Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-23
Proposed Changes in the Pres
byterian Creed.
Proceedings of the General
Assembly at Detroit.
The Committee ON Revision Submits
Its Report.
The Matter Sent Down to the Presbyte-
ries-Not Many Radical Changes
commended.
Associated Press Dispatches.

DETROIT, May ZZ.-Ihe presbyterian
general assembly met at 0 O'Clock this
morning.
The clerk read list of Presbyteries
that voted on the proposed change in
methods of amendment. Ninety-one
voted yea, and seven no. Six refused to
report and fourteen had not reported.
The report OF the committee on revis-
ion OF the confession of faith was read
by the chairman. Rev. VIM. @. Roberts,
president of the Lake Forest university.
He said, in introduction, that the copy
from which he was reading was the only
correct one. and that he regretted that
some daily paper had by some means
got hold of and published some partially
incorrect copies.
After the reading of the report it was
moved it be sent down to the presby-
teries as recommended by the commit
tee, and that the committee be contin-
ued and to make final report to the
next assembly.
DR.. Smith warmly seconded the mo-
ton.
Rev. DIR. Hatton, of the revision COM
&.
81 think by the changes proposed in the
report the essence of Calvinism is
wholly preserved. We did not mean to
de-Calvinize, and we did not. Every
one who expected anything of that sort
will be disappointed. We were not
unanimous, although harmonious. We
want to see how the church views the
proposed changes and the proposed
methods of making changes before de-
Gliding to stand out for anything that
does not appear in the report. We want
the report criticized without any re-
straint from misappfehension of una
nimity in the sessions OF the commit
tee."
The motion was unanimously adopted,
and the great debate is over for this year
so far as the general assembly is con-
cerned.
The report OF the committee on the
text Of the constitution of the church
was read, specifying certain emenda-
tions it made in wording, punctuation,
etc.
Judge Hand, of Scranton, Pa, made
the report of the committee on the busi-
ness management of the board of pub
lication. The committee finds that the
recommendation of the special commit
tee last year was true and wise, and
states that the most important of these
recommendations have during the
year been adopted by the business
committee of the board. The report
states that the committee think man.
agement of the board during the last
fifty years, remarkable success; its
real estate investments have been very
profitable. The committee recommend
the division of the superintendency
into binding, publication and distribu-
tion, instead OF imposing them all upon
one superintendent; also that the man
agement of this work be located in a
board which may have upon it men of
technical knowledge, rather than in an
outside committee. The committee rec
commended specific methods for carrying
out the above views. The reports were
accepted and made the second order for
Tuesday afternoon. After announce
ments by the business committee, the
assembly adjourned.
Among the changes recommended by
the committee on revision are:
In chapter l, "The scriptures" sec
tion 5, are inserted the words, 'and
truthfulness of history, faithful wit
ness of prophesy and Miracles" as
among the arguments for the inspira-
tion OF the scriptures.
Chapter 3, "Of Gods eternal de-
cree, has sections and stricken out.
Section 5, which is a portion of the
present confession, relating to foreordi-
nation, becomes section 3, and is
amended to read as follows: "God, be-
fore the foundation of the world was
laid according to His eternal and i'm
mutable purpose, and the secret counsel
and good pleasure of His will, has
predestined some of mankind into
life, and hath particularly and un-
changeably chosen them in Christ unto
everlasting glory, out OF His mere free
grace and love- without any foresight
of faith, or good works or perseverance
in either of them, or any other thing in
the creature, as conditions or causes,
moving him thereunto; and all to the
praise Of His glorious grace"
Section remains unchanged and be-
comes section A.
Section was amended and becomes
section 5, and is as follows: "The rest
of mankind God was pleased, according
to the unsearchable counsel OF His
own will, whereby he expendeth or
withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth,
not to elect unto everlasting life, 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 |
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 the condition of
faith in Christ; nor is restraint laid |
upon the freedom of any one to hinder
his acceptance Of this offer"
The chapter on free will, now chapter
10, is amended by the addition of three
words to the declaration of the insuf-
ficlency of the will of man for spiritual
goodness: "Yet in his responsibility
as free moral agent, not thereby i'm
paired"
In the pronouncement upon lawful
oaths, "popish monastic VOWS" are de-
scribed simply as 'monastic 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 the anti-Christ. The sac
riice of mass is also referred to as ''Ro-
man Catholic doctrine" rather than "a
popish" doctrine, but it continues to be
designated as "abominably injurious"
Clause 3 OF chapter IL 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 |