The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-07-10
HEDER MENTIONS TRIAL.
The Great Preacher Talks About the
I Charges Againss Him and says Heis
Ready to be Arrafgned for
His Heresy.
EXTRA CT FRoM HIS BOOK.
tSeY York Dl.,ispatch.l

New York Dispatch.)
The case OF Rev DR.. R. Heber Newton
the rector of All Souls Church, who j:
charged with heresy, is in the hands OF
committee of FIVE, acting as grand jury
The charges, based upon rumors, arr
his alleged denials of the virgin birth q
Christ, of The bodily resurrection OF thu
Saviour and of the verbal inspiration o
the Bible. These are the main point;
raised. There are other points of doc
trine and of forms of worship, but the!
are of minor interest.
a reporter visited the summer cot
tage of Dir. Newton yesterday. 1t stands
on a hill of sand overlooking the broad
expanse of the Atlantic Ocean and cut OF
from communication with the turmoil ant
excitement Of the day by broad ane
deep cove. There the rector takes his
summer rest in n world of his own, his
family, the sea and Iris books, unconcern,
ed for the convcntionalities and the for
malities of life.
He spoke of the Committee of Examin-
alton, of which the venerable DR.. Peter:
is chairman, and expressed confidence IN
the fairness of its intentions. He con-
sidered one requirement a wise one, name
". that the Witnesses who wtrc to arp,al
4 &. I, Ton
writing their statements concerning him
and his preaching Ir order 10 facilitate
the work Of the examination, he has him
self directed that the Committee be sup
piled with complete copies OF his published
sermons, and such sermons - had not
been published, but which lie thought
might have been in the minds of those
who made the charges, he has had revised
and has sent typewriter copies to the
committee. Lest there be any doubt as
to what he believed, and to make this ex-
amiuation complete and final; be ampi-
Eedsaud enlarged the points in dispute
between himself and his fellow preachers
Or as he expressed it: 81 have given the
committee what constitutes the very heat
and front Of my offending, and in such q
shape that ..hcre can be no dispute as tc
what words used.''
Beyond this DR.. Newton WAS unwilling
to 90, He you'd not appear before the
committee BECAUSE its sessions yerc Sc
cret and their report 10 tie Bishop woult
be secret. He did not wish to place him.
self in position where his conduct nigh
be misunderstood, as, for instance, ii the
committee should declare the charges no
sustained il might be supposed, had he
gone before the committee, that he hat
rctracted. Or il a trial was ordered il
would never be proper to report what h(
had said or what had been said to him il
a secret meeting. If trial were ordered
be declared thai he would appear in
proper manner aud witt, proper sp lrit tt
make his defense.
HE RESTS UPON THE NIcESE CREED
DR.. Newton then explained the utter
ances on account Of which for the thir(
time charges of hercsy had been made
against him. He declared his acceptance
of the creeds that were the standards o.
his Church, ana he expressed his intcn-
ton to make his teaching and his preach
ing at all times conform thereto. These
standards were the Nicene Greed. upol
this creed the Protestant Church i'll Eng
land and america broadly rested. There
are no other confessions or rnies OF ialtl
made after this creed to which he, as an
Episcopal preacher, must subscribe.
Under the Nicene Greed, Dr. Newton
said, the Protestant Episcopal Church
had lourishel for may years. It was
great chtholic church, a universal church
and was not sect, and was not bound to
any Of the sms of modern Chrstcndom
He as a rector Of the church acccpicc
this catholic creed, and no other. The
Thirty-nine Articles; usually bound in
with The prayer-hooks are not 4 STANDARD
adopted and accepted as an authoritative
rule of faith, and he was not required tc
conform his teachings to them.
Referring to the questions i'll dispute
Dir. Newton said that of the inspiration
of the Bible, the virgin birth OF Christ
the Niccne Greed speaks only in general
terms, Or. Newton felt that he was only
required 10 Aelieye that the Billie con
tains all things necessary for eter u sal
walton, and he was at liberty to form MS
own opinion as TO the inspiration and in
depreciation Of the book
As 10 lAy birth Of Christ, he explained
that the spiritual seHse ri the early Chris
tians perceived the mysteries Of q ney
order of life, human and divine. il Jesus
They could not conceive Of it as arising
in the merely natural manner. The rea-
son and the Imagination Of the first
Christians were set to work, and the be-
lief in the virgin birth took shape as the
Interpretation of this mystery in the
Christian cQnacienec. This is an inter
ppstaiioa quite natural and familiar f.
man in many lands and ages yhen some
unaccountable parsonage was 20 be az
counted for 1t is only the working OF a
mythical tendency, or through this ten
deney the working Of the spiritual seuse
seeking to indicate as best it might the
action of new creative forces: THIS the
church has seen and held TO the belief in
the virgin birth of Christ. The belief in
the resurrection of Christ Dr.. Newton ex-
plains as having been developed in a
similar manner.
HIS VIEWS OF THE RESURRECTION.
sPar, distinctly declares" Dr. Newton
SAYS on this point; that we ourselves are
tie rise from the dead, not in the natural
body but in the spiritual body. The 4hir-
ty.nine Articles. indeed, speak Of Christ's
taking his BODY with flesh, bones, &c