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20 TH]
Fxclesiastic
ARKANSAS PRESBYTERY?CALLED
MEETING.
Arkansas Presbytery met in special
session 111 the Central Presbyterian
Church, Little Rock, at 10 o'clock a. m.,
February 23. 1909.
Upon his request the Rev. VV. R. Hudson,
Ph. D., was dismissed to the Presbytery
of Rrazos, to accept a call to the
Lubbock Street Church, Houston, Texas,
'i ihf> fnllnwinir resolution was adnnted:
"Resolved, That this Presbytery parts
with Rev. W. R. Hudson, late evangelist
within our bounds, with much regret, and
takes pleasure in bearing testimony to
his fidelity and zeal in the discharge of
his duties, and commends him to the
affection and confidence of the brethren
of Brazos Presbytery."
Presbytery adopted the following paper
and directed the stated clerk to forward
the same to Hon. Robert Bacon,
Qfirivttfirf nf Qtnto WQchlntrtnn Tl P
"WherOES. Rev. W. M. Morrison, D. D.,
is a membtr of Arkansas Presbytery;
aud whereas, he has brought upon himself
the hatred of the Belgian government
in the Congo Free State in Africa
by publicly declaring something of the
cruelties and barbarities practiced upon
the natives for commercial purposes;
and whereas, we are informed that the
said Dr. Morrison, our missionary at
Luebo, has been arrested for this supposed
offence to the Belgian government,
and is to be tried for the same, the Presbytery
of Arkansas, assembled in the
Central Presbyterian Cuurch of Little
Roek, Ark., on this, the twenty-third day
of February, 1909, petitions and urges upon
the Secretary of State of the Government
of the Unite.) States, to take such action
in the use of such means as shall secure
to the said Rev. W. M. Morrison, D. D.,
of Luebo, Congo Free State, Africa, all
his just and equitable rights under the
treaty, and thereby have the protection
of this Government.
"Done in open Presbytery, this 23d
day of February, nineteen hundred and
nine.
"R. H. Latham, S. C."
SABBATH AND FAMILY RELIGION.
Presbyteries will soon be meeting in
spring session, when annual reports will
be made and adopted; not the least important
of these will be reports on Sabbath
and Family Religion. It is earnestly
hODed the directions of the fireenchnro
Assembly as to canvass of congregation
in tlie interest of family worship,
preaching and printing sermons and
these two all-important subjects, Sabbath
and Family Religion, will have been
carried out fully and reports made to the
several Presbyteries.
The stated clerks are urged to send ag
promptly as possible the reports adopted
by their Presbyteries to the secretary of
the Assembly's Committee on Sabbath
and Family Religion, Rev. F. D. Jones.
Charlotte, N. C.
Chairman.
Charlotte, N. C., Feb. 26, 1909.
.
E PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOUT)
THE HOWARD AGNEW JOHNSTON
LECTURES.
The faculty of Union Theological Seminary
at Richmond extends to our ministers
a cordial invitation to attend the
special lectures on "Motives and Methods
of Personal Work" and "Secrets of
Power * to be given by Dr. Howartf
Agnew Johnston, of Colorado Springs,
Cel., the distinguished author of "God's
Method cf Training Workers" and "Bible
Criticism and the Average Man." The
lectures begin at the seminary on Thursday.
March 11. and close on Wednesday,
Marcn 17. There will be twelve in all.
One of our North Carolina ministers who
has heard Dr. Johnston on these practical
subjects says that if even fifty pastors
can take in these lectures it will
result in a quickened spiritual life for all .
their congregations. On account of the
overflowing number of students in the.
seminary at present it will not be practicable
to entertain many of these visiting
ministers in the seminary building,
but the professors will take pleasure in
helping any of them to make convenient
and economical arrangements for board
in the city.
THE EXACT ISSUE.
By E. C. Gordon.
If it were ever closed, it fell to my
lot to re-open the interminable discussion
respecting tne universal salvation of
"incapables." I ask a final hearing prior
to the action of our Presbyteries at their
approaching meetings.
