Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-01


The question Of the revision Of the confess
sion of faith now agitating the Presbyterian
church has been discussed by the Washington
city presbytery. At the meeting on Monday
the discussion will be closed and vote taken
on the first question as to whether revision is
desired. Some months ago a committee con-
sisting OF Rev. DR.. Teunis s. Hamliil, Rev. DR..
b. F. Bittinger, Rev. DIR. T. s. Childs, Judge
VIM. Strong and George W. N. Gusts was ap-
pointed to consider the matter Of revision.
Majority and minority reports were submitted.
The majority report was as follows:
I'VE recommend that the presbytery answer
| the hrst question, viz, DO you desire re-
vision OF the confession of faith?' in the
affirmative. We do not so recommend with any
intention of departure from the system of doc
trine historically held by the Presbyterian
church in the United States of America and by
the reformed churches generally; but, instead,
with view to bring our own official symbol
into harmony with the vital faith of the church,
by correcting antiquities that lead to popular
perversion and Misrepresentation of what we
actually hold and teach and by bringing
the confession into conformity with
Gods word wherever, by omission or over
statement, or wrong emphasis. or faulty exc
truth"
DIR. CHILDs DIssENTs.
The only dissenting member of the commit
tee was Rev. DIR. T. S. Childs, who submitted
the following minority report:
The undersigned would respectfully recon-
mend that the first question in the overture
namely, DO you desire revision Of the con-
fession?-be answered in the negative.
His reasons, in brief, are these:
81. No revision is now possible that would
not produce far more evil than it would re-
move.
So No revision short of a virtual destruc-
ton of our system of doctrine could bring the
confession into harmony with views already
held and taught in the church. In other words,
no revision could prove satisfactory or give
more liberty than is now actually exercised in
the church, unless it proceeded to the length
OF radical change in the statements of our
doctrinal faith"
NO SWEEPING CHANGES.
The majority of the committee also made
report upon the second question as to the
character of the changes to be made. Their
report is as follows: 1--WE recommend that the
presbytery of Washington city answer the
second question OF the general assembly's over
ture OH revision Of the confession of faith as
follows:
I'VE do not desire any sweeping revision of
the confession OF faith; nor such as would elm
mate rom 1t the system of doctrine known a.
Calvanism, nor such would throw us out of
harmony with other Presbyterian churches.
We recognize, with profound gratitude to God
the immense service of our confession to a
multitude of believers, to civil freedom and to
the world at large. We appreciate its logical
strength and symmetry and its unequaled
settlement OF most Of the great doctrines of our
holy religion. We find in it, however, certain
controversial utterances which do not properly
belong in such a document and certain un-
scrIptural, or extra-scriptural, statements.
These We desire to have expunged We find, also.
a 40 N hal md
which we desired remedied by change of en-
phasis. Ana, especially, we find no adequate
statement of the love of God for all mankind:
His abundant provision for the salvation of ali
in the atonement of His Son and His sincere
offer Of mercy and grace to every creature
This we desire to see prominently inserted"
SOME OF THE CHANGES
The changes recommended are as follows:
In chapter three, section three which reads
''By the decree Of God for the manifestation of
his glory some men and angels are predesti-
mated unto everlasting life and others fore
ordained to everlasting death, omit the words
after life.
Omit the entire fourth section of the same
chapter, which reads as follows: These angels
and men thus predestinated and foreordained
are particularly and unchangeably designed,
and their number is so certain and definite that
1t cannot be either increased or diminished"
Section sixth, same chapter, reads as follows:
hath He, by the eternal and most free purpose
OF His will, foreordained all the means there
unto. Wherefore they who are elected being
fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ are
efectually called unto faith in Christ by His
spirit, working in due season; are justified
adopted, sancti fled and kept by His nowe1
through faith unto salvation. Neither are auy
other redeemed by Christ effectually called
justified, adopted, sanctfied and saved but the
elect only" Omit the last sentence.
In chapter y, section l. the committee rec
ommends the omission of the words land those
only" which change is in the line with the
above changes. The report adds: I'VE recon-
mend these omissions, not because the state
ments are untrue, but because they are SUPER
fuous In these places"
ORDAINED TO WRATH.
1t is recommended that the whole of section
z, in chapter III, be omitted. 1t reads as fol-
Iowa: THE rest Of mankind God was pleased
according to the unsearchable counsel of his
own will, whereby He extendeth or with
hOldeth mercy as He pleaseth, for the glory of
HIS sovereign power over His creatures, to pass
by and TO ordaln them to dishonor and wrath for
their SIN, to the praise of His glorious justice"
The entire section OF chapter V is recon-
mended to be omitted.
Section 4, chapter vi. now reads: From this
original corruption, whereby we are utterly
indisposed, disabled and made opposite to ali
good and wholly inclined to all evil do pro-
ceeu All actual ransgresslons The reading
proposed by the committee is as follows:
From this original corruption, whereby we
are indlsposed to good and inclined to evil, do
proceed all actual transgressions.
The committee advises the modification of
sections and in chapter TX 80 as not 10
teach the bondage Of the will
ELECT INFANTS
In section Of chapter it is recommended
that instead of the word .'elect' the word ..alr'
be substituted so that the section will read 'all
infants dying in infancy are regenerated and
saved by Christ through the spirit" &c. The
section now reads 'elect infants"
Section 4, chapter y, reads as follows.
'Others not elected, although they NAV be
called by the ministry of the word and NAV
have some common operations of the spirit. vet
they never truly came unto Christ and there
fore cannot be saved; much less can men not
protesting the Christian religion be saved in
any other way whatsoever, be they ever so
dlllgent to frame their lives according to the
light OF nature and the law of that religion
they do profess, and to assert and maintain
that they may Is very pernicious and to be de-
tested. The committee favors the omission of
that portion beginning with the words much
lese can men,"
In regard to chaptervI, section 8, and chapter
Al. section l. the report says: 80 guard the
statement Of imputation, both of sin and right
eousness, as to relieve it Of all impression of
legal fiction"
Chapter Nv. section 1, treats of the creation.
and the committee advises the omission of the
words .'of nothing" and in the space of six