The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-04-28
A Discussion in BeecheI's Church
Last Friday Night.


The New York World of Saturday con-
tains an account of discussion that took
place the night before at Henry Ward
BeecheTs Church, between him and some
of his members, They have what they
|caIl "lecture room" meeting in that
Church every Friday night, at which con.
Yersational discussions are INDUCED in on
scriptural. subjects. We quote from the
Rorlds report OF Friday evenings discus
sion as follows:
& Brother Holliday-What dos you sup
pose is meant by ChrisGs declarati ont that
he was one with the Father?
Mr.. Beecher-1 don't know. Laugh
teri
~ Brother Hollidsy-Don't know what
MT. Beecher-I don't suppose at ALL,
| When YOU press me beyond the limit OF
oneness you press me- further, than lean
lpo If YOU ask me what oneneSS means L
! say I don't know. 1t is great deal easier
10 say.you don't know when you once get
used to it than to say you do and try to
explain what you can't explain.
LIZA Sister-My idea is that Christ IN
Jesns was God in Jesus, but not Jesus.
A4SA(B W. 100 ~
already. I have no doubt your mind is
well enlightened on this subject, but mine
| is not - - ~ Si- 80
Brother Shearman said no nation yet
had ever known the real name OF God.
The Jews were the only nation that had
ever pretended to know Gods name, and
they had forgotten it. The missionaries
in China were guarding as TO the name
to give to al. The name which would
command the most respect from q China
man we should think not very dlgn1hed.
They would call God "Shin5 and our
name of God to Ohinaman} would not
MIR. Beecher-I think many of the more
devout Catholics when they pray to the
Virgin Mary are right. / have q great
deal of sympathy with them. There is
great deal of fuss made about deitying the
Virgin Mary, but if you don't put the
woman spirit in God then we will have
it outside.
A Scotch. Brother-We are taught
that hristsitteth at the right hand OF
God to make intercession for US. Now,
if Christ can grant our requests why
should he ask God to do 30
Mr.. Beecher-That language is t1gura-
tive. 1t was addressed to the jews, and
it interpreted to the Jews that which 1t
does not to u.s. It was magnificent
figure to the Jew, but it was figure, and
for US to literalize it and suppose that
Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of
God praying to him, trying to Influence
his will, is blunder. That there are in.
terchanges of thought and feeling would
seem natural, but that the Savior is
Obliged to go before the father to plead
with him, to persuade him, is contrary to
the whole spirit OF the Bible, and contrary
to the spirit Of civilized and intelligent
manhood.
simply on this ground, that it seems more
consonEnt on2the whole to the design and
flow of scripture than any other way OF
presenting the divine character Not be-
cause understand it or can work it into
machinery. for as to apportioning tunc-
tiens to the Father and to the Son and to
the Holy Spirit, and saying in this dee
psrtment tho Father is supreme, and In |
another that the Son has power, and in
another the Holy Ghost, it is superlstive
conceit to do this. We do not know
enough to make any such distinctions,
whatever name you please to apply to this
divine, essential unity in the characteris-
ties iof God. When devout Unitarlans
pray to the Father they do pray TO the
Son-thst is to say, let them anslyze and
state to me WhaC IL ls IN tue AtneE Wntca
draws them. If it be tenderness and love
which draws them, thatidea Is borrowed
from the Lord Jesus Christ ALI the ma:
terisls which go to make up the idea OF
the Father are borrowed from the Lord |
Jesus Christ, so that when they pray to
the Father. they mean just what I mean
When pray to Christ. If people pray
With childlike faith and earnestly LIDO
not think their prayers will fall to the
ground. ~3s taAalEt flEzc F{52i