The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-18
THE TRIAL OF DIR. BRIGGS.


DR.. Briggs, the famous Presbyterian
hereto, whose trial has excited great at
tention throughout the country, in sub
stance holds that the Bible is fallible be-
cause of the fallibility of the mortal men
who are the authors of its books, but
it embodies the kernel of religious truth.
Its form may be faulty, for it is q human
production, but its concept, to use his own
term, is perfect and absolutely truthful.
DR.. Briggs gives coordinate authority to
revelation, to the reason and the church.
Therefore DR.. Briggs evidently does not
regard the Bible as the sole fountain of
religious truth, but treats it as book
divinely inspired. but of human author
ship, open to criticism for its imperfec-
tions, deficiencies, errors. fallacies and
other human limitations.
DIR. Briggs has undertaken to argue that
the infallibility of the Bible is not essen
tial to the consistency of the Westminster
Confession. DR.. Birch, in reply to DR..
Briggs, holds that the perfect and absolute
truth of the Bible as the Word of God is
the very foundation on which the whole
of the Westminster Confession of Presby-
Birch holds that ''the Presbyterian doc
trine and belief are that the Bible is Gods
book, that God was the thinker Of the
thought, the arranger of the clauses, the
speller of the words, and that hence the
text itself is divine" DIR. Birch does not
admit DIR. Briggs contention that the
Bible is fallible; that it records the tradi-
tons of men; that it is marked by errors
| and deficiencies inseparable from all
human productions. Without a Bible
that is the infaliible word of God DR..
Birch holds Protestanism is without Di-
vine authority and any absolute standard
| of truth to justify its origin in a revolt
| against the authority of the church over
| the consciences of men.
| Logically and enthusiastically speaking,
| DR.. Briggs attitude seems to us absurd
| in this; he may be right, but whether he
| is right or in error in his opinions and
| convictions he is certainly not a Presby-
| terrain. and the manly thing for him to do
would be to leave a church to which he
| long as that church continues to stand on
| the Westminster Confession as the sole
| and absolute expression of its essential
| faith and doctrine. DR.. Briggs behaves
| like q mere Biblical critic playing legal
cleric as long as he can to bother and con-
| fuse his accuscrs, who are clearly right In
| the main proposition. that his higher
4 hos hrnr oh 10
| views that are certainly not those of the
| Presbyterian church and cannot be those
| of any orthodox Protestant church.
DR.. Briggs denies the infallibility of the
sole authority TO which Protestantism ap-
| peais, and yet he claims to be Protestant
and Presbyterian. DR.. Briggs, If he had
| been as honest and logical q thinker and
as honest man as Cardinal Newman,
| would have adopted the Roman Catholic
| doctrine that the church alone is the re-
| pository OF divine truth, and that the
| Bible derives its authority from the
| church instead OF the church getting its
authority from the Bible. He does give
coordinate authority to revelation, to the
| reason and the church, but that is not
| byterianism. for the fundamental Protest
| ant doctrine is that The sole fountain OF
authority Is the Bible, and that the church
| is worthy of regard only so far as 1t is
moulded by Biblical teaching and ex-
presses it. DR.. Briggs logically must
either so over TO Rome or ratioualsm; he
is certainly not Protestant, but is ex-
actly what his accusers charge-a Pres
byterian hereto.
DR.. Briggs has pursued disingenuous
| course, and is q mere acute, restless theo-
logical critic, not large man with the
courage OF his convictions. Cardinal
| Newman was something graader than q
great theological critic; he was an abso-
lutely honest man who the moment tie
became convinced that he held views that
compelled him as a logical thinker TO 20
, over 10 Rome or reason, went over to
Rome. Or. Briggs is not big enough 10
rise above playing the part of clerical
peitiiosger. and has therefore lost the
respect o' thousands OF persons who
doubtless agree with him in opinion, bu:
would despise themselves If they pre-
tended to believe that such opinions were
consistent with the faith and doctrine of
orthodox Professionalism.
! The trouble with DR.. Briggs is the same