The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-12-08
DIR. Briggs and tho Bible.

Although there are errors III the Bible.
said the Rev. DR.. .BRIGas at the Presbyte.
rian Church OF the Covenant last Sunday
evening. they are wholly in other matters
besides faith and practice" and hence O
minister who subscribes ut his ordination
to tho statement that the Bible is " the
only infallible rule of faith and practice"
may consistently teach its fallibility In
those" other matters" The errors which
have been found. he further explained.
"are not errors Of deceit. but Of inadver-
tence. not Of falsehood. but Of lack Of
knowledge"
This means that the errors Of the Bible
concern matters which are within the pos
sibility Of human knowledge. and that its
infallibility is only in matters beyond the
possibility Of demonstration, which could
only be ms de known to men by q revelation
from COP Himself. Where it appeals to
faith alone it is infailible. according to DR..
BRIGGS: but where it appeals to the under
standing merely it is liable to the errors
due to human inadvertence and lack of
knowledge.
In other words. when the Bible tells him
OF matters Of which neither he nor any other
man can know. he says that he believes 1t,
but when it conflicts with his knowledge
he rejects its authority and denies its in
fallibility. 1t is true when its error cannot
be proved. but when it deals with facts sus-
ceptible Of proof it may go astray like any
other production OF the human intellect.
This is not doctrine which tends to con-
serve the old veneration for the Scriptures
as 1.-The Word Of COP. tho only infallible
rule OF faith and practice" II the Bible is
misleading as to matters within the knowl-
edge Of DR.. BRIGGS. men are likely to ques-
tioa It's infallibility as to those that are be-
yond his understanding. At any rate.
they may say that, he Is as liable to
error in separating the fallible from
the infallible as we're the transcribers
Of the Bible in mixing them up. He can
not assume to speak by inspiration. He is
not Divine authority. He may be able to
discover errors in the Scriptures by the
light OF his actual knowledge. but who has
given him the power to determine the truth
Of what they teach concerning the things
he cannot know? He can express his indi-
vidual opinion only. and everybody else is
free to differ with him. He Is merely man
like the rest Of US. and he has no better test
Of infallibility than other people. His lee
ture on Sunday evening. therefore. con-
tanned nothing more authoritative than the
speculations OF q single man as to a sub
ject Of which he could have no knowledge.
Practically. DR.. BRIGGS left it for every
individual to determine for himself How
much or how little to believe In the Bible.
Thus he referred the decision Of the ques-
ton of It's Divine authority to the human
reason: for II the reason may criticise some
of its statements as manifestly the errors
of ignorant men. it may doubt the infalli-
biIity Of every part OF 1t. and treat the
whole as human production merely. How
can he expect people to believe in the abso-
Lutte Divine authority OF a Book which. as
he tells them. contains errors OF "inadver-
tence" and "lack OF knowledge" OF which
each one of them. according to his teaching.
has the liberty Of judging by the light of
his own individual reason?