Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-05-25
OF CREED
BY PRESBYT YTERIANS
Continuation Debate In
Northern Assembly.
ARGUMENT PRO AND CON

Princeton Professor Declares There
Is No Danger of Division In Church,
No Matter What the Differences on
Westminster Confession.
PHILADELPHIA, May "a Great
throngs were present when the debate
on creed revision was resumed by the
Presbyterian general assembly today.
After the disposition of few minor
matters, Rev. DR.. David S. Kennedy of
Allentown, Pa, yielded the floor to E.
w. O. Harper of Louisville, who signed
the minority report with Mr.. McGib.
bon.
Mr.. Humphrey urged the elimination
from the committees report of the
clause recommending brief summary
of the reformed faith, bearing the same
relation to the Confession which the
Shorter Oatechism bears to the former
catechism and formed on the general
model of the Concesus Greed. He
claimed 1T meant practically a new
creed, and should not be concurred in.
as the presbyteries did not desire new
Confession.
Against Revision.
DR.. Kennedy followed with an argu-
ment against revision. The way to
break down the Confession finally, he
said, is to keep on making holes i'll it.
"We stand united on the Confession, "
continued DR.. Kennedy. ''It is con-
structed from beginning TO end to be
used for scientific purposes. 1t is the
constitution of our church organization.
We are not considering popular creed,
but the fundamental principle of our
own organization. The Confession has
been charged with failing to truthfully
present the belief of the church. No
one forced us to sign that Confession.
We did not sign it in ignorance, and
am sure not one of US signed it dishon-
estly.
Il repudiate the statement that the
Confession does not set forth the main
side and personality of the Holy Spirit !"
This brought Rev. DR.. Herrick John.
son to his feet.
81 beg your pardon" he said, "but if
you refer to me, did not say that
DR.. Kennedy replied that while he
might have misunderstood Dr. John.
sons words, he had received that i'm.
preston.
Rev. J. E. Moffatt of Cumberland,
Md, appealed fer change that would
give more evidence of truth
''The Confession" he said, sis man.
made institution, but is not the Word
of God. And we are not discussing the
Word of God If this question is voted
down by this assembly it will come to
the front again until we give the church
what it demands. want to see side by
side two great truths: First, the SOW.
ereignty of God, and, above all, his elec.
tion of men; and, secondly, the freedom
of man to choose. / believe that God
has elected all infants to salvation. -
DR.. John Dewitt of Princeton univer-
sity was next recognized by the mod
orator. There was a disposition by
some of the commissioners to close the
debate.
AS DR.. Dewitt took the platform
there were cries of Question.
Princeton Professors Tribute.
The Princeton professor paid trib-
ute to the high character of the debate,
which has thus far been entirely free
from acrimony and sarcasm He said
there was no danger of division in the
church, and he wanted it to go out to
the world that, no matter how they
may differ on the Westminster Confes-
sion, they stand united on the Word of
God.
He spoke on the consistency of the
beliefs of the church which has stuck
closer to the doctrines of the reforma.
tion than any other church. Unity, he
said, is the fundamental principle of the
church, which stands amid the stars
without fissure, without crack.
DR.. Dewitt said he belonged to what
is known as the fourth party. The first
party, he said. emphasizes new sum.
mary of the Confession; the second en-
phasizes amendments to certain specific
sections; the third wants a declaratory
or explanatory statement; the fourth
emphasizes "Our noble declaratory state
ment which is now in our possession
and which will solve the entire ques
ton.
There areya great many donkeys IN
the world without long2ears,
We often see week old women and
week-old babies.