The sun., 1904-11-27
UNION DROPS THE CONFESSION
REQUIRES NO ADHERENCE TO
WESTMINSTER ARTICLES
And Returns to First Principles ss Trainer
of Eyang geiich Preachers-Got an
Additional s74O, 900 About the Timc
Thst II Reverted to Its Old Charter.

Seminary had formally reno,rnced the
Westminster Confession The announce
ment was misleading, but it seems to have
been based on solid foundations. The Vest
minister Confession had nothing to do
with the Union Theological Seminary
when that institution was founded for the
training Of men to preach the Gospel
along the doctrines OF the evangelical
churches.
Later the seminary put itself, through
its trustees, under the supervision OF the
General Assembly OF the Presbyterian
Church. Later still II amended its charteB
by making the Westminster Confessions
a part of that charter. Recently the truss
tees, in meeting assembled, voted to 60 baci1
to first principles and so far as any one OF
them Is willing to make a statement, the
Confession was eliminated from the
charter.
1t was even rumored yesterday-but
nobody would admit the truth OF the r,innce
that the seminary had passed from under
the control of the Presbyterian General
Assembly at the time it gave up the Com
fession OF Faith
But certainly, whatever happened and
whenever it happened, $4,000 was added
to the funds Of the seminary at about the
time OF the trustees meeting Nobody
intimated. OF course, that this money was
in any way an influence with the trustees
directly. But there were broad and posi-
tive intimations that the money was given
TO the seminary under conditions which
made the seminary feel much more inde.
pendent OF the conservative forces In the
Presbyterian Church than it has felt In
this generation.
The stery as it came out OF Pittsburg
was that Prof. Davis Schley Schaff OF tho
Western Theological Seminary at Allegheny
CITY had announced there in an interview
that certain authorities OF Union Seminary
had told him that the board OF directors OF
Union, after receiving two gifts Of 4l20,000
each, had discarded the Westminstee
Confession and had unanimously adopted
q new creed
There was no intimation here that any
step OF the eort had been taken by the union
Seminary trustees and great deal OK
interest was at once aroused by the an
nouncement.
The Union Seminary has been in mora
or less difficulty with the straiter sect OF
Presbyterians for years. 1t has been de-
| nounced in more controversial days than
these as "hotbed Of heresy." DR.. Briggs
| who was chased out OF the Presbyterian
| Church because OF his hetercdox notions.
was a professor there. So was Dr.
| McGitert whose writings have caused
sore conflict in many a prcsbytehy ana
synod and assembly in the last five years.
| Graduates Of the Union Seminary have
been regarded with deep suspicion when
they have applied to preshyteries for adj
mission to the ministry. They have been
| cross questioned and pounded down to the
| most literal statements Of their beliefs,
especialy as TO the verbal inspiration Of the
Scriptures. The older and stricter Presby-
terians seemed to feel always that the pos
| session Of a Union diploma justified the
arrest Of the progress Of any candidate for
| holy orders on the ground that he was, relig-
iously speaking, suspicious character.
| The report Of the casting out OF the West.
minister Confession, therefore, by the semi
nary seemed a bold declaration in long
suppressed warfare.
| The Rev. DR.. Francis Brown, however,
speaking in the absence Of the Rev. DR..
! Charles Cuthbert Hall, the president OF
| the seminary, made an official statements
| in which he explained that the seminary
| had not undertaken to abrogate the West
minister Confession and make rev creed
in its place, but had merely eliminated the
confession from the charter OF the inshtu-
ton. where it was an extraneous growth
anyway.
Said Dr. Brown
sThe board OF directors Of the Union
Theological Seminary have for some time
been discussing the propriety OF falling
back upon the original charter obligations
of the seminary in reference to the quail
fcations of directors and professors.
aThese obligations are fully expressed In
the preamble Of the constitution adopted
Jan. IS, 1896, and in the articles OF incor-
poration filed in 1889 These do not require
a subsc cription to the Westminster Con-
fession OF Faith, which was later provtss
ion and has since been removed.
sTbe preamble in question says:
eft ia the design OF the founders to fur.
nisb the means OF a full an d thorough edu-
cation in all the subjects in the best theo-
logical semnaries In the United States, and
! also TO embrace Herewith thorough knowl-
edge OF the standards OF faith ana oiscipine
| of the Presbyterian Church.
This is the substance OF the doctrinal
requirements:
AS a return TO the original charter obli-
cations implies previous deviation from
them it should be pointed out that the de-
Walton has been in the matter of amend
ments to the preamble and the constitution,
for instance by requiring subscription to
the Westminster Confession and the omis-
sion OF the requirement TO teach the stand
ard OF the Presbyterian Church. This
omission occurred, probably, on account OF
the thought that such a requirement was
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