Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-09
THE BRIGGS TRIAL.
The Charges Against Him to Be Brought Be-
fore the Presbytery To-Day-Indications
of Split in the Church-The History of
Case

| of America against the Rev. Charles A.
| Briggs, D. d., will be called for trial in the
| old Scotch Church in West Fourteenth
| street at o'clock to-day with the Presby-
terry of New York sitting as judge and jury.
1t was on January 20, 1891, that Prof. Briggs
! delivered his famous inaugural address at
Union Theological Seminary, which first
caused his orthodoxy to be suspected, and
resulted in the appointment of an fnvesti-
eating committee by the New York Presby-
terry. At the May meeting of the Presby.
terry, It was decided to begin judicial pro-
| ceedings against Prof. Briggs in the fall and
| Committee OF Prosecution, headed by the
Rev. G. w. F. Birch, of Morri.sania, was ap-
| pointed to bring q charge against the the
| ologican.
| In October, the committee made O report.
charging Prof. Briggs with heresy, on the
| ground that his teaching was contrary to
the Presbyterian doctrine of the infallibility
OF the Bible and that tile Professors declar-
were contrary to Presbyterian standards.
Why the Case Was Appealed.
These two general charges were sup
ported by numerous. specifications. The
| Presbyter by very close vote, decided to
| begin the hereAy trial on November 4, 1891,
| but when the day for the great struggle
came Pro-. Briggs brought in an answer in
| which he objected to the form and legal ei-
| feet of the charges and pleaded their ineffi-
cheney. Without going into the merits OF
the case the p esbytery decided to dismiss
| the charges on this plea, but the Committee
| OF Prosecution would not, accept this dis
missal, and preparations for an appeal from
| this decision to the General Assembly, the
highest legislative body of the church, were
at once made
The Assembly met in Portland, Ore, last
May, and tor a lew weeks the great ecclesi-
astIcal battle was transferred to that city.
The appeal OF the Committee OF Prosecution
was at nrSt sustained, and then the question
of sending the case back to the Presbytery
of New York for trial came up. DR.. Birch
Colonel John j. McCook and the other men,
bers OF the committee made long arguments
in behalf OF their appeal, and Prof. Briggs
made answer in behalf in arguments that
were still longer. When it came to vote
an overwhelming maj ajority decided against
Prof. Briggs.
Instructions to the Presbytery.
These instructions were sent down to the
Presbytery: "The Judgment of the Presby
terry OF New York is hereby reversed, and
the case is removed to the Presbytery of
New York for a new trial, with directions to
said Presbytery to proceed to pass upon and
determine the sufficiency of the charges and
specifications in form and legal effect, and
permit the Prosecuting Committee to amend
the specifications or charges, not changing
the general nature of the same, If In the
furtherance of justice it be necessary to
amend, so that the case may be brought to
an issue and tried on the merits thereof as
speedily as may be practicable"
These instructions were explicit, and ar
ran2ementS were made by the PresbyuerY
to begin the trial once more in obedience to
them. At the meeting of the Synod of New
York in Albany last month, an appeal was
presented by Professor Briggs friends,
signed by the majority of tine members OF
the New York Presbytery, which attacked
the right of the Prosecution Committee to
act as an independent body, on the ground
that it was only creature of the Presbytery
and could only continue in existence with
the permission of the PresDytery.
Nothing in the Way of the Trial.
The Synod decided not to act on the ap-
peal. and now nothing stands in the way of
the heresy trial which begins to-day. The
Committee of Prosecution has been working
hard on its side of the case for several
weeks. Colonel j. j. McCook, whofs men,
Der Of the law firm of Alexander & Green
and an elder in DR.. Halls Church, has done
a great deal of hard work on the case. and
his knowledge has been Of great value to
the committee. DR.. Birch, the chairman of
the committee, will present tho original
will be ready to proceed upon them OF to
amend them if the Presbytery desires.
1t is understood that the amended charges
have been prepared and can be presented at
other than the ten days which Professor
Briggs would have in which to answer them
is probable Professor Briggs has prepared
an exhaustive answer which will take about
thirteen hours to deliver. Several of his
friends were alarmed at this, and advised
him to shorten his arguments, fearing that
such long paper would do more harm than
good. Professor Briggs will have the advice
on his trial of the Rev. Francis Brown,
Professor of Hebrew in Union Theological
Seminary, who has made close study of the
law of the Presby terrain Church. The Pres
bytery will sit every dav except Saturdays
and Sundays from to o'clock in the after
noon.
Those Who Will Sit in Judgment
The Presbytery is made up of the Or
dained Presbyterian ministers of New York
and of elders, one of whom is elected as a
delegate by each church within the bounds
of the Presbytery. These men will sit in
Judgment on Prot. Briggs, but no one will be
allowed to vote who has not attended every
session. The trial will be public, and the
doors will not be closed until the time comes
for vote, How the trial will end cannot be
pathizers with Prof. Briggs and another
equally as strong opposed to him. Then
there is as large party i'll the Presbytery
which has shown by its voting in the past
that it can be swaved from one side to the
other, and those who make up this con-
tingent hold the balance of power.
One of the members OF the Presbytery,
whose word carries great weight, is the Rev.
DR.. John Hall, pastor of the Fifth Avenue
Church. Until recently he has taken no de-
cided stand on one side OF other, but his
resignation as Director of Union Theologi-
cal Seminary, announced few days ago,
has been followed up by several strong
sermons delivered by him in defense of the
old school idea of q strictly infallible Bible.
If Prof. Briggs should be acquitted, or If the
Presbvtery should again dismiss the charges,
nr 90
directly to the next General Assembly,
which meets i'll Washington in May, where
in all probability DR.. Briggs would be tried
and convicted.
A Home Divided Against Itself.
The whole Presbyterian Church has the
keenest interest in the coming trial. Some
of the leading men in the ch:rch are shut
ting their eyes to the possibility of schism,
and say that in the secular papers only are
such ideas put forward. This is not the case,
for many careful observers IN the church,
both opponents andifriends of Prof. Briggs,
have recently predicted split, especially
since the withdrawal OF Union Seminary
from the church. The Rev. j. G. MoLtfort.
of Cincinnati, says the Herold and Presbytery,
which has always been opposed to DIR.
Briggs views in the ohuI ch, is ina very pain
full and trying position. "We say now as we
said a year ago and with more emphasis,
since the reputation of the compact by the
Union board there is not the least hope OF
peace. That is quite certain that neither
party will yield, and the end is separation.
Our church is house divided against itself,
even though the parties stand as ten to one.
A double minded church is unstable in all
its ways, though the minority amounts to
less than one-tenth of the whole"
Dr.. Henry NJ Field, editor of the New
York Evangelist. which has supported DR..
Briggs, says of the trial which began to-day:
'Thfs is an event of great importance to the
Presbyterian Church. which by its result