New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-05
ACOUITTAL OF DIR. BRIGGS.
THE PRESBYTERY SATISFIED.
HIS OBJECTIONS TO THE CHARGES WIN
MANY CONSERVATIVE VOTES.

MANY CONSERVATIVE VOTES.
NINETY-FoUR MEMBERS VOTE FOR THE ACCUSED
PROFESSOR AND THIRTY-NINE AGAINST HIM
THE COMMITTEE OF PROSECUTION TO
APPEAL TO THE SYNOD - CON-
PLANTS AND PROTEST FILED.
By vote of ninety-four to thrty-nine the
New-York Presbytery adopted resolution yestcr-
dsy Diminishing the case brought by the Committee
OF Prosecution against Professor Charles A.
BRIGGS. Of the Union Theological Seminary. For
this resolution seventy-one ministers and twenty
three elders voted, while twenty-seven ministers
and twelve elders voted against it, The following
was the resolution:
Resolved That the Presbytery OF New-fork' Iarams
listened to the paper Of the Rev Gnsses ri IN 1f6s
United states of America agsnst him as 10 oe and
cheney Of the charges and m hs oosons
stated in his inaugural address, at inc same UNI d in
ING earnestly the peace and 9nst Of H. .g RAGS touching
The LOYALTY to the HOLY Scriptures and the @
Standard and OF his disclaimers OF nterpretsuos p'V
on some of his words deems II best to dismiss the case
snd hereby does dismiss 1t. >,
The resolution was the elimination OF q day luli
Of interest, but devoid Of that excitement winch
uarred the meeting Of the PresDytery Wheh 'he
ohorccs wrre presented which DR.. Briggs answered
oninion. and they we've vigorously and cour-
teously maintained Several points of order were
raised and notice Of appeal 70 the Synod was given
by several persons. Once only was an appeal taken
from The decisions Of the Moderator,
Dr. John c. Bliss, and the house
sustained him in the decision which he had given
This fact shows how fair were the rulings OF the
Moderator. DR.. Bliss had given the points likely
10 be raised special study, and his decisions were
prompt ard final regardless Of the objections, COM
plants, protests and appeals mentioned by either
party.
This meeting of the Presbytery. which was held
as usual in the historic Scotch Church in West
Fourteenth-st., will go into history as one OF the
most memorable in it's annals. The occasion,
the issues involved, the attendant circumstances
the ecclesiastical questions raised and the remark
able change in the attitude of the body toward the
accused professor, all serve to make the day emf
nent in the history of the Presbyterian Church
IN this CITY, and it's influence will be far-reaching
The church was filed at early hour. Men
prominent in business had turned aside from their
worldly labOrs in obedience to the call OF the
Church editors had left their desks to take part
in the controversy TO record its issues: clergy
men had left their studies and their parishes to
hear a fellow presbyter defend his ecclesiastical
life: the Seminary directors. faculty and
students were out in force 10 cheer on
by their presence one dearly beloved by hundreds
of clergymen who know him personally: nor were
the wives and sisters absent, for the galleries were
filed largely ny ladies' not a few Of whom ex-
messed their appreciation Of point in speech
quite as readily and often enthusiastically as
did those allowed by Paul Ia speak and vote.
Dr. Briggs, DR.. Brown and Henry Day occupied
the first pew of the right hand middle aisle dur
ing the morning session, while in the pew oppo
site sat David Dudley Field, the eminent iurist
with his brother, Dr. Henry VI. Field, the Editor
of The Evangelist" Dr. Charles II. PaTkhurSt,
of the Madison Square Church. and the Rev. J.
b. WATSON. President T. s. Hastings, of the Union
Seminary; DR.. O. A. Stoddard the Editor of " The
Observer" DIR. G. S. Robinson, DR.. Henry van
Dyke, of the Brick Church; Dr. William NJ. Pax
ton of Princeton Seminary DR.. John r. Paxton,
of the West Church: DR.. John Hail. If the Fifth
Avenue Church; DR.. Shedd and DR.. Philip
Schaff, for many years colleagues Of DR.. Briggs
in the Union Seminary DIR. G. L. Shearer and DR..
j. NJ Stevenson, secretaries of the American
Tract Society, and DR.. r. r. Booth of the Rutgers
Riverside Church. and John C. Tucker; OF the
Brick Church, were among those who sat in the
body OF the house. The Committee of Prosccu-
ton, DR. G.. w. T. Birch, of the Bethany Church !;
Or. j. J. Lampe, of Christ Church; DR.. r.
F. Sample, of the Westminster Church; Colonel
John ]. McCook, Of the firm of Alexander d
Green, an elder of the Fifth Avenue Church,
and Professor John j. Stevenson, of the Univer-
sity of the City of New-Yorl1 and an elder in the
Scotch Church, sat at table near the pulpit
On the platform with DR.. Bliss were DR.. s. ID.
Alexander the stated clerk of the Presbytcry;
Or. James II. Hoadley, the permanent clerk the
Rev c. r. Gillett, the librarian of the Seminary,
and the stenographers The wife and daughters
N -szlo t. H. 1nr-.
the pulpit.
expression OF deep regret in case he had in any
way, directly or indirectly, been the occasion of
disturbing the peace OF the Church, and the
sertions that he was "vcry sorry II he had
given pain and anxiety to my brethren in the
ministry or to the people Of Christ's Church, by
any utterances in the inaugural address, did far
more than the arguments which followed, to turn
the votes OF the Presbytery in his favor His
objections traversed the entire report Of the Com
uittce of Prosecution, including the preamble,
charges. specifications and Scriptural quotations.
The technical point was raised by DIR. Bri2gs's
friends that the committee presenting the charges
was not committee of prosecution, and was not
an original party in the case, but it overruled
by the Moderator, and his decision was sustained
on an appeal to the body.
The speeches made on both sides were in ex-
celent taste, and several of them were
scholarly addresses. Dr. van Dyke presented
protest against the action of the Presbytery in
gard to the standing OF the committee, and also
motion dismissed the case, TO which several
amendments were added. On behalf of the reso-
luton he delivered effective speech Colonel
McCook replied in address, in which he de-
precated the fact that occasion had arisen for
the exercise of discipline; he assured the Pres.
bytery that the committee had kept the personal
clement out of their mind and out OF their report
as far as possible, and appealed to the Presby-
terry 10 hear in mind that mere dismissal of the
case now. without full hearing, would not end
the matter, but would delay the final issue,