Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-05-23
REPORT Is ADOPTED.
Presbyterian General Assembly Ap-
proves Greed Revision as Re-
ported by Committee.
Debate Preceding Final Action is Very
Brief and But Two Dele
gates Oppose It.
Chairman of the Revision Committee
Explains Action of that Body
- to the Assembly.

- to the Assembly.
New York, May 23.-The general
assembly of the Presbyterian church
has adopted the report of the commit
tee on creed revision making changes
in the Confession of Faith. This ac-
tion, which was practically unanimous,
was taken with little or no debate. |
The changes proposed will now go to
the various presbyteries for ratifica-
ton. When the report was presented |
last Friday a motion for it's adoption
was made at once, but the vote was
deferred. AS was to be expected the
prospect of an interesting debate on
creed revision attracted a crowd which
filled the galleries solidly and when
the doors of the ground floor were
opened all the seats not reserved for
commissioners were occupied at once.
The Rev. DR.. Henry Van Dyke, the
moderator, before the hour set for con-
sideration, spoke for a moment.
II do not believe that my task as
moderator is to be difficult one," he
said, "but it is a delicate one. In this
chair where you have put me want
to say that I am not a member of any
organization or any committee am
a plain Presbyterian and your modera.
tor-yOur servant. l want to plead
that this discussion be carried on in
the, spirit of good fellowship. Have
nothing either rushed through or de-
layed. The matter before us is sim
pie proposition. The assembly of 1901
appointed a committee to do particu-
lar thing. What you have to pass on
is not whether that certain thing
should be done, but whether the COM
| mittee has done it to your satisfac-
| tion."
The Rev. DIR. James D. Moffat then
moved the adoption of the eleven over
lures to be sent to the presbyteries.
Chairman Minton Opens Debate.
The Rev. DR.. Henry G. Minton, chair
man of the revision committee, spoke
for the report. He would not he said,
argue the merits of the whole report,
| but would speak of the especial consid-
erations which Influenced the commit
| tee. They were guided in the first
! place by the work of the committee of
1892. The presumption, of course, was
| always in favor of the explicit orders
| of last years assembly. There were
| two elements on the committee, he ex-
planned. those who preferred to make
all amendments by verbal modifica-
tions, and those who wished to make
the change by separate declaratory
| statements. Obviously there had to be
some yielding and it was not all on one
side.
| %@
| confession" continued DR.. Minton,
"have come from two causes, first, the
unguarded statements in the confes-
| differences from the confession. In the
first cases verbal changes would be
the remedy. In the second, decIama-
| tory statements were necessary"
DR.. Mintoa then took up the various
points on which the committee had
been asked to pass.
| Regarding the pope of Rome he
said, "the confession distinctly says
the pope is the anti-Christ and the son
of perdition. Now if that was true and
| if we want to say it-let it stand. If
not true, or if true and we do not wish
to say it, take it out.
Believes the Pone Is Anti.christ.
81 may believe that the pope is anti
Christ on general principles. I am
| quite willing to declare in the face of
the Vatican, or the whole world for
that matter, that the pope, using the
crown rights of Jesus Christ, is anti
committee followed the only proper
course to pursue by broadening the
/ statement"
! DR.. Minton resented the accusation
| brought that the Presbyterian church
! believed in infant damnation.
j "The critics and enemies of the Pres
! byterian church have rolled it under
4 their tongues as a sweet morsel that
we believe in infant damnation We
4 resent the accusation that this chap
4 ter contemplates any such interpreta-
4 tion.''
/ The Rev. DR.. Moffatt urged the as
4 sembly, in a brief address, to decide
1 the question quickly by vote to
adopt.
The Rev. DR.. R. Russell Booth of this
city, who has been known as strong
i anti-revisionist, asked the assembly
to adopt the report unanimously and at
once.
AS he closed his short remarks there
I came loud cries of Question" "ques-
i ticn. from all over the assembly.
1 The Rev. Fleming 6. Bailey of Kis-
sinimee. Fla. opposed revision. "I am
i against the adoption of the report, .
i he said. have never found any diff
i fculty with the old standards. I feel
4 that this revision is but the entering
4 wedge. and how far it will go no one
4 can tell. - Here the speaker broke
down and wept
The question was then put and the
resolution, ordering the report pub
4 lished. was carried, with only two dis
senting votes.
The supplementary statement was
then adopted by unanimous vote.