Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-05-27
PUT OVER FOR A YEAR.
Revision of the Faith Question Re-re-
ferred to the Presbyteries.

revision of the Faith Question Re-re-
ferred to the Presbyteries.
DETROIT, Mich, May 22.-The report
Of the special committee, appointed at
the last meeting of the General Assem-
bly, to revise the confession Of faith, was
submitted to-day to the General Assem-
bly,. After the reading Of the report it
was moved that the report be sent down
to the presbyteries as recommended by
the committee. 1t was moved by DR..
Hayes that the report presented by the
committee of revision be accepted as a
report of progress and the stated clerk be
directed to print the same under the SUI
pervision Of the committee and send it
down to the presbyteries in accordance
with its recommendations and the COM
mittee is continued to make final report
to the next assembly. The motion pre-
vailed, and the General Assembly thus
shelved the revision question for year
by re-committing it to the local presby-
tories.
The following is an abstract from the
changes recommended by the commit
tee on revision:
In Chapter 1 of the Holy Scripture, Sec
ton 5, are inserted the words, ''and the
rutnfulness Of the history, the faithful
witness OF prophecy and miracle" as
among the arguments for the inspiration Ct
the scripture. Chapter 8, ''of Gods eter-
nal Decree" has sections l aid I'M
changed Sections and are stricken
out. Section 5, which is the portion OF the
present confession relating to toreOrdina-
ton, becomes Section ), and is amended TO
read as follows:
God. be ore the foundation of the world was
laid, according 10 His eternal and immutable
purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleas
ure Of his will. hath predestined some of man
kind sinto life, and hath particularly and I'M
changeably chosen them IN Christ unto ever
lasting glory out of His mere free grace and
love, without any foresight OF talth, or good
works. or perseverance in either of them. or any
other thing in the creature conditions
causes, moving Him thereunto; and all 10 the
praise of His glorious grace.
Section 3 remains unchanged and be-
comes Section 4. Section z was amended
and becomes section 5, and is as follows:
The rest of mankind God was pleased accord
ing to the unsesrchable counsel of His own will.
whereby He extendeth or withholdeth mercy
He pleaseth mot to elect unto everlasting life
but to oIdaln them to dishonor and wrath Tor
their sin, to the praise of His glorious Justice;
yet SO as thereby neither is any limitation put
upon the offer of salvation to all, upon condi-
ton of faith in Christ; nor is restraint laid up
OIL the offer Of salvation to all, upon condition
of faith in Christ; nor is restraint laid upon the
freedom Of advance to hinder His acceptance of
this ofer.'
OCCtlOlI o lS save III uulllCId-
ton. Chapter 4, of creation, receives some
amendments that are merely verbal. The
same may be said on the changes in Chap
ter &. of the fall of man; Chapter Z, of Gods
covenant with man, and Chapter s, Of
Christ the mediator. A chapter of the
'IIOly Spirit" is made Chapter 9. The
chapter on free will, now Chapter 10, is
amended by the addition of those words to
the declaration of the inSufficiency of the
Will of man for spiritual goodness: ''Yet
is his responsibility as a free moral agent
not thereby impaired"
The chapter on the universal offer of the
gospel is made more complete in terms.
The doctrines of the Justification, of saw
ing faith, of good works, and of religious
worship, receive only verbal changes. In
the procurement upon lawful OathS,
''pOplSh mOnaStic VOWS are described SIM
ply as "mOnaSLic VOWS"
Similar 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 described as anti
Christ. The sacrifices of the mass is also
referred to as Roman Catholic doctrine''
rather than ''PopiSh,'' but 1T continues to
be designated as abOminably injurious.
Clause Of Charter II is changed to read
as follows: ''All infants dying in infancy,
and all other persons, who, from birth to
death are incapable of being Outwardly
called by the ministry of the word are re-
deemed by Christ, and regeneroted by the
Spirit who worketh when and where, aud
how lie pleaseth." This is radical alter
alton: differing from the old confession in
the insertion of the words ''all," from
birth to DEATH ''are redeemed and ''are
regenerated by the Spirit" An entirely
new clause is the following:
Chap. 25, Sec. 6. There is other head of
the church but the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
claim Of the Pope of Rome to be the ricar of Christ,
and the head Of the church untucrsal, Is aciout
rant IN scripture az fact, and uSurpdti0n dis
honOyiUO f. &c lord .Trs,,s Christ