Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-05-27
SYNOD SUSTAINED
BY THE ASSEMBLY
IN HERESY CASE
No Proof That Young Candidates
Denied Doctrinal Questions,
Committee Holds.
REPORT Is UNANIMOUSLY
ADOPTED BY CHURCH BODY
Commissioners Take Action to
Prevent a Repetition of
This Kind. =
BY THE REV. A. N. sTUBBLEBINE.

CONVENTION HALL, Steel Pier
Atlantic City, May 27-By compro-
mise report in the Black heresy case
the judicial committee of the Presby-
terian General Assembly practically
exonerated the New York Synod here
today.
In presenting the report the Rev. Dr.
John W. Dinsmore said that close and
careful attention had been given to
the case.
"I am instructed to say he adi ed,
"for the counsel representing the COM
plainants and the respondents that
while deliberation evoked the most AMI
mated discussion, no unseemly word or
dscourteous act marred the proceed
ings'
The statement of the chairman that
the Presbyterian Church stood for the
inspiration of the scripture and that
any studeEt who denied it should not
be ordained was greeted with great ap-
plause.
Judicial Committees Report
The report of the judicial committee
reads as follows:
"The complaints are lodged against
the action of the synod of New York
in sustaining the action of the presby-
terry of New York, in licensing three
candidates to preach the gospel and
subsequently ordaining two of them to
the gospel ministry. 1t is alleged on
the one hand that the examination Of
said candidates disclosed very serious
disbelief or at least doubt concerning
important, doctrines of the church,
while on The other hand this allegation
is explicitly ano positively denied. 1t
is averred in the complaints that they
refused to affirm their faith in the in
spiration and supreme authority of the
Holy Scripture in the virgin birth of
our Lord, in the truth of st. Johns ac-
count of raising Lazarus from therdead,
ard in the actual bodily resurrection Of
Christ sos
THE respondents deny these allega.
tions and affirm ON the contrary that
said candidates ayowed their full faith in
the inspiration and authority of the
Holy Scripture and that they sincerely
profess their acceptance of the confess
sion of faith as containing the system
of doctrine taught in the scriptures;
that. in fact. they do not deny the vir-
gin birth of our Lord, but were not pre-
pared to affirm 1t with the same posi-
that their hesitation upon the doctrines
Indicated an unfinished consideration of
the subject rather than any positive
disbelief.
'orhe complainants are right in at
taching the greatest Importance to
such wide departure from the faith as
they allege, departure which, if al
lowed not only would dissolve the
foundations of the Presbyterian
Church. but equally would destroy his
toric Christianity in all the Protestant
evangelical churches throughout the
world. If the contention of the conf
plainants in respect to such radical de-
lparture from acknowledged standard
\has been proven in this case, the COM
mission must have reversed the action
df the synod and have censured the
ptesbytery since this church stands to-
day, as she has stood in all her history,
for the inspiration integrity and au-
thority of the Holy Scripture and con-
fesses the virgin birth of our Lord and
His actual bodily resurrection as COM
ponent parts of the faith. No one who
denies them or is in serious doubt con-
cernine them should either be licensed
or ordained minister.
NO Proof Of Denial.
But it has not been proven that the
candidates named in the complaint
have in fact denied or seriously ques
toned these doctrines. The examina-
ton in the presbytery in April, 1909,
were legally oral, based mainly upon a
brief paper or statement of brief writ
ten by each candidate and now en-
bodied in the record. This first exam
nation was unsatisfactory and was
not sustained by the presbytery. About
two months thereafter a second ex-
animation was had, which was wholly
oral and this examination was sus-
tanned. Just what it was in the sec
ond examination that changed the con
Viction of the majority of the presby-
terry from not sustaining to sustaining
can be inferred only, as 1t is not con-
tanned in the record.
"The record gives list of topics OF
common heads of divinity. possibly
some of the questions put to the candi-
dates, but not their answers. The
complainants contend that the answers
were insufficient; the respondents that
they were sufficient; thus the issue is
ioined and proof is wanting so far as
the second examination was concerned
Upon the record presented we are
Unable to say that the synod erred in
declining to sustain the complain;
against the Presbytery.
I'm our judgment, however, the ac-
tion of fthe Presbytery of New YorE
in ordaining two of the three candi-
dates against the strong protest of sc
considerable minority of the Pres
hytery was unwise and for the edifica-
ton of the church, in view of the fact
that the questions under dispute were
by complaint on their way to be re-
viewed by higher judiciary.
"For the reasons set forth we al
nudge that the complaints against the
synod be not sustained
"But In view Ct the fact that in the
adjudication of this case the permanent
judicial cop1mision has had brought to
trelr attention the fact of the deep con-
tcontinucd on Fourth Page.p