Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-05-25
The Arguments Submitted in Prof.
Smiths HereSy Case.
GREAT INTEREST MANIFESTED
And the Galleries Filled to Hear
the Speeches-Prof. Smith Ar
CUES Only Six of His Twelve
Propositions-The Southern AS
sembly Sends q Telegram, De-
clining to Consider Organic
Union.

terest In the case or the appear OF ffol'
Smith was early manifested this morn
ing, and during the devotional service
the gallery was unusually full. The
Judicial Committee asked to have their
report on the Smith case returned to
them for slight change. The was
granted aud the proposed change was
made, affecting the rule for the hear
ing of the members OF the Assembly.
1t was provided that the Assembly
shall be heard upon roll call, three
minutes being granted to each member.
DR.. Young, ex-Moderator, protested
against such waste Of time. He stated
that this rule OF last year caused the
Assembly TO lose whole day and a half.
Despite this objection the rule was
adopted.
Notice was read that the hours given
to the Synod of Ohio had been appor-
toned as follows: To Rev. Charles
Townsend, of Cleveland, seven minutes;
TO Rev. George l. Kalb, D. D., OF Belle
fontaine, ten minutes; Thomas McDou-
gal, Cincinnati, twenty minutes; Rev.
Wn. Nj. Powell. OF Athens, seven min
utes; Rev. Arthur c. Ludlow, Of Cleve-
land, six minutes, and Thomas McDou-
gal ten minutes.
The Assembly was then constituted
as a court and the reading OF the records
in the case proceeded with These
papers contain the record OF the Synod,
the notice OF appeal and the appeal OF
Prof. Smith. After the reading OF these
papers the argument on the appeal was
begun by DR.. Smith. The reading OF
the full records was waived except so
far as they were to be ussd In the ar
gument. Prof. Smith stated that he
proposed only to argue six OF the
grounds OF appeal instead OF twelve.
The argument at the start concerned
the existence of prejudice in the MEM
bers of the Presbytery which originally
tried him.
Prof. Smith sought to show that the
records of the original trial proved that
the judicatory was prejudiced In that
it allowed members OF the body TO sit In
the case who had published opinions
touching the guilt of the accused. 1t
was further shown that the regular
third point argued had reference to the
form In which the changes were cast
and here 1t was argued that those
charges were fatally defective In that
they did not formulate the doctrines
against which offense was alleged.
1t was expressly said that the doc
trine OF ins spiration mentioned in the
charges was one implied" In the
Confession Of Faith, whereas the consti-
tional law demanded Of the church that
the doctrine offended against shall be
Fundamental. That which is funda-
mental will never be left TO Inference.
The doctrine of the inspiration alleged
in the charges was contended to be one
not tanght in Scripture or In the Con-
fession, and in fact to be contrary to be
doctrine of the confession of the faith
Of the church. The ,inerring or the
original autographs OF Scripture was
claimed to be entirely outside OF the
doctrine of inspiration and independent
OF it. 1t was further shown that the
doctrine OF inerrancy was q theological
origin, not a biblical origin, and that the
Confession as II stands gives no support
to the position of the prosecution. Prof..
Smith then went on TO argue that the
Implication OF the charge contained a
contraction of true Presbyterian doc
trine. At this point the speaker said:
And now we have reached the point
where we may examine the utterances
| of the last General Assembly. do not
mean, of course, that II IL the duty OF
this Assembly to review Of revise any
particular decision of the Assembly OF
| 1893 with the idea OF setting IL aside.
The Confession OF Faith saws that all
synods may err or have erred, and
that their decisions must be examined.
Prof. Smith went on to show that the
Washington Assembly evaded the
| issue raised by the doctrine OF the con-
| fession, in failing 10 declare that the
scriptures not only "are" the word OF
God, but "are" inerrant. To say that
| the original autographs were" inerrant
makes it necessary to say that the holy
scriptures ,'were" the word Of God. But
on the contrary, the doctrine set forth
by the confession was stated to be that
the bible is contained In 1.-The present
Hebrew and Greek copies as the present
arbiter of present controversies"
The next objection had reference TO
the identity of the two charges upon
which he was found guilty and the lack
of defniteness in their allegations At
the close OF this section OF the defence
| the Assembly took recess.
The cleark read the following tele'
gram Just received from the General
Assembly OF the Southern Presbyterian
church.
"The blessing Of God having rested
upon our church in its seperate exist
ence and work, the General Assembly
of the Presbyterian church OF the
United States tn session In Nashville
with affectionate fraternal greetings 10
the General Assembly Of the Presby-
terian church in the United States OF
America in session In Saratoga and
wishing it God speed in every word and
work, regard it as unwise TO reopen the
question OF organic union.
-. r. GRAHAM. Moderator,
JOSEPH K. WILSON, Stated Clerk"
At the afternoon session Prof. Smith
continued his argument, contendiss
that by its verdict of guilty the Pres.
bytery affirmed that the accused bed
| committed the crime charged, but that
| the evidence adduced had failed TO sup
| port the accusation. The speaker then
went on to speak Of the occasion OF the
address on which
THE CHARGES OF HEBEsY
were based 4 nd the circumstances Of the
church at the time, it being then In the
midst OF thfcontroversy over revision ol
the confes.iy n OF faith and in debate oveI
a substitutf for the verbal theory ol
inspiration, which was no longer tens