Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-07-25
PRESBYTERIAN CREED.

Plcsbylerians in Great Britain appear
To be- as agiiated about the creed, as
they were here before The decloratory
statement was accepted which virtual.
~ stamps as error that which has been
held ais ruth, SO long
This was evident In the General AS
sembly OF the Church OF Scotland last
month when an overture was made
with reference TO the Westminster CON.
fession asking the Assembly to append
to the formula OF subscription note
declaratofy Of the sense which the
church attaches to the subscription
In the discussion that followed, some
strong points were made Principal
story Of Glasgow, pointed out that Il
the confession was looked into, It would
be found to contain theory OF human
nature, human corruption which yirtu.
ally exhibited creation as failure, and
represented any good that might be
brought out in man as not the result OF
any effort or any desire on the part OF
man, but as the mere mechanical re-
subs Of the superhuman power exerted
upon him by the supreme power Of the
Divine agency working In him and on
him" According to this speaker, they
would also find false IDEAS OF the Divine
providence. The Divine Will, for in
stance, was represented as arbitrary
not actuated by moral ideas, but cen.
terlng In Itself, seeking It's own ends
II was viii which held all men TO be
under the sentence OF death for their
sins, and yet resolved to save some
from that sentence. and TO damn others.
TO the praise Of His glorious justice"
Where the justice came in the speaker
could not understand, since according
to the same Confession God had with.
held from those condemned to torment,
the means Of saving grace Was that,
the speaker asked, a moral idea?
Professor Herkless, Of ST. Andrews
took similar views. he declared
that there were things in the con-
fesslon that IL was perfectly impossi-
Bile that any intellectually educated
man could accept"
This was strong criticism. Some Of
the speakers denied It's Justice, but the
Assembly accepted compromise prop
osltIon declaring that an ambiguity
eXirted as to the authority Of the Con-
fession and that IL should be regard.
ed az an infallble rule only in so far
as it accords With the Scriptures. This
seems to us 10 be a long stride In the
direction already taken by the Amerl.
can Presbyterian II practically
leaves them without creed. For IL the
creed Is dmbigu0us and must be inter. !
pre,el by he Scriptures, being itself an |
interpretation OF the Scriptures. there
is 100 Interpretation at an II The IN
depreciation is not clear. but needs fur. |
lher explanation il is useless. And if |
each individual is lett nce TO sdy what |
docs o what does not accord with the |
pibIe. thgrc can be no common creed,
nn common basis Of faith
some Plesbyterans are very severe
on other sects ana especially do they
bafats the L5,tcrday Saints as her.
eucs ln view OF the fact that emil
nlnt mcnt of their own church declare
that some of their doctrines are false
and absurd. su,h us no educated man
can accept, thly should be- slow 10 con-
denim others We DO not wish 70 say
anything dIsrespectful OF a creed ven.
cradle with age ], Is as good as the
trainers could make Il. with the COM
paiatiyely poor light they had That
10 VIII not stand the test OF clearer
light is 90 wordel us usefulness.
joweyer is gone The sooner this Is
One better for those who
'ull cling to It as the embodlmen, Of
ruth,