Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-14
FRIENDS OF BRIGGS
Control the Presbytery and Name
the Committee of lrq uiry.
IF HE is a HERETIC SO ARE THEY.
The Professor Elected o Delegate to the
General Assembly.
QUITE A HARMONIOUS CONFERENCE
SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIsrArcH.,


NEW YORK, April 13.-The Presbytery
promptly did what The DISPATCH tele-
grams predicted it would do in regard to
Prof. Briggs case when it assembled in the
lecture room OF the Scotch Presbyterian
Church to-day, but it subsequently offset
this By appointing the popular professor to
post of honor, and that over the man who
initiated the proceedings against him.
After appointing committee on the motion
of the Rev. DIR. G. w. F. Birch to deter
mine whether Prof Briggs is Presbyterian
or hereto, the PresbYtery selected Prof.
Briggs as one of its commissioners to the
General Assembly, while DR.. Birch was
made only an alternate.
The matter came before the Presbytery at
the very beginning OF the session. The Rev.
DR.. George L. Shearer, Secretary OF the
American Tract Society, had scarcely been
chosen for the ensuing half year when DR..
Birch offered these resolutions:
WHEREAS, The address of Rev. Charles A.
Briggs, D. D., a member of this Presbytery. de-
livered on Tuesday evening. January 20, 1881,
on the Occasion of his Inauguration as the In
cumbent of the Edward Robinson Chair Of
Biblical Theology in the Union Theological
Seminary, (which address has since been pub
ally criticised as containing statements which
are seemingly contrary to the teaching and
spirit of our confession of faith;
Complaint to the General Assembly.
Whereas, This address has also been actually
made the occasion of complaint to the General
Assembly BY at least four presbyteries; there
fore,
Resolved, That a committee be appointed to
which the said address shall be referred for
careful consideration with instructions to re-
port at the meeting in May what action. if any,
he appropriate in relation thereto.
This was placed on file while nominations
were made for the IA delegates, Z clergy
men and 7 laymen, who are to represent
the Presbytery in the General Assembly,
which opens in Detroit on May q. The
names of confession revisers and anIi-re-
visers, Briggsites and anti-Briggsites, fol-
lowed each other without question. 1t was
the Rev. DR.. Conkling who named Prot
Briggs as the Presbytery's representative at
Detroit. No opposition was made to the
nomination.
The nominations were not finished when
the Rev. DR.. Birch moved to have his
resolution taken from the file and adopted.
He said: ~ presented that paper on my
own responsibility solely. I am familiar
with the thought of the Western clergymen
who are expressing their opinions in regard
to DR.. Briggs, and realize the significance
Of their action. l think it is not fair to Dr..
Briggs or to the Presbytery to permit pre-
judgment of his case when it will be our
duty to defend him if necessary. In the in
terests of truth and fair play some action
must be taken so that the General Assembly
shall not take hold of the matter until it
comes before it in the right way. Let US 60
about putting it in that way in manly,
honorable and Just spirit"
As Friend of the Professor.
The Rev. DR.. R. R. Booth, in seconding
the resolution, said: 'I am prepared from
three considerations to vote for the appoint
ment of this comm ss1on: First, in the in.
terest of Brother Briggs. He has the right
to be defended or reprimanded IN the house
of his friends; second, it is necessary for the
Presbytery to take cognizance of reflections
on the orthodoxy of one of its members to
protect its own standing. Third, the repu-
tation of the Union Theological Seminary
must also be protected. For these three
reasons second Dr. Birch's resolution"
The Rev. DR.. Robinson followed DR..
Booth with: "Now, Mr.. Moderator, can't
we stop here-pass this resolution without
any more talk, and leave it to the commit
tee to do the rest? 1t will give him fair
play, which certainly wish him to have"
There were cries of question" and the
resolution was passed unanimously. the
moderator being left to settle the size of the
committee as well as to name its men,
bers, subject to Presbytery's approval.
He named the Revs. Drs. Birch,
Lampe, McIlvaine, Vandyke and Forbes
and Elders j. J. Stevenson and Walter
Edwards. Drs. Birch and Lampe are re-
visionists and the first is an ,anti-Brigg-
site. Drs. Vandyke and McIlvaine are re-
visionss, while DR.. Forbes is not classed.
Prof Stevenson Is an ultra anti-revisionist
and Walter Edwards is revisionist. All
of the committee except DR.. Birch and Prof.
Stevenson, and perhaps DR.. Lampe, are
friendly to DR.. Briggs, If they cannot be
classed as Briggsites Indeed the committee
is expected to exonerate Dr. Briggs from the
charpe of hetrodoxy by a vote of 8 to 2