The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-02
The Presbyterian Confession.

| The Presbyterian Confession.
Despite the apparent necessity for it, the
changes in the Presby,eri n Comics ion Of
/ Faith will haze tendency to shock and dis
satisfy the more conservative element among
| Presbyterians. OF all things in life, a
deeply religious spirit is likely to repose an
abiding faith in the unalierable truth and
accuracy Of his religious belief. II one
cannot safely rely upon his religious tenets
be argues, what can he believe inl There
fore the mere thought that the enduring
faith instilled in his childhood, and con-
flrmed in his sdolescent youth, and strength
ened with advancing years, was in any
particular SO detective aud inaccurate as to
require modi1 alton or revision, is to the
devout mind ineffably painful and bswil-
dering.
Implicit belief in anything oncs shaken
can never again be wholly restored. Cut
adrlft from its original firm m oorings it is
apt to wander and cannot readily be att
tschsd to any new object designated. In
this simple and reverent loyalty of the per-
fectly innocent soul anything pertaining to
the doctrine upon which religion is based is
altogether too sacred for hu nan alteration
of any kind whatever Consequently such
changes as have been made in the Presby-
terrain Confession of Faith may meet the
critical approval OF learned aud analytical
thsologians and also prove inviting to free
thinking philosophical prospective prose-
lytes. But it is likely to fall with the crush
ing force of apparent sacrilege upon those
to whom a fixed aud unalterable faith
means eternal salvation.
According to Secretary w. f. Moore of
the revision committee of the late general
assembly held in Washington, ''the same
method was pursued as at the recent session
at Allegheny, so that the entire Confession
was revised and attention given to the
answers of the presbyteries on each chapter
and section designated by them. Then the
work done and tentatively adopted at ALLIE
Gheny was passed in review and confirmed
or changed as deemed best. Thus the COM
mittee had revised chapters /. to xvi. At
these sessions the remaining chapters were
taken up and changes tentatively made
were finally adopted as the mature judg-
ment Of the committee. Changes, elimina-
tions or additions were made chiefly in
chapter l., s.; chapter iii, 3, 4, ), 6; chapter
iv.. l.; chapter vi, 4; chapter viii, 8, 4, 5,
8; chapter T., 2, 8. a; chapter xi., /, 2, 8;
chapter xiv, l; chapter xvi. z; chapter
xxi, 4; chapter xiii, 8; chapter xiv, 3;
chapter XIV, 6; chapter xxx, 2; and
chapter xxx, 2.
The question of publishing its report be-
fore the time Of the meeting OF the
next assembly, which was left to
the discretion of the committee, was fully
considered. II was unanimously agreed to
not print any part of the report prior to the
meeting of the next assembly, with the sug-
gestion that the work of the committee be
referred to the presbytsries for their con-
sideratlon; but not as an overture for final
action; that the presbyteries be requested
to report it. suggest any changes that they
may deem desirable, and forward the re-
port Of the same to the secretary of the re-
vision committee by Dec. l. 1891; that the
committee subsequently, act upon these sug-
gestions of the presbyteries and make its
final reports to the assembly in 1892"
Lately such veritable rage for fashions
in religion similarly transitory to those in
more worldly affairs has developed, and
such mania for radical alterations in almost
everything has been manifested that there
is really some reason for apprehension that
the somewhat important element of actual
divine worship will be wholly eliminated
from the religion of the future and legis-
lated altogether out of existence.