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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 77

Appendix IV. — The Union of the Churches

Appendix IV.

The Union of the Churches.

Clutha Presbytery—Notice of Overture.

The Rev. P. B. Fraser, at the meeting of the Presbytery of Clutha on 11th inst., tabled the following overture for presentation by the Presbytery to the ensuing meeting of the Synod of Otago and Southland, which meets about Easter time. He gave notice of motion to move it at the next quarterly meeting of the Clutha Presbytery:—

Overture of the Presbytery of Clutha to the Ensuing Meeting of the Synod of Otago and Southland.

1. Whereas the Presbytery of Clutha adopted an overture to the Synod of Otago and Southland for adoption and transmission to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand petitioning that steps be taken for the establishing of "an annual conference or other association of Christian Churches which would make for practical co-operation of Christian Churches in the present, and which, without the sacrifice of truth to charity or of charity to truth, bur with the triumph of both, would in the provident of God make for an ultimate fusion of Christian denominations into a zealous and powerful National Church of New Zealand";

2. And whereas that overture was adopted unanimously by the Synod and received from the Synod by the General Assembly held at Wellington in November, 1902;

3. And whereas that Assembly, without being overtured in due form by any of the courts of the Church, adopted a resolution (of which notice had been given during the sittings of the Assembly) authorising proposals to be made to the Methodist and Congregational Churches with a view to Union, and passed from the overture of the Otago Synod petitioning the Assembly to move for co-operation only at present;

4. And whereas a committee was accordingly appointed (Rev. Dr Gibb. convener) to negotiate with the said churches, and reported to the Assembly held in Dunedin in November, 1905, that certain Articles of Faith had been framed;

5. And whereas the convener reported that the said Articles, which were not submitted to the Assembly, had been unanimously agreed to by the Assembly's committee (a statement which the mover of this overture in the Presbytery, being a member of the said Union Committee, has from the first strenuously contested and denied) and also by representatives of the negotiating Churches;

6. And whereas the said Articles of Faith appeared amongst the Assembly's reports, and purported to be based on Articles of Faith prepared by a Committee of the Presbyterian Church of England—Principal Dykes being convener—and adopted by that Church;

7. And whereas a comparison—a statement of which is appended hereto-of the said Articles with those of the Presbyterian Church of England afore said reveals, instead of a similarity of the system of doctrine, a grave and fundamental departure and contract, inasmuch as the Reformation doctrines of the origin of the living laces of mankind, of the Fall, of the temptation of mankind by Satan, of the origin of sin, of native depravity, of the Atonement of justification by faith solely on the ground of Christ's perfect obedience and atoning sacrifice, of the election of grace, of regeneration, of Christian perseverance, and of eternal punishment are all eliminated from the Articles of the Presbyterian Church of England referred to;

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8. And whereas the said articles, in their changed form, do, on the great foundation truths of the origin of the living races of mankind, of the origin and transmission of the sin of the race, of native depravity, of the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, of justification by faith, and of the destiny of sinful and unrepentant men, take up an attitude evasive, ambiguous, or agnostic:

9. And whereas, in particular, there have been eliminated from the Article on Justification by faith the concluding words giving the ground on which God justifies sinners—viz., "solely on the ground of Christ's perfect obedience and atoning sacrifice "—thus removing Christ crucified as an atoning sacrifice from before sinners as the Object of their faith and from before God as the ground on which He freely offers pardon and acceptance to all sinners of mankind;

10. And whereas, in another particular, in the Article on the Judgment there have been eliminated the concluding words, which are Christ's own-viz., "that the wicked shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life"—thus causing the Church in her Creed and testimony before the world to become avowedly agnostic on the most awful Article of the Christian faith, and, in effect, to deny her Lord's explicit testimony, while permitting men to enter her ministry who may proclaim within the same Church the contradictory doctrines of universalism, annihilation, and eternal punishment, and substitute the opinions of men for the Word of God;

11. And whereas the said Articles, being evasive, ambiguous, or agnostic on the foundation doctrines of the Reformed Faith, would therefore open the door for admission into the ministry of the Church of men holding mutually contradictory and conflicting doctrines on the main Articles of belief and subversive of the Christian faith;

12. And whereas, owing to their evasive and ambiguous character they said Articles would be either entirely useless as a test of subscription and adherence to a common system of doctrine, or be liable to be abused as an instrument of tyranny and oppression if variously interpreted by changing majorities in Church courts;

13. And whereas these Articles in their substance are totally opposed to the doctrinal standards of the Church adopted so recently as two years ago, and would, if adopted, tend not to unite Christendom, but to disunite it by the formation of a new religious sect;

14. And whereas it has been remitted by the Assembly to Presbyteries and Sessions to report whether they are in favour of negotiating with the Churches named on a basis to be submitted;

15. And whereas, according to the convener of the Assembly's Committee, and also the convener of the Congregational Committee (as appears in his report published in the 'Outlook,' dated December 5, 1903), the Assembly's. Committee are said to have already given their assent to the said Articles of faith in circulation among the Assembly reports;

16. And whereas there would be created alarm, dissension, and distress in the Church if the Assembly should give its authority to consider a union with other Churches on such a basis;

Therefore the Presbytery of Clutha hereby respectfully overtures the Synod of Otago and Southland to take the whole question raised by the propose! union on such a basis into its careful consideration with the view of learning for itself and the Church at large how far the premises above recited are true in substance or in fact, and of petitioning the Assembly to dismiss the Committee, and to take such steps as in its wisdom, it sees fit to satisfy the Church at large that there is no danger of the Church departing from the substance of her present doctrinal standards, and further, to secure the objects petitioned for by the overture from the Presbytery of Clutha which was unanimously adopted by the Synod and received by the Assembly of 1902: or, in the alternative, to take such steps in view of the premises above recited as shall tend to promote the peace and prosperity of our Zion and the glory of God.

