, 1874-09-18


.--
ME- BEE0HER'H BAD THEOLOGY.
Tho Interior, religious newspaper published
Ia this city. Is wonderful journnl. It Ia tho
property of Mr.. Cyrus Il. Mccormick, who iH
eminent alko O. philanthzopist, as III acute
and sound thoologian. and as q man Of aovoro
morals. It Is odited by Prof. Patton, whose
1abors in defonso Of tho fatth are we'll known
and fully appreciated In this community. II
counts among ita contributors men whoae as-
gusnca familiarity NTH tab naturo md plaps OF
tho sapretno Boing iB something quite aur-
prising.
We lad tho pleasure rocautly Of Introducing
to our readers ono OF those contributors who,
moved by compassion for tho ignorance OF hia
follows proceeded to pnlighton them upon tho
subject Of tho Trinity. Tic way In Which he
handled this hitherto mysterious doctrine was
astonishing to bohold. uo spoke "a ono having
authority md not ~ tho scrboa. Nor did he
fail to mike 1t manifest that his confidence was
tho contltlouco not Of offensive dogmatism or
of boundleHs aolf-concoit, but Of complete aud
absolute knowledge. Aud whom man knows
any subject through aud through, and With alb
aolute oxhaustiyenosH aud axactneaa az this
writer knows tho Trinity, it ia quito proper for
him to Bpoak with ASSURANCE, To do so is only to
illustrate what John Horny Nowmau BayB q man
nay often illustrate, that "syotism Is modosty.'
Aud now there comes an editorial writer in tho
Inferior Of this weok who knows a. thoroughly
tho planB aud deaigus Of Providence as tho
former writer luows thu nature Of the Trinity.
lilo takos the Brooklyn soAutlal az his text, and
proceeds to toll III, "a ono to whom tho secret
has boon ,mpartod. precisely what tho Divine
Governor Of the world means by 1t. He Assumes
Mr. Deeehes's guilt and ho assurea us that the
Almighty HimsDfE hna undertaken to chow tho
world, by this scandal, tlat Mr. Baoeher's
theology is fasa, mud that ita nccossary fruit
is just auch Iowa PRACTICES a. those
with which Nr. B.aohor is charged.
Cotton alather, in his day, stigmsizcd such
practices In VERY plain Language. aud ho nttribut-
cd thom not to liberal theological notions, but
to tho possession Of the Doyi1. But cur modern
interpreter Of Divine Providence does not re-
sort to any such shallow explanations. 1t has
boon revealed to him that Doecher's morals arc
corrupt, because bis theology ia had. Now, va
dare not dony an Interpretation 80 authoritative
aB this. We sec, too, as tho author doubtless
forcshsdows tor Prof. Swing and Ill other
trembling haratics like himself. It Is also made
clear to III that mans only escape from actual
sin is to believe with oil hiH might In original
sin, and that 10 can keep freq from personal
guilt only by naeekly accepting imputed guilt.
All this VIC Bee, and, seoing, much admire.
hut atill We have souao perplexitios. How Ia
it that such steadfast adherouts Of sound
theology - tho Roy. JOHN s. Glondonuing ara
taken possess;oa Of by Cotton Mather's doyit ?
| How was it that, many years ago, the Rev. DR..
| Hamilton, Of Mobile. A1a., bccamo notorlonsly
guilty Of q namoless crlmo ? Ho wss very sound
! in bis theology. So WAS the Rev. II. L. P.
| Thompson. Indeou, the natncB are both numer.
! GUS and familiar Of thoao who have been o.
| tromoly orthodox In boliof and extremely ras.
cally in practice. and, to 60 back to {a,
earlier day, what shall no said Of David tho King
Of Israol : Did he, like thia Moollyn pronoher
| hold to an "inno7ating and destructive Cos
pel ~ Did ho holioye IN M "Evangol OF lib
cralism - It would secm US IT ho must havt
dono 30, o!ao how could he havo gone astray7
| Upon recent Sunday tho Rev. Jaboz Lynne
| Of Skunk Ryor, H., demonstrated with eom'
boys who woto dcseorating tic Sabbath by bath
ing IN that odorlforons atreanl. While thus en-
ployed ho was struck by ligb thing aud Instant
killed. Mono OF the boya v:ero struck by light
ming md mono Of them wt'ro drowned. 1e
possible that tho 1ucklcss preacher waa the oul
poraou in tho crowd whf,ae' theology was bad
VII! not this interpreter OIL Providence rho get
aud gives m Interior Viov OF things hasten
toll ua?