Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-08
THE PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY.
The Great Gathering in This City Next
Month.

Month.
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS COMING UP-Tur STATS
OF TEE BRIGGS cAsE-Ir MAY 60 BACK TO
THE SYNOD AND COME Up AGAIN on APPEAL.
During the month Of Nav the ewes Of the
Presbyterian world will he turned toward this
city and will follow with close interest what
transpires within the walls of one of the large
local churches here. The general assembly OF
the Presby teriau Church will hold its sessions
at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church
and the occasion promises TO be fraught with
the utmost interest and importance.
The sessions of the assembly will commence
May Is Thursday morning.. when the opening
sermon will be delivered by Rev. DIR. Young of
Kentucky. In the afternoon the assembly will
proceed to the election of moderator, the pre-
siding officer of the meeting. In the evening
there will be communion service at the
church.
1t is thought that the assembly will continue
for about twelve DAYS. There will be two ses-
sions day. one in the morning and one in the
afternoon. unless the assembly is crow ded with
business and IT is found necessary to have even
ing sessions AS we'll. This is not thought to be
likely, and rule the evenings VIII be set
apart for the purpose of holding special services
OF one sort and another in the various churches
of the city. At the time that the as
sembly is in session number of other religious
bodies will be holding their meetings here aud
this will lend even more importance TO the oc-
casion. Among these bodies are the Womau's
Home and Foreign Missionary societies, which,
while they have no direct organic connec-
ton with the assembly. are vet of such
character that they find it most convenient to
hold their memorial meetings at the same
time. As result of this it is thought that
there will be thousands of Presbyterians in the
city at that time. There will be plenty to &C.
cupy their time.
The last general assembly was held in Port
land. Ore, and when it adjourned then it was
to meet in this city this spring. There viii be
in the neighborhoCd of 600 commissioners or
delegates to the assembly, ministers and
throughout in proportion to the num-
Der OF churches that compose them.
Thus, the Washington presbytery, which
is considered to be comparatively a small one,
has but two commissioners to the general as
sembly, while the New York and the Pittsburg
presbyteries send a considerable number of
delegates. The Washington commissioners are
Rev. DR.. B. F. Bittinger of the Westminster
Presbyterian Church and Mr.. John Randolph
the assistant clerk of the Court of Claims who
is a member Of the New York Avenue Church.
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS COMING Up.
The coming assembly promises to be one of
a great deal Of Importance, inasmuch in ad-
ditiop to the routine work of such meeting
two matters will come up for discussion and
possibly for settlement which regarded as
of vital interest to the church. These
are the Briggs heresy case and the
matter Of the proposed revision of the con-
fession of faith. which comes back to the
assembly on second report from the COM
mittee to which il was referred. These two
matters are likely to attract a good deal of
attention and are certain to provoke some
lively discussion from the commissioners.
who are pretty sure to have some very decided
views on the questions involved. even if they
do not come with strict instructions from the
presbyteries they represent.
1t is the Briggs case however, that will at
tract the most attention from the public gener-
ally. If the truth be told it would seem as
though the Presbyterian Church is just little
bit tired OF the Briggs case, that has dragged its
weary course along for such length OF time.
Twice before has the case been up for discus
sion before the general assembly. 1t comes up
this time on an appeal from the presby-
terry of New York. When the charges Of
heresy were first preferred against
in the Union theological Seminary, for his re-
fusal to admit the divine authenticity Of Ger
tain portions OF the scripture. the charges were
referred to the New York presbytery. That
body dismissed the charges, but the last gen.
eral assembly referred the matter back with in
structions to try the case. After long and
rather tiresome trial. that is still
fresh IN the minds of the public, Dr.
Briggs acquitted. The presbytery SIM
ply exercised one Of its constitutional preroga-
tives when it appealed the case to the general
assembly for fiual adjudication. The vote by
which al acquittsl was reached was a close one
and it was decided 10 be best to leave such a
matter to the general assembly as the court Of
last resort. +.
WHAT Els AcoCITTAL MEANS.
The acquittal of DIR. Briggs is not regardedby
Presbyterians as in any way binding the
church down to an acceptance of his views. 1t
simply meant that they we're willing to tolerate
him within their band notwiths standing the
breadth of his views. If he had been dropped
from the Presbyterian Church then, or
if he should be now, it would not
be regarded as anything like such an
awful matter as some people are disposed to
regard it. 1t would mean that while the gem
eral assembly might have no fault to find with
DIR. Briggs as man. it still held that it would
be better for all parties concerned that the re-
lations between them should be severed in view
of the fact that he did not agree to GER
tain tenets of faith to which the church
holds closely. 1t would not be
a reflection on him as a man or a minister. 1t
would simply deny his Presbyterianism. Dr.
Briggs is not regarded by the ministers of the
church as great or particularly in
teresting speaker. At the last general assem-
bly, he spoke for eighteen hours ON his case and
naturally some OF the listeners got little
tired For this reason the Briggs at the
coming assembly will not come M for conSid-
Grafton until rhe latter part of the session. HIS
case is not regarded in any sense as n case of
persecution. In fact. there some who
think that it ID little harder on the church
than it is on him.
The Briggs men, it is thought. will not in
sis. on a vindication of their leader just now.
Their more probable course will be to attempt
to have the whole matter referred back to the
synod of New York. The case might have
been appealed by the presbytery to the synod,
which lies between it and the general as
sembly. If it goes back to the synod
this year and is decided there the chances
are that 1t will be appealed again By one side
or the other to the general assembly. The
commissioners, it is believed. will be kindly
disposed and will desire to treat DIR. Briggs
with every consideration, SO that if his follow
ers force the issue, the matter may be dis
posed Of this year in that way. If this is
done, the Briggs case will drag on
still further and there is no telling
when it will be definitely settled. The erd of
it all, however. is likely to be, il not certain.
that the general assembly will eventually dis
approve of the views he has expressed. Ths
only question then to decide is whether or not
they can afford to let him remain among them.
THE ARRANGEMENTS.
All the arrangements for the coming assembly
have been placed in the hands of various COM
mittees, the lists of which were printed in The