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The Changes in the Articles.

The changes made in the Articles of the Presbyterian Church of England referred to in the overture., are as follows:—

1. The English Presbyterian Article:—

V.—Of the Fall.

"We believe and confess that our first father, Adam, the representative head as well as common ancestor of mankind, transgressed the commandment of God through temptation of the devil, by which transgression he fell, and all mankind in him, from his original state of innocence and communion with God; and so all men have come under just condemnation, are subject to the penalty of death, and inherit a sinful nature, degenerate in every part, and estranged from God, from which proceed all actual transgressions; and we acknowledge that out of this condition no man is able to deliver himself."

The above is struck out and the following inserted in its place, as the convener reports, by Assembly's Committee:

V.—Of Sin.

"We believe and confess that all men, through disobedience to the Will of God in whatsoever way made known, are in a state of sin, and so are estranged from God, have come under just condemnation, and are subject to the penalty of death; and we acknowledge that out of this condition no man is able to deliver himself."

2. The English Presbyterian Article is as follows:—

VIII.—Of the Work of Christ.

"We believe that the Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, being anointed with the Holy Spirit to proclaim and set up the Kingdom of God among men, did by His perfect life on earth, through words and deeds of grace, declare the Father, whose image He is; and did fully satisfy divine justice, ami obtain for us forgiveness of sins, reconciliation to God, and the gift of eternal life, through His obedience on our behalf to the law and will of His Father, even unto the death of the cross, wherein, bearing our sins, He offered him-self up a sacrifice without spot to God."

In the above Article on the Work of Christ the Assembly's Committee, as reported by convener, have struck out the words "did fully satisfy divine justice" and have inserted instead "did fully satisfy the demands of the Divine nature."

3. The following is the English Presbyterian Article:—

XIII.—Of Justification by Faith.

"We believe that everyone, who through the quickening grace of the Holy Spirit repents, and believes the Gospel, confessing and forsaking his sins, and humbly relying upon Christ alone for salvation, is freely pardoned and accepted as righteous in the sight of God, solely on the ground of Christ's perfect obedience and atoning sacrifice."

In the above the Assembly's Committee, as reported by convener, have struck out the last words "solely on the ground of Christ's perfect obedience and atoning sacrifice."

4. The English Presbyterian Article:—

XIV.—Of Son Ship in Christ.

"We believe that those who receive Christ by faith are vitally united to Him, and become partakers in all the benefits of His redemption; that they are adopted into the family of God; and that they have the Spirit of His Son abiding in them, the earnest of their inheritance."

The Assembly's Committee, as reported, have altered the title of the above to read, "Of Union with Christ," and have inserted the words "and witness" page 79 after "earnest." The above Article is not specially mentioned in the overture, but is added here for the sake of completeness.

5. The following English Presbyterian Article has been struck out:—

XII.—Of Election and Regeneration.

"We humbly own and believe that God, the Father, before the foundation of the world, was pleased of His sovereign grace to choose a people unto Himself in Christ, whom He gave to the Son, and to whom the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual life by a secret and wonderful operation of His power, using as His ordinary means, where years of understanding have been reached, the truths of His Word, in ways agreeable to the nature of man; so that, being bom from above, they are the children of God, created in Jesus Christ unto good works."

6. The following Presbyterian Article has also been struck out:—

XVI.—Of Christian Perseverance.

"We bless God that the obedience of Christians, though in this life always imperfect, is yet accepted for Christ's sake and pleasing to God, being the fruit of union to Christ and the evidence of a living faith; and that in measure as they surrender themselves to His Spirit, and follow the guidance of His Word, they receive strength for daily service, and grow in holiness after the image of their Lord; or if, through unwatchfulness and neglect of prayer, any of them fall into grievous sin, yet by the mercy of God Who abideth faithful, they are not cast off, but are chastened for their back-sliding, and through repentance restored to His favour, so that they perish not."

7. The following is the English Presbyterian Article:—

XXIII.—Of the Last Judgment.

"We believe that God will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, before Whom all men must appear. Who shall separate the righteous from the wicked, make manifest the secrets of the heart, and render to every man according to the deeds which he hath done in the body, whether good or evil, when the wicked shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The Assembly's Committee, as reported by convener, has struck out the last words, "when the wicked shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

8. For the sake of completeness, the following new Article, added by Assembly's Committee as reported, though not referred to in overture, is quoted:—

XIX.—The Lord's Day.

"We believe that the Lord's Day, or Christian Sabbath, is a Holy Day, and is to be observed for rest and worship."