Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-05-23
MAY CAUSE REVOLT,
BRIGGS FRIENDS THREATEN TO
LEAVE The CHURCH


Washington, May - e. NJ. McPher-
syn OF hoston. who is here. speaking Of
tue probable action Of The assembly AS
70 me Briggs case. saidi II am confident
from expressions Of opinions that have
neAtd thaf the assembly will be against
n briggs, but | am Just as confident
mat the masses Of the Presbyterian
yhqrch do not care to insist that DR..
bIisys' or any other man, shall he com
petsd 10 DO his thinking IN accordance
with the rules laid down 300 years ago"
Ar Meiherson Is one Of the Intelligent,
hheral laNnem nnd his Judgment as to
" trend Of opinion Ia the convention
Is hkely TO be as good as that of any
Que. Cnsual observers have come TO the
same conclusion. so far Us the probable
action OF the PRESBYTERIAN cleravmen il
concerned, The majority Of them are
ardent Calvinists OF the strictest sort.
and seem 10 believe The time has come to
cry balt To the tendencies which threat
en- 10 liheralize the Presbyterian church
N the direction Of material molihcn-
ZION OF IFS ancient dogmas and practices.
lle expectation Is that DR. Briggs will
ue Summoned before committee OF
the convention. II Is hardly probable that
he VIII appear before the whole couyen-
lion TO plead his own cause Dir Briggs,
while u clear thinker aud an aggressive
pOlcnist. Is said Ot to be- very impress
sive speaker The presbyterians all over
the country have watched the assem-
bling of this conference to determine
whether or not the radical or cnnserva-
tive element should control The radi-
calls have threatened 10 leave VI the as
sembly shall decide against DIR. Briggs.
lepding diyincs here seem TO take the
ground that any further federation Of
Dr Briggs aud his doctrines will serious
y threaten the integrity of the church.
Ithaca .lfsrtuns IA. L. a a
doctrine of the Westminster cntechism
respecting eternal dannntion is at stake
here. but that the whole question Of the
infnllibility, authority aud even genuine
ness of the Bible is raised by DR.. Briggs,
and that, " he Is to be upheld, Il will
be to admit that the Bible Is not infal-
llble, and To undermine the very f1unda-
ton of the right of tue Presbyterian
church TO claim existence by divine au-
thoriiy. This is the momentous question
which Is involved In the issue pending
Incidentally IN the Discussions Of the
CLERGY and the lnieiy. one can discover a
t1nch OF pride IN the history Of this
most noted church militant One hears
nn every baud the suggestion that among
idcsc Ia attendance rs delegates and oh.
servers and mciuhers of the asseinh'r
ar' the prstOrs of The present president
Of the United States, that President
Buchanan was Presbyteriun, and that
Andrew Iohason came of Presbyterian
stock. Today it is said that the pre-i-
dent and his entire cabinet are nouiin-
ally Presbyterians with one exception.
The majority of che members Of the
supreme court attend the Presbyterian
F. church The old-time Calvinists IN the
denomination point with much serious
ness to the issue which is about to be
debated, and insist that TO sustain DR..
Briggs in his liberal views Of insnirn-
~ II. a - 4. IA
Tic PresbS terrain church to agnosti-
cism, aud TO destroy the foundations upon
which the doctrine Of the Immortality of
the soul Is based.