"CHRIST OF THE CROSS."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 225, 16 September 1908, Page 3

"CHRIST OF THE CROSS."

' FURTHER. DEBATED BY THE c PRESBYTERIES. t By Telegraph.- -Press Association. f Wellington, Last Night. At a largely-attended meeting of the 1 Wellington Presbytery to-night a report t was presented: by the committee ap- 1 pointed to confer with the Bev. Gibson t Smith regarding his doctrinal position t Bs disclosed by his recently-published ; book, The Christ of the Cross." The 1 committee reported that Mr. Smith had ( stated his adherence to the doctrines | of the church regarding the mediatorial < Work of Christ, except that he cannot accept the word "immediately" in clause 4, chapter 8, of t'lie Confession of Faith. He had declared liis belief that Christ by His death made atonement for the sins of men, and thus redeemed them from the curse of sin and reconciled them to God. i The committee recommended the ■Presbytery to resolve to express regret ■ that Mr. Smith had not in the first part ! ttf his book been more careful to distinguish between the atonement and one particular view of the atonement, which in its extreme fonn is not generally held or taught by the church. Because of its partial statements and its tendency to distttact and unsettle the mind of the Christian community, the •Presbytery regrets the publication of the book. After a long discussion the recommendations of the committee were adopted. Duneilin, Last Xight. • 'At a meeting of the Presbytery today, "The Christ of the Cross" formed, the subject of another debate. The Rev. D. McLennan moved the following overture: "Whereas a book hiis been published bv the Rev. J. Gibson Smith. caHed 'Tho Christ of the Cross,' which bears prima facie evidence of being strongly opposed to the doctrine of the church, particularly that of atonement, and is consequently of a most unsettling tendency to many in our church, the Presbytery of Dunedin humbly pray the General Assembly co meet at Dunedin in November to take the»e premises into their consideration : " 11 ' ( ''' :U regard to the whole matter its in * (Wisdom may seem to he best for i.ie good of the church and the holding of tli • evangelical faith." The Moderator ruled that the overture was incompetent and should he refused, as it did not contain some proposal for the consideration of the Assembly; but this decision was reversed. After further discussion it was resolved, on the casting vote of the Moderator, "Thlat the overture be ruled incompetent, on the ground that it contain" no charge."

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