The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-04-17

q man must believe 1t ALL If he comes
to dlsbelieve any part at all 1t Is his
duty, the duty of every honest man, to
mention the fact and to leave the Pres
byterian church before doing So"
CLEVELAND FOR CHANGE.
For the most part the pastors of the
Presbyterian churches of Cleveland
favor a revision of the church creed.
When the presbytery meets at st. Louis
Cleveland will be represented by Rev.
S. p. Sprecher of the Euclid avenue
Presbyterian church; Rev. Dr. Paul +.
Sutphen, of the Second Presbyterian
church, the clerical delegates, and e. r.
Perkins and l.. II. Severance, the lay
delegates. All of these gentlemen are
in favor of the changes proposed in the
creed, and there Is little doubt that the
views of the majority of the Cleveland
Presbyterlans are the same. DR..
Sprecher is especially outspoken in his
advocacy of the changes that will de-
prive the Presbyterian faith of some of
the things that have been embodied in
its creed for two and half centuries.
"The present confession of faith" said
DR.. Sprecher, yesterday, in discussing
the proposed changes, "formulates the
doctrine of prerition or reprobation;
that Is. that certain ones were foreor-
dained to everlasting perdition before
they were born and without foresight
of their works. This doctrine is not
held by any considerable number of our
ministry at present, and 1t is proposed
to take 1t out of the confession of faith
The movement
FOR THIS REVISION
or the confession of faith and for a
shorter creed took place before the
Briggs heresy trial, but nothing was
said of it during the progress of the last
trials. Now 1t has come up again and it
makes the coming general assembly at
St. Louis one of the most important
gatherings in the history of the church.
1.-THE statement of the confession
about elect infants, which infers that
there are non-elect infants, is another
doctrine that is to be left out. Then the
confession contains no explicite state
ments of the love of God for all men,
and it Is proposed to add an article ex-
pressing this truth. I believe that all
the delegates from the Cleveland Pres
bytery to the general assembly are in
favor of these changes, as 1 am, and
the sentiment Of the presbytery is the
same. The presbytery of Cleveland is
one of the most liberal in the country.
and I believe that the churches of the
presbytery as well as myself and the
other representatives of the presbytery
In the general assembly hope to see
the proposed changes made. The revis-
ion movement proposed three correc-
tions for the movement for a shorter
creed is another still. This proposed
short and simple creed would contain
only few articles as practical, work.
ing creed, leaving out great bulk of
the matter contained in the Westmin-
ster confession of faith of 1916, and
would express the faith of the church in
the present age.
"If either of these movements does
not succeed, it will only be on account
Of the weight of conservative feeling
which still prevails. Undoubtedly the
great majority of
OUR MINISTER'S FAVOR
one or the other of these proposals.
If one or the other of these movements
does not succeed there is great danger
Of disruption Of the church in the
near future"