Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1859-01-27
Hs.ry ward Beccher ON Orthodoxy.

church of Theodore Parker, some time age
provided for a course of lectures by EN-.
inent men during the winter, the proceeds
of which were to be devoted to benevolent
purposes among the poor of Boston,
Henry Ward Beecher having lectured in
the course, has been taken severely to task
by some of de|igious journals, on the
ground that his ing so VIII reflect GER
tain lusture upon Mr.. Parker's church, and
"upon the man whose in6delity is it's per-
vading spirit" Mr.. Beecher publishes a
long reply in the Irdependent of the 18th,
from which we take~fh following;
have long ago been
convinced that it was better to love men
than to hate them; that one would be more
likely to convince them of wrong belief by
showing cordial sympathy with their
welfare than by nipping and pinching them
with logic. And although | do not dis
dain but honor philosophy applied to re-
lision. think that the world just now
needs the Christian Heart more than any
thing else. Aud vNniS the only and
greatest question were the propagation of
righ. theology, l am confident that right
speculative views will grow up faster and
firmer in the summer of true Christian low
ing, than in the rigorous winter of solid,
congealed orthodoxy, or the clustering
March of controversy.
! Does anybody inquire why, if so think
6g occasionally give such sharp arti-
cles upon the great religious newspapers,
The Observer, The bseliiqencsr, and the
like? Oh pray do not think it for any i'll
will. 1t is all kindness! We only do it
to keep our voice in practice We have
made orthodoxy a study. Aud by an at :
tentive examination of The PRESBYTERIAN.
The O5serrer, The Puritan Recorder. and
such like unblemished confessors, we have
perceived that no man is truly sound
who does not pitch into somebody that is
not sound; and that real m Jdern ortho-
doxman, like nervous Watchdog, must
sit at the door-stone of his system and bark
necessarily at everything that comes in
sight along the highway. And where
there is nothing to bark at, either he must
growl and knaw his reserved bones, or bark
at the moon to keep up The sonorousness of
his voice. And so, for fear that the sweet
ness Of our temper may lead men to think
that we have no theologic zeal. we lift up
an objuration now and then-as much as
to say, "Hcrc we arc, fierce and ortho-
dox: ready to growl when we cannot
bite
-
But, it will be asked, will the public
understand your position. and, however
you may design it, will not the suppression
go abroad either that you sympsthizc with
infdel views. or are indifferent so thcms-
No. The public arc just the ones who
will not misunderstood. There is formed
and forming a moral judgement in the in
telllgent part OF the community that pop
ular Christianity needs more love in it.
Men at large will be great deal more apt
to say that have done more exemplary
Christian act. in daring to avow an ethical
sympathy with Theodore Parker, between
whom and myself there exists an irrecon-
clable theological difference. than if had
hombarllcd him for a whole year and re-
fused to touch his hand!
What pitiful thing it is to see men
who have the chance of saying what they
believe, who do say it two hundred times
year, who write it, sing it, speak it, fight
it; who, by all their social affinites, by all
their lifework, by all positive and most
solemn testimonies, are placed upon mis-
conception,-always nervous lest they
should sit down with somebody, or speak
with somebody, and so lose an imnacu-
late reputation fo- soundness! Therefore
men peep out from their system as pris-
oncrs in Jail peep out of iron barred win
dows, but dare not come out, for fear some
sharp sheriff of the Faith sheuld arrest
them!
If we held Theodore Parkers views, we
should not wait to have it inferred Men
would hear it from our lips, and hear it
past all mistaking And we are not go
ing at our time of life to begin to watch
over our "infuen e." to cut and trim our
sentences lest some msusing critic should
pounce upon an infclicity and draw upon
us suspicion. We have never sought
influence, and we never shall seek it. ANY
that we have now. came to MS because we
went straight forward. doing whatever
was right, and always believing that low
ing heart was a better Judge of what ,cas
right than cool and accurate head
Neither Is infallible Both make mistakes.
But the errors of the heart dissolve in the
kindness of mems natures as snow fakes
Dissolve in warm -bosomcd lakes. while the
errors Of cold intellect pierce and stick like
arrows. If cannot make my people nm
derstand my belief, in fifty two Sabbaths of
the year, shall not mend the matter by
refusing to follow the generous sympa-
thies OF my heart
No. The common people will not mis-
understand. Nor will practical Christian
They may differ from my
Judgment. but they will understand myl
deed. 1t is only those professed defenders
ofthe faith who, having erected suspicion
into Christian grace, practice slander as
q Christian duty, that will be liable to
And it makes no difference
whether some men understand or not
: