The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-10-02

point Of the Protestant church, which con-
esdes the right OF private interpretation.
he caanos see that DR.. Briggs has exceeded
his rights. We quote:
why should DR.. Briggs be singled out.
Summoned before has peers, convicted OF
herssy and eventually suspended Tor De-
iieying and teaching as he does. II IN &C
coEsanee with the doctrine and Dy ghe git
Of bis osn church. he has right 10 attach
90 scriptures writings whatever meaning
nts own private Judgment may suggest Z
/ Whether lee has made more LAVISH use OF
that right thaa ether Presoytersans are
wont 90 DO Is merely q question OF more Or
ifss. the question of principle ana rignt
remains tffe same. For after all the case -
simply this: We have before Us minister
Of the gospel belonging 10 church which
holds IS one Of its essential tenets tnat
nii its members, shepherd and hccE. are
vested with the unlimited right TO IN
terpret the Bible In the manner which
20 them seens good and proper. Ihis
satue minister IL conscious Of the fact that
by using this right be violates no law. no
rule Of his church that, on the contrary.
he 10 acting In conformity with its Spirit
and It's views: and 10 aud behold when
on certain day he sets forth his own IN
depreciation of the divine word. he Is
pointed out a. dangerous man, made the
victim OF coloquy. dragged from one frI.
bunai 20 another, eventually condemned
AID suspended as guilty of heresy. Yes.
II the right 20 private interpretation exists
In the Presbyterian church, and If words
bear with them the meaning which they
are intended 20 convey, the Briggs trial
WAS farce and the sentence passed upon
the man piece OF iniquity."
This Roman Catholic fheo,ogian reiter-
ates the logic of Cardinal Newman, who
defended has going over TO Rome on the
ground that until Professionalism accepts
its own logic and expires in rationalism
ali Protestant churches must either go
over TO Rome or cling to their present
compromise between blind faith in the
priest and freedom of thought in
the pews. While sometimes able Cath
olics have left Rome for rationalism.
and sometimes able Protessants have gone
over 20 Rome. it is rare when an able
Catholic has left Rome in onr day for
Protestant ecclesiasticism. Newman,
Manning and Faber went over TO Rome;
Rsnan left Rome for rationaiism. Newman
depiored the influence Of the Huxieys. the
Darwins and the Tyndalis. but he did not
deride them as Gibbons. 'sapping SOL
emn creed with solemn sense" because
he esteemed them rs honest men trying TO
decipher the footprints of the creator and
to think, with Kepler, the thoughts of
God after him: but Newman was too much
OF poet. too much OF devont mystic, to
become nationalist, too logical TO remain
Protestant, 80 he became Romanist
Renan. an honest. acute. subtle genius,
Jeff Rome for rationalism. Given Renan
the poetic. devout temperament of New
man, he would doubtless have been en-
Enthusiastically content with the Church of
Rome. This 10 the kind of reasoning that
probably sent the Rev. Henry A. Adams
from the Episcopal church over to Rome.
In bis statement of his reasons Mr.. Adams
said he felt the need of church he could
learn 70 believe in as infalIible.
The Church of Rome stands for au-
thority; II has no Briggs controversy
over the Bible, for the Bible rests upon the
authority OF the church. This feeling
which sent Mr.. Adams over TO Rome was
exactly what sent Newman. Manning and
Faber over to Rome. Equally able,
learned and upright minds. like Renan,
have left. Rome for rationalism. and
IL is not easy to deny the truth
Of the statement that q man in
the position Of the Rev. Dr. Briggs,
who gives up the divine authority
OF the Bible. ought logically to go with
Newman over 10 Rome aud rest on the
authority of an infallihie church or go
with Renan over 10 rationalism.
1t seems to US as If the Catholics have
the best of the argument when they laugh
at our trials for heresy. Rome argues that
in the future Protestantism ultimately will
drift through Briggsism into Renanism,
while the ecclesiastical Protestanss of all
celors will go over TO Rome
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