The record-union., 1899-05-26
Presbyterian Assembly Washes Its
Hands Of the MGGiffert Case.
Refers The Whole Matter, After a Heated
Debate, to New York preshyterb
For Such Disposition as in It's
Judgment the Peace of the
Church and Purity of the Doc
trine May Require'-Discus-
sion of the Committee Report
Marked by Fierce, Tumultuous
and at Times Personal Debate.

sion of the Committee Report
Marked by Fierce, Tumultuous
and at Times Personal Debate.
MINNEAPOLIS, May 25.-In the
hands of the Presbytery of New York
is the fate of Rev. DR.. Arthur c. Nc
Giffert, Professor of Church History
in Union Theological Seminary, New
York. The General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church steered clear, as
1t hopes, of the rocks of another heresy
trial, and it voted this afternoon, after
a fierce, earnest, tumultuous and some
tunes personal debate, to refer the
whole matter to the Presbytery of New
York for such disposition as in its
Judgment the peace of the church and
purity of the doctrine may require"
When the Bills and Overtures. COM
mittee report was announced this AFTER
noon by Vice Moderator Rev T. L.
Graham a profound silence fell over
the assembly and the packed galleries
DIR. Wallace Radcliffe of Washington,
Chairman of the committee, took the
speakers platform and read first that
portion of the report on which all MEM
bers of the committee agreed 1t was
a review of the case and the statement
of four fundamental doctrines of the
church which DR.. McGifferts History
of Christianity in the Apostolic Age Is
held to deny.
Next DR.. Radcliffe read the majority
report, and then it was known at last
that there were to be two reports This
report, which was ultimately adopted,
left the matter to the discretion of the
New York Presbytery The minority
report, read by Rev. DR.. Benjamin
Lewis Hobson of Chicago, made It
mandatory upon the New York Pres
bytery to appoint a commission to con-
fer with DR.. McGiffert, and if he would
neither modify his views or peaceably
withdraw from the church, to proceed
against him, and that would have
meant a heresy trial
Before taking up the debate the
whole assembly rose as one man and
voted for the preamble. on which all
agreed. From this scene of unanirnity
! the o spect of the assembly soon
changed to one of tumult The pre-
amble was frequently spoken of this
afternoon as magnificent new con-
1esslon of faith, a doctrinal declara-
ton that the Presbyterian Church is
still theologically sound to the core.
The preamble says, in part:
The assembly notes the repudiation
by DR.. McGiffert of the Interpretation
placed upon his utterances in said book
as being not in accord with the stand
ardS OF the church, and his assertion
OF devotion to the truth and his con-
cern for the welfare of the church.
and While accepting the same as sin
cere the assembly nevertheless reas-
serts its declaration of 1898. condemn
ing the statements of said book as be-
ing such as to justify the interpreta-
ton as repudiated, and in regard to the
fundamental doctrines of churches in
| Volved in this manner. the assembly
solemnly declares:
| 'First-It is a fundamental doctrine
of the Word of God and the confess
sion Of faith that the Holy Spirit did
SO control the inspired writer's in their
composition of the Holy Scriptures as
| TO make their statements absolutely
truthful, /. e., free from error. when
interpreted in their natural and in
tended sense. All seeming discrepan-
cies and contradictions in the Bible are
TO be referred to the limitations upon
human knowledge. To hold that the
Holy Scriptures are in any respect his
Il
| teaching of the confession
Second-It is the fundamental doc
| trlne OF the Word of God and the con-.
fession of faith that the Son of God,
the second person in the Trinity, being
the very and eternal God of one sub
stance and equal to the Father. did,
| when the fullness of time was come.
| take upon Him mans nature with all
! the essential
infirmities thereof, yet, without sin. So
that two whole, perfect and distinct
natures, the God head and the man
head, We're inseparably joined together
IN one person without conversion. COM
position or confusion 1t Is also a
fundamental doctrine that the Lord
Jesus in His human nature thus united
, TO the Divine, was sanctified and
anointed with the Holy Spirit above
measure; having in Him all the treas
ures of wisdom and knowledge: in
whom it pleased the Father that all
fullness should dwell confession.
| Chapter 8, Second and Third) These
doctrines of the confession forbid any
teaching respecting the Lord Jesus
which would attribute to Him any par
ticular liability to error.
| "Third-It is a fundamental doctrine
of the Word of God and the confession
of faith that Our Lord Jesus. in the
night wherein he was betrayed. insti-
tuted the sacrament of His body and
the blood caused the Lords Supper to
! be observed in His church unto the end
of the world, and further, that the
! Lord Jesus hath in this ordinance ap-
pointed his ministers to declare His
word of institution to the people to
pray and bless the elements of bread. ;.
of wine etc. No teaching which de-
clares that the Lords Supper was insti-
tuted in other manner than by the di-
rect personal act of the Lord Jesus is
in harmony with the truth of the Holy
Scriptures or loyal to the person of
Jesus Christ.
| "Fourth-It is also a fundamental
doctrine of the Word of God and the
confession of faith that God justified
men by imputing the obedience and
satisfaction to them, they receiving and
resting upon Him and His righteous
lness by faith, which faith they have