The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-05-12
MAY TRY CARTER
FOR HERESY
Presbyterian Minister Does Not
Believe the Westminster
Confession the Truth.

New York, May 1.-THE question of
disciplining or of trying on heresy
charges Rev. DR.. Samuel T. Carter,
Who several years ago became prom
inent in an effort to have the westmin-
ster conference revised, was taken up
today by the Presbytery of Nassau at
Jamaica, L. /. The meeting was called
because of a letter i'm which DR.. Carter
declares that he does not believe the
Westminster confession to be the truth
of God but AN idol of mans invention
as truly as any wOrshiped in Delhi,
Picking or Africa"
This letter is addressed to the general
assembly of the Presbyterian church
which meets May IS in DeS MOineS. Ia.
The writer terms it a protest and con-
fession.'
The letter is as follows:
Fathers and Brethren-The Presby-
teryof Nassau overturned the general as
sembly a year ago asking that the brief
statement of doctrine be substituted for
the Westminster confession as the con-
fessiOn of our church. BY a practically
unanimous vote tie general assembly
rejected this overture and retained the
Westminster confession. BY this action
of the assembly many ministers are
compelled to declare their acceptance
of a confession which they do not
heartily believe. and many of our best
members acknowledge a creed of which
they are ashamed. 1 appeal from this
action of the assembly TO the manliness
and honesty of the ministry and MEM
berShip of the Presbyterian church.
Views Changed During Years.
Many years ago. when 1 was or
dained to the ministry Of the gospel, I
declared in the most solemn manner
that I believed the Westminster con-
fession to be the truth of God. / now,
in a very solemn manner, declare that
do not believe it to be the truth Of
God; that 1 utterly reject it as a set
tlngforth of the character of our hea-
venly father.
There never was. is rot now. and
never will be, such a God as the West
minister confession.
ut is an idol of mans invention as
truly as any worshiped in Delhi, Pc
king or Africa. I believe that the great
Sitely good and gracious; that the one
thing that We can neither fully receive
nor declare is the bOundless love of
God that all the nOblest exhibitions of
human love are but bright and beauti-
full sparks from that intense and divine
7ame-the love that through ages and
generations has been leading men by
the fullest wisdom and most tender
providence to heights of knowledge.
love and boundless hope that far trans
cend all human thought i lift uD this
overwhelming divine love before nv
fellow men, believing that this alone
will draw all men onto him.
81 believe that the Westminster con-
fessiOn daTkens and denies that great
love of God and should not be retained
as a confession ~ any church today.
and that our church is false to its
greatest duty of being a true witness
for God so long as it retains this con-
feSsion.
''I send this protest and confession to
the clerk of the general assembly. and
1 invoke upon it the blessing of AL
mighty God and the kindly Judgment
of all honest men,"
The letter was sent from Rome Italv.
Dr. Carter has been in the Presbv-
terrain church for over thirty years but
is not now in charge of a church. More
than a year ago his views were dis
oussed by the Nassau Presbytery.
Presbytery Acted on Case.
The Presbytery was in session only two
hours. Upon it's adjournment il was
stated that the Carter case had been acted
upon, but all the members were pledged
to secrecy in the matter. II the presby-
terry has decided to proceed against him
he will have to be summoned from Europe