New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-05
DIR BRIGGS AND REVISION.
A GREAT DAY FOR pREsBYTERANs.
ppoposEp CHANGES IN THE CONFESSION TO BE
DISCUSSED AND THE INDICTMENT AGAINST
rEE UNION PROFESSOR TO
BE PRESENTED.

THE UNION PROFESSOR TO
BE PRESENTED.
The Presbytery of New-York. which meets this
,,orn,ng in the Scotch Presbyterian Church, in
West Fourteenth-st., has before it an exceedingly
important day. The fall meeting of the Prespy-
terv is always busy one with the work which
has accumulated during the summer, the exanl-
nation of the seasonal records of all the churches
with reports upon Them the election OF COM
missioncrs to the Synod, which meets TINS year
at Wstertown on October 90, and the several
plans for the winters work. Five city churches
one or two among the most important IN the
Presbytery from historical point OF view are
without pastors. and the Rev. Mr.. Herring, OF
the East Harlem Church, intends TO present his
resignation.
In addition to this routine work the PresDy-
terry will discuss the question of the revision OF
the Westminster Confession OF Faith. When
this subject was before the body year ago
speeial meetings were held for twelve days, during
which time fifty sixty speeches were made ny
members of the PreSbytery, many of them OPP
posing any revision, some OF them proposing
moderate change, and number desiring TO have
the present Confession laid aside and a new
creed substituted for it. But since that Tune
two General Assemblies have been held, at the hrs'
which
should be made For this purpose a committee
was appointed which presented it's report at De
troit last May. The committee had taken adj
vantage of all the suggestions made py
the various Presbyteries, in their pre-
vious discussions, and formulated re-
mort which was adopted without discussion, only
one speeeh being made, and submitted to the
presbvteries for further scrutiny. The Assembly
ordered that the Presbyteries should take up The
report and send the result of their debate to Dr
T.. Moore. the secretary of the committee, before
December.l. As the Revised Confession is IL
some sense a compromise, it will bring criticism
from all parties.
Rut more than in the routine work of the Pres
hvterv more than in the question Of vacant
churches more than in the elections OF commits
sioners 10 the Synod. more than in the question
of revision. does interest centre in the hereSy
trial of Professor Briggs, Of the Union Theological
Seminary, which is to come before the PreSbNeTy
to-day For nearly year his name has been be
fore the Church more than that of any other of
its ministers. For seventeen years he has been
the professor of Hebrew in the Seminary, and
for many years has been the recognized exponent
Of Higher Criticism in America As DR.. Briggs
represents one school, and Dr. Green, of Princeton
represents another school of Hebrew critics, the
against Dr. Briggs is really the result of rivalry
between Princeton Seminary and Union Seminary.
This, however the friends of Princeton strenu-
ously deny but they insist that DIR. Briggs has
for long time, in his addresses and in his books,
heen attacking the form of theology taught al
Princeton.
II was not until last winter that the Prcsbytery
took official notice of DIR. Briggs's teaching;
not until he delivered his now famous inaugural
address on THE Authority of Scripture" III
which he gave the sources of Divine authority
the Bible the Church and the Reason demolished
the barriers of the Bible, Superstition, Verbal
Inspiration, Authenticity, Inerrancy, Violation OF
the Laws of Nature and Minute Prediction; out
lined his view of the theology of the Bible and
predicted that the Church was on the threshold
of a happy reconciliation. Many Presbyteries
caIled attention to the address, and after dis
cussing il more or less fully, sent Overtures "
the General Assembly regarding the appointment
of Dr. Briggs TO the chair of Biblical theology,
created by Charles Butler. the president Of the
board The New-YOrk Preshrterv. ON motion
a., d.. a. w. F. Birch, appointed a committee to
examine the address, and. as the result Of that
investigation, it was decided to order a Trial for
beresy Before the committee had met the Gen
eral Assembly disapproved the appointment of DR..
Briggs by vote of 440 to 60. and the next
week the Seminary directors, by vote of 90
TO q reafiirmed the appointment and he has been
teaching since the term opened last week. A
committee of the General Assembly is TO confer
soon with the directors of the Seminary regarding
the compact entered into in 1870.
Efforts have been made looking TO a COM
promise. but it is not thought that
DR.. Briggs will be satisfied with that form
of settlement although he answered a list; Inst Of
which satisfied them, and IL has been suggested
that # he were willing TO answer similar list
prepared by a committee of the Prespytery that
the cause Of the truth would be conserved ana
the peace Of the Church unbroken, and the frlc-
ton and time which a heresy trial will make
necessary would all be spared.
The Indictment which has been preferred by
the committee is long document and Will
undoubtedly be similar in its purport to that pre-
rented 10y President Patton against Dr Swing IN
Chicago the very year that Dr; Briggs became pro
fefsorin Union Seminary Indeed, it is asserted by
friends of the Union professor that Ur. fattoh
has been consulted in regard TO the present prose
cution, and IL is further claimed that the trlal,
instead of being prosecution, is really a peISe-
cution The charges will be brief and Will FOL
low practically those presented by the Preeby-
terry in the spring, as several of the prosecu ing
committee were on the committee of investlga-
ton These charges will be ampliiied with nu1ner-
Gus specifications taken from Dr. Briggs inauga-
raj address, from his WHITTIER" ard from his
other writings. and liberal quotations from the
Confession of Faith and from the Bible will be
given TO show in what respects DIR. Briggs differs
from these in his writings.
There will be no minority report, as the views
of the committee were well known when they
were appointed It'll members deny emphaticaly
that there is any personal animus actuating them.
that they are simply discharging duty, pain
full duty in fact. bat one that they were willing
TO undertake. that the truth may be defended.
When the case is finished here it will go 10
The Synod, for whichever side. wins, thG,
other will undoubtedly carry it on until
on authoritative decision is made by
the General Assembly, the highest court Of the
Church From that there is no appeal II 1t
convicts Dr. Briggs, then the question of punish
ment viii he discussed; but for the present it is
simply -" Is Dr. Briggs guilty or not guilty OF
heresy ?"
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