The Portland daily press., 1888-11-23
inside Facts Relating to the contro-
versy Over Missionary Moves.


boston Correspondence of Springfield Repub,i
can.l
1t happened today that had an excellent
opportunity to talk freely with one of the
conservatives regarding the difficulty in the
prudential committee of the American board
over the appointment of Mr. Moves as mis-
sionary, and he threw more light on their
position than they do themselves in their let
ter to the Berkeley street church. Were it
not Tor the past history in the case it would
hot DE- strange II more of the committee we're
81 the opinion OF DIR. Dexter that it would be-
the less OF two evils to send out Mr.. Noyes
put the difficulty. so far as the prudential
COMMITTEES is concerned, lies deeper than the
statement of Mr.. Noyes before the coul'cil, Of
MS belief in a future probation. He Is held
Dy the prudential committee to believe that
the at0nement of Christ was not necessary for
human salvation, but that the essence of
Christs coming to earth consisted In his in.
carnation. and that 1t is the incarnation
which Is the essential factor In human saliva
tiun. This sets aside the accepted orthodox
view of the atonement and reyolutionizes the
essential doctrines of the church. With this
theory. of the atonement go other views as
essential, and 1t Is not so much what Mr.
N0yes has said regarding the heather as it is
his whole system OF theology which is not
acceptable to the committee. The reason
why he Is not regarded as coming under the
line laid down by DR.. Storrs in his letter
accepting the presidency is that his belief In
future probation is part of his scheme of
at0nement which requires the salvation of
any man to turn upon his personal reception
of Chrises sacrifice subsequent to the know
ledge that such Ia sactifce has been made.
Hence, II the person has not had the know
ledge in this life that such a sacrifice has
been made, then, in order to give him any
chance at all, he must have an opportunity
In the next life. But it is the general over
turning OF the present. theory of the atone
ment, which they believe to rest upon scrip
tural basis which the conservatives object to
In Mr. Noyes rather than what he may hold
as hope regarding the future chances of the
heather. When the person holds such a
hope not as part Of the general system of
theology, as did Miss JudsOn, then the board
will not refuse to send him out as Miss judi
son was sent. have stated the case for the
conservatives as clearly as possible, butit is
fair to add that from my observations of both
sides neither has that abundance of charity
which it processes to try to have. Certainly,
from the reports Of the conference of Mr..
Noyes with the committee, he was not as
frank as desirable and was rather obstinate
In repeatedly saying Il decline to answer"
when the committee was trying its best to
learn exactly where he did stand. If it were
the matter Of future probation alone itwould
seem as If the parties might be harmonized,
but the sore goes so deep and is so related to
Andover seminary and its doctrines and
there are so many influences at work which
are not seen that 1t cannot be expected that
harmony will result, but that Mr.. Noyes will
be sent out by the Berkeley street church
and the board will continue to refuse to ac-
cept candidates for the mission field whose
theology Is believed to be unsound ON the
chief position in the whole idea of human
salvation. f- rt|