Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-05-12
Rev. DR.. Samuel II. Carter Says
Westminster Confession
Shanes the Church
CLAIM DOCTRINE is FALSE
Church May Take Steps to- Convict
Prominent Divine of Heresey-Wrte
Letters to Assembly in Which He
Severely Arraisns tho Presbyterian
Faith.

New York, May 12.-The question OF
discipining or of trying ON heresy
charges Rev. DR.. Samuel L. Garter,
who several years ago became promin-
ent in AN effort to have the Westmin-
ster confession revised, was taken up
yesterday by the presbytery OF Nassau
at Jamaica, L. I. The meeting was
called because of a letter in which DR..
Garter declares that he does not be-
lieve the Westminster confession to be
the truth of God, but an idol of mans
invention as truly as any worshiped in
Delhi, Pekin or Africa"
This letter is addressed to the gen.
eral assembly of the Presbyterian
church which meets May is in Des
Moines, Iowa. The writer terms 1t a
protest and a confession.
Letter to Assembly.
The letter is as follows:
Fathers and Brethren: The pres
bytery of Nassau overturned the gen.
eral assembly year ago, asking that
the brief statement of doctrine be sub
stituted for the Westminster confess
sion of our church. BY a practical
unanimous vote the 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 confession which they do not
heartily believe and many of our best
members to acknowledge creed OF
which they are ashamed. l appeal from
this action Of the assembly to the man
illness and honesty of the ministry and
membership of the Presbyterian
church
MANY years ago, when was ordain-
ed to the ministry of the gospel l de-
clared in the most solemn manner that
I believed the Westminster confession
to be the truth of God; now in an
equally solemn manner declare that I
do not believe it to be the truth of
God; that l utterly reject it as set
ting forth of the character Of the Heav-
emily Father.
"There never was, there is not now,
and there never will be such God
as the God of the Westminster con-
fession."
ct is an idol of mans invention as
truly as any worshfpped in Delhi, Pc
kin, or Africa, believe that the great
and true God is infinitely and exquis-
itely good and gracious, that the one
thing that we can neither fully receive
nor declare is the boundless love of
Cod that all the noblest exhibitions
of human love are intense and divine
flame the love that thru ages and gen
erations has been leading men by the
fullest wisdom and most tender prov
idence to heights of knowledge, love,
and boundless hope that far transcend
all human thought. / life up this ov-
erwhelrning divine love before my fell
low men, believing that this alone will
draw all men unto it.
II believe that the Westminster
confession darkens and denies this
great love of God, and should not be
retained as confession by any church
today and that our church is false to
it's greatest duty of being true wit
ness for God SO long as it retains this
confession.
Il send this protest and confession
to the clerk of the general assembly,
and invoke upon it the blessing Of
Almighty God and the kindly judgment
of all honest men,"
"The letter was sent from Rome,
Italy"
DIR. Carter has been in the Presby-
terrain church for over thirty years, but
is not now in charge of church. More
than year ago his views We're discus
sed by the Nassau presbytery.