The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-11-14
CASE OF PROF. M'GIFFERT
HE SIE4DFASTLI HOLDS TO HIS
 RELIGIOUS VIEWS.
Declines Before Investigating Com mit- tee of Presbyterian Church to Re ced 0 from Ills StRnd--DOes Not Accept Principle That Scriptures Are Abso- Iutely TruthfuI-Also Refuses Other Principles.
Principles.

| New York, Nov. 13.-,The case of Pro-
 lessor Arthur c. McGffert of Union
 Theological seminary, who is charged with holding views that are at variance with the doctrines of the Presbyterian | church, came before the Presbytery to- | day and action was taken which will | probably result in a reference of the
 case to the general assembly. A com
 mittee was appointed last June to con- fer with Professor McGiffert and pre- vail upon him to withdraw from the
 church or at least modify his views.
 Meetings have been held which Profes-
 sor McGiffert attended, but he stead fastly refused to recede from the stand he had taken on certain church mat ters. saying that he had been misun- derstood The general assembly pre- pared expressly for Professor McGif- fert's case an outline of the funda-
 mental principles of the church. These
 were:
 That the statements of the Holy Scriptures are absolutely truthful, i. e., free from error when interpreted in their natural and intended sense.
 2-That in Jesus Christ there were
 two perfect and distinct natures, the Godhead and the Manhood being in- separately joined together in one per son, without conversion or confusion, so that He was in no particular liable to error.
 3-That the Lords suppAr was inst- tuted by the direct and personal act of Jesus Christ, to be observed in His Church unto the end of the world, and
 4-That God Justified men by imput ing the obedience and sacrifice of Christ to them they receiving and resting up- on Him in all His righteousness by faith which faith they receive as the gift of God.
 It Is only the last of these statements that Professor McGiffert accepts as it stands. The committee to whom the matter was referred was composed of the Rev. Dr. Robert F. Sample, chair man; the Rev. pr. John Balcom Shaw, the Rev. Dr. R. R. Booth and the Rev. pr. John c. Bliss and the following elders: William Magic Oscar E. Boyd and Titus B. Meigs. This committee presented its report to the Presbytery to-day. The report was vAluminous. Its essence was that the case should be referred to the general assembly which meets in St. Louis next May. The re- port was ordered to be printed for pri- vate distribution among the members of the Presbytery and made the order of the day of the December meeting. At the conclusion of the reading of the report Professor Francis Brown, the Rev. Dr. Howard Agnew Johnston and the Rev. Henry Van Dyke read sugges- tions in which it was advised that the over Professor McGiffert be dropped
 The papers were in substance alike Dr. Van Dyke said that while ma jority did not agree with Professor Me Glffert the wisdom of heresy trial was doubtful and might result in harm to the Presbyterian cause. In view of for a series of Presby- terian revivals in this city this fall and winter the postponement of the discus sion of the subject and the reference to the general assembly is thought desira ble.