Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-18

equal in power and glory, is, together with the
Father and the SCu, to be believed in, loved and
obeyed and worshiped throughout al ages.
2. The Holy Spirit. who of old revealed to
men in various ways the mind and will of God,
hath fully and authoritatvely made known this
mind and will in ali things pertaining to life
and salvation in the sacred Scriptures holy
men OF God speaking therein as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost; and these Scrip
lures being 30 inspired are the infallible word
OF God. the supreme rule of faith and duty.
o. Inc Holy Spirit, the Lord and Oliver Of
Lie, Is everywhere present among men, con-
nrming the teachings Of nature and tho law Of
God written on the heart, restraining from
evil, melting to good and preparing the way
Ior the Gospel. He likewise accompanies the
gospel with his persuasive energy and urges its
message upon the reason and conscience of I'M
degenerate men, so that they who reject its
merciful offer are not only without excuse, but
are also guilty of resisting the Holy Spirit.
t. The Holy Spirit is the only efficient agent
IN applying and communicating redemption.
he enectually calls sinners to new life in Jesus
Chrlst, regenerating them by His almighty
grace and persuading and enabling them to
embrace Jesus Christ by faith He dwels in
all believers as their comforter and sanctifer
and as the spirit of adoption and of supplica-
tlon performing all those gracious offices by
which they are sanctified and sealed unto the
day of redemption.
|
levers are vitality united to Christ, who is the
head, and are thus united to one another in the
church. which is His body. He calls and
anoints ministers for their holy Office qualities all
other officers in the church for their special
work and imparts various gifts and graces to
its members. He gives efficacy to the Word
and to the ordinances of the Gospel. BY Him
the church will be preserved, increased and
purified, until it shall cover the earth, and at
last be made glorious church, not having a
spot OF wrinkle or any such thing.
Overture No. 10.-Shall section l, chapter TX.
be so changed as to read as follows:
l. God hath endued the will of man with that
natural liberty that is neither forced, nor by
any absolute necessity of nature determined to
good or evil. Wherefore, man is and remains
a free moral agent, retaining full responsibility
for all his acts in his states alike of innocency,
OF sin, of grace and Of glory.
Overture No. 2.-Shall section 8 Of chapter
be so changed as to read as follows:
H. Man, by his fall into state of sin, hath
wholly lostall disposition to any spiritual good
accompanying salvation; as a natural man
being altogether averse from that good, and
dead In sin. he is not able by his own strength
to convert himself or to prepare himself there
unto.
added to the confession of faith in the TO low
ing words:
OF THE GOSPEL.
1. God, having provided in the covenant OF
grace, through the meditation and sacrifice of
the Lord Jesus Christ, way Of life and
| salvation, sufficient for and adapted to the
whole lost race of man, doth freely offer this
| salvation to all men in the Gospel.
III. In the GoSpe! God declares His love for
the world, and His desire that all mon should be
saved reveals fully and clearly the only way Of
salvation; promises eternal life to all who truly
| repent and believe in Christ: invites and COM
mands all to embrace the offered mercy, and
by His spirit accompanying the Word pleads
with men to accept His gracious invitation.
Ill. 1t is the duty and privilege Of every one
who hears the Gospel Immediately to accept its
ifulprovision, and they who continue in i'm
penitence and unbelief incur aggravated guilt
and perish by their own fault.
Nv. Since there is no other way Of salvation
than that revealed in the Gospel and since in
the divinely established and ordinary method
of grace faith cometh by hearing the Word Of
God, Christ hath commissioned His church to
go into all the world and to make disciples of
all nations. All believers are, therefore, under
obligations to sustain the ordinances of religion
where they are already established and to con-
tribute by their prayers, gifts and personal
efforts to the extension Of the kingdom of
Christ throughout the whole earth.
Overture No. 13-Shall section Of chapter
10 be changed by striking out from the first
part OF II the words land those only" so as to
| read as follows:
All those whom God hath predestinated unto
life. He Is pleased in his appointed and accepted
time. effectually to call, by His Word and
Spirit out Of that state of sin and death in which
they are by nature, to grace and salvation by
Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spirit
ually and savingly, to understand the things
| Of God, taking away their heart Of stone and
giving unto them heart Of flesh; renewing
| their wills, and by His almighty power deter
mining them to that which is good, and ef-
| fectuslly drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet 80
| as they come most freely, being made willing
| by His grace.
Overture No. 14-Shall section II Of chapter
be SO changed as to read as follows:
ii. This effectual call is Of Gods free and
special grace alone. not for ANYTHING at all fore
seen in man, who is dead in sin until being
quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit, be
| is thereby enabled to answer this call and to
embrace the grace offered and conveyed in 1t.
Overture No. 15.-Shall section of chapter
| 10 be so changed as to read as follows:
Infants diving in infancy and all other per-
| sons not guilty Of actual transgresson are in
| cluded in the election of grace and are re-
generated and saved by Christ through the
spirit, who worketh when and where and how
He pleaseth.
Overture No. 151l.-Shall there be added to
! section iii Of chapter Y, as embodied in over.
ture No. Is, If adopted. these words: $50 also
| are all other elect persons who not out
wardly called by the word"
Overture No. 16.-Shal section " of
". Others. not elected, although they NAV
be called by the ministry of the Word and may
have some common operations OF the Spirit
Yet inasmuch as they never truly come to
Christ cannot be saved: neither is there saliva
ton in any other way than by Christ through
the spirit, however diligent men may be in franz
ing their lives according to the light of nature
and the law Of that religion they do profess.
Overture No. I-Shall section and III Of
chapter XI be SO changed to read as follows:
|. Those whom God effectuallv calleth He
also freely justifieth not by infusing righteous
ness into them, but by pardoning their sins,
and by accounting and accepting their persons
as righteous not for anything wrought in
| them, or done by Them but for Christ's sake
alone; not by imputing faith ITSELF the
act of believing, or any other evangelical ODE
dience to them, as the Righteousness, but bv
imputing the obedience and satisfaction Of
Christ urto them, they receiving and resting
on Him and His righteousness by faith, which
faith is the gift of God.
III. Christ, by His obedience and death, did
fully discharge the debt of all those that are
thus justified and did make a proper. real and
full satisfaction to divine justice in their behalf
Yet inasmuch as He was given by the Father for
them and His obedience and satisfaction &C.
cepted in their stead. and. both. freely not for
anything in them, their justification is only of
free grace; that both the exact justice and rich
grace of God might be glorified in the justifica-