New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-13

wind. Among these sspirauis, NJ. Browoson
was perhaps the most hopeful, and the most dis
pcstd to act. He was persusded this the time
Of tie Future could BE- erected on broad aod
| deep found atop. He fund little sympathy, how
tver, smOpt the Unitarian cersy-mOre. perhaps,
| from D.. Claiming than, with one or two excep-
iioD., from spy other individssl. His sketch Of
this eminent DIVIDE, though differing greatly from
popular opinion, 10 10. without discrimination.
There was moment when / looked to DR.. Chan.
rrg the for, mcs, among the Cti,ari.ns, a. tbs
WHO to take the lead in the work OF r-org
zaiiop. His reputation in 1884 wss bigh, and he
lion ed up at dstsnce in my eyes as The crest msn
cf The eye; but closer view an intma'e personal
acquaintance with bin, soon di'abussd me. DE-.
Chsnnipg had done great service in the beginning
Of ny Efforts 10 rse om the ABYSS OF unbs lief ioto
which had fallen be was my warm considerable ard
steady fieLd after to the day Of his death. lie
consOled NE, encouraged NE, aided me y various
way,; and can never forget my personal obligations
to him hold and always sbsll hold, bis memory in
grateful respect. But be was not the great man many
supposed him to be. He benevolent philsnthro-
pic and anxious to co all in bis power for the good OF
markird especially for the relief OF the poorer aud
mere numerous casfes He had just horror OF CAL
whistle theology ard wared to the last gaiDst the
CslviDistic view of human nature. He rejected With
Indignation the doctrine of total depravity, asserted In
CLIQUE 1t terns The dignity Of human nature aud en-.
ertaiDed the loest conceptions OF the greatness SUD
capacity Of the human soul. He asse ted SO frequently
ard 30 strongly the dignity of man, that one OF his
bro,t ministers said 10 him, with more point than
truth however DR.. Charming makes man great
God and God little map." He certainly, 10 revolt
ing sga'pst the Calvirtic doctrre, which 90 unduly
oees.es the human to make way. as 1t supposee tor
sovereign grace ran to the opposite extreme, and as
July depressed the Divine, and exaggerated tue
humsn lie is sn,werable for 20 small portion of the
FOUL worship, which for time the fashionable
idolatry of the metropolis Of New England.
As a moral man, as lover Of bis kind, as .
sympaibizer with the oppressed and the oownuoa'
clea ar profound thinker. He was no philosopher,
no theologaD, and only moderately erudite. As
resloper be fee BILE and confused; as contTover
salist be was DO match for the Woices'ers, Woods,
and Stuarts in the ranks Of his Cavnsfic opponents
He was undoubtedly an eloquent sernonizsr. and,
within bis range, the master OF style OF great sim
plicty sweetness and beauty; but he lacked vgor aud
Robustness and left bis readers the impression tn 1t
he was sickly and inclinirg to sentme nta lsm tie
was an eloquent and effective decl.mer, and vas t.
otous when the matter did not lie beyond dis depso
in cumming up ano clearly stating the various poioe
in question after it had been thoroughly discussed by
more vigorous ard origina butess polished aud grace
full mines than bis own He was never 10 my kGo@l'
ana bis study apparently to come after Others and
IL rebuke or applaud them seemed to him prop:r;
and ss he usually chose bis time tor Intervening ~bh
sororess be rot uDft quenty received the credit due
DIR. Charming exerted for a long time very great
Influence, and be did, 10 doubt good service 10 de-
II oshng New. England theology, and IN lioerel1ltg
The New England mir d but he had no orisin,l gem
us or tendency. His nature was not expansive. and'
with all his generous sentiment, he lived as were
shut up in HIMSELF He inclined strongly to inoivc-
ualism ard dishusted all associated acion, though
sometimes toeratnR, and even encouraging ~. his
sympathy with Unarians, a distinct sect or demon
iDaticn was not strorg ard he gave them the pres
ee Of his chiefly because they suffered reprosch
UbtaraIis ism he regarded useful in that 1t was op.
posed to Cslvipsm; but he was far from regarding
AZ the last word Of Christian truth. His mind,
apprehend remained unsettled to the day OF bis death
lie felt that be was sti seeking after the truth and
waiting for it to dawn on him and the world. There
is" he would often say in his conversations With me
"a higher form of Christian truth and love needed aud
to be revealed than the world has yet seen and look
with hope to the discussions and movements 10 the
midst Of which live TO elicit and realize 1t for man
kind" He looked for this manifestation OF Chris.
tan truth and love 10 socialist direction. do not
think be had any tendency to return toward New
England orthodoxy, in which he was educaiea, as
some Evapgelcas have supposed. As far a. I could
discover, his tendency in the latter years OF bis lie
was to place less and less value doctrines Of any
sort ard to make religion consst IN sent ment aons;
He rejected all ereeds and confessions, rejected all
church authority and all church org aniz atiOn though
he died member of the Church of the Disciples.
founded by james Freeman Clarke, on the pnnc'pls
that true Christians they who exclude no views,
whether true or false and learning and never
able to come to the knowledge OF the truth.
After maturing bis plans, Mr. Browuson accepted
an invitation to preach to the laborDg classes in
Boston, proposing to make it an opportunity to
bring out bis religious and iociaistc theories, aud
to call public attention to the necessity Of new
religious organization of mankind. Accordingly, 10
July, 1886, the Society for Christian Union and
Progress" was organized, Of which he renamed
the minister for over seven years. BY that time no
| began to suspect that man was not made FOR .
church. builder, and that God himself had founded
church, many centuries ago, fully adapted to the
nature al d destiny Of human beings.
He had previously been devoted student OF the
philosophy of Cousin, from whose 'ystem Of ec'ec'
ticirm be in part drew bis doctrine of religious
union. He was not, as be states, "the fret Of
Cousins disciples in this country, but he was
among his most ardent admirers, aud perhaps con.
tributed more than any other one man TO draw tho
attention of American thinkers to bis philosophy
Immediately after organizing his society, Mr..
BrowDson published his New Views OF Christian
ity, Society, and the Church." suggested, in some
degree, by the writings of BeDjsmin Constant,
Victor Cousin, Hene, and the st. SimOniaos, re-
markabe for its protest against Prote stantsm, and
its comments On the doctrines and tendencies Of the
Catholic Church, and "no less remarkable &C
cortpg to the present views of the writer "for its
acceptar &c and vndicstion Of nearly all the errors
| into which the human race has falen-the last wsrd
of the ron Catholic world, and marking the limit
beyond which it cannot advance without recoiling."
| Tn Jsnuarv Is3S he estabEshed the Quarterly