Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-05-30
FIGHT OF HIS LIFE.
Prof. Briggs Is Making Before
the Assembly,.
GIVEN SEVEN HOURS FOR DEFENSE

He Puts in Three of Them in an Earnest
Plea for ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Remarks
of the Prosecution Skillfui Arraign-
ment of the AppeIIee-A Letter to n
Cincinnati Man Significant of the Pro-
fessor's Expectations of the Result.
WASHINGTON, May 3O-After much dis
nssion in committee the question of the
ime to be occupied in the discussion of
she Briggs case and how it was to be di-
sided was settled on basis agreeable to
both sides and which gave DR.. Briggs
seven hours-about rs much as all the
others together--and when the case was
called in the assem- bly, DR.. Baker reported
;he arrangement which was adopted by
.he assembly. After the completion of
oreliminaries Colonel McCoOk took the
Itand to open the proceedings and the
rial of DIR. Briggs was really begun
Colonel McCook'S remarks were merely q
notification TO the court and appellee of the
citations and references which the prose
.ut:on expected to use in presenting its
case.
pr. Lnmps Opens on Briggs
Rev. DIR. Lampe then opened for the ap-
pellant. He said there were five grounds
for the appeal: Irregularity in the proceed
hgs of the presbytery of New York; receiv-
ing improper and declining TO receive i'm
sortant testimony; manifestation of preju-
lice in the conduct of the case, and mistake
Or injustice in the decision. He proceeded
% discuss the first ground. He asked why
DR.. Bri-g, objected TO going on trial in
the prcsbytery on two OF the charges-be-
cause as he claimed he had never taught
the doctrines as charged-and went on trial
kDS
it because ne had taught those doctrines?
Then why did he plead not gUiltvP
The Evasion Of the rresbytery.
DR. Lrmpe proved himself a good pros
scutor. Each charge was taken up in
turn and Dr.. Briggs own words We're
made to appear to 90 duty against him
with great skill. He claimed that it was
evident that the charges against DR..
Briggs were proved because the presby-
terry. while acQUitting the professor want.
ed it understood that il was not express
ing approval of the critical and theolog-
ical views embodied in this inaugural adj
dress The speaker continued: 1t Is
well known that DR.. Briggs entered "A plea
of NOT guilty. that he Chains to he ortho-
dox and that he sub-crbes TO an orthodox
creed But, in spite of all that. he has
made and per lists in making the state
ments for which he has been called in
question:"
Inerrnncy of the Scriptures.
Taking up the charge that DR.. Briggs
had taught that errors existed in the Bible,
DR. Lampe discussed it at length, and
summed up his contentious rs follows:
''It is prepesterous aU this late day to adj
vance the claim that insisting on the truth
fitness of the Bible is tantamount to set
ting ND n new test of orthodoxy. The
church has never beloved anything else.
EsDecially is this true of the Presbyterian
church. 1t will not be possible to point
to a single Presbyterian divine from the
Westminster period down-and especially
among American Preshyterians-who has
taught the doctrine of the errancy of the
Holy Scriptures. All sides, parties and
schools in our church have been agreed in
affirming the inerrcncy of the word OF
God"
Quotes Some yn-S'alvinstic Ideas.
a recess having been taken DIR. Lanpe
closed his speech with a general arraign-
ment of Professor Briggs, which was Sc
we're both in the terms and in proof pre-
sented of the professors deviation from
Calvinistic standards. He quoted from
the writings of the professor in which he
called n Judgment Immediately after death
n "hurtful unchristian error a "bugbear
which makes death Il terror to the best of
men," and termed the statement of DIR.
Dorner, concerning the possibility of re-
pentance in the next world, excellent
thoughts" "The whole contention of DIR.
Briggs in his defense" said Dr. Lampe, dis
that the Bible and the standards favor
the view that the work of making believ-
ers. pure, morally perfect and holy, is ac-
complished by means of progressive sancti-
fication after death. This doctrine is
offense according to the Book of Disci-
pline."