At the same time it is but right that the Church should protect its
soundness in the faith by some form of subscription. The trouble is,
however, that the form now in force is subscribed to with reservations.
Then what reservations? They are not defined; so it comes to this, that
each subscriber makes his own reservations.
As evidence that such is the case, I may say that no minister in the
Presbyterian Church of Canada, with whom I have spoken--and I have
spoken with many--really believes in endless torment. Yet that doctrine
is clearly stated in the Confession of Faith which ministers formally
accept. The corrective of such a state of things in my opinion would be
the adoption of a simple evangelical creed that men of the most diverse
views on other matters could honestly accept.
Even in reference to the manner in which the creed is accepted in the
Presbyterian Church of Canada, there seems to me to be a want of candor.
When a minister is being received, or installed in a charge, he is asked
if he is prepared to sign the Confession of Faith. He is not asked to
sign it then and there. To express his willingness to sign it does not
seem to be so much of a tax on his candor as actually to sign it. Such a
proceeding seems to me to put somewhat of a premium on insincerity. It
is well known that there are reservations. Would it not be more honest
to accept a short statement of evangelical truth, which could be
accepted without any reservation?