The Princeton union., 1891-10-08
TRIAL FOR HERESY.
"A Report on the Case of DR.. Briggs
Present ed to the New York
Presbytery.
Lengthy and Specific Charges of
Heresy, for Which He Must
Stand Trial.

New York, Oct. ,6.-Great interest was
to-day in the meeting of the
New York prcsbytery in the Scotch Pres
'byterian church because the charge of
keresv against Rev. DR.. Briggs was expected
Ito come up.
The interest in it is not confined to the
presbyterian church, but has spread until
rthe eyes otchurchmen and laymen through
out the land are centered upon the proceed
ings at the little church in West Fourteenth
street to-day.
The otfense that DR.. Briggs is charged
with has made him more prominent of late
than any other Presbyterian in the land.
For seventeen years he was the professor of
Hebrew in the heseminary. and has been rec
,ognized authority on criticism in this coun-
try. 1t has long been known that his views
were contrasted with those of Dr. Greer of
the Princeton seminary, and Dr. Patton, of
the college of New Jersey, who rep
the conservative element in
the church, but he was never
regarded a hereto. Last winter he deliv-
"ered an inaugural address on the "Auihor-
ity of Scripture" in which the Bible and
9the church and the reason were named as
the sources of divine authority, and the bar
rriers of the Bible. superstition, verbal inspi-
ration, authenticity, inerrancy, violation
of laws Of nature and prediction were
demolished. The address precipitated mat
ters in the same way that the publication
of Rev. Howard McQueary's book
brought about the trial and subsequent
change of denomination OF that divine.
The proceedings were to have begun at II
a. M. in the main building but
PRELIMINARY MEETING
was held in the chapel in the rear. Here
after the devotional exercises, it was moved
that the presbytery should remain until the
recess and the motion was passed after
some hot discussion. In consequence of
this the morning session was held without
the participation of a large body of the
presbyters who sat waiting in the church.
Rev. DR.. John c. Bliss was chosen mod
.erator. This was declared to be victory
for the nti-Briggs men, although there was
mo division. The Briggs men would have
liked to have Rev. DR.. c. L. Thompson
elected moderator.
After some preliminary business of minor
i'm portance had been disposed Of the ques-
'tion of hearing the report of the committee
of prosecution which was to present the
Indictment against DR.. Briggs came up.
mmediately there was turmoil, When
DR.. Burch, the chairman of the committee,
got up and prepared to read the report Dr.
Alexander, of the University Place Presby-
terian church, also arose and said he had a
resolution to offer before the reading of the
report was begun. This was practically
motion to suspend business. Many of the
presbyters feared that the resolution had
bearing upon the report which would do
away with its effectiveness. There was
much impatience to have it read, but Dr.
Alexander was not to be put down.
A COMPROMISE WAS EFFECTED
by which DR.. Alexander consented to read
his resolution after which the presbytery
were to decide whether it was of suffi ci ent
importance and revelancy to. delay the
hearing of the report Of the committee.
The resolution DR.. Alexander proposed to
offer was as follows:
Whereas, the presbytery of New York, at its
meeting NJ ay last on account of utterances con-
tanned in inaugural address delivered Jah. 20,
1891, appointed a committee to formulate
charges against the author of that address
Rev. Charles A. Briggs, D. D., and whereas, since
that action was takel the accused has supple
mented those utterances by responding to GER
tain categorical questions. Therefore.
Resolved, That this presbytery, without pro-.
nounclns on the efficiency OF these later declara-
tions TO cover all the points concerning which
the accused has been called in question. deems it
expedient to arrest judicial proceedings, and
hereby discharges the committee from further
consideration of the case. f..
A dozen presbyters were straigbtway on
their leet talking excitedly. A dozen dit
terent n otions were made at once, and DIR,
Alexander took his seat in perfect tu--
moil. after moving to suspend the order
Of the day to let in his resolution.
DR.. Briggs sat unmoved on a chair in the
rear of the room.
Rev. Dr. Birch took the floor. He said
that no friend of DR.. Briggs could afford to
vote tor the motion offered by Dr. Alexan-
der with view of disposiny of the real
question at issuein the manner proposed
by him., DR.. Birch said that the report did
not condemn DR.. Briggs. II simply report
ed charges against him, and it would be for
the presbytery to pass Judgment on him.
Or. Briggs, he said, was one of those men,
bers OF the church who professed learn
ing which he dispensed from theological
chairs in seminaries, but We're TOO erudite
to be preached by the ministers of the Cos
pei. -
PEACE OF THE CHURCH MENACED.
Rev. DR.. G. L. Thompson was on his feet
when DR.. Birch sat down and urged that
far greater interests were at stake at this
time than the outcome of the proposed
trial of the New York presbytery, The
new revision, Tor instance, OF the con-
fession OF faith, which was now approach
ing nappy conSummauon, would be Seri-
ousiy endangered by prosecuting this mat
ter at this time. An ecclesiastical trial now
meant ecclesiastical trouble as wide as the
latitude OF the church. The peace of tho
church had not been so menaced since l83-
as it was at this minute He made a strong
appeal for liberty in the church and urged
that the course suggested by Dr. Alexander
be adopted. He concluded by quoting the
remark of the late DR.. Henry J. Van Dyke
IF we cannot have liberty and orthodoxy
both, let us nave liberty" -
BY the time DR.. Thompson finished
speaking the hour for recess had arrived
and the question therefore went over q
vote not having been taken on DR.. Alexan-
der's motion to suspend the order of the
day. The members were much excited
when the session adjourned, and the room
was hubbub Of reverend gentlemen
shouting at the tops OF their voices and
waving their hands frantical
When the presbytery reconvened Dr.
Alexander withdrew his previous motion
to have the consideration Of his resolution
precede the hearing of the committees in
dictment against DR.. Briggs He said he
would put it off until after the report had
been read.
Bank Wreckers Bound Over.
KINGSTON N Y Oct 6Ostro,J,, -