Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-17

| Those opposed to DR.. Briggs theology
insist that he has departed from the West
minister confession. And yet there is no
one in the Presbyterian church more pro-
nounced in his support OF the Standards,
and no one, perhaps, who has given more
study to them than DR.. Briggs.
1T Is RULE OF THE INSTITUTION
that every member OF the faculty, on en-
tering upon his Office, and triennially there
after, or when required by the board, so
! long as he remains IN Office, make and sub
, scribe to the following declaration in the
presence of the board, namely: Il believe
the Scriptures of the Old and New Tesla
ments to be the word of God, the only in
| fallible rule of faith and practice; and l do
now, in the presence Of God and the direc-
| tors Of this seminary, solemnly and sin
cerely receive and adopt the Westminster
| confession of faith, as containing the syS-
| tenn of doctrine taught in the Holy Scrip
| lures. I do also, in like manner
approve of the Presbyterian form of gov
| will not teach or inculcate anything which
| shall appear to me to be subversive of the
| said system of doctrine, or of the princi-
| pies of said form of government, so long as
| l shall continue to be a professor in the
| seminary
'If any professor shall refuse at the
| stated time, or when required by the board,
] TO repeat the above declaration, he shall
| forthwith cease to be a professor in the in
stitution.'
DR.. Briggs was born in New York in
1871. He entered the University of Vir
ginia when he was sixteen years old, and
Union seminary in 1860. As member of
the Seventh regiment of New York, he
marched to the front After the war he
was engaged in mercantile life with his IA
Their for time, and then went to Berlin,
where he studied under Dorner and Rodi-
ger. His only pastorate was in Roselle, n.
J. In 1874 he entered Union seminary as
professor, OCCUPYING the Hebrew chair until
the present winter. He became one of the
founders and managing editors of 1.-The
Presbyterian Review and has been from
the first an interchangeable worker. Numerous
articles in many periodicals have made his
name widely known, and have prepared the
way for the special study which has become
emphasized by chair being devoted to its
pursuit through the generosity of the pres
ident of the board of seminary directors,
Charles Butler.
DR.. Briggs was one of the four American
scholars who received a degree of DID. at
the centenary celebration of the university
of Edinburg in 1884. Says one who knows
him well: 'tDr. Briggs is a gentleman of
genial spirit and winning address. He is a
diligent and enthusiastic student, a vigor-
GUS writer, an independent thinker, and
holds high rank as scholar. He fills
most acceptably the professorship which he
now occupies in the theological seminary,
in which he was once a student, and is
highly esteemed by his brethren for his ex-
celleut social qualities, Christian character
and acknowledged erudition.''
But after all this has been said, there are
many in the congregation, as has been
shown by the action of the presbyteries,
who think that his teaching, as outlined in
his inaus ural address, is contrary to the
standards of the church
His address, which originally for the i'm
pramatur of the Union theological semi
nary, is entitled 1.-The Authority of the
Scripture" and few quotations from it
will show what is the basis of the obiec-
lions raised in the various presbyteries.
DR.. Briggs said, in beginning his address
that it seemed to him to be his duty to set
forth his views fully and frankly with ref
erence to those fundamental questions of
our times that underly the discipline of
biblical theology, and he had chosen as his
subject that upon which everything de-
pends-the authority of holy Scripture
In studying the sources of divine au-
thority, he finds "three great sources of
divine authority-the Bible, the church and
the reason" Under the second head, he
made this reference to rationalists: "Mar-
tineau could not find authority in the
church or Bible, but he did find God en-
thronsd In his own soul There are those