New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-14
GOD OF CREED A FIEND."
DR.. C4RTER'S SETTLEMENT
Makes Plea to General AssembIu to
-4boish Westminster Confession

Church viii meet at Winona Lake. Indiana begin
ming Thursday, May IS Before is to be discussed
the overture made by the Presbytery of Nassau To
drop the Westminster Confession of Faith and sub
stttute therefor the Brief Statement of the Re-
formed Faith Between the conservatives and the
radicals who may be known reforrners, there
promises 10 be a lively discussion
The Brief Statement OF the Reformed Faith was
recently adopted by the General Assembly as a
brief statement, but the creed of the Church
the old confession. known the Westminster
Confession. which contains many doctrines that
have caused sharp controversies between clergy
men. being retained the creed.
The Rev DR.. Samuel T. Carter of New-York
City on September Is last sent an open letter to
tie Presbytery OF Nassau which attracted wide at
rention IN the letter DR.. Carter assaiIed certain
doctrines received by the Church. but not gener-
ally believed, as he said The reading Of the let
Ter at a Presbyterian meeting in Oyster Bay pre-
cipitated discussion over the statements 1t con-
rained The controversy extended over the period
intervening between the Oyster Bay meeting and
The next meeting. held in Jamaica in December
II was believed that for the penning of the letter
Dr. Carter might be tried for heresy, but after
appearing before the Presbytery of Nassau and
making an eloquent appeal for truth and the drop
ming Of all misstatements, however time honored
he triunphed in that, instead OF trying him for
be-esy the Presbytery voted 10 overture the Cen
eral Assembly drop the Westminster Confession
and substitute the Brief Statement of the Re
formed Faith.
=
d. Carter.
DIR. CARRIERS STATEMENT
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church meets IN the llontn OF May. The PresDyteIy
Il Nassau asks the General Assembly take the
Fession and adopting The Brief Statement OF the
has already been Endorsed by the Church. The
General Assembly can reject the petition more or
less courteOusIy. But the assembly afford to
creed but stiI more Important to dispel from the
which 80 with the old creeds, and most OF all the
caused such intense suffering The secular press
NC srrT,t FeticaII,. mai Eel II to be a privilege
70 present my appeal before the public through II.
worship and allegiance OF man . God who. accord
ing 10 the good pleasure Of His will assigned the
millions the human endless torment be
fore they We're born had done good or i'll. OF
1ais number a large company died in infancy, ard
heather world formed another large company; by
Plato and Socrates Cato and Antoninus, Confucius
I'M 9i ~ fj1 FRI I19 sliIi 50 bfrIt s freaT
ana ever. Has the Presbyterian Church the face
toas The westminster Confession. in fact says
hat COD is monster; modern theology says that
he IS not n this sentence lies the whole gist Of
The Confession Tamerlane built pyramid OF two
Eaoqsand men Of the garrison f Of HeTa laid in
Tor doing it. Lord Jeffreys presided over the
hundred 10 execution, ana IT, stands scorned and
i5at Ta1nerlana al Jefrcvs were sweet souls com
pared "ith GOO who could condemn q whole race
the r1h5er Loo-s If T}azyrortri- looted farmers
cottage ana foand a l,tIs babe in It's cradle. one
of them called 10 his comrade TO have "a game with
it upon the point Of his pike. We call these men
heHd<, but they we're bright angels ana sersPhs
Tants 10 eternal tormenrs. Every fibre of my
ING 0 I Up a6s tnS Of g sou
5e2eeL ms COD Of the Gonfesson: and as fGiy as
the Gospel OF Jesus christ the Father in The great
parable who runs forth to meet His vretched but
AND quite as Objectionable as the God Of the Con-
tession IS The man Of the confession. utterly in;
- !tsG 10 al eEiL, urn IRON ms man 70
Ihe everyday man VINO mas wrought the great won
oers Of antiquity. and to-day has built the great
Nays, who brings home his hard earned wages and
lays them IN his wife.s lap Tor home and children:
fey weeks ago. in New-York. cried There's a
woman there and fought his way against kind
preventing hands went into the burning house, and
heart-Jesus did-and / say. ne is a child Of God
--s---E olt OF lshoI7nse ana sorrow INTO the IuII
with this man rather than with the theologians
who from their easy chairs pronounce him ''inds-
posed ana made opposite 10 all good and inclined 10
Vow. why should there be any zeal for this con-
fession with its god and men; this that many
.b5yc5 aI5 I,ar 5t3 T3b ai - 20
Israel IF The Lord be God. follow him: but il
General Assembly: III the Coo Of the Gospels Be
Cod follow Him: but if the God Of the Confession
r God. follow Him They cannot keep the
God for their creed and theological semnartes
III moral sense Of the pe6pe is shocked bv the
ehillE--shailyng Of the Presbyterian Church to
tho Confession. The present connection with the
Presbyterian Church and the Confession, if il were
not so SeriOas, would be farce; being SO serious
4 j. q crime. What must the people think of the
ministers If they accept this God Of Con-
tcssion- what must they think Of them II they do
NOT accept him. but sOlemniy affirm that they do in
the OF ordination A sham theology is sure TO
make q sham religion. and sham religion is
L lead 10 the horrors OF the Roman Empire and
-he French Revolution. the eruption Of the human
volcano. most dreadful Of all 1t has been well
said ''Repelled light becomes lightning OF such
q OF affairs this MaTtineau sadly says
4 h-t- and after year thousands OF clergyman
VIII solcmnly profess before tens Of thousands of
asserting people a creed which IS false the heart
% them all This is what they doing in the
viii do nothing so good to make end OF H.
L is more seriously important than sending mis-
sjonaTies China There is no use Of sending
the truth abroad if live lie 81 home
the assembly. but fear that It may; that must
keep the creed because Of the money interests In
VOlved. I should like be present when one urged
upon John Knox the plea that bad creed should
be kept for the pounds Scots invo!Ncd- hls man
would have two immediate emotlons-a desire to
get q quickly possible beyond the range OF
KnoK's voice. raised TO its highest pitch, and a
solemn determination never 70 DO such a thing
again. II this argument should be shaTleIully
presented in the General Assembly and should sue
coed then the Westminster Confession becomes the
Presbyterian thirty pieces OF silver Tor which they
To retain an antiquated creed and false with this
special kind Of cruel 1asehood IS peculiarly shame
ful and monstrous when We have right IN our
hands the brief statement Of the Reformed talth,
e vastly better creed and quite as acceptable 10
the great mass OF communion.