Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-16
PROF. BRIGGS DEFENSE.
The Hearing Of the Case Adjourned Until
Monday,

Monday.
The trial Of Prof. Charles A. Briggs was re-
sumed yesterday afternoon in New York. Prof.
Briggs, who has been reading his argument for
the past ten days, resumed the reading, which
will not be finished this week.
In opening, he said he would continue the
discussion on the church as q fountain Of
divine truth, during which he dehed the pres
bytery to prove him guilty Of the charges pre-
ferred against him, because it could not be
shown by the prosecution that any Of the laws
OF the church. nor tenets Of the Westminster
confession or book Of discipline had been vio-
lated by him, and, even If he had said things
that were in opposition to the Interpretation
placed upon Passages by the synod. they could
not convict him without due confederation Of
his teachings, because all synods, since the time
OF the Apostles, have many times been proven
In error, and the synods Of even this time
might be in error, SO that his teachings were
entitled to as much consideration a. the inter-
probation now accepted BY the church.
During his reading he tainted the prosecu-
ton COMMITTEES with juggling with the exegesis
and attempting by cabalistic art to misrepre-
sent him and his teachings to the presbytery.
Having finished with charges one and two,
he took up charge three, which charges him
with teaching that errors may have existed in
the original text of the Holy Scriptures as it
came from the authors, which is contrary to
the essential doctrines taught in the Holy
Scripture and in the standards Of the church.
that the Holy Scripture il the word Of God,
written, Immediately inspired and the rule Of
faith and practice
The presbytery. he said, could not adjudge
him guilty, because he contended there were
errors in the original text Of the Scripture; be-
cause the Westminster confession did not say
that there were no orrors, and called upon min
listers to teach the gospel truly in accordance
with these interpretations Of the Holy Scrip
ture. He said that he now holds as he did
when he made the inaugural address, that there
arc errors in the Holy Scripture as written but
he did not nor does not mean by that there
were errors in the Word Of God that the
errors precluded true Interpretation of the
Word Of God
During the fifteen-minuto recess, to allow DR..
Briggs to rest his voice, he presented to MEM
bers OF the court a 2SS-page book Of printed
matter in standardization Of his contention that
Moses did not write the Pentateuch, and that
the Book Of Joshua was not written by Joshua.
The only errors the speaker ever found in
Scripture were beyond the range of faith and
practice, and therefore did not impair the in
fsliibility OF Holy Scripture as a rule Of faith
and practice.
He then told them they were to determine
whether he was guilty or not, and called their
attention to the fact that he had shown he pre-
scribed to all the statements Of the confession
and Of Holy Scripture in the passages
cited to sustain the charge, and, con-
Guiding for the day, said: ~ have shown
you that there is no inconsistency between the
doctrine that there are errors in the Scriptures
as l explain them and the statements Of con-
fession and Scriptures. You cannot convict me
on the ground of confession and Scripture
You can only convict me on the ground of a
deliverance Of the assembly of Portland, or Of
some dogmatic theory in your minds"
The hearing was then adjourned until
Monday.