, 1874-05-15

had admitted on tho floor Of tho prosbytory that
taught H. tho Word Of Odd. liz. .iil not uoau to
| any tint lio' snld 30 In 30 many words but his
nloa could not 10 construed IN any ottor light
tho doctrines OF tho Confession Of Faith, or %
bound to hold them us II Presbyterian minlHtor,
1Io Ind BaLd that ia distinction oxiated botweon
prosbytoransm Us formulated III past tnoa and
nresby.ora'1em a asa' ao.u1i o never heard of
Swing, II they woro not to holstto Tho formu-
1atrd. theology Of tho Presbyterian Church, ho
wanted to know what Vas tho baA|a Of tho l'roa-
bytorien crccd. Whit was tho "'Ohuroh aotu-
nl"7 The Church Of Pittsburgh, which waa held
IN the grasp Of ..CalvInistto Heroulns ~ OF
the Church OF OhloAgo, which had "local
aospoI" and was IN modo OF virtue, and not y
jumbo Of doctrines. -" an attempt 1T ovangol-
iztng With radius long enough and a clrclm-
Robert Patterson md Robert Coliyor"2 II tho
prosbytery accepted that, thoy lind started
upon tho high roaa Of latitudlnnrianthn,, which
would embrace oyory man who said THAT ho
regarded him 40 hlB SAVIOR. Thoy bohovod that
thofo was position In tho world for tho proBby-
terian Church, that Bllo had function to dis
ctargo, that hor haas vyaa q dootrinal bnale,---
tue Oonfeasl9'' Of Faith, which ind boon ratified
aud affirmed by both Presbyterios OF tho Churol,
whom the reunlon was e{rootetl.
Having acknowledged tllat ho hnd given 1,ia
sorvices to tho Church actual, WAS it not fatr
to allrm tint ho had not. given them to tl,o
church historlo7 Prof. Swing had made now
Confession OF Faith, and said Mia was tho basis
upon which 10 would stand, and tint II tho
Presbyterian Church would accept It ae hor basis
Of doctrine, sho could have his aorvlces; ifnot,
thon ho was ready 10 oross the boundary which
separated him from the Chuiot which he loved
aud tho otllor Churches to- which ho was near Of
kin. fSmiseB,l
upon, tl.o language Of Prof. Swing; II was a con-
struction IN wh1oh ho waa supported by tho
praBa and tho public, and In which acntimont
Eaat aud West was boing exproshed.
NO FATALlsM IN THE CHURCH.
Tho accused had ropudiated tho doctrines
which looked toward a'tllrlk fatasn,, and taught
that religion was q despair. There wore no dou-
trlnos Of fatalinm III tho Presbyterian uollrch,
aud when lo (8wlng) left out those doctlinuB,
lo could have left out no othor doctrines than
thoso which spoto Of Gud'B Boyereguity, Of pre-
destination, and OF inability and II Ao (swing)
tr1nes, hehad left very important eIomant of tho
Confession OF Faith behlnd him, and in no
other light could tue language Of his sermons
bo construed. Ho had said That ho loft behind
him tho doctrine Of hell, aB It WIS taught in tho
Confession Of Faith, with auoh terriblo piannosB,
and TINT tho prsabyteriau Church lind pau
dered to iuddolity. That doosrine 1Yas taught in
tho Confosslon of Faith, and IL ho (Swing) did
not believe 1t, it could not bo pad Of him TINT no
received tho syBtem OF doctrine taught In the
Confession OF FAITH; md thu. doctrine was part
OF tho ByLtcn, and by no means m unimportant
part.
slIurELpr's TESTIMONY.
Tho Professor then royiewed the testimony Of
Mr. Shufeldt, which showed thnt ho (Swing) lad
abandened ono or more Of tho two points
Of Calyinism. II he had abandoned one
OF them, tue substance OF tho issue was
proved. It was not necessary for tho
prosecutor, to maIto out his case, to
p1ovo every solitary item In tho allegation.
