The Topeka state journal., 1906-05-12
DOESN'T BELIEVE IT.
DIR. samuel r. Carter Declares West
minister Confession Idolatrous-

New York. May 12.@The question
of disciplining or of trying on heresy
charges the Rev. Dr. Samuel T. Car
ter, who several years ago made an ef-
fort to have the Westminster confess
sion revised. was taken up by the pres
bytery of Nassau al Jamaica, L. l.,
yesterday. The meeting was called be-
cause of a letter in which DR. Carter
declares that he does not believe the
Westminster confession to be the
truth of God, but "an idol of mans in
vention as truly as any worshiDDed in
Delhi, Pekin or Africa. This letter is
addressed to the general assembly of
the Presbyterian church which viii
meet next Friday in Des Moines, Ia.
The writer terms it protest and
confession" The letter is as follows:
Fathers and Brethren: The presby-
terry Of Nassau overturned the gen
eral assembly a year ago asking that
the brief statement of doctrine be sub
stituted for the Westminster confes-
sion as the confession of our church
BY a practically unanimous vote the
general assembly rejected this over
ture and retained the Westminster
confession. BY this action of the as
sembly many ministers are compelled
to declare their acceptance of a con-
fessiOn which they do not heartily be-
lieve and many of our best members to
acknowledge a creed Of which they are
ashamed. I appeal from this action
honesty of the ministry and member
ship of the Presbyterian church.
Many years ago, when I was or
dalned to the ministry of the Gospel, 1
declared in the most solemn manner
that I believed the Westminster con-
fession to be the truth of God. I now
in a very solemn manner declare that
do not believe it to be the truth of
God; that I utterly reject it as a set
ting forth of the character of the
Heavenly Father.
There was never, is not now, and
never will be such a God as the God of
the Westminster confession
It is an idol of mans invention as
truly as any worshipped in Delhi,
Pekin or Africa. I believe that the
great and true God is infinitely and ex-
quisitely good and gracious; that the
one thing that we can neither fully
receive nor declare is the boundl less
love of God; that all the noblest eXhi-
bitiOns of human love are but bright
and beautiful sparks from that intense
and divine hame-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 boundIess hone
that far transcend all human thought.
I lift up this overwhelming divine love
before my fellow men believing that
this alone will draw all men unto Him.
I believe that the Westminster con
IeSSlOn darkenS ana denies this great
love of God and should not be retained
as a confession by any church today
and that our church is false to it's
greatest duty of being a true witness
for God so long as it retains this con-
fessiOn.
send this protest and confession to
the clerk of the general assembly and
I invoke upon it the blessing of AL
mighty God and the kindly judgment
of all honest men.
The letter was sent from Rome.
italy. DR.. Carter has been in the
Presbyterian church for more than
thirty years, but is not now in charge
of church More than a year ago
his views We're discussed by the Mas
sau presbytery