The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-10

clared that the purpose of converting It
was for the yindicating and clearing OF
the doctrine Of the church from all false
aspers1ons and mlsconstructions" This Is
exactly the purpose of the present move
ment in our own church. And history re-
peats itself.
Those learned and godly divines pro-
ceeded at once to a teXtual revision of the
then existing doctrinal standards
Calvanistic 'thirty-nine articles Of the
church Of England. After long labor on
abandoned. So our own church today,
first undertook the work of textual re-
vision of her confession, and after long
labor also abandoned It. And history
again repeats itself.
SHALL A NEW CREED BE MADE.
Shall the historic parallel continue? Our
Westminster fathers never turned again
to teXtua1 revision, but proceeded to the
construction of new creed, and after
TWO years and more of prayerful conSid-
Grafton, profound study and masterful de-
bate they wrought out ard presented TO
both houses Of parliament the confession
OF faith that ever since has held an I'm
challenged, if not matchless, place Of hon
or among the creeds of Christendorn.
Shall we go and do likewise, and thus
make history still again repeat itself?
If, after two and a half centuries I'M
der this revered and historic Confession
and after having tried the textual revi-
sion OF 1T without success, we should now
undertake the construction of an absolute
ly new creed and for purpose absolute
ly identical with the purpose for which
those learned and cody divines were
called together, to wit: THE indicating
and clearing Of the doctrine of the church
from all false aspersions and miscon-
Structions," we would be exactly in line
with the Westminster fathers and the his
toric parallel would be complete
l am barred by the imposed courtesies
OF the hour from either speaking against
this method of change or in its behalf.
| am bound to say, however, that this re-
hHyx
tee, is in entire accord with both my
preference and my conviction. I am per-
suaded there is at present a better way
or ordering this matter than by substitu-
ton.
Three other methods of clearing the
doctrine Of the church from misconstruc
ton nave been suggested for considera-
ton; viz: By explanatory statement
covering only three or four sections; by
supplemental restatement of the sys-
tenn in briefer and simpler form and Tor
textual revision.
All the four proposed methods of
change, 1t may be well here at the very
outset to state, have two things in COM
mon Ihey all-new creed, explanatory
statement, doctrinal restatement and
textual rev1sion-provide for additiona1
articles concerning the Holy Spirit, mis-
sions and the love of God for ali men
And they all stipulate that the intagritL
OF our doctrinal system shall not he i'm
pared. TO this extent there Is perfec1
o6lVCiuSnL- L SIMPLY ask you to SrasD for
moment the significance of this agree.
ment By whatever road we 60 toward
cnange, we enrich our creed with these
great thoughts of God, and keep true RS
our old faith. How this should aIIav S,,s
plclon and hush unseemly strifei Rretb
rem or our beloved church does NOT tbje
make 1t meet that we should rather ha
ciasPlng nands and joining hearts and
thanking God than humping heads and
hugglng doubts and hurting epithets.
AS TO TEXTUAL REVISION
OF the first and second of these erode,
changes; viz: By new creed and nv ey
planatory statesment, it is not nv prov
ince now to speak, and any further ref
erence to either must be onIv incidenfaI
IN the progress of this discussion OF the
third, textual revision, I shall ONLY so
lar speak as to give briefly the reasons
urged III its behalf. Your committee has
requested me to do this, and / most
cheerfully comply.
among the arguments In it's support
are the following:
]. 1t goes at once and straight to the
very To1nts in controversy, and deals
with the actual text. whose meaning and
serlpturalness are challenged.
z 1t leaves the great body of the corr
fession in the form in which it was
conservative of the historic past.
o. 1t preserves the order of Thought
which has always given logical Sc
quence to the successive articles of ou.
1a1th, and which, to many has been
the strength and glory of our doctrinai
4. It opens the door to those few bur
important additions to our doctrinaI
standard. which, through more thought