New-York tribune., 1900-05-14
CREED REVISION WANTED.
THE PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
ASKED TO CHANGE THE WEST
MINISTER CONFESSION.

St Louis May 13 (SpeciaD-Not for a decade has
a meeting CT the General Assembly OF the Presby-
terian Church been fraught with so many possi-
bilities the which is to IN the Wash
ngton and Compton Avenue Church in this city
next Thursday morning There is always the ele
ment of uncertainty regarding the election Of the
Moderator, but seldom if ever have there been so
many names Of men prominent IN the denomination
whose friends putting them forward for the
highest office in the gift of the Church At least
half a dozen favorite mentioned
likely to But this number viii be materially
reduced within the next few days.
About many other men seeking personally
or representa- lively for the permanent clerkship
vacant owing the death of DR.. w. E. Moore. of
Columbus, last June The stability OF the occu-
pant Of the stated clerksh!p has been made less
certain by the increase of his salary a year ago;
dozen men are willing to give up small salaries and
difficult fields IN the ministry and in editorial offices
If they could serve the Church in this extended
sphere Of usefulness Did they know more about
the responsibilities the uncertainties the crit
cisms, often unjust they are severe, they
would not break the Tenth Commandment they
thought Of the comfortable salary and many honors
enjoyed by DR.. W Il Roberts. the extremely con-
scientious and most efficient Stated Clerk.
But offices. honorary and remunerative, are not
the chief features Of the coming Assembly, i'm
portant they may seem 10 dozen men and
their special friends For two hundred and fifty
years the Presbyterian Church has stood like
rock against the threatening flood OF liberalism
which endangered the splendid structures, only
tne one erected by the followers OF Calvin, but also
those Of other denominations who nearly
orthodox in their belief the Church of Knox and
Birch. -welVe years ago attempt made TO
-brtrg up" bring DOWN the Presbyterian
Church to the leve! of the other denominations
round about. For five years the agitation prevailed
with more or less vehemence, bordering passion
at times as for instance when a maker of eptgrams
ir a metropolitan pulpit threatened to 'rend his
m ta+ bafO he
the doctrines of the Westminster Confession of
Faith which at that time he had accepted publicly
as containing the system Of doctrine taught in the
Holy Scriptures and yet had not read IT.
HILLS OPENS THE FLooDGATEs.
AS some thirty Presbyteries. ed on by DR.. Hils's
attack the Creed IN a sermon IN Plymouth
Church, have united in asking either that there
shall be revision of the present Confession of Faith
or the preparation Of a new dOctrinal statement a
word regarding the former attempt at revising the
Greed will be Of interest In 1855 at Philadelphia
the Presbytery Of Nassau under the guidance OF
the Rev. Samuel T Carter. OF Huntington, Long
Island, asked that steps be taken for revision
Of the third chapter of the Confession of Faith
with special reference 10 Sections g. t. 8 and Z
The overture referred to the next Assembly
which met III New-York in 1889. At that time
fourteen Presbyteries had united with the Presby-
terry of Nassau asking for a revision Of the Con-
fession Of Faith. In order to ascertain whether
there any general desire for such a revision
the Assembly asked the Presbyteries two ques-
tions!
First-Do you desire revision Of the Confession
of Faith7
second-If so. IN what respect. and TO what
extent?
For year the Presbyteries discussed the over
ture, with the result that IN 1890 at Saratoga It
was reported that out Of 213 Presbyteries on the
roll Of the Assembly 1874 expressed u desire for
a revision, and 6S answered the overture in
the negative. or the 1874 60 expressly said that
they desired revision that would impair the
integrity OF the system of doctrine contained IN the
Confession of Faith. Twenty-Five presbyteries
wished have Creed either as a substitute
for. supplementary 10 and explanatory OF,
the existing doctrinaI symbols. A Revision Com
mittee OF twenty-five members was appointed con-
ssting OF five presidents OF theological seminaries
two college presidents three judges a Senator of
United States and other distinguished ministers
and elders.
After two years the committee submitted twenty