The Portland daily press., 1874-08-11

The letters Of which Moulton promises Il
| supply the originals, are the following mot
| all ready published in Tilton's statement. The
/ missing " erds are not supplied:)
| DIR. Edward Beccher's Letter.
| The Eagle in its extra publishes the following
letter from Rev. DR.. Edward Beecher to Mrs.
HO0ker:-
| BROOKLYN, Dec. 18th, 1872.
My Dear Sister-In your interview with me,
| you stated your belief that Henry is guilty as
| to Mrs. Tiltonj and that you were endeavoring
| to induce him to confess the fact as a means
of his salvation. To this 1 reply that 1t he is
guilty, confession will not save him. He will
| fall in the Christian world as Lucifer, son of
HE Morning. III 0 own people would not Tor
give him and ought not to do it; The church
universal would not forgive him and ought not
to do it. On what grounds you hope otherwise
to think it could be overruled for good or be a
part of the great onward movement, | cannot
conceive. All the churches take Christ as their
law-gver, and he condemns divorce except ftr
one cause, and denounees even looking at a
woman to lust af er her as adultery,
Mrs. WoOdhulps movement will sink In per-
dtiQn all who endorse it. and the views detailed
by you to me as your own would meet with UNI
iversal Reproductions There may be now and
then an exception, but they Will be few. In
fact then you are laboring with all your might
to ruin Henry, and yet you make professions of
peculiar love to him and of hope for him if he
possible. 1t is true if Henry is guilty he ought
not to lie by denying it and to practice hyPos-
racy. But if he were guilty and if for the sake
of avoiding these sins, he should confess, it
would not at all avert his fall. His only hope
of salvation and influence is in thei;assurance
of the Christian community that he Is limo
cent and puIe. l have carefully looked into
the matter and fully believe that he is inno-
cant and pure as he has explicitly declared to
me repeatedly, and have watched his spirit M
IL. 4
believe that he is in communion with God and
that God sustaius him. and l do not believe
that God would thus sustain a liar, a hypocrit
and a libertine, and he is all these If be is
guilty. Still further; have carefully reviewed
what could be done if any attempt was made to
fully AMI thoroughly indicated. l know what
testimony there is and how it would stand, and
an sure he would be fully indicated.
This is the opinion of an eminent lawyer,
WHO has thoroughly examined the cese and of
ether competent judges. l have no time to go
into details, but you may be sure that L do not
speak carelessly or withoutiiDjury. l, there
Tore, think that you not only injure Henry by
the course you pursue, but all those who are
influenced by you to believe MIN guilty, yet you
are his sistef and profess peculiarly to love
him Now you may be sure of this: The uni
versal conviction, not only of Christians, but of
all men of honor and refinement, will that if IL
were necessary to bring Henry to trial or to
bring him to confession, 1t Is not sister $ part
to volunteer to be the accuser and prosecutor,
and you are preparing to come into collision
with conviction and emotions of which God is
the life, and before which you cannot stand or
defend yourself for moment If any one
should ask why not m set the case and develope
it, at once is the reply that it would result in
very great moral injury and Diversion from
spiritual good to go into the inquiries involved,
and that for Henry to live near God and mani
fest the graces of the Christian character, and
to labor for all good things and to produce an
absorption in God and heavenly things
is his best defence, and will cause
all slanderers attacks to die away.
When we parted you asked me 10 pray over the
subject. l have done so, and L have prayed for
you. / do not assume TO mean that you mean
to do evil. In your own conscience you are
aiming at good, but if you act In fact against
the great laws God implanted in the mora!
nature OF men, no sincerity nor seeming good
intention will save you. If man throws HIM
self into the fire it will burn him, and no sim
cerity of belief will avert the consequences.
The course you have pursued toward Henry
cannot result in good to you, to him or to any
one, and it may be fearfnlly injurious to your
self. 1t is, therefore, because love you that L
have spoken earnestly and plainly, and ] hope
you will accept it as proof of my love, for |
do not cease to pray for you that the dear
Savior may deliver you from error and lead you
you into all TRUTH
am as ever, your affectionate brother,
EDWARD BEECHER.