New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-01
THE TRIAL OF PROFESSOR BRIGGS.

As the Rev DR.. Field pertpenty polnts out
in "The Evangelist" the trial Of Professor Briggs
by the New-York Presbytery this week is already
prejudged by the action Of the last General
Assembly, fact that cannot be left out Of the
account. since the condemnation # that body
hos done the Professor wrong which renders "
difficult II not impossible for him to obtain justice
in his formal trial :" Does any man in his Senses
asks DIR. Field, believe that if there had been
no suspicion Of his soundness in the faith; if
his orthodoxy had been as unmpeached as that
Of DR.. Hodge; single voice would have peeped
against him? The plain truth is that he was con-
demned fer his supposed heresies. and for nothing
else whereby the highest court pronounced
its opinion before the lower court had even tried
him! Thus our New-York professor has to answer
to grave charges handicapped at the very start
by having thrown upon him. in addition to the
weight of his prosecutors, the much heavier weight
of the General Assembly
This seems TO us to be an accurate statement
of the case. With every desire to be fair. I'M
partial and unbiased, the men who are to conduct
the trial will be inevitably, though uncon-
sciously, influenced by the action of the General
Assembly. And this fact alone ought to suggest
at least q postponement OF the trial. Even II
Professor Briggs is formally hereto. no good
| will result, but the contrary, harm, from his
trial under such circumstances. To be sure. this
is only an argument of expediency. but 1t
is an argument that ought to have great
weight in the present state Of opinion in
the Presbyterian Church. especially as it involves
the question Of justice to a distinguished clergy
| man aud scholar Of the Church.
| But waving the question of expediency, ana
looking at the case on its merits, the unwisdom
Of arragning Professor Briggs must be manifest
| nd initial Shvt oriap In
deed. this has been frankly acknowledged by MANI
eminent Presbyterians who have not the slightest
| sympathy with the accused Professors views
Stripped of all verbage his trial means a conflict in
| the Presbyterian Church between traditions and
| dogma: between those who hold, however con-
scientiously, that the Church, some hundreds of
| wears ago. said the last word oil doctrine, and
| those who are striving, however imperfectly, to
| throw fresh sight the traditional doctrines,
nv the comparative method Of study and research.
| knowing. as we do, that every other department.
of human thought, philosophy, biology, astronomy,
geology, history, sociology and philoogy. has
been revolutionized by rational investigation, are
we to say that there must be no advance, no
change, in the domain Of religion? Is Christian
scholarship to be estOpped from learning the facts
about Christianity? And are Christian scholars
to be cast out of the Church for doing in this
|
did in their day and generation? If so, then
Professionalism is indeed gigantic failure, as
it's enemies assert and the great Presbyterian
Church. which grew out OF the revolt against
human tradition no longer has any mission. For
| a Church with such history and such noble
record as a champion of human liberty and reason
| to condemn the reverent Christian scholarship Of
the present day, on the technical ground that it
seeus, to run counter to certain traditions OF the
elders, is proceeding fraught with danger,
not to Christian scholarship, which is amply able
to take care of ITSELF but to the Church
This is an age of tremendous significance in the
world of religious thought Questions Of fact, OF
| Interpretation and Of authority are up for dis
cussion and ultimate settlement. These ques-
lions touch the very fundamentals OF Christianity.
Its old sanctions are being eagerly, though rever-
emily. examined and its ancient archives are
being studied by men whose only desire is to
learn the truth. As consequence theology is in
n state Of fux, and many traditional views and
| internretations are being overthrown Such n
rsvolution for revolution 1t is, naturally enough
| alarms timid Christians, who fail 10 understand
| us meaning and cannot discern its outcome. But
ue believe most profoundly that there is no real
cause for alarm. On the contrary, we are con-
WINGED that the present era o. critical investigation
will leave Christianity stronger because more
rational than il ever was before. The danger
that menaces il to-day docs not come from the
men who are 30 reverently and with 30 much
ability studying its genesis and history, but from
the men who unwisely trying to do 1t a
service by fastening upon 1t for al, time the
untensble and outwOrn interpretations OF dead
and gone age The Christian Church to-day needs
TO be saved not from its enemies. for they can
not really harm II. but fEsm it, friends Mko