Omaha daily bee., 1892-05-02
FAITH Or PRESBYTERIANS
Considerable Difference of Opinion as TO
Just What it Is.
CALL FOR AGrtNTIRElY NEW CREED
Matters to Be-f'rcsented at the Meeting
of the General Assembly at Portland,
ore, This Month which VIII At
tract General Attention.


PORTLAND, Ore, May 1.-TSpecial to The
BEE For several months the Presbyterians
OF Portland and its vicinity have been pre-
pairing for the meeting Of the general assem-
bly, OF the Presbyterian church, which will
begin on May 10 and last nearly two weeks.
Although this is the 10Th meeting OF the as
semby this venerable body has never been
further west than Omaha and only once has
1T met so far west as that For number OF
years the project OF carrying the Presbyte-
rians TO the Pacific coast has been under dis
cussion. aud after numerous consultations
| and-what was equally important---the lay
ing aside of mileage fund large enough
Tor the increased expenses consequent upon
such an extended trip, the claims OF the
Pacific coast were seriously considered last
| year at Detroit, Mich. Invitations were re-
| ceived from the Calvary church oil san
| Francisco and the First church OF this CITY.
! But the speech that captured the assembly
| was given by DIR. A. j. Brown, the pas tor OF
| the First church, and by an almost unani-
nous vote 1t was decided to accept the lnVl-
tatlon. Early In the fall large committee
OF arrangements was appointed, with special
committees on hospitality, information.
| finance, preparation OF assembly rooms, mis-
| slons ana pulpit, press and printing, banquet,
| excursion, music, railroad and trans,
portatioh, and an executive committee com
| prising the leading Clergymen and laymep oil
tho presbytery. Preparations have been
| made for the entertainment of 1000 people
| commissioners, officers and visitors. Dr.
| Brown promised last year free entertainment
| for at least 1000 commissioners and $4,000
| If necessary for the expenses.
1t is the wish of the Portland people that
| the assembly so soon TO meet in their city
| should be pre-eminenty missionary as
sembly, and to that end a commit
| tee has been appointed to bring this
| question specially before the commits
| sioners who, in reaching Port
the church. The First church issues n
monthly paper, called THE Hesperian," ana
early in the season, in an editorial this state
| nient was made: "Home and foreign mis-
sions should have at least day each and
| moro II possible. Tho committee on mis-
| Sions and pulpits will endeavor by CORE
| spondence ana otherwise to bring this about
| and to prevent those causes being crowded
| into corner. We are interested in the
| Briggs case and IN revision, but the problem
| of tho evangellzation Of the great west is to
| us OF paramount Importance
| But while the committee feels so strongly
| about homo missions 1t will be utterly i'm
| rossible to crowd the Briggs case ana
| revision into ailcoaner. In fact, it seems
| probable that tho coming assembly will be
| made memorable by the defeat of revision
| and the ordering of new creed for the
Presbyterian church Tie revision commit
/
| Roberts, president of the Lake Forest univer
| sity, as its chairman, has prepared Its second
| report which has been made public. By the
limitations imposed when the appointment
| was made the committee was unable to nitro
| duce any propositions tending to impair the
| Calvnistic system off doctrine taught in the
| confession, and it is, admitted that the mem
bers of the committees have done their best
| in view of all the circumstances, but they
have not satisfied the great mass
Of the church,'T il is believed. Many
| of those who u opposed revision at the
| outset, feel that the committee have gone too
| far, while those who were extreme revision
| lists insist that the result is altogether too
| conservative ami that the changes made are
not at all satisfactory, and, further, that the
| temper of the church IN regard to revision
has changed since the matter was first
| broatcned, and that no revision is posi- BILE
now which will satisfy all parties. The only
| thing that can keep the PresbvJerlan church
| united, they say, Is not an unrevised confess
sion, nor the confession as amended by the
! revision committee, but a new creed which
| will in some respects resemble the one out
lined by DR.. Henry Van Dyke of New York
City. When discussing the matter ia his
pros bytery he said that those whom he rep
| resented wanted new statement of essen
tial doctrine for four reasons
\ "t'rst, because 1t will be simpler. We
want something that plain man can under
stand: something we can put into the hands
of those that need instruction without con-
be more scrlptural. We want something
that has the tone and accent of the New
Testament: something less like law paper
and more like creed, which can be read in
the churches without injuring the spirit of
devotion; something that will uplift and
warm the heart Third, because it will be
shorter. Eleven thousand words is too
much The substance of our faith can be
put into half that space. If we leave cut the
non-essentlal we shall be able to put more
strength into our faith in the essentials
And this will bring us nearer to our brethren
and help to clear the way for the unitication
of Christendom. Fourth, because 1t will
have better balance. In political theology
the important thing is the emphasis. We
want creed that will lay massive EN-
phasis upon the lovo of God for the whole
world, the atoDemsnt OF Christ for all man :
kind, and the free, sincere offer of the gospel
| for every creature
| The revision committee, on the contrary,
| feel that il its report is adopted it Will
satisfy all except a few extreme conserva-
| tives and few extreme radicals who will be
| equally unable 10 agree upon new creed
| rhe progress OF the discussion of this i'm
portant question Will be watched with great
| interest
The subject most important next to the re-
| vision question, and perhaps of greater pop
| ular interest because IL has In ~ a personal
| clement will be the discussion OF the Briggs
case ibis will come before the assembly in
| two ways. Last year his transfer from one
| chair to another in the Union seminary was
| disapproved by vote of 440 TO 90, but so in
tense was the feeling on the part of tho semi
| nary directors that at q meeting held shortly
after the assembly they reafirmed his ap-
poiutment, or rather his ''transfe rs they
term it, and decided 10 stand by him. Be
sides disappearing the appointment the
assembly appointed committee, headed by
President Patton of Princeton, TO consult
with the directors relative 10 the relation eX.
isting between the seminary and the assem-
bly,. This committee held two meetings in
New York and after the adjournment DIR.
Patton and DR.. Hastings signed tho follow
ing statement: 30 in
'The adjourned conference which began
on Wednesday last hetw, en- the general
assombly's committee and tho directors oil
tho Union Theological seminary was con
cluded on FridaYgevening. A full, free and
calm discussion was had OF ali tho points al
Issue. There was throughout an obvious
and earnest desire To reach harmoniously
some conclusion p1he committee did mol
and could not yiela as to tho general
assemblys Interpretation of the agreemen,
Of 1870. On the other hand, the seminary
directors did not 5ield their position with
regard to the faRsfer of DR.. Briggs.
The fact Is nlEaccepted on both
al Ita, al -