The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-23
HERESY TRIAL IS
 CREATING INTEREST Alleged Dr. Grant Said
 Moses Had the Blues UNION IS FAVORED
The Presbyterian General Assembly Adopts Report on Union With Reformed Church-Object to
 Brigham Young Silver Set

Atlantic City, N. J.. May 22.-The ing union with the Reformed church; a protest against the acceptance by the government of the silver service for the battleship Utah upon which there ap- pears an engraving of Brigham Young and the Mormon tabernacle; the starting of a movement. to establish fund of s60oo,o00 to permit a pension increase for disabled ministers and widows of minis ters and the taking of testimony in the heresey trial of the Rev. William D. Grant of Northumberland. Pa. were among the important happenings at to- days session of the 123d annual general assembly of the Presbyterian church. Before the plan for union cane be put into effect it will have to be adopted by the different Presbyteries.
 That it was a physical impossibility for Christ to have stood on the pima cle of the temple at Jerusalem and been tempted by Satan" as related in the New Testament was one of the state- Grant at the hersey trial before the per manent Judicial committee.
 Dr. Grant is credited with having said that the pinnacle was entirely too small for any one to stand on.
 In commenting on the death of Uz- ziah, who, as told in the Old Testament, was struck dead for daring to put his hand on the ark of the covenant, Dr. Grant Is alleged to have said:
 ,ge aneurism of the heart, or have burst a blood vessel in his head All uzziah was trying to do was to prevent the sacred ark from slipping from the wagon or sledge on which 1t was being carried Evidently the weight of the ark was too much strain and the man dropped dead"
 pr. Grant was also accused of having told a member of his church he intended "to cast the devil out of the Bible," by preaching a certain sermon.
 The report of the committee on min isterial relief makes a strong plea for the needy clergymen.
 Less than half of our 9073 min isters," says the report, "are settled pastors of churches and many of those who are pastors are receiving very small salaries. Of the 9o73 ministers, only about 25oo have salaries of 5000 and up.
 lover 5000 ministers either have no salaries at all, or where they do have and many of them have salaries of less than $500 a year.
 Experience has taught us that only 5000 of our ministers are able to carry any life insurance"
 There is much interest in the heresy trial. Some of the statements in ser mons and writings credited to Dr. Grant are:
 Moses had the blues when he wrote some of his poems"
 There Is no personal devil"
 Five found sin on her own heart and was not tempted by Satan"
 Christ was cricified in perfectly natural manner by mob of fanatic Jews and did not plan his own cruci- fxion.'
 Such remarks as those indicate, says his prosecutors, that pr. Grant does not believe in the divine inspiration of the scriptures.
 Among other startling theories said to have been advanced by the accused is a positive denial that there ever was such a man as Jonathan and not Christ or anyone else acts as medi- ator between God and man.
 In the hearing of Dr. Grants case today it was brought out by the cross examination of witness that the &C., cused minister had said that he be- leved Ananias and Sapphira died from heart failure and not from the act of God.
 He said all miracles were due to nat ural causes.
 Didn't he admit that any were due to the Lord?'
 q think" said the witness, "that he wanted the Lord left out of it.'