The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-10-24
Revising the Confession of Faith.

The committee appointed by the Sara
t,ga General Assembly to revise the Vest
minister Confession, in its weeks session
at Pittsburg, which terminated last week,
went over the first half of the Confession
and made provisional changes of the Sec
tions in it in which changes had been sug-
oested by the Presbyteries. There were,
naturally, differences of opinion in a body
composed in part of persons who desired
no change at all in the time-honored creed,
but in all instances the revisers finally
came together more or less, and the result
is so far satisfactory. The chief changes
in the Confession which have been made
(subject to revision) are in chapter iii, Sec
lions 8, 4, 5, and Z; in chapter iv., section
L; in chapter vi, section 4; chapter VII.
sections 4, 5, 6; chapter X, sections = and
8.
The changed sections in chapter iii. are
those declaring that ''by the decree OF
God. for the manifestation of His glory,
some men and angels are predestinated in
to everlasting life and others foreordained
to everlasting DEATH that the number OF
each cannot be increased or diminished;
that those predestinated unto life were
chosen before the foundation of the word
by the good pleasures of God without any
foresight of faith or good works on their
part and that the rest of mankind God was
pleased ito pass by and to ordain them to
dishonor aud wrath for their sin, to the
praise of His glorious Justice The CON-
mittee has not made public the exact
changes which hav been made in the fore
going. but the general statement is given
out that things have been taken out which
are of the nature of speculations, n that
in addition to elimination, substitutions,
and explanatory additions have been made.
From this it is evident that what are
euphemistically called the Objectionable
parts OF the Confession, are here changed.
As the first section of the fourth chapter
declares that the world and everything in
it were made in six DAYS. the change here
mast necessarily h one bringing it into
conformity Nth Inc truths of geology.
Section =E78 -%} M chapter six refers To
original sin; now il has baen changed is
up ven minated This is also the case
with the sections in chapter vii, which
have to do with the covenants of grace
under the old aud new dispensation.
The changed sections of chapter X. are
those containing the doctrine as to grave
and the damnatioD OF infants who are not
elect" The change in the last can be
imagined. The fourth section of chapter
K. which may be summarized, can man
be saved by light Of nature or must it be
by Christ?' was referred to a COMMITTEES
which will report to the Revision Commit
tee when it r~eassembles in Washington on
Feb. 4 Other parts of the second half oil
the Confession have also been referred tc
committees.
While the changes thus far proposed are
provisional, they re likely to be adopted
in their present shape or in some other
The Washington session will probably last
a fortnight, and then there will be a finaI
session at Buffalo or Cleveland. A con
clusion not only as to the changes already
made is expected to be reached at thu
Washington session, but as to the revision
of the second half of the Confession, ant
a subcommittee will then be appointed tt
draft a Confession in conformity with TIL,
general desire. This will be written il
clear and concise language, and the sub
committee will report to the Revision Com
mittee at its final meeting Immediately be
fore the meeting of the General Assembly