PRESBYTERIANS. 



741 



nature and extent of revision to the General As- 

 sembly; 26 had expressed a desire for a new 

 creed, either as a substitute for, or as supple- 

 mentary to and explanatory of the existing doc- 

 trinal symbols; 15 had expressed a desire for a 

 creed that will represent the consensus of doc- 

 trine among the Reformed Churches, which, 

 however, shall not interfere with the use of the 

 existing doctrinal standards. Of the 188 presby- 

 teries that answered the first question in the 

 affirmative, 160 had expressly said that they de- 

 sired no revision that impaired the integrity of 

 the system of doctrine contained in the Confes- 

 sion of Faith. Regarding the specifications of the 

 Confession in respect to which a desire for change 

 had been expressed, the committee reported : 



One hundred and six presbyteries desire that Chap- 

 ter III, on the decree of God, be amended ; 2 pres- 

 byteries wish a change in the confessional statement 

 concerning the cosmogony in Chapter IV ; 2 wish 

 changes in Chapter V, section 6 ; 10 in Chapter VI, 

 sections 1-4, on the subject of the fall and totat deprav- 

 ity ; 1 the omission of the word "frequently" in Chap- 

 ter VII ; 6 in Chapter VIII, sections 5-8, the first being 

 the substitute of" the divine "justice for " his Father's 

 justice" ; 2 in Chapter IX in respect to the doctrine 

 of the sinner's inability : 102 in Chapter X, sections 3 

 and 4, referring respectively to " elect infants dying in 

 infancy " and to " men not professing the Christian re- 

 ligion" ; 1 in Chapter IX, section 4, which says that 

 God did from all eternity decree to justify all the 

 elect ; 1 in Chapter XIV, section 1, by substituting 

 the word sinners for the word " elect " ; 3 in Chapter 

 XV by reading " condemnation " for " damnation " ; 

 10 in Chapter XVI, section 7, referring to work done 

 by unregenerate men ; one in Chapter XXI, sections 

 4 and 8, the first referring to prayer for those of whom 

 kl it may be known they have served the sin unto 

 death," and the second to the words " what time" in 

 the paragraph that concerns the observance of the 

 Sabbath ; 4 in Chapter XXII, sections 3 and 7, mod- 

 ifying the statement that it is sin to refuse an oath in 

 anything that is good and Just, and eliminating the 

 reference to " popish monastical vows" ; 2 in Chapter 

 XXIV, section 6, on divorce; 63 in those portions 

 of Chapters XXIV and XXV that refer to the Ko- 

 roan Catholic Church or the Pope; 1 in Chapter 





nition" for "admission," and making other verbal 

 changes in the sentence demanded by this substitu- 

 tion ; 2 in Chapter XXIX, section 1, by reading "to 

 be observed in the Church until Christ come again," 

 in place of " unto the end of the world " ; 2 in Chap- 

 ter XXIX, section 8, by reading "condemnation" 

 for " damnation" ; and 5 in Chapter XXX, section 2, 

 in respect to the power of the keys. 



In addition to these changes in the text of the Con- 

 fession, for which a greater or less degree of desire 

 has been expressed, your committee also find that 

 3 or 4 presbyteries desire to see in the Confession 

 a more explicit statement of the freedom of the 

 will ; 71 presbyteries have said that they wish to see 

 in our Confession of Faith a more explicit declaration 

 of the love of God to the world than it now contains ; 

 44 presbyteries desire the insertion in the Confession 

 of a statement that will recognize the Church's duty 

 to evangelize the world; and 4 presbyteries have 

 asked for the insertion of a new chapter in the Con- 

 fession on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. 

 We may mention also that 1 presbytery has expressed 

 the hope that if a committee should be appointed 

 to consider the question concerning a revision of the 

 Confession, every synod in the Church should be rep- 

 resented in the committee ; and further that 1 pres- 

 bytery has expressed the opinion that the question 

 concerning the mode of amending the Confession of 



Faith should be settled before any overture upon the 

 subject is transmitted to the presbyterk-b. 



Provision was made concerning methods of 

 amendment in the following report proposing a 

 new chapter in the Form of Government, which 

 was adopted for transmission as an overture by 

 the presbyteries : 



CHAPTER XXIII OF AMENDMENTS. 



SECTION 1. Amendments or alterations of the Form 

 of Government, the Book of Discipline, and Directory 

 for Worship may be proposed by the General Assembly 

 to the presbyteries, but shall not be obligatory on the 

 Church unless a majority of all the presbyteries ap- 

 prove thereof in writing. 



SEC. 2. Amendment or .alteration of the Confession 

 of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms may 

 be proposed to the presbyteries by the General As- 

 sembly, but shall not be obligatory on the Church 

 unless they shall be approved in writing by two thirds 

 of all the presbyteries and agreed to and enacted by 

 the next ensuing General Assembly, and the written 

 votes of the presbyteries shall be returned to that As- 

 sembly. 



SEC. 3. Before any amendments or alterations of the 

 Confession of Faith or the Larger and Shorter Cate- 

 chisms proposed by the General Assembly shall be 

 transmitted to the presbyteries, the General Assembly 

 shall appoint to consider the subject a committee of 

 ministers and ruling elders, in number not less than 

 fifteen, of whom not more than two shall be from any 

 one synod, and the committee shall report its recom- 

 mendations to the General Assembly next ensuing for 

 action. 



SEC. 4. No alteration of the provisions contained in 

 this chapter for amending or altering the Confession 

 of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms or of 

 this fourth section shall be made unless an overture 

 from the General Assembly submitting the proposed 

 alterations shall be transmitted to all thepresDyteries, 

 and be approved in writing by two thirds of their 

 number, and be agreed to and er acted by the General 

 Assembly. 



SEC. 5. It shall be obligatory on the General Assem- 

 bly to transmit to the presbyteries, for approval or 

 disapproval, any overture respecting amendmepts or 

 alterations provided for in this chapter, which shall 

 be submitted to the same General Assembly by one 

 third of all the presbyteries. In such cases the over- 

 ture shall be formulated and transmitted by the Gen- 

 eral Assembly receiving the same to the presbyteries 

 for their action, subject, as to all subsequent proceed- 

 ings, to the provisions of the foregoing sections. 



SEC. 6. Whenever it shall appear to the General 

 Assembly that any proposed amendments or altera- 

 tions of the Form of Government, Book of Discipline, 

 and Directory of Worship shall hawe received a ma- 

 jority vote of all the presbyteries, the General Assem- 

 bly shall declare such amendments or alterations to 

 have been adopted, and the same shall immediately 

 go into effect. 



SEC. 7. Nothing in this chapter shall be so construed 

 as to affect the rights of two thirds of the presbvteries 

 to propose amendments or alterations of the Confession 

 of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, or of 

 the General Assembly to agree to and enact the same. 



The Committee on Christian Unity reported 

 concerning correspondence between itself and 

 the commissions representing the Protestant 

 Episcopal and the Congregational churches. 

 Concerning the four propositions set forth by the 

 Episcopalians, through their House of Bishop's, 

 in 1886, the first concerning the acceptance of 

 the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- 

 ments as the revealed word of God offered no 

 difficulties ; as to the second concerning creeds 

 the Church would be willing to accept the 1 

 cene Creed as a sufficient statement of the Chris- 