My statement that no one can find in
either Testament a case of any blessing
bestowed by God on the incapable child
of any unbeliever has been characterized
as broad and bold. It is both; but it has
not been proved to be inaccurate. The
only plausible case cited is that of Jeroboam's
child. No one knows how old
that child was when he died. No one
is authorized to say that his mother was
not a believer. God's word clearly indicates
that he was not an incapable. See
1 Kings 14: 13. Instead of being "a most
probable case," it is not even a probable
case.
One principal object I had in reviewing
Doctor Webb's book was to show that the
inferences he and others draw ffom
what Scrintnral <lntn wo tmuo '
, ? ? ?V I*uf c mat ucar
on this subject are not "good and necessary
consequence," as that phrase is
used in our Confession of Faith, an?T as J i
understood Doctor Webb to use it, ana
as I supposed others would understand
him. For he quotes the Confession and i
the Confession asserts that "the whole
counsel of God concerning things neces- 1
sary for his own glory, man's salvation,
faith and life, is either expressly set i
down in Scripture, or by good and neces- I
sary consequence may be deduced from i
Scripture."
Another object was to show that, in 1
view of the lack both of express state
ment and of good and necessary conse- 1
quence, it is altogether improper for any 1
Church to a'ssert dogmatically that all i
incapables are saved. <
Doctor Webb has been pleased Very i
kindly and graciously to say that in both
these important respects he and I are I
agreed. There is no issue between us. t
H. March 10, igog.
One cf the accomplished and learned
editors of The Presbyterian of the South
has recently expressed the same opinion
as to this lack of express statement and
of good and necessary consequence, i
am sure that tnis opinion is shared by a
great many others of our Presbyters and
people. Hence I hope, even If we be in a
minority, that tae majority will not insist
on thrusting into our Confession a
statement that many of us do not believe
is authorized by God's word, however
much we hope and believe that it is
true.
I can give many more than seven reasons
why we hope and, in a sense, believe
that all incapables are of the number
of God's elect people. The sole reason,
and it is all-sufficient, why we should
not erect that hope and belief into a
dogma, is that God has not authorized
us so to do. Adults who die wholly unevangelized,
for all practical purposes,
are as incapable of exercising saving
graces, as infants who die in infancy, or
those who are born and die idiots. 1
know of no reason, except certain inferences
drawn from the Scriptures, why
these persons may not be elected by God
to salvation, and saved by Christ in his
own time and way. Some very devout
Arminians tell us frankly that God must,
if He be just and good, at least give all
these people opportunity to hear the gospel
and to accept or reject Christ.
Calvinists do not think that either of
these opinions can be deduced from God's
word by good and necessary conseauencp.
That is, the Scripture? do not authorize
us to affirm dogmatically that all these
incapable adults are of the number of
God's elect, or that God is bound to give
them opportunity in a future life to hear
the gospel. Men are certainly at liberty
to indulge hopes as to the former opinion;
for we certainly are not authorized!
to limit the scope of God's electing love
to those who are outwardly called by the
ministry of the word. Shall we, then, for
the sake of attracting unbelievers to our
Church, proclaim this hope as a religious
dogma? It would be very effective in
many cases. It would put our God in
a very favorable aspect before many intelligent
and earnest heathen to assure
mem inai ineir noble and beloved ancestors,
who never heard of Christ and who
never had a chance either to accept or
reject Him, are certainly saved.
As to the ambiguity?and the liability
to mislead and to prejudice people?of
our Confessional language in Chapter X,
Section III: All this can to some extent
be removed by adopting the suggestion
of Lafayette Presbytery; which is that
the language of that section be as follows:
"AH elect persons, who are incapable
of being outwardly called by the min
iBiry or the word, are regenerated
and saved by Christ through the Spirit,
who worketh when, where and how He
pleaseth."
This statement says what God authorizes
His Church to say; no more, no
loss. R leaves every one free to believe
is he pleases, as to the extent of the ex
srclse of God's electing love with re?pect
to incapables of every class.
As jo those who believe, and who would
qsist that every one must believe, that
ill lncaf?ahles of every class are of the