The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-26
INFANT DAMNATION
QUESTION IS DISTURBING THE
 PREsBYTERIANs.
sessions of General Assembly Yeater- day Were Featured by Lively
 Discussion of Calvin's Views
 on Infant Salvation.

Greensboro. N C.. May 2B.-without opposition Savannah, Ga, was chosen as the place for the 1909 meeting at todays session of the Southern Presby- terian General Assembly. The sessions were featured by . lively discussion regarding Caivin's l views on infant salvation. Rev. Dr. R. F. Campbell said the subject was not a dead issue, but is one of the liveliest the church has to | face and 1t had as well face 1t now as at any other time. He believed the memory of Calvin can be vindicated at q time when the whole church of the world believed that infants who had not have been baptized would be lost, Calvin stood up and declared that bap- tisn of infants was not necessary to their salvation. Calvin has been slan- dered and the church has been slam dered," said the speaker. He hoped the topic would not be omitted. Rev. Dr. A. A. Little of Alabama, opposed striking out the topic. He said If 1t was stricken out the world will think that Calvin and the church believed in infant damnatlon, which Is not true. Calvin Day at the next As sembly will be a splendid opportunity to settle the question.
 Rev. R. B. Robertson of Norfolk, Va, said 1t was not SC much a ques- tion of setting Calvin right as of set ting the church right. I've do not believe 1t just because Calvin said It.
 he is not our Bible" said the speaker. Calvin was a great man. but he was man after all. Get at what the Bible teaches. MT. Robertson favored the motion to strike out.
 Rev. S. L. Wilson of South Carolina
 A AAMIK t.~ LTA s1 it was a matter which should be made clear. Calvin on infant salvation Is about all my people know about the Presbyterian church and they know this wrong. Calvin was sound on the question and the church is sound upon it. Calvin was orthodox and the church is orth odox.
 W. A. Clark of Columbia, s. C.. agreed with the author of the motion to strike out. Great men. including Van Dyke, believe that Calvin con- strued the Scriptures to teach infant damnation and now 1t is said by a lay man (Prof. Smith, author of the mo- tlon) who stands among the foremost of our literary men that after research Is q dangerous subject to discuss in face of the position taken by the church. It ds too small a thing to deal with in ceiebrating the birthday of this great man. It can be understood how Calvin, in the age. reached his conclusion. "We should deal with the great question John Calvin laid down and can afford to omit minor issues" said MT. Clark. The question may give trouble.
 A D. Mason of Memphis. Tenn, was
 in favor of settling the question right now, without waiting until the meet ing of the next Assembly. Establish oSk 1aa& hA prA abxyAN 1hf does not believe in infant damnatlon. To make this question a topic in the | celebration might create doubt upon this point.
 A motion was made that a commit tee be appointed to express sympathy
 with the workers for prohibition In this State tomorrow. Objection was raised to such action and the matter was finally disposed of by affirming the res- olutions adopted by the Assembly of iS86. dwelling upon this subject. This decried the liquor evil and "recom-
 mends to ali our people the use of all Legitimate means for its bantshment from the land"
 The principal business transacted by the Assembly this afternoon was the consideration and adoption of the re- port on systematic benehcence, which was presented on behalf of the com mittee by pr. T. N. Huner of Louisi- ana. The report gave the following figures:
 For foreign missions, 1,ss2 churches $323,s79; for Assembly's home missions, 1,792 ch hurches, &71,1S4; for local home missions, 2,002 churches. $1s6.253; for ministerial relief and endowment, 1887 churches. $67,l7s; for education, 1871 churches. sisl:Sss; 3,o for ,TS, publication. SsS churches, $7.Ss5. Total. $s2s,734. For the Assembly's home and school, the Assembly gave .57S.s2. For the ministerial education. S24.sS0. From the invested funds for the endowment for ministerial relief. the committee received $s,4S0.
 The report recommends that, Where as, the Executive Committees of our benevolent causes call upon the church for more than one and @ half million dollars for the prosecution of their work; and, whereas, it is our duty to give this amount; and, whereas. the tithe is the Lords, ordained plan for the support and extension of the Cos pei,
 we recommend that the Assembly request its ministers to preach upon this subject at an early date, and that church sessions endesvor to introduce this plan in their churches"
 Some opposition was shown to the plan upon the ground that amount of donations should not be limited.
 The case of B. H. Young against the Synod of Kentucky in the matter of the Central University at Danville. Ky, under the joint control of the North ern and Southern Presbyterian On urches, again came up as special or der at a late hour. The record of the case was read and the hearing will be proceeded with tomorrow.
 Tonight a popular meeting was held in the interest of foreign missions. The principal speakers were Rev. Calvin H. Caldwell, missionary to China, and Rev. Motte Martin, missionary to Africa.