New-York tribune., 1899-06-10
ECHO OF THE BRIGGS CASE.
hrs DE COSTA AND CLENDEN1N CoNin"
DICT THE TALE OF AN OUT
NOUN pApER

.,or,sd ~ he n new feature in the con-
.roversv over the admission OF the Kew Dr. Shai.'
A Briggs TO the Episcopal priesthoou app'e -
,ba New-York correspondence OF an ou'.oi
newspaper on Thursday. The writer inoic@'eo "a
En- tey DR. F. NJ Clendenn. who led the oppoSi
~, 80. In reality only a igurehead put forward
hy others who did not wish to be puohcly ssso
a. ted with the movement, and went on 10 say 'na
xv,,h,n wear before the controversy ao9c WV"
DR. Clendenin and DR.. B. +. DE Costa ie..o' a.. va
the Church OF ST. John, the Evangelist az NO So
ives. Eleyenth-st wrote letters TO Dr. Brlgss eA
nressing sympathy with him and gratincatoh lha'
he was 10 become an Episcopal minister Dr. Cen
denim the writer stated, expressed IN hls "''e'
the hope that st. Peters Church. In West Chester'
~ which he is rector would be chosen as the place
of Dr. Briggss ordination The opposition OF Drs
Clendenin and De Costa coming so soon after 'nelr
letters greatly astonished DIR. Briggs, the writer
states -.
When the article was shown to Dr. lie No''a
Yesterday he read it with considerable interest ana
nortions of Il evidently afforded him much amuse-
ment -
.The statements regarding myself are false as
false can be-" he said. II have not written a let
ter to Dr. Briggs since 1887. The whole stun Is IN
comprehensole to The author OF IL IL "ri'i"s
of something he knows nothing about, SO lar as
am concerned / have had nothing Whatever "
say about DR.. Briggs until the present summer f,o
was ordained deacon and spirited into the church
while was In Egypt knew nothing about H.
So far as I am concerned the article Is pure oosh
'Of course Dr. Clendenin not alone In MS
opposition. but he naturally took the lead. as II was
In his church the ordination was TO nave take"
place"
DR. Clendenin was seen by Tribune reporter
M ST Peters Church. West Chester, yesterday az
ternoon He said that II was true In way tnai
he had written a letter to DIR. Briggs about year
ago but that the impression Of It's tenor that had
been given was utterly untrue, though very ceNei
" done He had not followed the Briggs trial
in the Presbyterian body, and was not famihar
with the Professors views but he had presumed
\ that in coming into the Episcopal Church Dr
Briggs was in sympathy and in iuli accora wmh ah
written to MIN a fraternal letter, saying ne was
! glad ne was In the Church. and hoping he would
sath pspa;tisfed the heart and soul of man. DR..
Cendenin did not in his letter speak at all about
DIT Briggs's scholarship and piety or make any OF
the expressions ascribed 10 him. What ne wrote a
year ego hen snoTa5 a5 Gn m nn ,ne vsy made
sstent his opposition TO the Professor orulnallon
which was based upon his recently R pHonSned
amused as he has acted entirely indepenoenty III
the matter OF his own motion and only secdng bad
been begun by his letter published In Inc tribune.
The cST Sre ssys hf D
Clendenin AS matter of fact they naTaIy o knew s
tween them the one referred to, and the only
time they met was last fa when nj hefoT tbe
Churchman's Association. OF which DR.: Clendenin
Is a member, and the latter was one Oh d hulhpei
who felt compelled to dissent from the views ex-
pressed by their guest. who had distinguished be-
tween 1.-THE theology Of the Bible the theology OF
the Church and the theology OF history. Dr.
Cenderin on that occasion contended that there
could not be any difference between the theology
of the Bible and the theology Of the Church 80
The article also intimated that the Rev Phlip
A n Brown vicar Of St Johns Chapel, In Varick-
St had been privately most strenuous In his op,
position 10 the ordination of DR.. Briggs ana mad
greatly encouraged DR.. Cendenin.
II had nothing to say to Dr. Clendenin ABOUT the
matter" said Mr.. Brown yesterday. MY only
u.ifh a
Club which is composed of about fifty clergy
men of the diocese. When We read Dr. Clendenin 3
Ftatements regarding Or. Briggs wrote TO the
bishop asking him TO defer the ordination until
an investigation could be made | knew nothing
about the matter until I saw Dr. Clendenn's pub
Ished statements. | had not even read DT
Briggss book TO which Dr. Clendenin took excep-