He proposed to show that Prof. Swing had
Abandoned the five points of OalriniBm, though
tho issue did not turn upon tho i've points.
Ho had taught tho doctrine OF 6aboauism-
given his approval to tlo doctrine that Chris
tianlty admlttod Of thloo offices N tho Father,
Son, aud Holy dhoat, nnd ridiculod tho doc
tlino Of tho threenesa Of ono, aud: the onoueBB
of three. Having taught that doctrine, it waB
fair to infer tllat I,o behaved it. Ho had denied
the doctrine OF Justification by faith, and made
Keeping Win to doctrine Is taught in Has tue &c oo ~
toHslon Of Fuith. Flo did not holinya in tho in-
Bpiration Of tho Scriptures. His utterapces
were not in hal lnony. with tho doc
trine Of the plonary. inspiration Of the
reformed churches, formulated in tho Confess
aion, and athrmod in the. recent decision OF the
p1esoytery Of Chicago.
On tho presumption that he (swing) taught
what he beloved, ,-spoke his mind When ho
he did not bclioyo the doctrines It ho taught
contrary doctrines.
TnnlE coST1SoENo1ss.
There wore three contingencies in tho way Of
an acquittal on tho charge OF herosy. First,
trnveuod the standards Of tho Presbyterian
Church Was capable of construction IN har-
mony with them, without violence TO The rules
Of construction; Second, whether Prof. Swing
he held. Did he say TINT ho heliosod tho doc
trne OF tho TFlnityhnd tho doctrine Of Inspira-
tion, as they veto taught in tho standards
of tho Ohuroh7 Did hc behave, and would ho
say TINT ho bollovod, ind would hn plant himself
sauatelv npon tho standards Of the Church pub
Ncly, to tho effect That ho did believe tno DOC
triue Of Justification by Faith, Of prodcstina-
tson? II ho did, then two contingencies would
hayo been met. But there was third cont.n-
geucy. Would ho 3isayow tho doctrines which
l,eretical doctrines imputed to him 7 Would ho
affirm his bstiof in tho doctrines which ho wna
alleged to impugn? These wero the conditions
which were to be satlallod before tho presbytory
could acqnit Prof. Swing Of the second ohalgo
In the complaint, and he hoped they would keep
the subject beto!e tiom if they intonded to "a
gard ecalosiastionl procolents.
Tho Greed OF tia Presbyterian Church waB tue
Confession OF Faith. Tho issue between him
amt Prof. Swing wes not an issue that was over
thleGu W any pursuit MID efoT C!ll!neI 10
hold the Confession of Faith in it's integrity It
WAS not an issue betwoon tho Old School aud tho
Now School. Tho Issues raised we're those
Which would hayo beon fought out upon the
aoor Of the New School piesbyserIes with as
much zeal a. they would be on that Of the Old
School Presbytofies. They were iHsues which
went to tho Foundation Of Christianitv, which
taught tho Christian tho Rule Of Faith, which
referred to the Trinity, and to the ground on
which they rosted their hopes Of Heaven.
SUMMING UP.
The case was IN tho hands OF the preabytery.
They bud hoard the evidence and the argument.
They knew TINT 1t had been proven that Prof.
Swing used oquivocai language in rega,d to vital
doctrines; that he had neglected to preach tho
great doctrines which underlay tho fifth; that
ho had derided tho standards Of the Pres
bsserien Church, not only with respect
To tho doctrines which wero peculiar
to it, but with respect to tho doctrines
which underlay the whole schcme Of Chriatianity;
TINT ho had mado fnlso aud dangerous state
msnta with regard to QUO mud another OF
tho grand doctrines Of the Word Of God; aud,
finally, that he had Taught contrary to tile doo-
trims Of Qualification, and Of tho inspiration OF
tho Holy scriptures md, III ylnd'ustng himself