CHURCH DOCTRINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13844, 2 September 1908, Page 8

CHURCH DOCTRINE.

"I' ' I -1 A MINISTER'S BOOK. Ij _ j . ! DISCUSSION IN WELLINGTON. | J J {bt JBGKATH. —-PEESS AiSOCIATIO.V-3 I " j Welusgtok, Tuesday. | i The ••<3T«nare'" made by the F.ev." "J. K. i Elliots-, practically indicting tie _ Ber. "J,. j I ft.' Gibson Smith. pastor of Terrace Pres- j 1 { byte nan Church, Wellington, visa having • I ntiotd heterodox views regarding' Pree- j byteriao Ctedi's doctrine a* :if consents j | ihe atonement, was discussed 'at a meeting j ■ { of the Wellington Presbytery to-day. I . j Mr. Elliott said be wished .to call the« 3 | aitection of the reverend court- to a mat- j [ j ser liick affected tie dignity, authority, ] , ; peace. aid prosperity of their 'Church. He I | wished it to be clearly understood thai he i 1 vjus. not- c-od-esvoarinc. even . obliquely. to j " I Invcie the power of the 'Church to oof rock j I the author of "The Christ of toe; Cross." j 1 He bad no Wing of hostility towards Ma. j j His feeling was that of, intense and- afiec- j ' j donate'- sorrow thai- Mr.-.Smith should j I bat® brought himself and the Pr«ssn«y { 1 into this lnoaMe. They -acre bound Jo as- j } taj» that mistaken'.as. fas was. 'lie bad act- j ,j e>3 CBDsjaiioasly• and prayerfully..- ) i The overtures, -set out ! with- the affirmative | that ."the expiatory :t<hpoiy bad been heM | "by the Catholic Chartb. It ■ was the doe-f : I trio? •of : the -Greet' Caere of the Raman { ; ; | Catholic, and the. Istbens', and i reformed { | churches. -Methodists,,-:. Baptist*, 'ami-Con- j [ ) giegatiofsaSsts bad '' met cm .the platform ,| . | of tie Evangelical Alliance, and - had pro- 1 i-1 chined that the '.expiatory theory was a j i:f central verity, or the cwaanoii'. .faith." ."-■Tfriiij | ; expiatory docirise. of the. death of Christ, | , f Mr. • K2»tv went on. had been the; faith of I ( i ,the : Cbarca for 2900 years. * Assdo ■ only j i did for it- what the wmik'of the Church ! .s _ j I' did -for the Trinity. He formulated what! ■ f was;.correct- belief, hoi what chief cos- f I ceroed them was the - attitude of their | t ! Church "to this .doctrine,, and for the dis- s . I ewen - ' of this, recourse.. mast be had to { , i.her standards, the Westminster Confession j '-of -Faith and the-larger and shorter .date- J J chifa»- ' These, were Made in the ITfe'an-.j •• j tun-, in .what-. was' called.:**the- Augustan I _1. age .. of theology," and h was really ridi-1 ! caloas to find anyone. •. Soaring.; the- great;! t scholars and great divines -who «mpesed I .'{.the Weisimissser Assembly. It seemed to f 4 Mr. Elliott, thai love without justice, de- { ; i noted gahbinesf, mere gush, and weakness. f I } lite Church mast consider whether Mr. | | Smith's statements •were compatible with f . I those of the. Church's standards, lor with | , | safety to her very existence she .could not | 11' permit that in one cuipis one doctrine | <jc ho aid lie preached and si a second the J j rvty opposite. The- .ate .of the words Te- 5 1 I tjiimke" and -prophiatuiy " was wbo!}y f i { warranted, and* as## - feiiv throwing dust i I ta the eyes of plain j«'pie." The aashor pro- j ! Jef'red so have received 'a. imbtioD from \ ' I'heaireei sKs«ws®«nk»d \»«th celestial"; spies- ; ; i dear,- and '•. fee shonid he glad to tell toe » ..laasseffihsod-- eidere how :he was .made ' the j ' i'recipieEf -of the Bim» oocSdeace, aadeoold I . i not, wjt-b&atr patting his serai -in peril, 'be. f :..e .dtsol«ikst to the '--feeawrealy.- 'Tiflpe.- ' The | peace of the ;' Charch ■ had-;, been ..disturb-! I ed. and that, too, arheo her."energies' were J ;''J : ' , '3owi3sg, , ''.'.sa ■ many channels ■■ 'twenilnes*."! ; |- Perhapf Ms friend, the writer 'of the back,"! he 'j%saaded so listen to the - was- I "j;':seis :,_of .'.b&oocned . fathers, who had given j i'--K©rer' stady to the sabject.-than he eoajdj |.eiaifij. ■ He thoaght he bad been led by, & | ' | Madly light, and Newman Ibc«asht "the I ' f same, but often - what seeded a kindly fight-' j ■ 1 proved an ".ignis iataas." .. " j ■ If - .The Her. J. Gibson SmitH said he had ] been iaoesased of having denied the basse of | j | Christian doctrine. As a- matter of fact j .. j| •the speaker made -a. - distinction between j ..'^tirfactioc:; to jastice"' aad "satirfawKjoa. j I t^;--ret ; riMijTe jasiice." Yet- the SBoveir' _e£| ■ j the o*@rtme .refused to take that diytiuci' ; I tio.j into aecoart. Soaaetitses in the, book*: | the'word "retribaiive" had been left.