The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-23
A CREED FOR TODAY.
The Presbyterian Assembly Re-
vises Old Doctrines.
oALvANIsM or cALvINIsM.
The Belief in Predestination Only
Little Modified.
Reference to Catholics, but New
Clause Denounces the Pope-Poor
Outlook for Union with Episcopaiians

vic hih0tcS htiC iSo0 Sht hhC SteN'tNo
committee announced. The clerk read
list of the prestyteries that voted on the
proposed change in the method OF amend
ment of the standard. Ninety-one voted
yea. seven nay, six refused to report ana
fourteen have not reported. There were
several statements as to the overture on
deaconesses. The report Of the committee
on confession of faith was read by the
chairman, Rev. William c. Roberts, presi-
dent of Lake Forest University. He said
the introduction of that copy from which
he was reading was only correction,
and that he regretted some of the daily
papers had by some means got hold anu
published partially incorrect copies. After
the reading of the report it was moved
that it be sent down to the presbyteries as
recommended by the committee. and the
committee was continued to mako flnai
report to the next assembly. DR.. Smith
warmly seconded the motion. Rev. DIR.
Patton, of the revision committee, sup
ported the motion. He would have pre-
ferred on strictly technical grounds that
report be recommitted and they be
directed to send it down to the presbyter-
les rather than for the assembly to itself
stand that action as implying some degree
of Endorsement of the recommendation OF
the report. He said:
think tha: in the changes proposed in the re-
port the essence of Calvinism is wholly pre-
served. We did not mean TO decalyinize and
said not Every one who expected anything of
that sort win be disappointed. We were not
unanimous, although harmonious. We want to
see how the church views the proposed changes
and proposed methods of making changes be-
fore deciding to stand out for anything that does
not appear In the report. We want the report
criticised without any restraint from misap-
prehenson of unanimity in the session OF the
committee.
The motion was unanimously adopted,
and the great debate is over for this year.
Among the changes recommended by
the committee on revision are: In chap
ter 1, Scriptures, section S, are inserted
the words, land the truthfulness OF his
tory. the faithful witness of prophecy and
miracle" As among the arguments for
the inspiration of the Scripture, chapter 8,
"Of Gods eternal Decree. has sections
and 4 stricken out. Sec ion 5, which is a
portion of the present ccsfession relating
to foreordination, btconses section s, and
is amended to read as follows:
God, before the foundation of the world was
laid according to his eternal and INN utable pur-
pose and the secret counsel aud good pleasure
of his will, has predestined some of mankind
unto life, and hath particularly and unchange-
ably chosen them in Christ unto everlasting
glory, out of his mere free grace Of love, without
any foresight of faith or good works or per-
severance in either of them, OF any other thing
in the creature as conditions or causes moving
him and all IN 10 nf oil
Gus grace.
Section remains unchanged and be-
comes section 4. Section was amended
and becomes section ), and is as follows:
The Rest of Mankind-God was pleased, ac-
cording to the unsesrchable council of his own
will, whereby he extendeth or ~ithholdeth
mercy as he plesseth, not to elect into everlast-
ing Lie. but to ordain them to dishonor and
wrath for their sin to the praise of His glorious
justice; yet SO as hereby neither is any limita-
tion put on the offer OF salvation to all upon
condition of faith in Christ, nor is restraint laid
upon the offer of salvation to all, upon condi-
tion of faith in Christ nor is restraint upon the
freedom of any one to hinder bis acceptance of
this offer.
The chapter on free will, now chapter
10, is amended by the addition of these
words to the declaration on the insuffic-
ieDcy of the will of man for spiritual
goodness: ''Yet is his responsibility as a
free moral agent not thereby impaired"
In the pronouncement upon lawful
oaths, "popish monastic vows" are de-
scribed simply as ''monastic vows" SINH
lar changes with regard to the term
''papist" are made in the chapter on
marriage and divorce, and the pope of
Rome ceases in the revision to be "anti-
Christ" The sacrifice of mass is also re-
ferred to as Roman Catholic" doctrine
rather then ''popish," but it continues to
be designated as abominably injurious.
A clause of chapter II is changed to read
as follows:
All infants dying in infancy and all other per.
sons who from birth to death are incapable OF
being outwardly called to the ministry of the
Word, are redeemed by Christ aud regenerated
by the Spirit, Who worketh when and where and
how He pieaseth.
This is a radical alteration, differing
from the old confession IN the insertion of
the words ''ail, - from birth to death "
''are redeemed" F" and ''are regenerated bv
the Spirit" An entirely new clause is the
following:
Chapter, 25 section 6-There is no other head
OF the church but the Lord Jesus Christ. and the
claim OF the pope OF Rome to be the vicar of
Christ and the head of the church universal is
without warrant in Scriptures or in fact, and IS
a Hsurpation dishonoring TO the Lord Jesus
Christ.
A report from the committee on unem-
ployed ministers was made the first order
of the day tomorrow. and that Of the COM
mittee on church zeal was made the second
order tomorrow.
Dr.. Francis. of Cincinnati, recommended
method and time of dealing with the
question of acting on and vetoing the
election of professors in the theological
seIninaries at the session of the assembly.
1t wss referred to the committee on theo-
logical seminaries, 10 report at the earliest
convenience. The report of the committee
on the text of the constitution of the
church was read, specifying certain
changes made in wording, punctuation. etc.
Judge Hand. of Scranton, Pa, made a
report of the committee on the business
management of the board of publication.
The committee finds that the recommen-
dations of the special committee of last
year were true and wise and states that the
most important of these recommendations
have during the year heen adopted hy the
business committee of the board The re-
port states that the management of the
board during the last hfiy years shows re-
rnaTkable success. Its real estate invest
ment has been very profitable. The COM
mittee recommends the division of the su-
perintendence into building, publication