Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-19
FATE OF NON-ELECT
At Last Settled by the Committee
Revising the Faith of the
PRESBYTERIAN'S DENOMINATION.
How the Confession Has Been Amended to
Suit All.
INFANTS ARE NOT DAMNED NOW

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM, TO THE pIsPArcH.t
NEW YORK, Jan, 1S.-The Presbyterian
General Assembly's Committee on Revis-
ion, which is holding sessions in this city
daily in an endeavor to furnish to the
Church satisfactory revised version of the
Westminster Confession of Faith, arrived
at a settlement of the question OF preteri-
tion, the fate of the non-elect, this afternoon,
and so got safely over the most troublesome
part of its labors.
A mass of suggestions were presented to
the committee. Several Presbyterles
wanted the clause stricken out. The COM
mittee wrestled with it one day and then
referred it to subcommittee of five. This
committee reported to-day, and their report
was discussed. Additional propositions
were made, and finally the amended report
was accepted, "by substantial majority,
as one of the members said.
The original confession simply and
plainly stated that: ''The rest of mankind,
God was pleased, according to the unsearch-
able counsel of His own will, whereby He
extendeth or withholdeth mercy as He
pleaseth for the glory of His sovereign
power over His creatures, to pass by and to
ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their
sin, to the praise of His glorious justice.
No Pleasure in the Death of Sinners.
The clause as adopted to-day is as fol-
lows: 'The rest of mankind, God saw fit,
according to the unsearchable counsel of
His will, whereby He e1tendeth or with
holdeth mercy as He pleaseth, not to elect
to eternal life; and them He ordained
to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the
praise of His glorious Justice; yet hath He
no pleasure in the death of the wicked, nor
is it His decree, but the wickedness of their
own hearts which restraineth and hindereth
them from accepting the offer of His grace
made in the gospel"
The section on 'infant damnation, as it
is commonly known, and the fate
of the non-elect who may frame their
lives according to the light of nature and
the law of the religion they profess, but
who, because they are not elect cannot be
saved, was also settled.
The original refers to the salvation of
''elect infants, dying in infancy" leaving
natural inference. The clause as adopted
to-day reads: 'Infants, dying in infancy
and all other persons who are not guilty OF
actual transgression, are included In the
ClcCIlOu o. grace, anu dTG ItgcucIdsCu olu
saved by Christ through the Spirit, who
worketh when and where and how He
pleaseth; so also are all other elect persons
who are not outwardly called by the minis
try of the word" But no change, except
the striking out of the word ''they" in the
fourth line of the amended confession, SEEM
ingly grammatical correction, was made in
section of the same chapter which says
that ''others, not elected" cannot be saved,
however diligent they may be in living ac-
cording to the natural light or the law of
their religion.
The Chapter on Good Works.
Chapters IA and Is we're considered and
no change made. Chapter 49, ''of good
works" was amended and adopted as fol-
lows: "Works done by unregenerate men,
although they may be things which God
commands and of good use, both to them
selves and others, and although the neglect
of such things is sinful and displeasing to
God, yet because they proceed not from
heart purified by faith, nor are done in
right manner according to the word, nor to
a right end, the glory of God, do not meet
requirements of the Divine law, hence they
cannot be pleaded as ground of acceptance
with God"
Chapter %, section 4, was amended to
read: prayer is made for things lawful,
and for all sorts of men living or that shall
hereafter live, but not for the dead" The
committee will continue its work to-mor-
row.