Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-15
PROF. BRIGGS DEFENDS HIMSELF,
The Heresy Trial Resumed Before the New
York Pre- sbytery.

The Heresy Trial Resumed Before the New
York Presbytery.
Rev. DR.. Chas. A. Briggs resumed the read
ing OF his defense in his trial for heresy ut New
York yesterday afternoon.
DIR. Briggs took up charge 2, which alleged
that he co-ordinated the Bible, church and the
reason as sources OF divine authority in his
celebrated inaugural address. He denied tina.
he was nationalist. He recognized that the
Scriptures are really the greatest authority of
the Christian religion. He thought. however
that the authors OF the Westminster confession
had not sufficiently reco ,nzed that the Logos
was the light of the world. AZ taught In the
prologue OF John gospel. If the Presbyterian
doctrines, ~ taught by the Westminster divines.
were alone accepted and the better beliefs of the
more liberal modern Presb yterian Church re-
jected then must the soldiers of the Salvation
Army. the members of the Society of Friends. the
unnumbered heathens and the unbaptiZed chill
dren of the Baptisis be considered eternally lost
He. for one, was not willing to subscribe to any
such barbarity. The Salvation Army he be-
lieyed to be doing great and unselfsh work in
the vineyard of God. yet they took the Bible
and reason. not the church. as their sources of
religious inspiration.
the word should he illuminated by the spirit OF
God in the heart.
The illumination of the spirit Of God WAS
the illumination of the conscience and the
religious feeling which lac considered to DO but
forms of reason. The heather could be saved
by he shining OF the Logos in their minds,
and not by belief in Bible they knew not Of
As the Pharisees of old were rebuked by
Christ for maintaining that they alone pos
sessed all goodness, so now should these modern
Pharisees Of the Presbyterian Church be re-
buked for DENYING salvation to the millions who
a. - g,,L,, h. 49, l,,sr
The reason is acknowledged to be the greatest
endowment God has given to man. 1t is the
holy of holies Of human nature, the presence
chamber OF God within the soul, into which the
divine spirit enters when He would influence
the man and in which our Savior dwells
The doctor said OF the Salvation Army: at il
very significant at the close of our century that
VIC have great military organization outside
the Christian Church, without ministry and
without the sacramento, which seeks above all
things the salvation Of the lost. and endeavors
to impart full salvation to all people. The
Salvation Army has become one Of the most
powerful religious organizations in the world.
1t has the presence Of Christ, and the power
of the Holy Spirit and the blessing of God the
Father. in its redemptive work. Like the Soci-
ETY. Of Friends, the army claims immediate
Communication with Christ 1t uses the Bible
but 1t does not use the church. 1t uses reason,
and especially the religious feeling. stiIl more
than ii uses the Bible, in order to direct union
with the Holy Spirit and communion with
Christ. do not approve Of all the statements
Of Gen. Booth and his officers with regard 10
sanctifcatien, but in the language quoted they
state the biblical ideal and the puritan ideal Of
our Westminster confession. It would seem
that God has raised, up the salvation Army to
stimulate us all to seek a full salvation. and 10
live Christian lives which are directed by the
Holy Spirit dwelling in the reason"
At the close OF the meeting motion to Cd
journ from today until after the holidays Wa
lost. Permission was given DR.. Briggs to print
his reply to charges and s and submit il 10
his reply, the doctor said, would require : Wet
10 read