Newspaper Page Text
July 7, 1909.
In this Assembly
Assemblies of 1904 ar
that the systems of
Cumberland Confess
same." The asserti*
identity in the con
Churches is an asse
known facts. This ;
theory that by viitue 1
ern Church receded fr
This was what the Ci
In the supplements
Assembly sitting in D
was taken that the N
of its Confession the
tion, definite atonem
have no less authority
terian," the official c
report "set forth tl
C 1 t I ?,i
^umuerianu commiti
report, and that, "af
tion," the Cumberland
tion and recommend,
speeches delivered bj
berland union commi
that they were all i:
doctrinal position
report. Technically s
was not formally adoj
ordered to be spread t
the deliverance in q
declares that the ic
removal of ground foi
Faith was in any sen*
to the union leaders
recedinc from its hicti
O
doctrines mentioned i
But, as asserted
substantial identity o
two Confessions is m
It is a historic fact, a
the systems of doctrii
always been regarded
poles. Dr. Roberts'
doctrinal content of
which he, as well as ;
side by side with the
of 1883. He knows tl
tive Calvinism, and th
and meaning. But let
the point, for he cert
gOod witness. In a
Presbyterian Ministe
Ohio, in 1889, on the
Confession of "Faith,'
point of the revision (
"Jtinter inio length;
not, for the limits of s
a source of danger t
history of a movemen
.which began in a neig
ment of this century,
value is it to rememb
terians, when they an
___
THE PRESBYTERL
deliverance the action of the
id 1906 was re-affirmed declaring
doctr?ut of the Northern and
.ions were "substantially the
on that there was substantial
fessional systems of the two
rtion which is contradicted by
issertion is true only upon the
of the revision of 1903 the Northom
its historic doctrinal position,
imberland union leaders claimed.
u report to the Cumberland
alias, Texas, in 1904, the position
iorthern Church had revised out
.doctrines of unconditional decent
and efficacious grace. We
r than "The Cumberland Presby>rgan
of that Church, that this
he grounds" upon which the
:ee acted in signing the joint
ter equally thorough considerad
"Assembly approved the position
of its committee." The
r the members of the Cumttee
in that Assembly show
n thorough accord with the
taken in the supplemental
peaking, the supplemental report
ted by the Assembly, but it was
jpon the minutes. And when, in
[uestion, the Denver Assembly
>03 revision accomplished "the
asserting that the Confession of
se fatalistic," it did so, according
in the Cumberland Church, by
oric position upon the distinctive
in the supplemental report,
above, this declaration of the
f the systems of doctrine of the.
lade in the face of known facts.
i fact not open to question, that
ic of these two Confessions have
as diametrically opposite as the
statement, quoted above, of the
the Presbyterian system, is one
ill others, knows can not be laid
revised Cumberland Confession
fat the former represents distinclat
the latter is Arminian in tone
: Dr. Roberts himself speak upon
ainly ought to be regarded as a
paper which he read before the
?rc' Aeeru>iat!nn r\( Pincinnat!
subject of the "Revision of the
' in speaking to the particular
}f the third chapter, he said:
y argument at this point I can
tpace forbid. It is sufficient that
>e pointed out by recalling the
t for the revision of Chapter III,
hboring Synod at the commenceOf
present decided interest and
er that the Cumberland Presbylended
the Westminster Confes
^ OF THE SOUTH.
sion in 1829, modified Sections 1
and eliminated the remaining si
curious repetition of history to fi
tuted in Chapter X, Section 3,
'elect' the word 'all' before 'infant
government the Cumberlands ar
doctrine they are not. The
departure toward semi-Arminianis
the modification of Chapter III, <
the doctrine of pretention, and
proposed by some persons in
f. _ _ ? - 4 -
comessionai revision, to amend t
some extent, in the very way in w
by a now distinctly Arminian
revision led inevitably to Armini
light of past history, objectors to
its essential doctrine of reprobatio
proof thrown upon tl.em to show
us, through the elimination of ce
will not result in an attempt to
Church which shall be 'Prcsbyt
Calvinistic.' An old proverb is ap
proof of the pudding is in the eati
Since the foreiroinp- ntteranr
Q o ~
opinion of the Cumberland Chui
tion, the Confession of that Chui
tered in the slightest particular,
more: The men of that Church wl
position, official and otherwise,
state the doctrinal position of thei
union negotiations, declared with
which language could command
changed in the least degree. Anc
the face of the above elaborate and
ly studied utterance, in 1889, dec]
associates on the Union Committ
of doctrine of the two Confession
ment as to warrant the union ol
Why did the Denver Assembl;
ance? Was it with a view tQ infli
ions ot tne civil courts i It seems
struction. The opening paragrap
eral Assembly, in view of legal c
ing Church property in Tenness
lowing declaration." The Tenn
that the Cumberland Church h;
with a Church of an opposite fai
Denver Assembly which says in !
mistaken; the Cumberlands have i
holding a creed which has histo
the Cumberland Church. Hence
change of faith upon the part of
entering into this union." Does n
question authorize this interprei
hope this construction is not auth
erance, but it seems to be warn
situation in Tennessee (since then
1.1 it !i., J i ?
v.?jihhjiiis me rcunueu v^nurcn.
pudding is in the eating" undoub
seems to have had a Calvinistic fl;
in 1909, by reason of a very critic
ing church property in Tennesset
opposite character seems to have 1
pudding.
9
and 2 of Chapter III
x. It is likewise a
nd that they substiinstead
of the word
:s.' Presbyterians in
e, but Calvinists in
beginning of their
>m was a demand for
sspecially as regards
it is now seriously
our midst favoring
he same chapter, to
hich it was amended
body. Cumberland
anism. And, in the
Chapter III and to
n have the burden of
that its revision by
rtain of its sections,
make our Church a
erian without being
plicable here: 'The
Ilg.'"
e of Dr. Roberts'
rch's doctrinal posi ch
has not been alAnd
what is even
10 by reason of their
were competent to
ir Church during the
i all the emphasis
, that it had not
I yet Dr. Roberts, in
, evidently thoroughlares,
along with his
ee, that the systems
s are in such agree[
the Churches!
y issue this deliverlencing
future decisto
bear such a conh
says: "The Genomplications
involvee,
adopted the folesse
court declared
id gone into union
th. Now comes the
substance: "You are
inited with a Church
rically distinguished
, there has been no
the Cumberlands in
ot the deliverance in
tation? I sincerely
orized by this delivmted
by the actual
in Missouri), which
"The proof of the
tedly. The pudding
avoring in 1904; but
al situation "involva
flavoring of an
jeen imparted to the