Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-12-01
TRYING HERETICS.
DR.. Briggs and DR.. Smith Shll Before Their Re-
Speciys Presby!eries Under Charges of Herssy.
DR.. Briggs Scores a Good Point on the Prose-
catOrs-Look Out For Your 0yercoat

New YORK, November 30.-In the
Briggs case to-day, by unanimous con
sent Of the court the names of five min
listers absent from yesterdays meeting
were added to the roll OF jurors and Q
like favor was extended to one elder
Moderator Bliss announced that the
business before the House was the con
sideration of the objections filed by Dr.
Briggs.
Objections one and two were:
l. object that the charges put In
my hands November 9, 1892, were final
ly disposed of by the dismissal OF the
case against me on November 4, 1891,
and that the Presbytery could not legal
ly cite me a second time to answer &c
charges which they had dismissed.
2. l object to the order and regular
ity of the proceeding in the Presbytery
ia any and every action taken against
me since the dismissal of the said
charges on November 1, 1891.
These objections were voted on sep
arately and both were not sustained.
DR.. Briggs said that he would waive the
third objection, and no action was taken
concerning it. DR.. Brown, of the Union
Seminary, moved that the fourth objec-
tion be sustained. The objection is:
4. Iobject to the relevancy OF all the
proofs from scripture, confession and
catechisms.
Col. A. P. Ketchum, of Calvary
Church, opposed the motion on the
ground that the relevancy Of the proofs
could only be determined when the
merits Of the question were argued. A
laugh was raised by DR.. Briggs, who
said that to sustain the objection was to
favor the prosecution, and he hoped
that a vote would be taken, but the
wish was not realized. At least dozen
jurors argued the question nd nGuSedm
without throwing much light upon it.
DR.. Briggs said an answer 10 the
statement that he ought to be familiar
with the Scripture and standards; that
he had studied those volumes for TWEEN
ty-fve years. "But I am not familiar
with the intellectual processes OF the
prosecuting committee. You cannot
ask me to agree to answer all the inter
pretations of those books which the
committee may adduce. Ii this evil
dence is admitted / shall insist that the
whole Scripture, the whole of the
standards and the whole Of my works
be read"
Great applause followed this protest,
and the Moderator was compelled to rap
for order.
DR.. Southworth moved that DR..
Briggs's objection to the offer of whole
sale evidence, that the clause in the
eighth charge, Offering the whole in
augural address, the whole of Scripture,
and the whole of the Presbyterian
standards be stricken out.
Or. Wylie offered an amendment that
specific passages, which are deemed
heretical, may be Introduced.
Or. Wylies amendment was buried
by an overwhelming vote. But on the
question itself the vote was extremely
close. On division, the motion was de-
clared lost by 60 10 65. Roll call was
demanded.
When Moderator Bliss asked how
many were in favor of calling the roll
forty-fye arose. The Moderator con-
sidered that the roll call was lost.
A count showed, however, that l34
members we're present. The Moderator
then said he was in doubt and asked
another division on the question OF roll
call, and this time sixty arose. Great
interest was taken In the calling of the
roll. While the vote was being counted
the Moderator said several overcoats
had been lost at previous sessions and
advised everybody to look out for his
property. He said this was not intend
e. as a reflection on any member OF the
Pres6ytery. The vote showed that the
motion to strike out the clause referred
to was lost by two votes.
DR.. Briggs asked that an exception be
entered in his behalf on the records.
SIS great was the Importance attached
70 The vote that it was regarded as d.
viding the Presbytery into TWO factions.
The court then adjourned until to-
morrow afternoon.