Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1891-10-16
DIR. BRIGGS UNDER FIRE.
THE GREAT PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH TRIAL BEGUN.
The Theological Teacher Rakea
over the Goals for Preaching AL
legged HeresicaI Doctrines.

NEW YORK, Oct. 7.-GreAt interest
was manifested in the meeting Of the
New York Presbytery in the Scotch
Presbyterian church, because the
charge Of heresy against the Rev DR..
Briggs was expected to come up. The
interest in this is not confined to the
Presbyterian church. but has spread
until the eyes of churchmen and lay
men throughout the land were cen
tered on the proceedings at the church
in West Fourteenth street.
The offense which DIR. Briggs 10
charged with has made him more
prominent oflate than any other Pres
byterian in the land. For seventeen
years he has been the professor of He
brew in the seminary and has been Q
recognized authority on Biblical crlti-
cism in this country. It has long been
known that his views were contrasted
with those of DIR. Greer of the Princeton
seminary and DR.. Patton of the College
OF New Jersey, who represent the con-
sentative element IN the church, but
he was never regarded hereto.
Last winter he delivered an insuq.
urai address on 1.-THE Authority OF
Scripture" in which the bible, the
church and the reason were named as
the source OF divine authority; and the
barriers of the characterization.
verbal inspiration, authenticity, liner.
rancy, violation Of laws of nature and
minute prediction-were demolished,
This address precipitated matters In
the same way that the publication OF
the Rev. Howard MacQueary's boob
brought about the trial and subse-
quent change of denomination of tina,
Tho
ne P Pr,s oeRan AZ II O'CLOCK
o. L. ny Ivy. IT. T conn =. Dlss wa,
- my" :a.a ms was oeclared
W o.Ury ior INC anu. briggs
+. "iohousn .nVre was no DIVISION.
hiVer some preliminary business OF
~, , P on" % au ooSn oIsPoseoo OF
t .he quesoion Vi hearlng the report OF
w.. w.. ~ . IN prosecution' wncn
Ws Voc " preSene 'he Inoic'menS against
or1 Drugs, came up
" Dirch SAID tnat the report did
not condemn Dr. Briggs; 1t simply re-
ported charges against him, and 1t
would De Tor the presbytery to pass
Judgment on MIN. Dr. Briggs, he
SAID was one OF those members of the
church VINO progressed learning which
couio pe dispensed from theological
IN oonin"ries' out were TOO
erudlte TO be preached by the minis
.ers OF The gospel. The Rev. DIR. c. L.
thompson vas on his feet when DIR.
Birch sat down, and he urged that far
greater interests were at stake at this
time than the outcome of the proposed
trial to the New York presoytery. The
revision, for instance, of the confession
OF faith which was now approaching
happy contamination. would be seri-
ousiy endangered BY prosecuting this
matter at this time. An ecclesiastical
trial now meant ecclesiastical trouble
as wide as the latitude of the church.
Inc peace OF the church, he said, had
not been so menaced since 1887. as it
was TINS morning.
DIR: THOMPSON made a strong appeal
Tor liberty in the church. He con-
ciuoed py quoting the remark of the
late Rev; Henry j. Van Dyke: '1f we
cannot have liberty and orthodoxy
poIh, let us have liberty"
Dr. hrch prefaced the reading of
.he report py saying that the commit.
'ee hau enreiuily weighed the several
eharges mace against DIR. Briggs and
tHut III nuu decided that 1t would be