The sun., 1902-03-11
VOTES NO ON HERESY COURT.
NEW YORK PRESBYTERY RE-
JECTS ASSEMBLY,S OVERTURE.


The Rev. Dr. Birch Lifts a Voice In Favor
OF the Permanent Tribunal without
F1atterinE the General Assembiy's Wis
dom Other Presbyteries Are Voting.
The New York Presbytery rejected yes
terday the overture Of the General As
sembly providing that the Assembly es-
tablish a permanent judicial commission
Of ffteen-ten laymen and five clergy
men-wth final power to dispose OF such
.cases Of doctrine and discipline" as the
Assembly shall refer to 1t. This, OF fcourse,
would include heresy cases:
The Rev. DR.. Howard Agnew johnson,
chairman of the committee to which the
Presbytery referred the overture, reported
unanimously to reject it.
The Rev. DR.. George W. F. Birch, who
was too feeble TO stand and spoke from
his chair, said;
Mr. MODERATOR: want to be recorded as
against 'ns repoI, q this sSmTittee sIs ,eI am
cause believe its work will be in the interest
| believe in II as much as any in this room. but
10 its constitution Just2 Is IL right that the
fate OF nlen. sometimes should be LETT 70
time nor inclination TO give long hearings to
be disposed OF quickly? -,
The establishment of this committee will
a permanent body would be vastly safer In It's
Judgments than any synod, Presbytery or
Assembly. II has seemed TO me that the
eGeneral Assembly IA not manly enough, az
times, TO nip controversies in the bud. and
that Is what. at times. r. most needed IN thls
Church. ann convinced th9t the only thi1s
to stop controversies would be the establish
ment Of a committee like this
There has been much dissatisfaction,
regret 10 say. with the way some OF our Church
trials have been conducted. The. establish
mcnt Of such n commission would be In the
interests OF peace and would make our Church
a temple Of Justice II has been said that the
committee will be too small As well say. sir,
that nine members of the United States Su-
preme Court are not enough 90 Interpret the
laws of the United States II Is said that the
Assembly ought not to vote powers designed
to be conferred on this committee to any body
The Assembly has already voted away many
OF It's powers to some nine different boards
again say TO you that II We have such
committee we will get Justice and law and we
can then be in a position TO Justify righteous
nose and condemn wrong
When the venerable clergyman finished
there was dead silence for some moments,
followed by some applause. DR., johnson
replied. He said, among other things.
that there was no more reason TO believe
that the proposed commission would be
any more infallible than the courts Of the
land.
And / have noticed, right here In New
York said the doctor, that, where appeal
was possible, the decisions of courts are
all the while being overruled."
The report Of the committee to reject
the overture was sustained. IL was said
after the meeting that most Of the so-c called
liberal Presbvterians are in favor Of the
permanent tribunal. One of the Presbyters,
In explaining his vote, exclaimed:
Il would rather trust my clerical liberties
10 a few good men than 10 the aggregation
of the General Assembly
Votes on this overture are being taken
bv the Presbyteries all over the United
States and so far there is a majority OF
Presbyteries against it.