

PRESBYTERIANS. 



573 



toward the payment of the mortgage on the Pres- 

 byterian Building in New York, on which only 

 $150,000 were now unpaid. The building was 

 yielding a gross income, exclusive of the quarters 

 occupied by the two boards, of $118,130 a year. 

 The force in the field was growing year by year, 

 and now comprised 745 missionaries and 1,882 

 native helpers, with 610 organized churches, 769 

 schools and colleges, and 84 hospitals and dis- 

 pensaries. In 77 hospitals and dispensaries under 

 the care of the board 340,878 patients had been 

 treated at a net cost of $22,009. Forty-eight newly 

 appointed missionaries had been sent out, besides 

 58 returning to the field, and 56 were under ap- 

 pointment to go out. 



The General Assembly met in the city of New 

 York, May 15. The Rev. Henry Van Dyke, D. D., 

 was chosen moderator. The Special Committee on 

 Revision of the Confession of Faith presented a 

 report covering two divisions : I. Certain revisions 

 of the Confession of Faith, in certain special parts 

 of it, and concerning certain specified subjects, 

 toy the method of textual modification or by de- 

 claratory statement, or additional statements, 

 to be passed upon by the Assembly for submission 

 to the presbyteries. II. A Brief Statement of 

 the Reformed Faith, to be submitted to the As- 

 sembly for such disposition as might be judged 

 to be wise. In the first division, 11 overtures 

 were proposed, to be set down to the presby- 

 teries, as follows: 



" Overture No. 1. Shall the following preamble 

 to a declaratory statement be adopted, viz.? 



" While the ordination vow of ministers, ruling 

 elders, and deacons, as set forth in the Form of 

 Government, requires the reception and adoption 

 of the Confession of Faith only as containing the 

 system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures, 

 nevertheless, seeing that the desire has been form- 

 ally expressed for a disavowal by the Church 

 of certain inferences drawn from statements ..in the 

 Confession of Faith, and also for a declaration of 

 certain aspects of revealed truth which appear at 

 the present time to call for more explicit state- 

 ment, therefore the Presbyterian Church in the 

 United States of America does authoritatively 

 declare as follows: 



" Overture No. 2. Shall the following declara- 

 tory statement be adopted as to chapter iii of 

 the Confession of Faith? 



"First, with reference to chapter iii of the 

 Confession of Faith; that concerning those who 

 are aved in Christ, the doctrine of God's eternal 

 decree is held in harmony with the doctrine of 

 his love to all mankind, his gift of his Son to be 

 the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, 

 :and his readiness to bestow his saving grace on 

 all who seek it. That concerning those who perish, 

 the doctrine of God's eternal decree is held in 

 'harmony with the doctrine that God does not 

 desire the death of any sinner, but has provided 

 in Christ a salvation sufficient for all, adapted to 

 all, and freely offered in the Gospel to all; that 

 men are fully responsible for their treatment of 

 'God's gracious offer; that his decree hinders no 

 man from accepting that offer; and that no man 

 is condemned on the ground of his sin: 



"Overture No. 3. Shall the following declar- 

 atory statement be adopted as to chapter x, 

 section 3, of the Confession of Faith? 



" Second, with reference to chapter x, section 3, 

 of the Confession of Faith, that it is not to be 

 regarded as teaching that any who die in infancy 

 are lost. We believe that all dying in infancy 

 are included in the election of grace, and are re- 

 .generated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, 

 who works when and where and how he pleases. 



" Overture No. 4. Shall foot-notes be appended 

 to chapter iii and chapter x, section 3, of the 

 Confession of Faith, reading (as above)? 



" Overture No. 5. Shall section 7, chapter xvi, 

 of the Confession of Faith be changed so as to 

 read 



" Works done by unregenerate men, although 

 they may be for the matter of them things which 

 God commands, and in themselves praiseworthy 

 and useful, and although the neglect of such things 

 is sinful and displeasing unto God, yet because 

 they proceed not from a heart purified by faith, 

 nor are done in a right manner, according to his 

 Word, nor to a right end, the glory of God; they 

 come short of what God requires, and do not make 

 any man meet to receive the grace of God. 



"Overture No. 6. Shall the last clause in sec- 

 tion 3, chapter xxii, of the Confession of Faith, 

 which reads as follows, be stricken out ? " Yet it 

 is a sin to refuse an oath touching anything that 

 is good and just, being imposed by lawful author- 

 ity. 



" Overture No. 7. Shall the following sentence 

 be substituted for section 6, chapter xxv, of the 

 Confession of Faith? 



" VI. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only head of 

 the Church, and the claim of any man to be the 

 vicar of Christ and the head of the Church is un- 

 scriptural, without warrant in fact, and is a 

 usurpation dishonoring to the Lord Jesus Christ. 



" Overture No. 8. Shall the following preamble 

 be adopted, viz. ? 



" Whereas, It is desirable to express more fully 

 the doctrine of the Church- concerning the Holy 

 Spirit, missions, and the love of God for all men, 

 the following chapters are added to the Confession 

 of Faith. 



" Overture No. 9. Shall a chapter be added to 

 the Confession of Faith, to be numbered chapter 

 xxxiv, and entitled Of the Holy Spirit, as follows? 



" CHAPTER XXXIV. OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



" I. The Holy Spirit, the third person in the 

 Trinity, proceeding from the Father and the Son, 

 of the same substance, and equal in power and 

 glory, is together with the Father and the Son, 

 to be believed in, loved, obeyed, and worshiped 

 throughout all ages. 



" II. He is the Lord and Giver of Life, every- 

 where present in nature, and is the source of all 

 good thoughts, pure desires, and holy councils 

 in men. By him the prophets were moved to 

 speak the Word of God, and all writers of the 

 Holy Scriptures inspired to record infallibly the 

 mind and will of God. The dispensation of the 

 Gospel is especially committed to him. He pre- 

 pares the way for it, accompanies it with his 

 persuasive power, and urges its message upon the 

 reason and conscience of men, so that they who 

 reject its merciful offer are not only without ex- 

 cuse, but are also guilty of resisting the Holy 

 Spirit. 



" III. The Holy Spirit, whom the Father is ever 

 willing to give to all who ask him, is the only 

 efficient agent in the application of redemption. 

 He convicts men of sin, moves them to repentance, 

 regenerates them by his grace, and persuades and 

 enables them to embrace Jesus Christ by faith. 

 He unites all believers to Christ, dwells in them 

 as their comforter and sanctifier, gives to them 

 the spirit of adoption and prayer, performs all 

 those gracious offices by which they are sancti- 

 fied and sealed unto the day of red'emption. 



" IV. By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit all 

 believers being vitally united to Christ, who is 

 the head, are thus united one to another in the 

 Church, which is his body. He calls and anoints 



