The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-22


 | Tt is as absolutely useless as the vermi- form appendix or as two tails for COW. 'Then they say 1t would be board of arbitration. Do we need any such board? l Would the Presbyterian church submit to
 any such a mode of settlement?' . Going further, pr. Cecil said that the | articles are dangerous because of their indefiniteness. If ever a nondescrpt was born in this world it's this council. What l is it, a court, a board of arbitration, committee? Since we've had court, the alliance, which has all these powers, all the time. what do you want with this I nondescript. and at the best so useless l and needless"
 His second argument was that the ar | ticles are dvisive, pointing out how the | church would be torn asunder by the | adoption. Why? Because they are so ! indefinite that we can not see where they l are going to take us. They're as harm | less as castoria.
 Tends to Foreign Entanglements. Then it tends to foreign entanglements. It's object Is organic upon which we can | | the first place, the northern church is | divided into two parties, the comprehen- sive party, which wants big church. and Is loose in confession of faith, and | the conservative party, which wants the southern element to swell its ranks. The northern church is no longer tes- tifying to the Cavintstlc creed, while this is the mission of the Presbyterian church now as much as at the beginning of Its history The two great principles upon which we stand are the headshp and spirituality of Christ, and the purity Of the Calvinistic creed, and we are jus tiied in continuing separate to contend | earnestly for the doctrines of our faith.
 Don't listen to clamor. but vote accord l ing 10 your convictions"
 Able Constitutional Argument. The last address was that of MT. Hall, | an eminent lawyer. His was a most | simple exposition of difficult argument | on the constitutionality of the articles. | lie called attention to the analogy be- tween the constitution of the United States | and that of the Presbyterian church es- pecially in their brevity, merely outlining the class of powers which they authorize.
 He said that every constitution enumer- ates certain powers, and implies in gen eral clauses certain powers of wide lat titude, as the writers always know they
 can not prophecy every question that will come up in the succeeding ages. He illustrated the point by the time
 when the United States changed from a struggling chain of eastern states into ant xuifh fa1 i., by the annexation of the west, without
 any specific authorization from the con- stitution except that implied in general welfare clauses Therefore we have powers relative to the extension of the church which are called into use more frequently than those powers specifcal- ly enumerated in the administration and work of the church."
 In Illustration he called attention to the fact that the constitution of the church does no specifically provide for foreign mission and home mission work. an,- challenged any one to put his finger on the clause, authorizing the very craGle In which the church had been rocked, the establishment of the educa- tional institutions "The great purpose of the church Is to conquer the world, yet you will find no clause in the consti- tuition providing for the appointment of these executive committees to prosecute the work which we have.'
 Cripple Forces of Church.
 MT. Hall then showed how the general
 grants of power were placed in the con stitution by men who knew that if sue ceeding men tried to become literalists
 they would cripple the force of the church
 to carry out the purposes of the faith. One of them was article 50. Courts have power to establish rules for the govern ment disipline, worship and extension of
 the church.
 He said that this power of extension be- longs to the session as much as to the assembly, except in the difference of the field, the session limited to the congre- gation. the presbytery to the district the synod to the state the assembly by the limits of Christendom. He claimed that the assembly was authorized to make any kind of alliance for the good and pro- motion and extension of the church. But he admitted for argument that the assembly could not establish court.
 and then asserted that courts have nher- I
 ent powers and rights. "This court then,
 should have all the inherent powers and
 constituent elemtns of the other church
 courts to become an ecclesiastical court.
 What determines the nature of court is
 the character of the men who compose
 it. The opposition claims that court
 is composed of presyters, that an elder
 in the northern church is not a presbyter.
 therefore this council is not of the same
 nature as a session or general assem-
 bly,, and could not be court. He also
 stated that a church court must have
 permanent jurisdiction which the articles