New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-20
THE DRIFT or MODERN THOUGHT.
zhe ~. Henra Ir,.A g..cheL a PLgnonl. chur.h

mons upon the genera! SUBJECT OF the success w
failure OF Protcsantis lie prefaced the morning dis
course with these words: &" propose to show, this
morning that there Is enough the condition of things
IA Justify the most fears OF the most serious men
and this evening that the state o. things Is such as to-
inspire the hope and confidence OF men III Inc per
manencc az = spiritual Christianity"
There il among educated thinkers, he sad, growing
impression that Christianity il losing it, hold upon men,
and that the church is n waning power There Is SER
Gus alarm on this matter among some teachers We
hear much about tho decay OF faith. The DRIFT OF edu
Gated thought in science, IN art and in philosophy Is
away from church life and II religion ana chnrch HE
are identical IL must be admitted that the direction OF
modern thought Is away from religion Bat 10 not adj
nit that religion and church lie so identical IL Is
declared that tie church Is not Divine
institution There is a widespread feeling that the
teachings Of the past I'm regard 10 order Of worship are
VAIN There is doubt whether the minister Is other
than mn h.ted for moral teaching. without any
special direction authority. There js douot Us to
the ordinances. II II held that they are not Divine IN
any other than that which l. useful D'ire Ihai
the government Of the church prescribed and tnat the
general features Of worship are laid down-s say Ia
being largely doubted by educated thinkers outside the
churche7 aud jus, much by educated thinkers inside
the churches The rgor OF belief to the mechanical
forms OF worship has undergone great change every
where.
Among thinkers the drift f. away from formulated
religious ruh-that -, from theology, q. system which
furnishes complete account Of Gods dealings with the
world The systems OF Augustine and Calvin covered
the whole ground OF possible thought ON religious sub
Iccts. so with the systems Of Edwards, Hopkins
Ennons and Dwight We have som, Systematic
writer's to-day and 1t is to he hoped That they believe
their own systems but what a contrast IN
this point between the feeling Of Christian
men now and in times past. shall we have another
Dante another Milton. another Pollock who give the
of with The d1y
past The growth Of human knowledge has brought ont
material for which theology has no place and cXpana
ton and meme thoughts are busy with things Tor winch
no account Is given in the systems Of theology.
Special doctrines have undergone at change. The
nature Of sin the nature Of penalty, the possibility of
reform the method Of reform the power Of the Will IN
relation 10 material aud social circumstances
things have come in to change these special
doctrines which were formerly received almost
without question. There Is wandering drifting
and uncertainty among Christian teachers. The sermons
Of to-day are as far the sermons OF my childhood as
Is possible TO be conceived The pulpit has chang d.
Ills shows that the wants Of the community are not the
same The great bulk Of Christian men believe In the
Christian religion but they realize that the old methods
of statement have lost their power And men that
they losing the power Of the old BELIEF before they
TIcrc has been great change in the Protestant world
on the subject of the Bible and o. ~ the meaning OF M
sptaiouls TO what IL l. pnd what II Is not whether
man was the channel through which God injected His
own thought whether the inspiration ran through every
word aud ne; whether u extended through trans
lations: whether II belonged 10 the age aud the
church 20 the minds Of al men no were III sympathy
with God. or whether the pennln SIMPLY ehpr-seu Tue
average experience Of all men The question OF hspTa
ton is no, marrow and settled The extent Of revea-
un in the Word Of God ~ also question: u
n was necdtul to reveal what men could hnd ont by
their natural investigation and study IA" scope
and meaning Of miracles have also Dcch Inc SUBJECT 81
searching Investigation. and dissent ana variations OF
opinion this matter exist The authority OF me Dec,
aratiOuS Of Gods WORD III br presence ol I,t IcAon
whether the Bible determines what we kha thnk' or
whether moral sense shall be the test oil scripture
these things run deep and are widespread.
stu profound is the change jhat mas taken place
In respect 10 the VeTs OF thn chSt'9Co 1ia %
OF a Divine Bong. Ten years ago Dr' bacon 'l Ne~-
Haven said that the question OF the age wou not be
nsprat inspiration, but whether there any
God TO inspire. This prediction IL coming I" pa Pun,
titudcs Of who not Ignorant nor malignant but
WHO profess to have trained their MINDS TO eguale and
lief That IN England France and Germany, and ~ some
extent in America, there i growing number OF atheists,
no man VINO ma op-rINtu the iA'ts W ~ ~ ~
They are not beasts maligans Ana even more are
tbeista who say thailGod that includes the
universe, another name for nerve nnd brain. the
fore without personality, vague and exclusive.
This view has especial attraction for mysticol,
The side those who teach thar God is nnsno~abe They
do not deny-they hope that there God but He can't
he found out This is taught by some from the pulpit,
and by some from the scientific forum There is large
class who feel that they are not called TO think
crcsng number Of their disciples. ana they are not
ignorant and vicious, but men OF phlosophic reputation
open minds 10 II.
These are the facts. That there is a change all secs
recognize The Roman Church discerns IL with the
cearness OF vision which has had IN ovey age Protcs
ans recognize IT, and MANY declare that Old things have
is more widely difused among the lalty than mon sup
pose Men for various reasons listen orthodox preach
ing every Sunday and don't believe word they hear.
but they don't say anything about IT, great many
lawyers, great many physicians great many teach,
because they wish bring their families nv in that way.
others II Is respectable, 1t Is fashonable our
He'd, who loss
their religious belie-whO are 1ucuatlng aud chang
ing. This is one effect % general edgca;
instructor A Thousand magazines are carving out
knowledge every year Science Is ehtenoag s Innnes
man, the OF Thought social relationships are
becoming tones c ol anrna nre sing tIoneS ~
they did not hundred years ago The pulpit Is one
men have abandoned tho churches aud that they are
tnnly attended; aud where they IRE thichly attended
if IA laid that men are attracted 10y fantasies of the
preacher or his mountebank attitudes. IL ID taken for
iSLanGhi thongh silent is steadily acting have no
doubt there people IN this congregation who don't
The great mass OF the community have so fallen of
from the authority Of preaching and the influence ~ the
church. that they can maintain their lhXly OF belief
and the fact not appear. II spiritual photograph could
be taken say Of DR. John Halls cOngregaiiOn-if you
could take the belief OF the honryheaded listeners and
determine what they thinking about while listening
"a the preacher the contrast would doubtless lie the
most extraordinary ever known, When they hear II
may be, may be-" But "may be" is II good doubt.
When you shake mans absolute iath III doctrine IL
has lost its power over him.
going the change / speak Of. 1t is not narrow,
local transient. It has all the appearance OF
march of an advance. II Christianity has brought
the world to point where the old forms
ore moi adapted TO its new life If there are to be larger
Thought and statesmaushp and wOTldliie If there Is
the putting on childish things and the putting on OF
manLood then no man need be alarmed or afraid
That God is moving in his providence no
one can doubt. 1 do not believe that the
ogy will ever pass away. We owe
world of gratitude TO the past systems. But that
there is to be no new light do not believe
ANY system that Is adequate must include all
the facts, all the light and truth from every
quarter We are preparing the way to,bud larger
ana deeper, and with more authority and power. To
maintain A. old has the whole force OF religious
laziness In 1t. TbreeOuTths OF total depravity
,aziuess. In the RltuAlstic Church they claim to
hnvn cvervthinr settled infaby. But God meant