Reformation Faith Today

Samuel Miller wrote the following in the midst of the controversy between the Old School and New School elements in the Presbyterian Church in the 19th century.

Here, it will be observed, the BIBLE is declared to be the Only Infallible Rule of Faith, and the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church is recognized as only a summary or compendious view of the manner in which the members of that Church agree in interpreting the Scriptures.  In this sense only are we in the habit of calling our “Confession of Faith” and “Form of Government” our “ecclesiastical standards.”  Not ultimate standards of faith and practice; but standards or tests, for ascertaining the manner in which we, as a Church, profess to interpret the Bible.

      How is this public subscription, or assent to the Confession of Faith, to be understood?  Is it to be considered as precluding all variety of opinion?  Is it to secure perfect uniformity in the manner of construing every minute article, as to censure and exclude every possible diversity of exposition on any point?  Such perfect uniformity among 3,000 ministers is not to be realized.  It is well known that the framers of the Westminster Standards differed on minor points, yet they were all substantial and sincere Calvinists.  The same is true of the Dutch Synod, and also of the American Presbyterian Synod of Philadelphia of 1729, who first adopted the Westminster Confession and Catechisms for the American Presbyterian Church.  They were all substantial, sincere Calvinists; and, therefore, unanimously, and with good faith, subscribed to the Westminster Standards.

      An impartial jury would answer the question of the meaning of the words “the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures,” in the following manner:  “Since the primary object of subscribing an ecclesiastical creed is to express agreement in doctrinal beliefs; since the manifest design of the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church is to maintain what is commonly called the Calvinistic system, and since this has been the universal understanding, every since that Confession was formed, we judge that no man who is not a sincere Calvinist, that is, who does not ex animo (from his heart) receive all the distinguishing articles of the Calvinistic system, can honestly subscribe it.

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