes as raying that Christ has the pre-eminence, he hri:i;. a general justification, and a un'miNi! seed of life; "And if Adam's siiMveiv atoned for and forgiven him, docs it i: m follow that although all infants are !,y nature children of wrath, yet tliroiun the redemption of Christ thee are im state of favor or justification." (JuoUn: these and other extracts from Mr, Fletcher, Dr. Miller says they .show that Mr. Fletcher teaches that "Chrit as a redeemer, restored to children the status supposed to have been forfeit;1! in Adam, and that to impute that .sin t children which they did not commit, would outrage all proper conceptions f Jesus." It would be with Mr. Fletcher'. views, he sajrs, utterly absurd to assume that infants are born into the well: with sinful and devilish natures. WATSON. Richard Watson, he says, taught that infants sustained on earth a vital rela tion to Christ which, being true, they are not aliens born with a sinful and devilish nature, deserving God's wrath and damnation. DR. MILLER'S CONCLUSION. The final conclusion to which Dr. Miller arrives is, that for four ceiituno the church taught that sin was simply transgression of a known law. 2. There was no moral polluti"" transmitted &y Adam. 3. The dogma of infant dammit. was unknown. 4. That in the 5th century tho vi w of Augustine were advanced and ;xi"r sed. 5. That the doctrines of AiuuM-'. wera imbedded in the Creeds at the Kf or niation. G. That the Bible doctrino.th.it tin-"', is no original sin, was presented ip1 defended in the loth century by t'"' v' minians. , 7. That Mr. Wesley reached the a conclusion after he published hi tr, ;! tise on original sin, and was foil wc. Fletcher, Watson, Clarke, and otln;i I have gone over these elaborate c inq -ters to see what are the positions h'1'1 and defended bv Dr. Miller. things are clear others to mosoiii'" what obscure. It is evident in l-' view 1st. That the ?uilt of Adam's trans gression is not imparted to infant: - that infant damnation is talse. 2nd. That there is no i,ind ttMlv in children at birth except whit coni" from an immediate ancestiw. 3rd. Infants are born in vital uni' with Christ, but have a pronem' l . evil, and though depraved are pure .iw in tavor with God : thev torie-n i"1 ; vor only by actual transmii""' become depraved only by their ow n con duct. . , That Dr. Miller finds support m sound Scripture and sound reao" several of these positions cannot !-' J nied. If any Arminian has ever 'ip' ted them, I never heard of him. 1 li; found none who taught 1. That the guilt 'of Adam's sin ever imputed to an innocent ';. because of it that the babe. uul !'-' 1 ed to eternal life, was damned. 2. That there is no moral l!';;t:'' ' no inward corruption, is anot'n i" and if Dr. Miller held to this vi-'.J ': seems to do, it is evident that these he quotes from asrvoe with "" .,. But we defer to another P-Uu'r 1 ' further statement of tlWStt view. Macon, Ga. r
North Carolina Christian Advocate (Greensboro, N.C.)
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May 5, 1886, edition 1
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