Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-23
WHAT DIR. BRIGGS BELIEVES.
Declarations He Made in Response I
Categorical Questions.

Declarations He Made in Response to
Categorical Questions.
The records and documents in the Briggs
case, which have been submitted to the general
assembly. are about as voiuminous as those of
some big case which has been fought from
court to court until it has reached the Supreme
Court of the United States. In addition to
| that three have been received by the assembly
from different presbyteries many overtures
bearing on the question of appeal, which is
involved in the Briggs case. 1t is the con-
| tention of the prosecution in the case that DR..
Briggs has never retracted the utterances which
he made in his inaugural address on which the
charges are based. 1t will be remembered that
the case was tried first by the New York pres
bytery in October, 1891. At that time the case
was dismissed By q vote of "a to &c. The resolu-
ton then adopted declared ''tHat the presbytery
of New York. having listened to the paper of Rev.
Charles A. Briggs. ID. D., in the case Of the
Presbyterian Church in the United States OF
America against him as to the sufficiency Of the
charges and specifications in form and legal
effect, and without approving of the positions
stated In his inaugural address, at the same
time desiring earnestly the peace and quiet OF
the church. and in view Of the declarations
made by DR.. Briggs touching his loyalty to the
Holy Scriptures and the Westminster standards
and of his disclaimers OF interpretations put on
some OF his words. deems it best to dismiss the
case, and hereby does SO dismiss it,
1t was from this action that the prosecution
appealed to the general assembly of 1892, which
body remanded the case to the presbytery for
trial 1t was one of the complaints of the
prosecution that the action was founded in
part on the answers 20 u series of categorical
questions not propounded by the presbytery.
but by certain persons not connected with the
prosecution. These categorical questions and
replies were as follows:
Question l. Do you consider the Bible, the
church and the reason coordinate sources OF
authority?
Answer. No.
Or do - believe the Scriptures of the Old
and New Testament to be the only infailible
rule of faith and practice?
Answer. Yes.
Question ii. When you use the word ''rea-
son" do YOU include the conscience and the re-
igious feeling?
Answer. Yes.
Question I'LL Would you accept the follow
ing as a satisfactory definition of inspiration?
Inspiration is such divine direction as to Sc
cure an in!al,ible record of Gods revelation in
| respect To both fact and doctrine.
Answer. Yes.
Question ". Do you believe the Bible to be
/ iner-ant IN all matters concerning faith and
prac ice and in everything in which it Is a reve-
| lation from God. or a vehicle of divine truth
| and that there are no errors that disturb Its
| iafalhbiiity in these matters, in its records
| of the historic events and institutions witt
which they are inseparaoly connected?
| Answer. Yes.
| Question v. Do you believe that the miracles
recorded in Scripture are due to an extraordi-
nary exercise of divine energy either directly
or mediately through holy men?
| Answer Yes.
Question VI. Do you hold what is commonly
known as the doctrine Of future probation:
Do you believe in purgatory?
| Answer. No.
Question VII Do You believe that the issues
Of this life final, and that man who dies
impenitent will have no further opportunity OF
salvation?
Answer. Yes.
Question Will Is your theory of progressive
specification such that it will permit you to
say that you believe that when man dies i'll
the faith, he enters the middle state regen-
Grated. justified and sinless?
Answer. Yes.