The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-11-10
Liberal Presbyterians Take Firm Stand
Agains Their More Orthodox Brethren.

Cleveland. Ohio, Nov 9-The Pres
byterian conference closed its sessions
in Calvary church this afternoon and
the conclusions reached made the gath
Iering a historical one. The liberal
gentlemen who composed the confer
ence have taken a determined stand
against their more orthodox brethren,
and are determined to fight for their
rights in the church of their choice
The sessions were secret, and no one
seems authorized to talk The com
mittee appointed by the conference
this evening gave out the proclamation
The committee consisted of Rev. Dr.
Patterson, Chicago; Rev DR.. Egbert,
st. Paul; Rev. DR.. Brown, New York;
Rev. DR.. Fisk, Ithaca, New York; Rev.
White, Columbus, Ohio; Rev. Willard,
Rochester. and Rev. Hayden, Cleve-
land
The proclamation states that the min
listers are seriously concerned, in view
of certain facts and tendencies in the
Presbyterian church. They make the
statement that the general assembly
has no right to impose on the church AZ
new doctrinal statement, and that the
Interpretation of doctrine by. the courts
of the church ought always to be
strictly within the standards and with
q sacred regard to the broad and gem
erous terms of the reunion of 1870. Tha
committee believes that most scrupu-
lous care should be used in all trials
for doctrinal Emergencies, and views
with great concern the expectation Of
our standards being strained beyond
any Just regard for the compact Of the
reunion. No court of our church has
a right to suppress respectful action by
judicatories below it, expressing APP
prehension concerning anything in the
church. The right of petition and re-
monstrance must not be denied in the
church of Christ. The Interpretation
of one or two phrases of the book of
discipline, as meaning that there
should be prosecuting after the judi
cal tory hac acquitted, is a strained in
depreciation, leading logically to many
absurdities and possibly to miscar-
riageS of justice. If the phrases are
susceptible to such Interpretation, they
ought to be eliminated. The COM
mittee, continuing, says: 1--WE believe
it is no part of the constitutional
power of any court of the church to
warn honest and God-fearing men to
withdraw from the ministry because
they cannot accept the interpretations
of doctrines which are outside the let
ter of confession and which have never
been settled by the sanction of the
presbyteries in legal way. The with
drawal from the church enjoined by
a resolution of the court, is not pro-
vided for in the book of discipline and
carries no obligation of obedience
The committee believes the church
is broad and strong enough to abide
by the spirit of compact of reunion
and embrace all forms and schools
which accept the essential and neces-
sary articles of our common faith.
acknowledging the Lord Jesus as the
divine master and saviour and the
Bible as the only infallible rule. The
proclamation calls upon Presbyterians
to stand together in defense of reason
able liberty of opinion in the church
and OF. the constitutional rights Of in
dividual members, and heartily ap-
proved the protest of DR.. Herrick
Johnson, DR.. Nicols and others at the
last general assembly In closing. the
committee says: I'VE most urgently
counsel brethren who may be per-
picked to abide in the communion and
service Of the church, assured that in
doing so they are within their con-
stitutional rights. Only the profound
sense of peril that besets the church
let's us make this 0eclaratio of what
seems to US fundamental principles.
In behalf of the conference held at
Cleveland, Ohio, November SO, 1898.
1t was signed by Hiram c. Hayden.
chairman; Thomas c. Hall, secretary