The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1900-04-28
NO.. AZ
The Presbyterian Agitation.

Our Presbyterian brethern appear tn
| be face to face with the necessity for n
revision OF their doctrine. The en-
forced departure OF men like Prof
McGiffert and DR.. Hills, and the.
terrific indictment OF the Westminster
confession OF faith by the latter, which
made his withdrawal inevitable. have
drawn the attention OF people Of all
denominations to the Presbyterian
Church and its peculiar theology. Bui
more important than this, the agita-
tion OF the question at issue has en-
gagged the earnest thought Of this moss
Intelligent body OF Christians and its
exec p,ionally able clergy.
More temperate than the Illumination
OF DR.. Hills, but not less searching
and severe Is the comment OF Rev. Dr.
Tennis S. Hamlin. of Washington City.
Joining in call for a special meeting
OF the Presbytery OF Washington to
consider an overture to replace the
Westminster symbols, he says, in part
The ordained officers or the Presbyteris,
Church subscribe TO creed. quite n large
proportion Of which is not preached or taught
and presumably is not believed. 1t IS tru,-
that the subscription Is to the System OF
doctrine" taught in .the symbols Thav
system in the most general terms -
Calvinism. and Calvinism, in the most
general terms, asserts the sovereignty OF
God. To that doctrine no Presbyterian
demur, but as elaborated In the Westminster
symbols and based upon the Interpretation.
Of Scripture, especially upon a portion OF St
Pauls letter to the Romans, it cannot be
accepted in the light OF modern knowledg,-
Of the New Testament, viewed as a whole
and in the general trend of its teaching
The attempt to explain the broad asSertiOte~
OF that eplstle TO the unlversality Of
Gods grace and His love for all men a.
simple statements Of national and not
individual salvation must now be seen tC
be futile.
There can be no doubt about the prejudi-
cial effect Of subscribing to a creed that il.
not vitality believed. This puts the church
before the world in an attitude Of oppor-
tunism, and its ministers in the position Of
asserting to what they neither preach or
believe. either in ordor reserve the peace.
Of the church or, less worthy 10 hold their
pulpit.
A brief and simple statement OF the funda-
mental Christian facts similar to the cate
chism issued a year ago by the free churches
to revise the Westminster confession failed
and even If it should be revised it, value
would be historical and not practical. For
myself | strongly favor movement for
such creed to be the working basis Of thu
Presbyterian Church. / believe the time J.
ripe for 1t, and that a vast number. probably
a majority, OF ministers, and very few morr
than majority Of elders, will cheerfully
follow those leaders wko are prepared tr
stand openly for this departure. l have rea-
son to believe that only this will save to the
Presbyterian church a large number Of IL
leading laymen. who for some years havt
been restless and anxious. and whose pa
tieLce is well-nigh exhausted
No better proof of the high intellect
ual quality Of the Presbyterian Church
could be given than that which appears
in the tone and expression Of I'll"
objections urged TO its creed by SUI.
men as Dr.. H4mlin. There is no
unseemly heat, no que~tioniug q
motives, not even the undue pride Of
opinion which is almost invariably
observed in doctrinaires. They ap-
proach the subject evidently with
desire to arrive at conclusions lha-
shall be best for the church as an
organization and as community, an
that spirit does not desert them in II.
clash of views that follows.
Under such leadership the churcl
may lose in membership through
divisions, but it eau never fail to
command respect Memphis Scimita.