The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-15

in Cavalry church this afternoon and the
conclusions reached have made this
gathering a historical one. The liberal
gentlemen who compose the conference
have taken a belligerent stand against
their more orthodox brethren and de-
termined to fight for their rights in the
church of their choice. The conference
of today was surrounded with the
same air of mystery and secrecy which
pervaded the gathering at the first day
of it's meeting. No one seemed to be
authorized to give out the simplest
routine features of the conference. 1t
was learned that a paper was prepared
and will be given out for publication
Friday morning. which shall announce
the position of the liberal ministers upon
the theological questions and more es-
pecially the logical position OF It's clergy
upon the issues recently raised by the
heresy trial of the Rev. DR.. Briggs. The
paper announces that the place FOR I'D
eral presbyterians is in the church, and
that because they have new ideas, II is
not necessary that they should resign.
It recommends that the presbyterian
clergmen of advanced ideas should
contest every inch of ground, and
should not leave the church until they
are forced out 1t AYERS that there IS
no authority for the general assembly
to promulgate new dogTnas and that no
clergyman is obliged to recognize sucn
new dognas. The document is pugilis-
tic throughout, and while it was the
subject for lengthy discussion, II was
agreed to with practical unanimity.
The committee selected by the Pres
byterian liberals to draw up their proc
lamation consisted of the Rev. DR.. Pat
terson of Chicago and the Rev. DR.. john
Paul Egbert of st. Paul the Rev DR..
Brown of New York City. the Rev. DR..
A. S. Fis<e of Ithaca. n. Y; Mr.. E. r.
White of Columbus the Rev. DIR. Nelson
Willard of Rochester and the Rev. II. c.
Hayden of this city. They handed the
following to the newspaper men early
this evening:
I'VE, the undersigned. ministers and
elders of the presbyterian church in the
United States of America, being seri-
ously concerned in view of certain facts
and tendencies in our church, hereby
make the following statement:
i. We believe that the general assem-
bly, has no right to impose upon the
church new doctrinal statements under
the guise of Interpretation, whether by
deliverance or through judicial process,
and further that Interpretation of doc
trine by the courts of the church ought
always to be strictly within the letter of
the standards and with sacred regard to
the broad and generous terms of the
reunion of 1870.
-. We believe that the most scrupu-
lous care should be used in all trials
for doctrinal divergences from the stand
ards, especially now when a large ma
jority Of the presbyteries have OK
pressed. after much elaboration their
dissatisfaction with our confession of
faith as 1t stands, their desire for its re-
vision. and many of them their desire
for its revision, and many of them their
desire for new creed. We view with
grave concern procedures at such a
time conducted to severest sentence by
which it seems to us interpretations of
our standards are strained beyond their
letter and far beyond any just regard
for the compact of the reunion.
% We believe that no court of our
church has a right by deliverance or
resolution rebuke or otherwise to
seek to suppress respectful action by
judiciatOries below ii expressive of their
anxiety and apprehension concerning
anything in the church which seems to
them to imperil the constitutional liber-
ties Of the church or of any of its MEM
bers. The right of petition and remon-
STRANGE must not be denied in the church
Of Christ
of one or two phrases in our book of
discipline, as meaning that a prosecut-
ing committee should become from the
moment it enters on its work indie
pendent of the court which appointed
1t, capable Of living on even after the
judicatory has died and of prosecuting
after the judicatOry has acquitted is a
strained Interpretation leading logically
to many absurdities and easily possible
miscarriages of Justice If these phrases
are fairly susceptible of such interpre-
tation they ought 10 be eliminated from
the book.
80. We believe that il is no part of
the constitutional power of any court OF
the church to warn honest and God
fearing men to withdraw themselves
from its ministry eldership because
they cannot accept as binding upon
them interpretations of doctrines which
are outside the letter of the confession
and which have never been settled by
the sanction of the presbyteries i'm any
legal way. This method of discipline by
withdrawal, enjoined by resolution of a
church court, is not provided for in the
book of discipline Such warning carries
no obligations of obedience.
80. We believe that our church Is
broad enough and strong enough 10 abide
by the spirit of the compact of reunion
and to embrace in its communion and
reverent scholarship which accept the es-
sentfal and necessary articles of our
common faith, acknowledging the Lord
Jesus as divine master and savior. and
the bible the only infallible rule of
faith and practice.
Il We call upon all presbyterians to
stand together in defense of reasonable
liberty Of opinion i'm the church, and of
the constitutional rights of individual
members wherever assailed. and we
heartily approve Of the protest of DR..
Herrick Johnson. DIR. Niccols and others
at the last general assembly.
IS. We do most urgently counsel our
brethren who may be perplexed concern
ing their duty to abide in the communion
and service of the church, assured that
in so doing they remain well within their
constitutional rights.
Finally. only profound sense of the
peril that now besets our church has led
us to make this declaration of what
seems to us fundamental principles.
I'm behalf of the conference held in
Calvary presbyterian church, Cleveland,
Nov. 50. 1893.
MERRIAM c. HAYDN. Chairman.
THOMAS c. HALL. Secretary"
Christian Workers Convention.
ATLANTA. Ca. Nov. 9.-The interna-