The General Assembly of 1881
Essays on agnosticism and a report of the 1881 Southern Presbyterian General Assembly, emphasizing the doctrines of grace, missions funding, church independence, and reform.
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Archives
The Confessional Presbyterian Archive is a curated digital library dedicated to preserving and promoting the writings of 17th–20th century Presbyterian pastors, teachers, and leaders. Featuring thousands of searchable texts, biographies, and historical resources, the archive provides direct access to the primary-source materials of American Presbyterianism.
The General Assembly of 1881
The Huguenots and Human Rights
Central Presbyterian reports on the 1881 Paris Electrical Exposition—electric light, telegraph, induction diagnostics—and presents the Synod of Virginia’s evangelistic report on presbytery missions.
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The Influence of the German University System on Theological Literature
Affirms God’s universal righteousness and critiques German university influence on Protestant theology—Erastian state control, sacramentarian Lutheranism, and lax spiritual discipline.
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The Revised Version of the New Testament (Southern Presbyterian Review)
An 1881 review criticizing the British-led Revised Version for privileging novel critical readings over the Received Text, omitting contested passages and hiding critical grounds.
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“Oh! You Are a Pessimist!”
Editorial criticizes papal pomp and Leo XIII’s revival of Aquinas, warns of Church–state alliances, and debates whether intemperance should be handled by Church or State.
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Professor W. Robertson Smith
Review condemns W. Robertson Smith’s Old Testament criticism and defends the Masoretic text and Mosaic authorship. It accuses Smith of one-sided, rationalistic methods undermining inspiration.
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Review of Jefferson Davis, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government
Review of Jefferson Davis’s Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, defending Southern secession and constitutional claims while assessing Davis’s statesmanship and motives.
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The Christian Sabbath
Defends the Christian Sabbath as a moral, perpetual duty instituted at creation and affirmed by Scripture and the Westminster Confession; argues first-day observance after Christ’s resurrection.
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Stonewall Jackson (1872)
Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Chickamauga report and R.L. Dabney’s lecture on Stonewall Jackson, highlighting Jackson’s character, leadership, and religious devotion in Civil War memory.
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The Nature of Physical Causes and Their Induction
Two pieces: one reviews the Council at Jerusalem and apostolic precedents for church polity; the other explores inductive reasoning and the rational law of causation.
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The New South
Dabney’s 1882 commencement address warns that social and economic centralization, radical egalitarianism, and press corruption threaten the republican institutions bequeathed by the founders.
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What Is Inductive Demonstration?
Examines the nature and limits of inductive reasoning. Contrasts Aristotelian and Baconian methods and highlights problems noted by Mill, Whewell, and Galileo.
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Doctrine of Original Sin
Landis defends historic Reformed teaching that Adam’s sin was imputed because it was common, critiquing Hodge’s antecedent, immediate, gratuitous imputation.
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The Emotions
Discussion of evolution and a review of James McCosh’s The Emotions, critiquing classifications of feelings and arguing emotions’ primacy for moral life and action.
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The Inductive Logic
Defends Scripture against misapplied scientific induction; critiques the limits and abuses of inductive logic and urges sound epistemology to reconcile science and faith.
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The Stoning of Stephen
Sermon on Stephen’s martyrdom and prayer ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Argues for Christ’s deity, the soul’s conscious state after death, and assurance of immediate entrance to glory.
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Symposium on the “New Theology”
Symposium essays argue there is no scriptural or rational basis for probation after death and robustly defend penal, vicarious atonement against the ‘New Theology’.
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Final Cause
R.L. Dabney defends final causes and the teleological argument against evolution, arguing nature’s regularity and adaptive organs point to design by a rational Creator.
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Letter from Dr. Dabney on Organic Union
Mission report: Rev. R. B. Grinnan recounts rapid church growth and numerous baptisms in Kōchi, Japan. R. L. Dabney argues against organic union with Northern Presbyterians over principle and abolitionist influence.
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