The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-05-23
POSTPONED FOR A YEAR
The New Presbyterian Confession
ofFaith Is Reported.
REFERRED TO The PRESBYTERlES
After a Short Debate.--Abstract Of the
Important ohanges--some of
Them ofa Radical Character = 9th
er Business Transacted by the AS
sembly. i

sembly.
DETROIT, MICH, May %. The Presby-
terian General Assembly met at 0 A. NJ.
After a season Of prayer and conference
led by Rev. Dr. s. Q. Logan, Of Scranton,
Pa, the minutes were read and the
standing committees announced.
The vote in regard to the proposed
change in the methods of amendment
to the standard was, aye 81, no 70, re-
fused to report 8, and II have not re-
a committee was appointed to can
vass these returns from the presby-
teries.
vision OF the Confession OF Faith was
read by Chairman Rev. VIM. O. Roberts,
D. D., President of the Lake Forest
University. He said that the copy
from which he was reading was the
only correct one, and he regretted that
some of the daily papers had by some
means got hold OF and published one OF
the incorrect copies. The following alb
stract contains everything important in
this important and eagerly expected re-
port, which, it is believed, will be the
most engrossing subject that will come
before the Assembly:
THE REVISION.
Section s, which is the portion Of the
present confession relating to foreordi-
nation, becomes Section 8, and is
amended to read as follows:
"God, before the foundation OF the
world was laid, according to His eternal
and immutable purpose, and the secret
council and good pleasure OF His will,
hath predestined some Of mankind into
life, and hathpartioularly yandunchange-
ably chosen them in Christ unto ever
lasting glory out Of His mere free grace
and love, without any foresight of faith,
orgood works, or perseverance in either
of them, or any other thing in the crea-
ture, all conditions or causes moving
Him thereunto and all to the praise OF
His glorious grace"
Section 8 6remains unchanged and be-
comes Section 4. Section Z was amended,
and becomes Section 5, and is as fol-
lows: "The rest of mankind God was
pleased, according to the unsearchable
counsel OF His own will, whereby He
eStendeth or withholdeth mercy as He
pleaseth, mot to elect unto everlasting
iife,' but to ordain them to dishonor and
wrath for 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 condition
OF faith in Christ, nor is restraint laid
upon the offer of salvation to all upon
condition OF faith in Christ; nor is re-
straint laid upon the freedom Of any
one to hinder his acceptance OF this
offer" Section s is unchanged save in
Enumeration.
hechapter on free will Is amended
by the addition of words declaring the
insufficiency Of the will Of man:
"Yet is his responsibility as free
moral agent not thereby impaired"
In the pronouncement upon lawful
oaths tPopish monastic VOWS are de-
scribed simply as "monastic VOWS"
Similar changes with regard to the
term "Papistf aremade in the chapter
on marriage and divorce, and the Pope
of Rome ceases in the revision, to be de-
scribed as anti-Christ. The sacrifice Of
mass is also referred to as Roman
Catholic doctrine" ratherthan "Popish," !"
but it continues to be designated as
abominably injurious.
Tue clause Of chapter XVI 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 redeemed by Christ and
regenerated by the Spirit who worketh
when and where and how he pleaseth." !"
This is radical alteration, differing
from the old Confession in the insertion
Of the words, "all," "from birth to
DEATH" care redeemed" and "are re-
generated by the Spirit"
An entirely new clausei Is the follow
ing: "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
scripture or fact, and is usurpation
dishonoring to the Lord Jesus Christ"
After the reading of the report, it was
moved that it be sent to the Presby-
tories as recommended by the Commit
tee. DR.. Hayes moved the report be
adopted, which was Swarmly seconded
by DR.. j. 7. Smith.
One conservative elder said the Con.
fession OF Faith was an anvil that had
worn out every hammer that had
pounded it. The mischief had always
been started by the ministers, not by
the elders.
THE DEBATE,
Rev. DR.. Patton, Of the revision COM
mittee, supported the resolution. He
would have preferred, on strictly tech
nical grounds, that the report be recon.
mitted and they be directed to send it
down to the Presbyteries rather than
for the Assembly to itself send it down,
because some might misunderstood that
action as implying some degree of en-
dorsement OF the recommendations OF
the report. He did not wish to speak
on the merits of the question for any
but himself. The sessions of the COM
mittee were harmonious, although very
free in urging views that were more or
less antagonistic. I think that in the
changes proposed in the report the
essence Of Calvinism is wholly pre-
served. We did not mean to de-Cal-
vinize and we didn't. Everyone
who expected anything Of that
sort will be disappointed-to his salts
faction or dissatisfaction as the case
may be. We want the Assembly to
continue the committee, that it may
get the benefit Of the criticisms Of the
Prasbvtariana. and alan Ehink mora Mt