The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-21

Of buildings in Park avenue. near the
Presbyterian Hospital. Its present
home. the stately buildings OF Eng
l!sh perpendicular Gothic OF the site
bounded by broadway. Claremont ave-
nue. and l20th and 122d streets. was
opened in 1910. In the midst Of many
theological alarums Union has GER
tainly been growing. and il is now a
great university OF creeds. with close
relations with Columbia University.
The civil wal divided the Presby-
terrain Church into Northern and
southern wings. At the conclusion
IF the struggle an effort was made
10 reconcile the two divisions and
as a result there vas signed the ia
nous Compact Of 1870" under which
Il vas held that Union entered int
direct relations with the Presbyterian
church and pledged itself to appoint
NJ professors permanently until they
had been officially Endorsed by the
General Assembly.
This agreemcn: would prohah bly, have
been unchallengcd INTO this day were
II not for the Briggs controversy.
which stirred the whole theological
world. The Rev. Or. Charles Augustus
Briggs. n Presbyterian. had for many
years been professor Of the Hebrew
language and literature in the semi
nary. On his being transferred in
1891 10 the chair Of Biblical theology
he delivered an address describing the
latest developments Of the higher cr.ti-
cism which was declared 10 be sub
versive OF all belief in the inspiration
and the authority OF the Scriptures.
Charges of heresy were made
against him and he was tried before
the New York Presbytery and acquit-
ted. 4 direct appeal to the General
Assembly. without the intermediate
step OF presenting the matter to the
Synod, tho next higher body. brought
the decision that Dr. Briggs mus. be
tried. The Genera Assembly heard
him at It's sessions in Washington in
1898 and convicted him OF heresy and
directed that he be suspended from
the ministry % the Presbyterian
Church until he repented. Or. Briggs
in 1895 vas received into the Epis-
copal Church and remained in that
faith until his death In 1918.
While the Briggs controversy was
az It's height the seminary in 1899
s.gnifed its wish 20 free Itself from
the control OF the Presbyterian
Church The General Assembly de-
c,.ued AZ hrsi 10 be a party to any
such arrangement The relations be-
tween the w bodies we're finally sew
cred, although from time to time
there have been efforts 70 have them
resumed, Tor on the faculty OF the
institution are many promincn; Pres.
hyterisn ciergymen.
4! decision was made in 1918 at At
lantic City that the Compact OF 1870
was null and void. which is inter
rreted TO mean that from the first the
seminary did not owe its existence to
the Presbyterian Church. and hence
its funds were its own. The General
Assembly had also adopted a resolu.
ton 10 the effect that Presbyteries
should receive no candidates for the
ministry from seminarics whose teach
ings were considered as not being IN
accordance with tho Westminster Con-
fession.
The New York Presbytery in April
of this year, after an examination, IL
censed three young graduates OF Union
as ministers. although the liccntiates
did no; please several members. II
was charged that they did not affirm
positively their belief in tho virgin
birth, nor did they deny II. II Is said
that they did declare that they ac-
oepted the resurrection Of Christ and
the appearance Of Christ to His dis
ciples and that they also declared THAI
fhAV Ho1f sprA thAH n0As,,s -~. ..N.>A
from the dead.
The movement against Union has
been increasing OF late years. espe-
cially In tho Western Fr%esbyteries.
The first brand IN the present contro-
versy was flung by the Rev. Or. John
Fox OF this city. one OF the three NOM
bers Of the New York Presbytery who
voted against the sixty four who IA
vored the admission Of the three can
didatcs. He opened IRE in one Of the
Church papers. the Presbyterian.
The tocsin Of war has sounded once
again in New York. he wrote. Union
Seminary, with its allies old and new
has moved In, force OH the Pr~esbytery
OF New York. and after reducing that
sacred pact which binds the churches
t'kct1itI 1oIlIeSSIOn OF fAltn-tO
scraps OF paper and spurnine the SOL
emn in1unctiona Of the General Assem-
bly, has dragged the Presbytery it.
self In triumph at its heels.
THE L boats of unbelief. to vary the
figure. have fired another torpedo at
the Bible, blown the very bottom out
Of the Book Of Exodus, the Gospel of
81. Matthew and the Gospel Of st.
Luke. leaving the hapless men and
women and children Of the churches to
take to boats, RATS and wreckage, az
they struggle on tho tossing ocean of
doubt and negation.
Dropping the figures: Three more
candidates from the Union Seminary
were licensed at the April meeting to
preach after they had acknowledged
serious doubts, SO serious that they
could not preach or teach the virgin
birth OF Christ. the raising Of Lazarus,
the resurrection OF the body OF Christ.
the signs and wonders OF Exodus,
the pillar Of cloud and fire. the
mama. the tabernacle, the miracles
on Mount Sinai. The three did not
say all these things. but each con-