Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-22

p.ayef large part in the revision contrcya--
s'es. ne Is known to be personally very conser-
vative. Still less would it be fair to say that
Dr. Briggs attacks the Bible He is recognized
as profound, spiritually minded student of
the Scriptures and a sincere practical Chris
tan. 1t is not because he denies what the
Bible and confession explicitly teach. or teaches
what the Bible and confession clearly deny,
that he has been arraigned. The matter is one
OF Interpretation again. He holds and teaches
certain beliefs which his accusers declare to be
inconsistent with the statements of the Bible
aud confession. He denies the inconsistency
and the presbytery of New York, although it
does not say that it believes his opinions to be
true, agrees with him to the extent OF declaring
that. whether true or NOT. In its judgment
they are not incompatible with sincere accep-
lance Of the Bible and the confession
Therefore there is no proper debate as to
whether he denies inspiration or denies that the
Scriptures came from God. or denies eternal
punis hment, or is a Universalst or believes in a
probation after death No well-informed and
calm-minded person can suppose that these
things are true"
ACTION OF THE NEW YORK PREsBYrERY.
In this connection the wording adopted by
the New York presbytery in passing judgment
of acauittal on the case is interesting. The
presbytery decl ared as follows:
The presbytery has kept in mind these es-
tablished principles of our polity, that no
man can rightly be convicted of heresy by in
reference or implication; that in the inter-
probation of ambiguous expressions candor re-
quires that q court should favor the accused by
pdtting upon his words the more favorable
rather than the less favorable construction
and there are truths and forms with respect to
which men Of good character may differ
Giving due consideration to the defendants
explanation Of the language used in his in
augursl address. accepting his frank and full
disclaimer of the Interpretation which has been
put upon some Of its phrases and illustrations,
crediting his anirmntions of loyalty to the
standards of the church and to the Holy
Scriptures the only infGlliblc rule Of faith
and practice, the presbytery does not find that
he has transgressed the limits OF liberty allowed
under our constitution to scholarship and
opinion.
Therefore. without expressing approval o;
the critical or theological views embodied in
the inaugural address or the manner in which
thew have been expressed and illustrated, the
presbytery pronounces the Rev. Charles A.
Briggs; ID. d., fully acquitted Of the ofenses
alleged against him"
The presbytery also expressed ian earnest
conviction that the grave issues involved in
this case will be more wisely and justly de-
ternlined by calm investigation and frsternal
discussion than by judicial arraignment and
process
The Charges Against Prof. Briggs.
That the readers OF THE STAR may know ex-
actly the nature Of the accusations against
Prof. Briggs, belew is given an abstract of the
charges which were tried by the New York
presbytery and now come to the assembly on
appeal. and whic b, with all the specifications
and citations, fill q samphlet of thirty-two
pages.
There are in all eight separate charges. and
all are founded on utterances made by Prof.
Briggs in the inaugural address. delivered by
him at the Union Theological Seminary. in the
city OF New York. January 20. 1891. on the &C.
l.. IN -
son chair OF biblical theology. 1t is repre-
sented by the prosecution that this address has
been published and extensively circulated with
the knowledge and approval Of Prof Briggs,
and has been republished by him in a second
edition, reatiming his utterancea
CHARGE l.
Teaching that the reason is fountain Of
divine authority, which may and does savingly
enlighten men, even such men as reject the
Scriptures as the autho ritative proclamation of
the will Of God, and reject also the way of SAL
walton through the mediation and sacrifice Of
the Son Of God as revealed therein; which Is
contrary to the essential doctrine Of the HOLY
Scriptures and of the standards of the said
church; that the Holy Scripture is most nee
essary and the rule Of faith and practice"
As specifications under these charges the
following sentences from the inaugural address
are cited, which the prosecution declares are
contrary to Scripture and to the standards.
Divine authority is the only authority to
which man can yield implicit obedience. on
which he can rest IN loving certainty and build
With joyous confidence. There are his
toricaly three great fountains Of divine au-
thority-the Bible, the church AID the rea-
sou."
..Martineau could not find divine authority
in the church or the BIble, but he did find God
eDthroned In his own soul There are those
who would refuse these rationalists place in
the company of the faithful But they forget
nal tral ia To ind GnA "A "A
vine certainty, and if these men have found
God without the mediation OF church and
Bible, church and Bible are means and not
ends; they are avenues to God but are not God.
the means of grace SO essential to most of US,
but we are warned lest we commit a similar
error and deprecIate the reason and the Chris
tan consciousness"
unless Gods authority ia discerned in the
forms OF the reason there is no ground upon
which any OF the heather could ever have been
saved. for they know nothing Of Bible or
church. II they are not savingly enlightened
by the light OF the world in the forms of the rea-
son the whole heather world is lost forever"
The Authority of Holy Scripture.-We have
examined the church and the reason as seats
of divine authority in an introduction to our
theme, The Authority Of the Scriptures, be-
cause they open our eyes to see mistakes that
are common to the three departments. Pro-
testant Christianity builds its faith anG life on
lures, and too often depreciates the church and
the reason. Sturgeon is an example of the
average modern evangelical, who holds the
Protestant position. and assails the church and
reason in the interest Of the authority of
Scripture. But the average opinion OF the
Christian world would not assign him higher
place in the kingdom Of God than Martinsau or
Newman. May we not conclude, on tho whole,
that these three representative Christians of
our time. living in or near the worlds metrop-
oils, have, each in his way, found God and
rested on divine authority? May We not learn
from them not to depreciate any Of the means
whereby God makes himself known to men?
Men are influenced by their temperaments and
environments which Of the three ways Of &C.
cess to God they may pursue"
Teaching that the church is q fountain of
divine authority which, apart from the Holy
Scripture, may and does savingly enlighten
men, which is contrary to the essential doc
trine Of the Holy Scripture and of the standards
of the said church, that the Holy Scripture is
most necessary and the rule Of faith and
practice"
The specifications cite, in support of these
charges the following quotations from the
inaugural address:
Divine authority ia the only authori to
which man can yield implicit obedience, on
which he can rest in loving certainty and build
with joyous confidence. There are his
torically three great fountains of divine su-