The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-12-05
1H,DEcEMBER 8, 1878.
Henry Ward Il Beecher.s

nld mhuY ESul1A AHAS ANSAeASse7 -,
pulpit himself and his congregation are
now both under the ban, 90 to speak, Of
the other Congregational Churches in
New York and Brooklyn. on account Of
their, refusal to accept the judicial offices
, of those churches In the matter OF the re-
cent difficulty arising out Of TLToN's
dismissal from the Plymouth Church.
Both the church and the pastor, however,
maintain firmly the position they have
taken, which Is one Of practical independ.
ence Of any other church or Of any
ecclesiastical council Of churches. In
word, BEEcHER's people propose TO be a
law unto themselves and 10 say and do
as they please, especially as Mr.. BEEcHER
himself piesses. His own language on
this point Is that 1.-THE Congregationalist
churches have no more right 10 interfere
with us than the Presbyterian or Metho.
dist churches have" He does not pro-
pose 10 govern his church nor be gov
erncd by the usual machinery prevailing
in other churches lie is down on ina
chinery" as he calls 1t. He says that
Instead OF attempting 10 govern the
Church by machinery, ecclesiastical ma.
chiuery, I have trodden II under foot
[Mr BRKcHRR stamped violently upon the
ground, and attempted to govern the
Church by the influence Of love and sym.
pathy." [Applause.
he also says in speaking Of the other
Congregational Churches that lie does not
want them ~ %.
70 be responsible for any Of my doc
trines, nor ior my ideas Of the fall oil
ADAM and original sin, nor for my con-
ceplion of the etonement; and. therefore,
say, again, that although may do no
violence, nor thrust myself out Of the
place where God put me, 1t would be an
infinite rcliefif l could stand on plat
form where no man on earth was respon-
slble Tor things said"
BEECuBR's great topic In the pulpit is
Glove" l, Is his hobby, so 10 speak. He
believes in ruling children, ruling churches,
and ruling men by tho supreme power oil
love and charity more than anything else,
ae thinks that the idea Of the perfect love
"that castetlr out fear" Is tho highest type
Of religion 10 infuee into the hearts Of
mankind; that II the world Is ever TO be
made better it must DO by preaching
"love" rather than "the terrors oil the
law" Men are repealed by this latter idea
but attracted by The former. Some people,
he in,imsles, may call him hereto.
Upon this point. however, he remarks that
"There are those who mourn over what
they call reaction In religion. 1t Is
none Of my funeral. There Is reaction
among those who only know religion in
its abstraction and ! don't wonder at It.
II you teach that the Bible Ia charter Of
tyranny, then, by every generous senti-
nent OF the soul, we are bound 10 tread
religion under loot. II behooves those
who are seeking profounder views oil
Gods government, and to whom every
revelation OF His will IS worth reading, 10
have their eyes and cars open 10 every
thought and tendency OF information. If
sou call that intldeliIy, then am an inf,
del. The general tone Of scientific men
IS right. am willing to declare that
pslpable truth should be believed, no
matter. whenCe.it leads, !" - -
hIr. BRRcnER takes the ground that II
he q called 70 preach It must be after his
own idea of duty, and not alter any body
else's. A mans intellectual and moral
make up determines his style Of preach
Ing according to his idea, He has mol
cotton Of running III some groove that has
been worn smooth by prorniscuous use.
OF himself, on this point, he thus speaks:
brethren, freely admit there are
some things in ME that i'll had been con.
suited in ny making l would have had
different. l am aware TINT all my modes
of expression and thinking are not alto
gcther normal, and that have not follow.
cd the old channe's In my mode oil ex-
preston and thinking. l have also felt
ihat-standing In an independent church
Il had q right TO follow The nature that
God gave me, after he had redeemed Il
by Christ. Ihsve followed my own par.
'ticulsr nature, and | have been. a free
thinker and have repudiated things that
other people believed, and have confirm
ed things that other people did not be.
live; and don't wonder that since my
sermons are printed close to my heels CIV.
cry Sunday-you cannot complain OF old /
ones anyhOw-not that there has been so
much criticism, but that there has not
been more. state, In respect 10 news
papers in the country At large. consider
Ing what human nature is, and what mere
jealousy for others views is-l maintain
that there has been much charity and
forbearance for this wantou and Tree
speaking tongue Of mine-wanton 10 the
sense 10 which Milton uses the term"
After reading this last paragraph the
newspapers Of tho country will Of course
say "bglly for BsraiEH' And why
should they mol. siuce he aIlOrdsso much
interesting reading matter Tor their col.
'umns. In this respect he is worth all the
balance o! the preachers in New York
put together. As to what will be done
with BEEcaRR and his church, that Is the
problem which his COnpregalionaiist
brethren at this time are trying to solve,
and they are in a 8 profound quAudsry
about Il. II Is evident that neither
BERcHER nor his church scare worth
cent Upon this point Of soaring he Is
explicit, a. follows:
II care not what theology, nor church.
es,nor men think aboutit, while love