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6
A NEW CHAPTER IN C
The recent licensure of cer
eral" persuasion by the Pres
to be regarded as a matter o
terest. The widespread atter
especially in the secular and :
the apparent surrender on the
of all that is distinctive of '
much that is vital to Christia
ticular event as a waymark ii
certain sections of the Churc
thinking.
We are not disposed to disc
of this proceeding and its sq
quote freely from what we re
ical authority among publicat
the source and integrity of tl
In the May number of "'J
Teacher, the proceedings of t
cussed under the title: "Is it
Presbyterianism ?" The nice
cussed in that article was the i
young men, graduates of Unic
presented themselves for exa
The examinations were not si
but an influential minority in
insisted that they should be.
acterizes this as "a start
pare the way for the disintegr;
Church by bringing about a 1
not of Presbyterianism only,
lical Faith." It further says
bytery in declining to license
taken because of their consum
important points, their muddh
a false philosophy on many o
nial of pretty much everythir
Church?and indeed, every bt
Church?regards as essential
Further: "In the course c
three candidates denied subs
sential in the Presbyterian s>
"The Bible Student" quotes thi
tion as stated by "a theologically
lowing doctrines seem to have 1
denied:
(1) The infallibility of the Sci
and practice.
(2) The Essential Deity of the
consequent headship over the chi
(3) The Virgin Birth of our L<
ception.
(4) The Vicarious, Expiatory
ment of our Lord.
(5) The resurrection of the L<
(6) The efficacy of the all-pr<
in Prayer?in fact, all phases of T.
ficial, the reconciling and the int<
(7) The fall of man.
(8) The Bible doctrine of Sin,
(9) Salvation by grace throut
Christ as an Atoning Saviour.
(10) Regeneration by the pow
(11) Miracles as the direct n
tlon of the supernatural.
"In fact their examination brout
repudiation of all that is vital ai
and their creed?so far as they ci
THE PRESBYTERI/
HURCH HISTORY.
tain young men of "libbytery
of New York is
f more than passing inltion
which it attracted,
5emi-religious press, and
i part of the Presbytery,
church doctrine, and of
n faith, stamps this pari
the rapid departure of
h toward religious free:uss
at length the merits
jnificance, but rather to
gard as the highest critions
of this country, on
le Christian faith.
?he Bible Student" and
lie Presbytery were disthe
Entering-Wedge in
ting of Presbytery disnitial
one at which three
>n Seminary, New York,
miination and licensure,
istained at this meeting,
the Presbytery earnestly
The Bible Student" charling
attempt to preitinn
of tllP PrncKvtPriln
epudiation of essentials,
but of Evangelical Bibthat
the action of Presthese
young men "was
imate ignorance on some
:d condition by reason of
ither points, and the deig
that the Presbyterian
anch of the Evangelical
to Christianity."
)f that examination the
tantially everything esrstem."
s summary of the examinatrained
layman." The folbeen
explicitly or impliclty
Iptures as the ruie of faith
Lord Jesus Christ, and His
arch.
on/1 f K a *v>*??? ?
"?* U uuu cue Ulliauuiuuo LUIl*
and Propitiatory Atonejrd
from the grave,
availing Name of our Lord
[is priestly office?the sacriircessory.
;h faith in the Lord Jesus
er of the Holy Ghost
aanifestatlon and interposi;ht
out a general denial and
nd peculiar to Christianity,
an be said to have had any
Y r
OF THE SOUTH.
?resolved itself into cold an<5
rianism.
We read further that thes
stantially with reports printt
papers.
It would have been needles
the proceedings of this meet
New York and the comment
come of a subsequent one w
just and wise action of the f
that the comment of the dai
such cases, was severely cri
first meeting of Presbytery c
young men and those who fa
the second meeting "The Bi
"At a meeting of the Presbyt
men were re-examined, after th<
pointed to advise with them, a
tained" by a majority of the Pr<
denee that there had been any si
tent of their knowledge, or any
as unscriptural or anti-scriptural
statements of their written pap
main a Ritschlian, naturalistic, s<
Evangelical Christianity.
Their denials both of the fac
Bible, especially in its teachings
and Resurrection of Christ, we
Their answers throughout shows
sentials, and a critical and sk<
Scriptures, quite antagonistic to
of the Presbyterian Church, and
ministry in it.
There is merely room here to i
ing?not to say unaccountable ai
The following comment 01
first meeting is significant ii
that action at the second mec
bytery) voted to sustain the
them, the next step would 1
to perjure themselves public
tion the Moderator should pi
two ordination questions:
" T. Do you believe the S
New Testaments to be the V
fallible rule of faith and pra
" '2. Do you sincerely rec
fession of Faith of the Chun
tern of doctrine taught in th
It is further affirmed ver)
such a course "would be fata
selves. It would push perji
who at the same time have no
No Christian Church on eai
ministers." "The Presbyte
law of self-preservation as
common honesty." "To an
facts of history it is plain a:
these young men?though n
f vki v ivn ui inw i>CW l I1CU1'
fashioned infidelity of Pain<
Howard Osgood, of Roche
years ago, that all its denial
can be duplicated verbatim
worst enemies of Christianity
The last number of "The B
article entitled, "The New Yc
its Defection," from which \
In our June Issue (p. 446) it w
August 4, 1909.
1 Spiritually lifeless Unitae
summaries "agree sub;d"
in leading New York
;s to quote at length from
:ing of the Presbytery of
thereon, but for the outhich
totally reversed the
ormer. It is to be noted
ily papers, as is usual in
hral nf tliA o ir?r> nf
md sympathetic with the
vored their licensure. Of
ble Student" says:
ery on June 14 tnese young
e report of a committee apnd
their examinations "susisbytery.
There was no eviubstantial
addition to the exradical
change in its quality
1. They still adhered to the
era, which embodied in the
icialistic scheme, rather than
ts and the authority of the
i concerning the incarnation
re explicit and unequivocal.
;d a haziness of view on esjptical
attitude towards the
the genius and constitution
entirely unfitting for a loyal
jay that such acuon Is amazad
indefensible.
11 the action taken at the
i view of the reversal of
iting. "Had it (the Presexamination
and license
lave been to invite them
ly when at their ordinaropound
to them the first
criptures of the Old and
Vord of God, the only inctice
?'
eive and adopt the Condi,
as containing the syse
Holy Scriptures?'"
r justly that to advocate
1 to the young men thcmired
men into the pulpit,
i message for a lost world,
th has any use for such
ry was stopped by the
well as the principles of
y one familiar with the
s day that the denials of
ow known as the "\fnH
3gy,'?are simply the olde
and Voltaire. Prof.
:ster Seminary, showed,
s, when definitely stated,
froiy the works of these
ible Student" contains an
>rk Presbytery Completes
ve quote:
as stated that, at its session