Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-06-08
CREED REVISION.
Theology Did Not Come to a StoI
With Westmfnster COnfession.


With Westminster Confession.
Rev. J. F. Carson preached on revis-
ion Of the Westminster Confession Of
Faith, Sunday in New York, explain
ing what the revisionists mean and
what they want. He Is reported as
follows in the New York Herald:
1.-The movement for the revision Of the
Westminster Confession Of Faith is one
Of absorbing interest to the Presbyte-
rian church, and Of more than passing
interest to the rest of the Christian
world. The movement for revision
has been growing for many years, and
will continue to grow until such def
mite action is taken as will 'vindicate
and clear the doctrines Of the church
from false aspersions and miscon-
structions' and give a better under
standing Of what is most surely be-
lieved among u.s.
1.-THE decision Is a happy one. There
is no disposition anywhere to change
or modify the vital faith Of the church.
The Presbyterian church is calvinistic
to the core and thoroughly loyal to it's
creed. The only proposition before the
church is to change or explain the cred
al statement Of the church's faith. Not
one Of the essential doctrines Of the
Presbyterian system is to be discarded
or impaired. The Confession Of Faith
is not to be impugned or set aside.
That confession is the queen jewel in
the cluster Of gems Of the calvinistic
system. 1t is the cosummate flower Of
the reformation movement.
But more than that. The revision Of
the Confession Of Faith is in line with
the fact Of the continued revelation Of
truth. I am told that creeds are the
product of historic development, the
outcome of keen controversy, Of con-
flict of witness bearing. That is true.
And that is the solid basis on which an
appeal for revision rests. Truth comes
to men by the way Of a progressive rev.
elation. The church Is not simply to
retain the truth which has been trans
her volume Of truth by her own fuller
studies of experiences Of Gods reve-
lation Of Himself and His plan. A
church which is satisfied with what she
has received from the former genera
tions and does not seek to add to what
she has stored up in her creeds and cat
echisms and systems may be orthodox,
but it's attitude toward truth Is wrong;
at heart it is disloyal to the truth and
dead to the love of it.
II have profound respect for John
Calvin. I believe in the doctrine of the
Westminster Confession. But am
persuaded that theology did not come
to a stop with Calvin or the Westmin-
ster divines. I believe that God has
yet more light to break forth from His
word. Truth is always the same, un-
changeable as it's author, but with the
changing circumstances and condi-
tions of the times, with the progress of
intelligence, with the varying phases OF
belief and unbelief, there comes ne
CGSSlly lOI d HSN OllLCi CilI CiApiAcI
sis upon truth and for a new express
sion of it.
"Creeds are a development. They
are not made, they grow. Every creed,
and every proposition of every creed
that lives was first fact in the life of
the church before it was formulated
into an article of faith. Creeds are not
framed to create a belief, but to ex-
press it. The need of credal revision
arises from the fact that new uues-
tions Of vital Importance come to the
front demanding explicit statement,
and new experiences in the life of the
church demand a credal statement.
When the unwritten creed of the
church is found to be broader and
richer than the written creed there Is
need of revision and change"