The New York herald., 1878-09-26
THEOLOGY OF DISASTERS.
The English Clergy on the Recent
Calamities.
G. O d O II M A n y
Presumptuous Interpreters OF the Ways
OF Providence.
A TALE OF THE ARGYLL.

HERALD office the morning after the news OF tho col
hery explosion, ana that, with and without h's, Is
still the cry of England thousand violent deaths
in ten days-seven hundred In the Thames just
where the main drainage enters tho rivers three hun
dred down the bowels of the Garth, three hundred
yards from the light and OF heaven-ocr ''siily
season" has become a season of sorrow for many
s'Do such accidents, - OF the wcekiies, "or
disasters OF such striking magnitude really occur III
other countries? There are railways in France, there
are steam boats in America, there arc coal mines IN
Westphalia and do not hear OF similar disasters
Are we to believe the Anglophobists who insist that
other countries comparatively free while we sui-
ferS Probably not. We In England tell our disasters
10 the world. while elsewhere governmental power
and gagged press conceal accidents ana sysemati-
caly gloss over defects in the existing system"
We are sick of tho details OF the Princess Alice
catastrophe. Bodies swollen like eggs; skins pooling
of decomposed when touched and all the rest OF It;
and told that It will be a month botore
tho remains Of the poor fellows underground
can be hoisted out OF the pit. We havo open
windows when the morning journals are delivered.
The disnster the Thames has given rise to con-
troversy carried in one OF the evening papers,
which Is as offensive in Its way as the details OF the
hunt Tor tho bodies. Mr.. spusgeon's eGusion
pn the subject you have already heard Of
Forthwith came stream Of Correspondence
which is printed under thesheadings OF Genealogical
View OF Catastrophe" and "rhe Act of God versus
the Careessness oil Man." Ono of the Survivors oil the
accident attributed his rescue toa special Intervention
OF Prov,deuce-a modest assumptou-and the gen.
eral tone of the preachers on the Sunday following
was what l may perhaps, without irreverence call
the od-oi, he Oh Testament tone the God OF ven
geance, battle, murder and sudden death. And be-
lieve that the great majority OF English clergymen
are, from choice, believers IN that God. was at
thp hcr dav nd mi n IN
OF of the greatest OF English Perccvng
him to be q strong Turcophile told him OF a few
personal experiences OF the massacre OF wounded
after OF the battles the LON IN Bulgaria. just
year ago 'Oh, ah WEAKLY" ho said. '',ewwblc, no
doubt but was it all that they should
be thus put out of :beir misewy." don't think he
understood Inc when dropped the subject with the
remark that he was evidently worshippcr OF The
God OF the Testament and that we should not agree
Bat, to return 10 the disaster, must send you tew
extracts from the correspondence which show that
there are those who will speak boldly against tho
spreachers OF that class who interpret the ways OF
Providence TO suit their own theological dogma"
GODS JUDGES.
One man says:-"The idea OF atrIbuting TO the
Great Judge OF Futurity the accident that sent, with
out n moments warning, so many hundreds ot our
fellow creatures 10 their last account Is libel that
Will surely have be answered for the last day;
moreover In my humole opinion, II ls rank
blasphemy. To excuse mans inability in n moment
OF danger upon the plea that God was
pleased to bestow his vsita,,ons upon his subjects
liable to shake the faith of mankind the blessed
fruits of Christianity, and should be strongly pro-
tested against whether the individual Ia question,
whose innocence is established pro tenn at tho ex
pcnse OF his Creator be among the saved or lost be
be CON mander OF man-oi.war captain OF
key-Doat." :"
RESORT TO BRUTALITY.
Anothsr:l God is the all power III being He is rep
resen be by these He IS the just
and merciiul God they Id have bcIieve-surely
He eau find a mode OF exercising His power, even
In punishment that would DO more conformity
with His supposed mciciiul iucllnations than
that OF sending hundreds OF innocent children and
women 10 their death At moments notice, and
thousands OF hearts and homes sorrowul and
deso!aic. When read the accounts OF the painful
and heartrending scenes which occur hourly at Wool
wIch, them viii The theories expoundcd
by the parsons in the pupits II makes me disgustod
with everything IN connection with such theories. Is
there other mcaas for their God by which He can
effect His supposed necessary purposes without re-
sorting 10 brutality
sPURGuoS's THEORIES.
