The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-04-17
RECONSIDERATION
Is THE ISSUE.
Many Presby yterians Favor Elm
mating 1t From the Greed.
SOME MINISTER'S OPPOSE 1T.
Say the Old Creed Is Good Enough For
Them-Matter to Come Up at the Meet
Ing of the Presbytery At
st. Louis.

Tnem-Matter TO COhe Up ~ the "eeb-
Ing of the Presbytery At
st. Louis.
It may be that when the threatened
effort is made to shorten and change the
creed of the Presbyterian church in the
direction of excluding the foreordina-
tion clause that opposition may be
strong enough to defeat the plans of the
reformers. The Interior, Presbyterian
organ, of Chicago, contains a strong edi-
torial advocating the setting aside of
the Confession of Faith and the adop-
tion Of a short evangelical creed. The
published announcement has caused
considerable discussion in Presbyterian
circles. 1t was a sermon preached by
DR.. Hills. successor to Henry Ward
Beecher and Lyman Abbott, in Brook
lyn church, that was directly respon-
sible for the proposed change. DR.. Hill
lis preached against the doctrine Of
foreordinaton and predestination. He
was followed by Rev. DR.. e. r. Donehoo
of the West End, Pittsburg, who spoke
even more emphatically on the subject.
And here and there throughout the
country there have been expressions
from Presbyterian divines in favor Of
shorter and modified creed.
A PITTSBURG PASTOR.
DR.. w. l.. McEwan, d. D.. pastor Of
the Third Presbyterian church, Of
Pittsburg, who is strongly slated for
the moderatorship of the next general
assembly speaking of the matter, said:
1.-THE Presbyterian creed as it stands
today is good enough for me. 1 can
subscribe heartily and sincerely to all 1t
contains. l do not see that there is any
necessity for shorter creed. I don't
see why any change should be made.
"Yes, I read all that DR.. Hills said.
I think that DR.. Hills erected a man
of straw and then knocked him down.
i read what DR.. Donehoo said, and
think he did much the same thing.
II don't think that DR.. Hills had any
right to object to the action of the
Chicago Presbytery. He had preached
for years under the auspices of the
Presbytery. He had been allowed to
preach in a Congregational pulpit, the
one he now occupies. While he breaches
the doctrines he has recently enunciated
he has no right to object when Presby-
terry calls a halt. Members of the
Presbytery do not say that he has no
right to preach what he thinks Is right.
They do say that he has no right to
so preach and retain his membership in
the Presbytery The position is easily
understood
"Rev. DR.. Donehoo has been a
preacher for 30 years. know him to
be a good man. He Is a man I like
personally. But If he cannot subscribe
to the doctrines Of the Confession of
Faith, he has no right to be a Presby-
terian minister. You will find very few,
if any Presbyterian ministers, who will
tell you that they think Mr.. Donehoo
did a wise or a good thing"
"Those two sections Of the confession
quoted by Rev. DIR. Donehoo must not
be considered all by themselves. 1t is
expressly stated elsewhere that 1t is by
a mans free will that he is saved.
"The way take 1t Is this: If God is
an omnipotent, omniscient being, and
does know everything. He must know
what turning a man will take in life
long before he takes that turning. A
man is born to act freely, but God, in
the nature of things knows at the mans
birth what that man will do and what
he will become. You stand on the
corner of the street and wait for a
car; you do not know what car you will
take-Shady avenue, Williamsburg or
bTuSntOT. but IOu knOWS-naS always
known. 1t is the foreknowledge pro-
perly belonging to an omnipotent, omnl-
scient God"
"Would you make any distinction be-
tween foreknowledge and foreordina-
tion?" the reporter asked.
where can there be any difference?
IF God knows what car you are going to
take, is 1t not practically foreordained? 2"
$50 If God has foreordained that q
man shall take the wrong car meta
phorically speaking, 1t is not possible
to fool Him?"
mo, no. no. But 1t Is all a mystery.
might talk just as conclusively on the
other side.'
last rather ambiguous sentence is set
forth by Rev. Maitland Alexander, of
the First Presbyterian church, of Pitts
burg. Free will and foreordination. -
said he, appear to clash. They are
apparently irreconcilable. But. in a
modified degree, the explanation may
be figured out"
Rev. DR.. Alexander's argument
thenceforward was that of Mr.. Nc
Evans, that of the Presbyterian
church.
II don't think that there ought to
be any change in the creed" he said,
at last. II believe in the creed. If ]
do not 1 would quit the church. When
medical man is preparing to practice
his profession he has to make promise
to perform his duties according to the
school to which he belongs. What