Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-15
CREED CHANGES FEW.
Presbyterian Revision is Principally
by Declaratory Statements.

Presbyterian Revision is Principally
by Declaratory Statements.
The committee charged by the Pres
byterian church with preparing revi.
sion of its creed naturally has tried to
keep its conclusions secret until off.
c1ally reported to the general assem-
bly,, but the substance of the recon,
mendations has leaked out The first
4 chapter revised is chapter Ill, relating
to the eternal DEGREES of God. This
chapter contains the famous doctrines
of predestination and foreordination-
generally understood to be the funda-
mental concepts of Calvinism.
| The third section is the essential one
! 1t reads that 'by the decree of God,
for the manifestation of his glory,
some men and angels are predestined
unto everlasting life and others fore
ordained to everlasting death.''
Mercy for All Men.
This chapter is to be revised, accord.
ing to the committees recommends
ton, not by any alteration of the text.
but by what churchmen call "declam-
atory statement" This will be in eff
feet a footnote of explanation The
footnote will not affect the integrity OF
the doctrine of Denomination, but will
set forth that the mercy of God is ex-
tended to all men; that the Presbyte-
rian church does not indorse any fatal
istic doctrine.
| The phrase quoted assumes that the
| eternal decree of election was made
before men or angels We're created TIC
be elected-the doctrine of supralapsa-
rianism. The "order of the decrees';
has long been subject of debate in
1.-THE church, but the trend of sentiment
in recent years has been against this
doctrine that the decree of election
was made before the fall Of man. The
|declaratory statement, therefore, is I'M
derstood to make an utterance to the
| effect that the church does hold to the
doctrine of supra lapsarianism. The
believer is left to interpret the chapter
in any other way that he may choose.
On "Infant Damnation"
1 Chapter 10, section 8, is also to be
revised by simple declaratory state
ment. This is the famous chapter that
contains the section on Infant damna-
j ton In the confession the section
under discussion reads: ELECT in
fants, dying in infancy, are regenerat-
ed and save by Christ through the
j spirit who worketh when, where and
how He pleases" The declaratory
statement which has been agreed upon
merely states that the church does not
hold that noneIect infants dying in in
fancy are damned.
i The committee has decided to revise
the text of but three chapters of the
confession. The first of these is Chap
ter XVI, section z, relating to the doc
trine of total depravity." The orig
inal section reads:
| Work done by unregenerated man,
although for the matter of them they
may be things which God commands
and of good USE both to themselves
, and to others, yet, because they pro-
coed not from heart purified by faith,
, nor are done in right manner, accord
ing to the word, nor to right end, the
glory Of God, they are, therefore, sin
full and cannot please God or make a
meet or receive grace from Cod"
J, Good Works Of Value.
The revisionists recommend that the
:: phraseology of this section shall be
l changed so that it may be stated that
while the good works of unregenerate
men do not make for their eternal sal
walton, they are of moral value, pleas
: ing to God and place the unsaved man
on the road to salvation. The original
. section was adopted by the Westminis
ter convention as a protest against the
Catholic doctrine, SO persistent at the
time, that a mans good works were 9
means of salvation-the doctrine Of
lsuperogation.
Chapter XIV, section 6, is to be re
vised by eliminating a portion of it
The section reads at present:
There is no other head Of the
church but the Lord Jesus Christ. MOI
can the pope Of Rome be in any sense
the head thereof; but is that anti
Christ, that man of sin and son of per
dition, that eXalts himself in the
church against Christ and all that is
called God
Cnnits Mention of Pope.
At the time the Westminster confes
sion was adopted the pope of Rome
was making exceptionally vigorous pre-
tensions. and this section was of value
only at that time. The references tc
the pope are to be left out of the re
vised confession the simple statement
"There is no other head of the church
by the Lord Jesus Christ" being re
garded as sufficient in the light of mod
ern thought.
Another section that is to he omitted
is chapter xxi. section g. The para
graph now reads:
whatsoever taketh an oath ought
duly to consider the weightiness of sc
solemn an act, and therein to avoucI
nothing but what he is fully persuaded
is the truth. Neither man any mar
o. i Z y