Recreation is q 81 n and the premature death OF
a large number OF persons by drowning while return
ing home, aor spending Il cheerful sunny day IN the
country, event TO be traced not to God las Mr.
spurgcos declarcd) but TO either msuan agcment or
mfseobception oil signals the part OF other
OF he captains. Presentation would imply that The
catastrophe was an Inevitable necessIy-and this Is
Mr.. spurgeon's teaching-thus exoncraling the cap
tains from any blame. inasmuch they could
DO deemed 10 he responsible Tor what beforehand
deereed such theory Is all very we'll IN the
p9lyit; but the realites of lilo prove only too
PLAINLY that the greater the precaution the less proba
bic an accident. Following Mr. Spurgesn's theory,
~ would be sham Tor the Coroners Jury to blame
either one or other OF the captains. Collisions are
the upsbot OF csrcicssness or incompetency which
may be termed "a pension OF the laws OF nature
those laws beng IN harmony with peace, happtucss
and prosperity
q
Spurlcon's remarks tho OF tho terrible
siae o, 10 The Princess AIicc He puts 1t down as an
act OF Providence to effect some good purpose. Are
not told on good authority that we are not Ito do
svh that good may comeP How can Mr..
spur reconcile hIs theory with such a
mands AIR. spgTgeon when he chooses can hnd
plenty Of Ore and birthstone at command-why did
ne not say plainly on TINS occasion that the fearful
tragedy the OF the devilY While Mr. Spur
eeos his belief that 1t the OF Provi
Geuce tnat beiplcss women and children should be
dose doAtn IN this awful manner he does not
neglect % wrlic 10 the papers that this same Provi
dence put "a rope within reach OF certain lady
b~lonsiug TO his eongrcgatloul Has Mr.. spurgcoG,
vbeu thus dragging Providence into the horrid Affair."
sssriookei no iac' that over iorty menbsrs OF
Bioie cisss belonging TO another dcnomination lost
their nvcsf Ana ~ not, does II not seem inplous
that be should be 10 careful to tell us that Provi.
deuce saved OF his nocg, whale SO many other
hsioae people we're sent 10 the bo;omI
Another asks the tDsologcsl expouoders whether,
-" their Cod seat the calamity OF the Princess Alice
20 ssrn mankind and deter eyildocrs IRON angerinx
Hin, u soud aot have been more cHcc,usi N lie ITO
whom all things are possolcI had wrecked a sbipoad
OF piskpecksts, thieves, burglars, wue.b .beaiers,
ergnksrds, s~ia iadlsrs aud Villains oil all kinds, In.
stead OF large number OF human bcings,
m0st oi whom never harmed fly In their
lives cxpse atty the innocent little chiidreu. ~
The theological reply will propaby be, "Hc 10 IN
scrutable, ellis ways are not ways.' and
ca Ibea rstort "Do not pretend tc explain the
insx plicmbls, nor profess 10 know the movable
Aaa 80 on Now that the nithy 1ood has YIELDED up
al dead thcn clothes ana tho blankets they
wrapped IN have been burned, the excitement
created 10 the waDc, and tho lawyers
Of the respective companies have the next turn.
THERE'S money In ~ no DOUBT
CKAxY TnBoLOcf
whlle On thsoiogicsl topics am rcmD Dded TO men
tion . rsyies by The kxfnsiH,r, under tho ute
s'Crszy Iheoiosy.N of q book by w. \. Haggard
ssilec, 'trsation, as Divine 5ynthesis: con
tsmplaise ffeatse conctrning the lntef-itelations
sstsssn Deity aud Has Creation, Discsversblo by
sBd ~ the hgman CudcrstandIng." Bnd says that
slsboogn the I-scs from whtch tho author dates hs
wofk " not uEaor The direct supervision oil tho
Looaey Commissi0ners, the purpose which he has
Laln hIna Ia Slachn