The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1872-01-07
HEPWORTH'S AP0STACY.
MS WITHDRAWAL FROM UNiTARrASIsM.

MS WITHDRAWAL FROM UNlTARlANisM'
The Rev. G. II. Hcpworth, DR.. Osgood's
successor in the church of the Messiah,
Now York has resigned that position
saving that he is no longer Unitarian.
About forty Of his people have left with
him. On Sunday, Dec. ~, he preached a
sermon. from which the following is an
extract. 1t will show the change in his
views:
Dear friends, want to talk to you very
plainly and very frankly this morning
and upon a subject of the greatest mpor-
lance. First ] want TO speak of Christ as
theological dogma. ] know very little
about the science of theology,and care less
for it. 1t was always a very dry study to
me-. but this dogma is the basic element
Of my system, and therefore ] speak of it.
I cannot resist the fecling-it has grown
partly out of the way in which read the
Bible, and partly of my own religious con-
sciousness that Christs and Gods life are
inextricably interviewer and interlaced. i
am bound to believe in Christ's divinity,or
else tear certain texts up by the roots,
which ! am wholly unwilling to do. When
Jesus, in prayer, says, 80 Father glorify
me with Thine own self, with the glory
that / had with Thee before the world
was !" l cannot evade the conviction that
the words, plainly as any words can,
are intended TO assert pre-existcnce. If
they do not distinctly say that
Christ is co-eval with God, then / fail to
comprehend the meaning Of the passage.
Now, you may honestly deny the fact by
openly doubling the correctness of the
text. But, admitting the text, the deduc-
tion is plain. Again, when he says: of n
| Iowa Nc fothnr "a Ill Low. Inn 4
, We will come unto him, and take up Our
abode with him." l think be clearly in
= Inmates n power coordinate with that of
! God. | don't see how the conclusion can
be avoided, provided you admit the corr
rectncss of the text. | do believe this
Second, having placed myself right on the
dogma, ! come to speak Of its historical
" --l"n haliavn chat ,l,o daa.r,a, -.
= have stated it, has saved the world. and
done more than anything else to mold
4, modern society. II Christ had been {
mere man, Il great reformcr, the change;
G He introduced would have died out: ana
c His voice, though spoke in clorion tones
~ would have died into q very dim and dis
tant echo long before this. The churc
was built on the divinity of Christ
would not have survived if it had no
u been-and the church saved the seeds
ID the new civilization from among the ruin
ne Of the old. | come lastly
q speak of the institutional value Of tn
- dogma, 1t is the only possible basis
J" organization. 1t give, Us two works {
D accomplish, TO save ourselves and then {
o. save the rest of the world. Atheism can
l. organize. 1t never has done so it neve
will. Radicalism is cold it always seem
- 10 me like a hen brooding on stone egg
ID 1t may warm them with the heat Of il
is own body, but, after all, they are ston
- and never can bring forth life WI,
.. NAV not this dogma be to YOU If vo
)" are wcak--and who is not-you can 90
Christ and get strong if you are sinful
and who Is nOt-yOu can 60 to Christ an
IN be forgiven, | implicitly believe all thi
t. ana on it | wouli found this church
no heartily believe it, and by means of it
r would save my soul and yours,
= gE-AFFIRNATIoN OF HIS BELIEF IL TIL
DIVINITY OF CHRIST.
" From the NeS.York Sun, Dec. col
- a Sun reporter called at DR.. Hepworth
.e palatial residence in Forty-seventh stree
10 last evening, and was ushered into the d
q vines pleasant study.
Can You wait ten minutes" said til
reverend gentleman, courteously, as
no couple are waiting 70 be married ~
% The reporter had no idea, of course, O
delaying such an event, and seated him
self in an ample easy chair, while the youth
x iu! couple were escorted by DR.. Iepwort
n, into the parlOr, and were made one, in III
presence Of two witnesses.
The candidate for matrmony havn.
been disposed of, the Sun reporter was in
y yited into the parlor.
IS The eloquent divine was seated in
l. luxurious armchair, his arm resting grace
. fully on Il table on which lay copy of tn
scriptures, Though Ec has been c0nnecte
) with the ministry for some Is years, hi
{ face does not bear that carcworn look no
> uceaOle among the clergy, and his rnanne
a and language are frahk, open and ingen
uous. When he spoke Of .the churc
within which he has so long been shin
10 ing light, his voice had tone of sadncs
y but his expression Of belief in Christ an
q the scriptures was firm and unhinchinl
d IL have yet made no public announce
r. ment, he said in reply to the rcporte
'of an intention to leave the Unitaria
a." church, and have for four or five YEA
Is been somewhat in disrepute among my ow
body on account Of my extremely cOnse
vative views. have not, therefore, bee
IS able to do the work / wished to do, or
~ have that sympathy which desired"
or In what point of belief do you diiit
in Nm the majority of the Unitarian body
,os -, NNitarians are fast drifting to utter n
" Sm,'oH' 1T only of the divinity of Chris
I Tat oI ,ne ,SNlidity of the scriptures.
,rs s mnr" Gren p%cSHow?ing more and more COZ
- nr c%'n w. ,htl't Mas been growing to
ne been compelled to say SO In public,n "
what was the nature OF yoIr roco,
ut, statements in meeting ~ 'SN''
pr I" made public announcement, os
my belief in Christ; that | gave INV - -,
wagering allegiance to the divinity
an, Jesus Christ and it would be wrong e
~, me from that time forth to preach am
'es thing else If | cant agree with the u
cts tarians in this matter am very sorry b
he ! must hold my own course and preach q
ill cordlng to my own convictions
DO you intend to leave the unitari
| church p