The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-18
FOR CHURCH UNITY
Plan Proposed at the Pres
byterian General As
semblY Today.
THE SMITH HERESY MATTER
Number of Briggs Supporters at
the Assembly Causes Much
Surprise.

0ARATOGA, MAY 10, lo59.-1H0 SecouN
days session of the 1O6th Presbyterian Gen4
eral Assembly opened at nine O'Clock, with a
half hour Of devotional exercises, after which
the routine business of the Assembly began.
1t was perfectly evident that the Cornnis<
sioners had not recovered from the surpris<
ing show of strength made in the election of
the Moderator yesterday by the Briggs
party. The galleries and rear seats wera
crowded with village people and visitors,
who sat expecting the outbreak to occur at
any moment
Moderator Mutchmore assumed his Office
promptly at 9:20 o'clock. He read the names
of members of the leading committees on
bills and Overtures," Judicial Business"
"Church Polity,o Theological Seminaries,"
and the clerks quickly handed over to the
Chairman the documents and papers rela-
ting to each. The committees then retired
TO their rooms and the Assembly proceeded
to business.
SETH HEREsY APPEAL.
The Smith heresy appeal, with ali the
papers relating thereto went into the Judicial
COMMITTEES room and tine committee is now
engaged In digesting the matter. Henry
Preserved Smith, the accused professor, Is
here with all his family. His wife and
daughter and his young SON, Preserved
Smith, occupy prominent seats in the
gallery overlooking the Moderator's seat.
1t is definitely known now that the
appeal will not be withdrawn, but thar
Professor Smith will make fight to have
the verdict of the Cincinnati Presbytery set
aside. By this verdict he was suspended
from the ministry, but he appealed from tina
finding of the Presbytery and the case went
to the Ohio Synod, which decided against
him. Dr. Smiths offense was the reading
Of paper before body of Cincinnati
Il. l. ,t-lx1
defence of DIR. Briggs, when the Union
professor was first charged with heresy-
He upheld DR.. Briggs theory that tho
Old Testament was writtSl by ordinary
men and that these writings were collected
by other men long afterwards and made up
into a book now known as the Bible. The
names of none of these men IS known, and II
is an entire mistake to suppose that Moses
wrote the first five books, OF that Isaiah
wrote his prophecy. This book is moreover
full of errors and the general opinion thai
God inspired the book g all wrong as thu
concept only is inspires
The General Assembly is made up of men
who are likely to take the opposite view OF
the origin of the Bible, but the vote of yes
terday shows so many Briggs men in the
body that the leaders of the orthodox party
are nervous.
CHURCH UNITY.
Dr. Joseph T. Smith read the report of the
special committee on Church Unity. This
is the committee which has been conducting
negotiations with the Episcopalian Church
and other denominations looking to recip-
rocity arrangement between all churches
Last year the House of Bishops sent com,
mittee, headed by Bishop Cleveland Coke Oh
Western New York. The committee was
received and proposed an amendment to the
canon law of the Episcopalian Chnrch,
whereby all Presbyterian ministers could be
recognized by the Episcopal Bishops as
standing on the same basis of apostolic
succession with themselves Nothing has
been heard of this proposal since, and Dr.
Smiths committee confined his recommen-
dations to confederation of all the churches
in the United States having a Presbyterian
form of government. These include tha
United Presbyterian Church, the Dutch Re-
formed Church and others, eight in all.
The committee recommended large ecclest
iastical assembly made up of repre-
sentatives of sll these churches and exercis-
ing advisory powers over the field, but not
interfering with the organic integrity OF
each.
Dr. Samuel J. Nicols, of St. Louis, read .
dissent to the proposed ecclesiastical assem-
bly, on council.
CHURCH Comfy KILLED.
The recommendations of the committee to
effect more perfect unity of action be3
tween denominations in the planting OF
churches in the home mission fields was re-
ferred to the Committee on Church Polityt
This is regarded as the death of church.
comity.