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September 20, 1911 ]
NOT WITHOUT BUT WITHIN.
Eliznbeth Preston Allen.
The author of the article "Back to the
Church," recently published in The
Presbyterian of the South, sounds a
note of warning that is no doubt timely
and the thoughtful Christians should
heed. But it grieves some of ub who
know the Young Women's Christian Association
that he should speak of that
organization os "outside" the Church.
May I be allowed, as a Southern member,
of the National Board of the Young
Wbmen'B Christian Associations, to claim
very earnestly that the Association is
seeking to do a share of the work for
which our L*>rd established his
Church, within that church, along
Church lines, in the spirit of the Christian
Church, just as truly as are our
Sunday schools and Missionary Societies?
The difference being that our
Sunday schools and missionary societies
are necessarily denominational
while the Young "Women's Christian Association
is a bond of service, a golden
cord, running through all evangelical
churches, untlng them in unity of
spirit and in the bond of peace. It is
an earnest wish of that time when all denominations
shall dwell together in a
glorious comity of service, nay, it is
more than an earnest wish of that time,
it is one of its on-brlngers.
It would be foolishly unnecessary to
remind the readers of this paper that
our Master did not deal with men or
women as to their souls alone. He was
no mystic, though the term is scornfully
flung at His followers by those
who understand them as little as some
Christians do our Association! He . always
Btrove for the sanest and soundest
life of body, mind and spirit. And
humbly following his guidance, the
Young Women's Christian Association
offers its services to the Church as a
whole, the church as Christ sees it, to
be her hand-maiden, in helping to carry
out her great commission.
This is not intended as a controversial
plea; but seeks to reassure your
readers as to the standing ground of
the Young Women's Christian Association,
which requires for Its voting body
membership In some evangelical
church. Its benefits are free to all. Its
control Is kept with quiet determination,
(sometimes In the face of opposition
and ridicule from ultra liberals
outside of the Association,) in the bands
of members of Christ's visible Church.
Any detailed Information In regard to
the work and scope of the Young Women's
Christian Association will be
cheerfully furnished bv the Territorial
Committee for Virginia and the Carollnas,
having Its headquarters at Charlotte,
North Carolina.
A Great Book on
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THE F&ESB Y1?&1
If your readers knew how many young
women in our cities, colleges, mill
villages and rural districts are holding
out their hands to us for help in becoming
their best selves, and therefore best
fitted to become worthy members of
Christ's Church, we would have a great
company of annual contributors, sharing
with us in the privilege of this
phase of church work.
"THE INFANT AMENDMENT."
By Her. E. E. Smith.
What is the nronoRod nmonHmar.*
the "Elect Infant Paragraph?" There
is some confusion in the statement of
it by writers who have discussed it in
some of the Church papers. Mis-Btatements
of it have been made which will
perhaps mislead presbyters when they
come to vote on it. The impression is
abroad that the only change proposed
by the amendment is the dropping of
the word "elect" before the word "infants,"
and the proposed amendment
has been stated in the papers thus:
"Infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated
and save by Christ through the
Spirit, who worketh when and where
and how he pleaseth So also are all
other elect persons who are incapable
of being outwardly called by the ministry
of the word."
That is not the proposed amendment.
It is far from it The most significant
change which the amendment proposes
is omitted, in that quotation.
The proposed amendment as sent
down by the Assembly is as follows:
"Infants dying in infancy are regenerated
and saved by Christ through the
Spirit who worketh when and where
and how he pleaseth. So also are all
others who are Included in the election
of grace and who are incapable of being
outwardly called by the ministry of
the word."
ThJa lo a vmtlv
'W M .v?wv?j muciCUb OiaiQUlCUl.
The phrase, "all other elect perrons,"
in the original, has been changed to
read, "all others who are included in
the election of grace." Why this
change? The expressions in themselves
have the same meaning. Why then
change to a longer reading which makes
the sentence more cumbersome, when
the old reading expresses the same meaning
in shorter form? There is a reason.
It is a big one. The shrewd author of
the proposed amendment is by no means
guilty of re-wording the Confession of
Faith, and getting it adopted by the
i i couj ici ico auu 111? vjenerai Assemblies
simply as a gymnastic exhibition
In syntax.
The author of the proposed amendment
saw that if he left unchanged the
phrase "all other elect persons," there
would be in it the implication that the
infants mentioned in the preceding sen.
tence were also elect persons. Hence
the change to a clause which would not
so imply.
To make the new clause apply to the
infants aforementioned, it would have
to read, "all others who also are included
in the election of grace." But
it uiieu uot bo reaa. mat reading would
thwart the purpose of th? change.
The purport of the proposed amendment
is:
Infants who die in infancy are saved.
All other incapables, who are elect, are
saved.
