Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

H SPRINGFIELD, 1636-1886. 235
Kirtland to be present, there was every prospect that all the parties
to the controversy would meet face to face. But Connecticut sent
documentary evidence only. This was a sore disappointment, and it
was only through the importuning of the young minister himself that
the association made any investigation at all at that time. The action
of Mr. Clap sending up papers testifying to his desire not to harm
Breck, and at the same time refusing to accept Breck's explanations,
confirmed the admiration and sympathy which the majority of the
parish had for the young man. Mr. Breck was ready with his
defence, which he submitted in writing. After referring to the charges
sent by Mr. Clap to Mr. Hopkins and communicated to the associa-
tion, and explaining that he was a young student in divinity while
at Windham, he said —
:
I tho't it not an unprofitable way of spending time in discoursing upon some
of the controverted points in divinity . . . The
first thing wh Mr. Clap
mentions is my Denying some part of the Sacred Scriptures to be of Divine
authority. To whicii I answer that while I lived at Windham I Kead Jones
upon the Canon of the Scripture, who seems to Disbelieve the Divine authority
of those texts which Mr. Clap mentions . . . But this I can truly say, that it
never was my settled opinion that those texts were not of Divine origine . . .
I was saying to Mr. Clap (conversation as to divine authority of the texts men-
tioned by Mr. Breck) that I thought that there was just cause of doubt whether
these texts were given by Divine Inspiration or not. Mr. Clap replied that the
case was not doubtfull. for (says he) God is obliged in his Providence to keep
the Scripture Pure & uncorrui^t, except that he gives us sufficient Proof of the
Corruption of it. To which I Replied that that argument would never convince
an Infidel, for (says I) no man wovild disbelieve the Divine Authority of any i^ar-
ticular Part of the Scriptures if he did not think he had sufficient evidence that it
was an interpolation. Upon which Mr. Clap made some stop, as if he did not
understand me. Whereupon I said that God had in his Providence given us
sufficient Reason to think that these places are Interpolations and not of Divine
Inspiration. Now, gentlemen you may see that these words were used in order
to show Mr. Clap that the argument which he made use of was insufficient to
prove that the Divine authority of these texts M-ere not Doubtfull . . . The
second thing which Mr. Clap objects is my Denying the necessity of Christ's