Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-06-06

he had nothing 10 10 WlGn tne views OI
Woodrow, but as preacher he had no
right to promulgate such views while un-
der the shadow of the church. He then
4 called attention to the issues before the
court Woodrow was charged with ad-
vancing views contrary to the standards of
the church. The Presbytery sustaihed
him and the Synod sustained the action of
the Presbytery. The question to be de-
termined is shall the Synod be sustained.
Woodrow denied, and his friends denied
that he ever taught evolution in school,
but whether he taught it or not was
immaterial. In his address to the alumni
he taught it, and in his writing he taught
it, and before this General Assembly he
advocated and taught it. Much he has
said was not relevant to the case, and
there was no need to deny it. The COM
plainant claims that in the Bible he
ory. that is, thata few bodies were formed
out of which all other things in the veget-
able and animal life! were formed. We
take what he says just as he states it to be
his belief, and no one attributes to him
deism Or atheism. a.tsEvolutionists hold
that, fora long time the fish was the high
est type, then the frog, and the frog
was your ancestor. then the reptile, lizard
and alligator Then followed the lower
mammalian which produced higher
mammalian, he would not call it a mon
KEY either but they cut of his nails, fiat
tened his hands and shaved him. Then
the divine miraculous intervention took
place, and God put soul into him, and he
became Adam. That is the theory of ev.
olution. God did not interpose until all
these changes had been passed. This is
asserted because the Bible does not contra
dict it, and because Gods Word gives no
testimony on the subject. This is the the.
ory advanced by Woodr6w. He believed
that man was horse, bofn from an animal
ancestry to another form, because he said
the Bible did not contradict it. The
church was conservatoF of truth, and it
is now asked to engfaft upon itself this
theory. He would sacrifice everything to
protect the church from this misfortune.
He had no doubt in reply to his remarks,
changes will be running on the terms
"maybe" and "probably are," which men
used in advancing the theory of evolution,
because the Scriptures are silent on the
matter. He wanted to bring order out OF
confusion, so that the church will return
to its concord, and this matter be eriven
out forever. They were not to determine
whether evolution was true or false; they
were to determine on the creation OF the
body of Adam as understood by the stan
dards of the church. He says he goes to
the word of God to find anything about
the body of Adam, and his belief is not
based on the word of God If the church
| has put upon it the construction he IS
bound to accept and conform his teachings
to that construction.
The following are the views of some of
the South Carolina members who spoke on
the subject:
Mr.. A. A. James said: IF we vote to
sustain the complaint of DIR. Woodrow it
will be wired all over the country that we
are in favor of evolution, and instantly
every infidel in the land will give three
cheers for the Southern Presbyterian AS
sembly."
Judge It. B. Fraser said: II see no rea-
son to believe in the theory of evolution,
and yet, according to our method of inter-
preting Scripture, I think DIR. Woodrow,
can teach the theory of evolution and
still be in harmony with the standards of
the Church" :" - sssS+sk7- e go t.-]r.
DR.. J. o. Lindsay said: "The theory of
evolution is entirely consistent with our
standards. 1t is probably the true theory.
Evolution is going on now and it IS onl y
suspended in the case of number OF emil
nent Presbyterian divines who have got.
ten into ruts and cannot get out of them."
AS has already been published in these
columns, the result of the discussion was
the defeat of DIR. Woodrow by a vote of 1O9
| to "a.
The closing proceedings in this celebra-
ted case, on Saturday the 2Sth ultimo, are
thus reported:
| DIR. Smoot, of the committee on the vote
on the complaint of DR.. Woodrow against
the Synod of Georgia, reported that the
sense of the General Assembly is that
God made Adams body out of the dust OF
lower animal.
A substitute for the report was presented
declaring that the action of the Synod OF
Georgia did not annul the action of the
Presbytery of Augusta or affect the eccle.
siastical standing of DR.. Woodrow, and
further that the views held by him were
not contrary to the standards of the Church.
The substitute was rejected and the re-
port of the committe was adopted.
The Rev. r. C. Whaling of South Caro-.
lima, read protest against the action OF
the General Assembly in this matter,
which without action was ordered on the
minutes.
The following is the text of the report,
which was adopted, concerning DR.. WOOD
row:
Whereas, the Presbytery of Augusta did find
the Rev. Dir. James Woodrow, D. D., not guilty
Of the charge preferred against him by the
Rev. w. Adams, d. D.. wherein he was charged
with teaching and formulating opinions ana
doctrines in conflict with the Scriptures as IN
terpreted in our standard confession OF talth,
the longer and shorter catechism of the West
minister Assembly; that he did on divers oc,
casions mentioned in the charge teach ana
promulgate that the body of Adam was propa-
bly, the product of evolution from the body
Of some lower animal and whereas, the Synou
of Georgia, upon complaint of the Kew. Wm.
Adams, D. d., did. annul such acton OF tne
Presbytery of Augusta which JudgmehI OF
the Synod of Georgia is brought to TINS cen
eTal BY complaint OF the KEY II s ths
Judgment of the General Assembly that
Adams body was directly fashioned by
Almighty God out of the dust OF the ground
without any natural animal parentage OF any
| kind. The wisdom of GOD prompted Him to
reveal the fact, while the inscrutable mode OF
His action has not been revealed. Whlle,
therefore, the Church does not propose to
touch, handle or conclude any question OF
| science which belongs to GODS klngdom OF
nature, she must by her divine constitution,
see that these questions are not thrust on her
| to break the silence of Scriptures and supple
ment. by any scientific hypothesis concerning
the mode Of Gods being or acts in creation,
ordered that the complaint in this case be not
sustained, and the Judgment OF the Synod OF
Georgia be, and the same IS hereby, III all
things affirmed.
The following is Elder Hammond's sub
stitute:
Inasmuch as the Synod's action could not
and was not intended to annul the verdict
of the Presbytery of Augusta, by which Or.
Woodrow was acquitted Of heresy, the decision
of this Assembly does not affect the ministerial