The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-17
THE PRESBYTERIANS| |
SscoM Days Session Of the General
Assembly.
The Question Of Revision and Anti
Revision of Vital Importance
TO the Church -Yester-
days Proceedings.

SARATOGA, n. Y, May l6.-At the scs-
sion of the Presbyterian general as sembly
this morning the standing committees
were Appointed. The committee on liquor
traffic In the Congo Free state reported
that they had tried to get congress to use
It's influence against the traffic, but as the
Unttou States Is not party to the Berlin
treaty the action could not he secured nj
preseps.
The committee on method of effecting
chanoDs In the confession of faith and
the csBsstitution of the church reported
unanimously, substantially as follows:
"The church, speaking officially through
presbyteries, can alone determine with
authority the questions at issue: there
fore the committee recommends that the
questions be transmitted To the presby-
teries whether there shall he added TO the
forms OF government Chapter NNIlI Of
the amendments, providing FOR the pro-
posal ~ the general assembly to presby-
teries of the amendments or alterations
OF the form OF government of book OF
discipline and directory for worship. but
that these shall not he obligatory unless
the majority OF all presbyteries approve
in writing.
That alterations in the doctrinai
standards shall not be proposed TO the
presbytcrics unless they have been under
consideration for one year by q commit
tee OF not less than fifteen ministers and
ruling elders, not more than two of whom
shall be from any one synod. No altcra-
tion can be made In the provisions Of this
chapter for changes In the doctrinal
standards unless overture from the gem
eral assembly submitting the proposed
alterations be transmitted to all the pres
byteries to he approved in writing by two
thirds OF them. The general assembly
must transmit to the .presbyteries any
overture submitted To II by one-third OF
all the presbyteries. Any amendment so
submitted and approved, shall go into
effect Immediately after the general as
sembly shall have certified the fact. The
committee also recommended that pres
byteries be directed to answer the over
ture as n whole by simple yea or nay, 10
be reported to the clerk i'm time To he pre-
scented 10 the next general assembly.
President Patton OF Princeton Theologi-
cal seminary, In opening the great debate
on the report said he objected 90 two feat
ures. First. il den les 10 this assembly its
Legislative rights. What are we here for
away from the assembly not only
the right to leeislate, but also
that OF dcliberating. suppose onc-third
OF the presbytcries overture the assembly
for any oven change In doctrinal STAN
darls. This report gives the assembly no
4
TO Presbytcries and il two-thirtls adopt or
approve IL the assembly has no choice but
To declare the change, no matter how rad
ical or revolutionary.
In Moore's digest of esbyterian law
We read the following declaration of as
sembly orders: That the Westminster
ritual and confession is to continue to be
our law unless two-thir,ls of the Presby-
terians proposes to the changes desired,
and in that case the assembly is to enact
that the change he made, IL does not de-
clare IL only but enacts il. You cannot
make change in anyway that invalilatcs
the adopting 1t the act.
In conclusion DIR. Patton said: | inn
plore the assembly 10 move slowly In
these critical times when single false
step may lead up We know not where
and involve us in difficulties we
dare not anticipate. Rev. DIR. Henry Van-
dyke Of New York was delighted with the
Of DIR. Patton. He denied the Legislative
| right Of assembly in saying that there Is
no line in the digest that confers tina,
power. The Presbytcry existed before
| the general assembly and never gave il
| legislative power. There can he no actio I,
to change the standards except by
| mutual cooperation between assembly
| Presbyteries. The report seemed tn him
| lNandykeD peace measure prescribing
| fair and practicable method of coming tu
an understanding. DIR. Vandykc added
that Z, % years he had been growing con
| vinced that revision was sure tn come
| You can no more stop IL than you can
keep back spring 10y piling up last winter,
| ice.
Judge Wilson of Philadelphia spoke. "a.
| a member of the committee. lie SAID
| the report was not made primarily Il
| favor revision OF anti-revision. IL wa,
framed as the best way to extricatc tI,
| church from a conflict as 10 the force ant
| meaning Of the adopting act which has
gone on ever since its enactment. Ia
| making the report we aimed To kecI
what Is vital. and at the same time To pm
the great essential principle forever here
after beyond dispute, except by thos,
bound 10 have IA fight anyway. The re-
port does not interfere with the Legislative,
power Of the assembly IL IL had any, bu
ON the 'ther hand, gives il greater poweI
| of conservation and regulation. Practl
| cally any amendment To the standards
must he formulated in assembly bccaus,
| presbytcries have not needed facilities
for consultation. They may propose. bu
the assembly must coordinate the thrc'
propositions. The assembly ought not Il
have such legislative power as To let th'
amendments proposed by one-ihird If th'
presbyteries bc adopted 10y two-thr,ls.
President Patton has no legal founda
tion for the argument that adopting tb'
act Is unalterably the law OF the church
Could not the power that made IL repea
it? Adopting the act seems to have beer
largely framed for the very purpose o
facilitating orderly and peaceable mem
bers and not by any means meant To be
straight jacket that could never have bcel
enlarged or altered in shape.
Judge JeDkin of Philadelphia spok
| r.,Ntsian tlt tl. a 4 ter ,sn M