The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1891-05-28
REVISED THE FAITH.
WORK OF THE PRESBYTERIAN
COMMITTEE APPROVED.

The Rewritten Confession Sent to the
Various Presbyteries for Their Sane
tion-Infant Condemnation EIimin-
ated-The Pope no Longer the Anti
Christ.
DETROIT, Mich, May 23.-In the
Presbyterian general assembly tine i'm
portant matter of revision had been
made the special order for the day. The
report was in the hands of Rev. DR.. w.
c. Roberts, chairman of the committee
on revision. DR.. Roberts prefaced the
presentation of the report with the
statement that it was necessarily in
complete as presented to the assembly.
The revision committee had thought it
best to leave some matters undecided,
looking to the discussion of these points
in the assembly and the further refer
ence of the question to a committee for
consideration during the coming year.
Rev. John T. Smith, of Baltimore,
moved the acceptance of the report and
its recommendation to the presbyteries,
with instructions to consider it during
the year. Rev. George p. Hayes. of
Kansas City suggested that it be de-
nominated report of progress that the
presbyteries might nominate their COM
missioners knowingly next year. Pres
ident Patton, of Princeton, opposed this
in lengthy speech. He had opposed
revision until the bulk of the
churches asked it. Now he heartily fa-
vored it. Yet he could not believe it
the duty of the assembly to send this
report down with marks of approval.
He favored some of the amendments as
made. He believed others unnecessary.
He did not favor the form in which
other changes had been made. He paid
high compliment to the committee and
its work, and declared that not soil
tary doc trine of Calvinism had been
changed. The report was adopted and
and recommitted to the presbyteries.
The presbyteries will report their views
back to the committee on revision and
the latter will finally report next year.
And so the great revision battle was
ended almost soon as it was begun.
The New Creed.
The most of the changes in the con-
fession of faith have been more yer bal
than change of sentiment. The most
radical alterations are the following:
In the announcement upon lawful
oaths, "popish monastic vows, are de-
scribed as simply rmonastic 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 de-
scribed as anti-Christ. The sacrifice of
the mass is also referred to as Roman
Catholic doctrine, rather than "Pop-
ish, but it continues to be designated
as abominably injurious.
Clause 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 word, are
redeemed by Christ and are regenerated
by the Spirit, who worketh when and
where, and now he pleases. This is
radical change from the old confession.
Entirely is the following: Chapter %,
Section &. 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 in fact, and is a usurpation
dishonoring to the Lord Jesus Christ.