Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-05-27
AERESyTR|A[ENDS
Rev. Grant Defends Himself
in General Assembly.
ACQUITTAL is EXPECTED
Charges That the Accused Did Not
Believe in Christ's Divinity and
in the Resurrection Are
Withdrawn.


dence was given to Rev. DR.. William
D. Grant and his friends, when John
Redding, an attorney of Williamsport,
Pa, completed the summing up for
the Northumberland, Pa, clergyman
in the final hours of his trial upon
charges of heresy before the perma
nent judicial commission of the Pres.
byterian general assembly.
AS result acquittal is looked for.
with possibly mild censure for care
less and indiscreet" interpretations of
the Scriptures.
Retraction by the prosecution of
two of the most sensational counts,
disbelief in the divinity and resurrec-
ton of Christ, because no tangible evil.
dence was discovered, apparently has
turned the scales in favor of DIR.
Grant.
The defense played their trump
card with the declaration that the in
ception of the scandal had been traced
to one man, c. G. Van Allen, superin-
tendent of DR.. Grants Sunday school
and a senior elder in the church. 1t
was asserted that Van Aliens activi-
ties drove four predecessors of DIR.
Grant from the church.
DR.. Grant Defends Himself.
The accused minister made a long
statement denying that he was unor-
thodoy in his views, and sought to
justify his conception of God, Christ
and the miracles by quoting from SER
mons preached by Rev. Charles Lit
tie, of Wabash, Ind, moderator of last
years assembly, and by Rev. DR..
Jowett, the minister who was brought
from England to fill the pulpit of the
Fifth Avenue Presbyterian church, in
New York city, at a salary to be $751;
| 900. -- =. $500 =
| According to DIR. Grant, both these
eminent clergymen, in sermons deliv-
| cred during this session of the as
sembiy, referred to the broader con-
ception" of theology that was preva-
lent nowadays, which was giving the
people better and truer understand
ing of the deity. ---sas~7Ssr
DIR. Grant said in part: The APP
pellee would state without any reser-
walton that his purpose and method
has ever been, as it is now, to confirm
men in the truth as it is in Jesus and
as presented in the doctrinal stand
ards of the Presbyterian church. All
his life he has been Presbyterian and
his ancestors for generations back in
Scotland havo also held to this faith.
1T would be great grief therefore
to him, if through any miscarriage OF
justice, he should be debaFred from
continuing in ministry that has been
the greatest JOY to him and to which
more than anything else he owes his
mental and spiritual developments.
$50 far as he is aware, the appellee
has never knowingly violated his or
dination VOWS or departed from Holy
Scripture as the infallible rule for faith
and life. Ii the appellee knows or If
he can judge of his own ministry, the
appellee believes that his ministry
has been constructive rather than de-
structive. This would certainly appear
to you to be true If the appellee could
present before you the fruits of his
preaching of the last twenty-five
years"
Then followed a sweeping apology
for any alleged "heretical utterance."
"No one." said DIR. Grant, could
feel more deeply regretful than the
appellee If anything he has said or
written should give offense either to
his fellow ministers of the church or
to members of his congregation. The
church is certainly broad enough to
permit diversity of opinion on matters
not essential to salvation. Rev. DIR. Lit
tie himself said as much as this"
The conception of God in the earlier
part of the Old Testament, he added,
was of an entirely different being than
the conception in the latter part and
in the New Testament In proof of this
he adduced the incident of the slaugh-
ter of the Shulamites by the children
of Israel, and said that he did not be-
lieve God deliberately handed over
10000 people to death.
Nor" said he, do think any man
in this room believes such a thing nor
that our dead Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ believed it" I
This created quite a sensation. In
referring to those who have brought
this prosecution DR.. Grant called them
men hot on the hunt for heresy."
With hint OF tears in his voice. |
DR.. Grant said that he did not wish
to pose as a Presbyterian. IL he was
not one. but that he believes himself
to be one.