The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-21
Two Speakers Present Opposing Views al Afternoon Session
 ArOusing MuchI Interest MAJORITY OF ASSEMBLY
 SEEMS ID FAVOR ADOPTION
pr. Lyons Thinks Council Will Be of Special Value as Test of the Will of Prov.
 ldence.
PROGRAMME TODAY.


 PROGRAMME TODAY. . 10 a.m.-Discussion of articles of Y : agreement. < % p.m.-Discussion of articles of ' \ agreement, and, if possible, report of ' . committee on young peoples socie- . < ties
 % p.m.-Popular meeting on home . -%- missions. Several Indian commits ' l ' sioners from the Indian Territory ' ] . will take part, talking in their native ' i ' language.
 The sentiment which is fast growing to the effect that organic union of Presby- 1 terian churches is the intention of Provi- dence, was yesterday expressed in no backward words by the Rev. Dr. J. 5. Lyons at the fourth business session of the general assembly. He said:
 "I want to say definitely and frankly that the chief value of the council which is provided for in the articles tof agree ment, in my judgment, is not to be found in the opportunity which it affords for cultivatlng fraternal relations, or for ad- justing occasional differences, but it is the service which it will render as test of Providence
 1 If God is leading his church to organic union such an opportunity for meeting eye to eye as this council affords will al low us to ascertain 1t and will make 1t easy for us to safely proceed. If, on the other hand, it is made plain that God is not leading us together, we will be in a position where we will suffer no com 1 promise, and from which we can with draw without harm.
 'The church should stand at attention? before the great Captain. If he calls upon us to stand, let nothing move us, but if his command is forwardP I purpose by his grace to try to obey"
 In Presence of Holy Spirit.
 The presence of the holy spirit, in re- sponse to earnest applications, was not only filling the souls but evident in the whole deliberations of the general assem- bly yesterday afternoon, when the arr tlcles of agreement became the order of l discussion.
 It was indeed an evangelistic meeting, in which the hearts on both sides yearned to find the path by which they could ao- complish the most for the kingdom, and before either of the speakers who occu- l pied the time of the first session began the argument, by a unanimous vote, the assembly asked the guidance of the Lord.
 Dr. Egbert Smith of Nashville proposed the motion and was appointed to lead the supplication. He called upon the Great I 0ft ha zy as it came, a band of Christian workers, before the throne, feeling that 1t had the right to implore the presence of the holy 1 spirit to guide the whole body to the fur therance of his will He prayed that not one sentence might be spoken which was not in the holy fellowship of Christian love, that each speaker might be the mouthpiece of the spirit. Thou hast said Ask and 1t shall be given thee Father, give us thy guidance. Thou hast said Seek and ye shall find Lord, we seek for thy presence. Thou hast said Knock and it shall be opened unto you We knock at the door of thy love and beg that you may take this assembly as an instrument for the glory of thy name"
 Speakers of the Afternoon.
 The speakers of the afternoon session 1 were Attorney F. T. Glasgow, elder from Lexington presbytery, Virginia. against the adoption of the articles, and the Rev. J. S. Lyons of Louisville, Ky, in favor of the articles. When the first was given the floor the question had been thrown open for debate. First the majority re- port of the special committee on the ar ticles made it's report, recommending that they be adopted. Then the minority sub mitted it's report, and moved it's subst- tuition in the place of that of the ma jorlty
 The committee as a whole thereupon presented resolutions, first that the mat ter be made the continuing order of busi- ness until finally settled second, that each side be given two hours and a half in which to present their argument, and the matter be then thrown open to the assembly for discussion. These were adopted and 1t is thus seen that a vote can not be reached until this afternoon.
 MT. Glasgow spoke in favor of the sub stitution of the minority report for about forty-five minutes. His argument was | based, first, upon the nconstitutionality of the articles, in that they proposed the establishment of another church court composed of representatives of other churches second, that the constitution prohibited such action; third, that the articles give the proposed counsel poten- tial omnipotence, power to do as it pleases and that in adopting the resolutions the church would be throwing itself, bag and baggage, under moose with which it could be strangleu.
 Constitution Provides for 1t. Dr. Lyons claimed, first, that the ar ticles did not form court, that the rea . ton proposed was not with a council, but with the other Presbyterian churches, and that the constitution expressly au- thorized such; second, that the church 1 should not and never has let the failure | of a desk made constitution to provide, interfere with providential developments. l While both received careful attention, the majority of the body seemed to be in favor of adoption.
 Just before the argument began Dr. Mo Milan of Citronelle moved that after the fye-hours' debate was finished, the com | missioners be limited to five minutes each. Judge Cassells appealed to the fairness of the assembly to vote down the proposi-