Remarks on the Princeton Review [pp. 306-347]

324 Prof. Park's Remarks on the Princeton Review. [APRIL
for now the feelings of all true men revolt from the assertion,
that a poor infant dying, if we may suppose it to die, before its
first wrong preference, merits for its unavoidable nature, that
eternal punishment, which is threatened, and justly, against
even the smallest sin. Although it may seem paradoxical to
affirm that'a man may believe a proposition which he knows to
be false,' it is yet charitable to say that whatever any man
may suppose himself to believe, he has in fact an inward conviction, that'all sin consists in sinning.' There is comparatively little dispute on the nature of moral evil, when the words
relating to it are fully understood."* As to the other points
we have such language as the following: Man's "unvaried
wrong choices imply a full, unremitted, natural power of choosing right. The emotive theology, therefore, when it affirms this
power is correct both in matter and style; but when it denies
this power, it uses the language of intensity; it means the certainty of wrong preference by declaring the inability of right,
and in its vivid use of can not for will not is accurate in substance, but not in form."t One of the expressions put in the
lips of the emotive theology, and which is pronounced correct
both in matter and style is: "'If I had been as holy as I had
power to be, then I had been perfect." Another is, "I know
thee that thou art not a hard master, exacting of me duties
which I have no power to discharge, but thou attemperest thy
law to my strength, and at no time imposest upon me a heavier
burden than thou at that very time makest me able to bear."t
In note F. at the end of the sermon it is said: "The pious
necessarien has a good moral purpose in declaring that the present and future obligations of men, do and will exceed their
power." This, in the connexion, implies that in the judgment
of the writer, men's obligations do not exceed their power.
* Sermon, p. 568. It ought to be remembered that there is not a creed of any
Christian Church (we do not mean separate congregation) in which the doctrine,
that inherent corruption as existing prior to voluntary action is of the nature of
sin, is not distinctly affirmed. The whole Latin Church, the Lutheran, all the
branches of the Reformed Church, unite in the most express,, nicely measured"
assertions of faith in this doctrine. In view of this fact we think the tone of the
paragraph quoted above, and especially of the concluding sentences must be considered a little remarkable. We hope we shall hear no complaints hereafter, of
over-weening confidence.
] Sermon, p. 548. $ Sermon, p. 547.