Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-11-10
A SPLIT IN THE CHURCH
Seed Sown by the DR.. Briggs
Decision Bears Fruit.
LIBERAL PRBsBYTERIANs DEFIANT
After Long Secret Conference They Issue
Manifesto Declaring Their Intention
Not to Leave the Church Untn They Are
Forced Out.

AFTER Long Secret Conference They Issue
Manifesto Declaring Their Intention
Not to Leave the Church Untn They Are
Forced Out.
CLEVELAND, Nov. l0.-The Presbyterian
conference has concluded its sessions in
Calvary church, and the conclusions reach
ed have made this gathering a historical
one. The liberal gentlemen who compose
the conference have taken a belligerent
stand against their more orthodox breth-
rem and are determined to fight for their
rights in the church of their choice
The conference was surrounded with the
same air of mystery and secrecy which
pervaded the gathering on the first day Of
the meeting. No one seemed to be author
lied to give out the simplest routine fea-
lures of the conference.
Apaper given out says that the place for
liberal Presbyterians is in the church, and
that because they have new ideas it is not
necessary that they should resign. 1t rec
ommends that the Presbyterian clergymen
OF advanced ideas should contest every
inch Of ground and should not leave the
church until they are forced out.
1t AYERS that there is no authority for the
general assembly to promulgate new dog
mas, and that no clergyman is obliged to
recognize such new dogmas The docu-
it was the subject for lengthy discussion it
was agreed to with practical unanimity
The committee selected by the Presby-
terrain liberals to draw up their proclama-
ton consisted of Rev. DR. Patterson of
Chicago, Rev. DIR. John Paul Egbert of
St. Paul, Rev. DIR. Brown of New York
city, Rev. DIR. \. :. Fiske of Ithaca, y. y :;
Mr.. f. F. White of Columbus, O.: DIR. Ma
son Willard of Rochester and Rev. DR. Hay
n - re1F / I
ing, signed by Hiram c. Hayden, chair
man, and Thomas c. Hall, secretary:
The Defiant Agreement
We. the undersigned. ministers and
elders of the Presbyterian church in the
nited States of America. being seriously
concerned in view of certain facts and ten
denotes in our church, hereby make the
following statement:
tirst-We believe that the general as
sembly has no right to impose upon the
church new doctrinal statements under the
gulse of Interpretation, whether by deliv-
GRANGE or through judicial process, and.
further, that Interpretation of doctrine by
the courts of the church ought al wavs TO
be strictly within the letter OF the stand
ards and with sacred regard to the broad
and general terms of the reunion of 1870
'Second-We believe that the most scru-
pulous care should be used in all trials for
doctrlnal divergence from the standards.
especially now when a large majority of
the presbyteries have expressed, after much
ueIlOeratlon. their dissatisfaction with our
confession of faith as it stands. their desire
for its revision and many of them their de
sire for new creed. We view with grave
concern procedures at such time, con-
Quoted by what seems to us interpretations
OF our standards strained beyond their let
ter and far beyond any just regard for the
compact of the reunion.
'Ihird-We believe that no court of our
church has right by deliverance or reso-
luton or rebuke or otherwise to seek to
suppress respectful action by judicatories
below it expressive of their anxiety and
apprehension concerning anything in the
church which seems to them to imperiI the
constitutional liberties of the church or of
any OF its members. The right of petition
and renonstraace must not be denied in
the church OF Christ
''Eourth-We believe that the interpreta-
ton of one or two phrases in our book of
discipline as meaning that a prosecuting
committee should become from the mo-
ment it enters on its work independent of
the court which appointed it. capable of
living on even after the judicatorv has
died and of prosecuting after the judicatorv
has acquitted, is strained Interpretation,
leading logically to many absurdities and
easily to possible miscarriages of Justice.
II these phrases are fairly susceptible of
such Interpretation, they ought to be elm
mated from the book