Here are two classes of incanahle?
mentioned who are saved. The one dies
in infancy; the other is elect. "Which
is equivalent to saying that the one
who dies in infancy Is not elect I have
two friends, Brown and Jones. Brown
is blind; Jones is a lawyer. That is
equivalent to saying Jones is not blind,
and Brown is not a lawyer. ThuB the
proposed amendment would make us
affirm that infants dying in infancy are
not elect, and that the fact of election
is affirmed as a distinguishing characteristic
of the other class of incapables
AM OF IBS SOOTH!
who are therein named in comparison
with Infants dying in infancy.
That the proposed amendment is silent
as to the election of infants dying
in infancy, is therefore very far from
true. It affirms that they are not elect,
in the very affirming that the others
are elect
Again. We have set forth our conviction,
Confession of Faith, chapter X,
paragraph 3, that the salvation of Infants
dying in infancy and other incapables
is by election of grace. Now it is proposed
to take that back in the case of
the infants, only. The rescinding of the
expression of a conviction is accepted
by the world as equivalent to an affirmation
of a change of conviction.
Otherwise why rescind? If I have said
John Doe is an honest man, and now
I come seeking to retract the statement
of that conviction, is it not equal to
my affirming that I no longer have such
a conviction? It ought to be enough to
point out that the amendment nrnnnaen
to retract our statement of conviction
that infants dying in infancy are saved
by election of grace. For that is accepted
as saying we no longer believe
it
What have infants done through dying
in Infancy that we are unwilling to accord
them the glorious privilege of the
election of grace? There is a manifest
willingness to allow, and that too in
the very same paragraph, that priceless
privilege to idiots and insane persons,
while it is not to infants dying in
infancy. We are aBked to proclaim to
the Church and the world that we no
longer believe that the unspeakable glories
of God's electing grace are allowed
in the salvation of our little ones who
have gone from our homes, and of whom
Jesus said, "Of such is the kingdom of
heaven."
The proposed amendment has brought
before the Church a new Issue. The
issue created by it Is no longer whether
we shall say all infants dying in infancy
aie saved. That indeed is yet in it,
but of minor importance as compared
wun tne question which It raises as
to whether any infants who are saved
are saved by the election of grace. It
says they are saved, indeed, but what
a poor salvation is that which is bereft
of the wondrous grace of God's electing
love. Saved to a sort of limbus infantum,
I suppose.
The dropping of the word "elect" at
the beginning of the paragraph is the
small part of the proposed revision.
The chief demolishing is committed
deeper in.
The writer of this article favors a
Princeton
Semi
Princeton, . .
FRANCIS L. PATTON,
Opening of 100th Sessi<
College Graduates of all denon
Privilege of taking co
Address all cor
REV: PAU1
Registrar an
Princeton, . .
ST5CTJ HTTY A
THAT M
THE AMERICAN
ThaSkytcrmpar Main and Te
^ (905) 17
restating of the doctrines of the "Elect
Infant Paragraph," but not a restatement
which will claim for our little
ones a salvation robbed of its high
privilege of God's electing grace.
Owensboro, Ky.
WOMAN'S MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
The Sixth annual meeting of the
Woman's Missionary Conference at
Montreat was held August 14, 15 and 16.
Mrs. John B. Knox, of Annlston, Ala.,
was chairman of the conference, and
presided over the sessions.
Miss Leona Black, of Greenville, S.
C., and Mrs. A. L. Patterson, of Blackshear,
Ga? were elected secretaries of
the conference.
The Conference included six sessions,
two sessions being held each day. Each
session was opened with a season of
prayer and praise, which drew all
hearts together and intensified the zeal
of all the women present.
There were 222 women in attendance,
representing 16 States. Of the 222 women
present, 72 were from North Caroline,
a large number of these having
been sent as delegates from Presbyterial
and Synodical Unions.
The object of this meeting was that
the women, who are workers in the
chir/ch throughout Its territory, at
home or abroad, should come together
in conference, communion and prayer,
that the women in our Southern Presbyterian
Church may learn to know more
about the work of the church, may come
in personal contact with the workers,
and receive therefrom deeper realization
of the needs to be met, the best methods
for meeting these needs, and inspiration
for future work.
There were present many mothers in
Israel, who have given to the church
ministers, missionaries and workers in
all of the branches of church work. The
presence of these was a blessing resting
uiiuu an w no aii?uaea ine conference.
Their sweet faces and loving words
of comfort and encouragement, and
their pleadings for faithfulness and loyalty,
coming from hearts rich in experience,
touched the hearts of all
others.
A discussion on "The Value of Presbyterial
Unions." eonducted by Mrs. W.
W. Simpson, of South Carolina, showed
the results of these unions to be most
helpful and the source of inspiration in
the following ways, especially:
1. Hearts are cheered and strength.
( Continued on page 21.)
Theological
inary
New Jersey.
D. D., L. L. D., President.
>n, September 21, 1911.
?i
jiuanuiis are welcome,
urses in Princeton University.
respondence to
I MARTIN,
d Secretary.
New Jersey.
ND SERVICE
eans us.
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