The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-05-10
The Disgraceful Display that was Made
in the Talmage Trial.

Two months ago, in windy March, gust
Of common fame ratified the windows and
whistled in through the keyholes OF the
Brooklyn Presbytery The ears OF young
Brother CROSBY and OF some OF the older
brethren attended the sound-if we may
borrow phrase from ISAAC WATrs-and
made out its distressing import One Of their
own number, the pastor Of the largest Pres
byterian church in Brooklyn, II not in the
United States, a Doctor Of Divinity, the
trusted religious guide of thousands of
mortals was denounced by this common
fame as a hypocritical, cantng fraud-un-
truthful, tricky, dishonest, disgrace to the
Christian ministry.
Clearly there was but one thing to be
done. Either these current rumors were
true or they were false. The truth must be
ascertained, and the only way 10 ascertain
1t was by putting the Rev. T. DE WITT TAI
MAGE, ID. D., on trial in the method pre-
scrbcd by the Presbyterian Book OF Dis
cipline. His staidcr brethren had shown
themselves very long suffering toward him.
They had borne for years with his eccen-
tricites, his astounding physical aud
intellectual gymnastics in the pulpit, his
advertising lodges, his weekly and daily
offences against all the received standards
of Presbyterian dccorum. But here were
charges too serious to be overlooked. For
bcarance had at last ceased to be vir,de.
In vain TALMAGR protested, pleaded, and
clustered. Nainly his friends In the Pres
bytery and in the newspapers asserted that
whatever common fame there was had
been manufactured for the occasion by few
/ ~ his bret har praa ohprs who an iaI hin, his
cloqucnce. his huge congregation, aud his
fat saary-in other words, who hated him
for being bigger and more prosperous man
| than themselves The cry OF persecution
was unavaling. Tho Rev. T. DE WITT TAI
MAGE, d. d.. was arraigned in the prescribed
form for ialsehood and deceit. Annexed TO
| the charge were specifications going to
show, if proved, that the lying and trickery
were not mere isolated lapses from grace
under the stress Of sudden temptation, but
chronic diseases Of the man. moral nature.
No more disgraceful charge could be
! brought against a Christian teacher.
Whatever skeptical or scientific readers Of
the New Testament may think Of the super
natural occurrences which it narrates, there
Is but one opinion among intelligent and
candid readers as 20 the purity of its ethics.
The criticism oftenest urged against them
is that they are too pure and elevated for
this workaday world, wherein every man
must look out for Number One. The par
ticuar sin charged against the Rev T. DE
WITT TALMAGE, ID. d.. Is one which
is treated in both Testaments, the
Old and the New alike, rs a sin OF especial
blackness involving the most awful cOnse-
quences TO the sinner. "All liars" so runs
the threatening language, shall have their
portion in the lake that burneth with fire
and birthstone" Nor is 1t the mere avoid
ance Of bald uttered falsehoods that Is com
manded; for we read that GoD "requireth
truth in the inward parts" No wonder the at
tontion Of skeptics and sinners was arrested
by the news that a Court OF JESUS CHRIST
was to try one Of His alleged ministers
upon such a charge as this, How would the
proceedings OF this court put all mere
worldly courts, whether Of law or equity, tC
shame! How careful would be its investi
cations, how decorous its discussions, how
stern its adherence Of the sin, how solemn
and righteous its Judgments
How the forty or fifty Brooklyn preachers
and elders officially designated by the Bool
Of their Church as Judges Of the Court o.