- Oct. - i bat ' that word was to .be anderstood aH. | •! through. In exHsuanaikni of his 'remarks, i i 1 Mr. Smith qsoted &om theological writers- ■ ] of past- ages- to- " prove his cooteotka that j i } "retributive' jastke"*- - w«s - a thing apart.j 1 j from "j istice." v Catholic "theologians sh».S ! j Protestants tbeo?9gi«® had also differen- j i 1 ted. and one - bad - spoken of the j . I newer view as * damnable berwy."* f" | The Idea of retrihst-ive ''factke waled H-j - | self into the Protestant CHnrch, and it was ; - | dimply & -ienpotny and transient phase. ; I After a long d>cassk>o, it was deeded * . I by-seven rata to six.that. a-.<.»nfereace..he,,| . I .set tip to confer with Mr. Smith. 'Eight'" , | mttsWss were • set up to «ortjta<« the l . j ' ccmaiittee, the Revs. Patterson, Ikas2w. j f Thomson (PetoaeJ. Shire, and Ccmrie, with ] ' | Messrs. jitkea, Keith, and .Ealkner, « ; _ I reoreseat&tEves of the elder®. A meeting « . 5 of ihe'eorzaaittee i? to be heM in the Pies- J | briery on Thursday nest. . s j _ ] I DUNEDIX'S ACTION. ] i ;; • •. ■ - • ■ ■; ' v ' \ i — ! ' | AN "INCOMPETENT** OVERTURE, -j ■I fST THSGiSJLFS. OWN" CO'SIUESI?O.Mt I E!JT.I i " 1 fST TZLZXTRJLFH. OWN" COaEJESPOXBEST.J i " I . • ' ' 3 'j Brxsxi.v, Tuesday. . i . j At Dmsedin Presbytery to-day the over- ; . j; tare regarding the Rev. J. Gib&oa Smith's , . ; look, *" The Christ of the Cross," notice, j . I .of which was given by she Rev. B. R. M. ' II Satheilznd, at last meeting, came up - for j ■ ! decsssMQ. t;. j S i The overt are read as follows:— j Whereas J. Gibson Srsilb, a miaister of \ this Charcb, has on three seperate ocI Whereas -J- Gibson &nith, minister oi J this ■ Church, has on three 1 seperue oc- j tasioßs, to three difiezent Presfevteries, j declared with, all the solemnity of as ] oath that he sincerely -owned and he- J j lieved the doctrine oi' this. Charcb. as-! j explained in the Westminister Coafe.s- I ' | . s'ion of Faith, and vowed that he "wonld | I oonstanrly and firmly adhere thereto, ] •!' and to the utmost of his powers assert,} I maintain, and defend the'' same," and • , ! ■ whereas he" has pahyshed a book entitl- ] J ed, "The Christ, of the Cross," in which j : ! ". he announcesikj4- only . his ' disbelief in j , | the cqoksaoßai doctrine 'of '"the' ■ death' , J oi oar Lord, bat also his strongest anta- j • j goniira to the same. ■ His 'book .makes' it plain also that this j j attitob of disbelief and aata.gao.ismVis;,. 1 I " .not a thing- of recent date, and more j ' | s recent utterances from the pulpit show ' I that it' dates hack beyond the beginning j [I of his ministry in New Zealand. It is j . I - therefore hereby b usably over tared , fey I , ' the Presbytery, of Duaedirs, to the i : | General" Assembly of the Presbyterian" I | Church of New Zealand, indicted to I j meet at Dcmedin on November 10 to j I take the premises into consideration,' and I | Jo deal with the qaesticffl involved, ia j 1 scch a manner as shall, to the Assembly i in its. wisdom, 'teem best- for the.good oi I |~ the Charcb,'.and for the'glory of God. j I The Rev. A. Cammra : : asked -if it was: ] ' ! competent for the Presbytery to deal with F I this- subject. There was. a rale that rf> j 1 I Presbytery sboald interfere with the juris- 1 - « diction, of another Presbytery. This was not- ] ) j a fit- subject for an. overture. The overture- j . | state! that Mr. Smith bad foresworn him- ] ? | self. that he took an oath, and broke it. ] , I Mr. Sutherland: The overt-are does notl . J say anything. of the : sort. . ! Mr. Cameron said there were several . I reasons why the overture ■ was " incom- | .■ I peteat." ■ He moved—"That it is incontpe- | . I tent for this Presbyteiy to receive this j 5 overture." . | l » - Mr. Satberiaxsd said he would • more that j j I the overture was oorapeießt' . He Md thatl | his overture merely .'staaed facts, and be \ j wished these : facte to be reported by the j i Presbytery to Use Assembly. . I - The motion , was then put and carried { M by 24 votes to S. . , r - - - 1 -Mr. Sutherland entered his ' protest tor j - i certain reasons, o»se of which -was {has 1 -1 the Presbytery had been remiss -in its j f | set son in not- .approving and forwarding-! > 5 the overture to the General Assemble. i | Is was rawed, that' Mr. Soitolasd he ; 5 a*fe«d to vii&dtaiv bis reason#, and that-! j i gentleman <*asd he »ohM take time to 'cob. s ( j side? *&esher fee wosld send la fresh j II reason. tod • the damsw then ter* ] 1 miaated. j