New-York tribune., 1881-11-28

ters in 1860 now accepted with few dissenting az
No venerabeness Of age has been superior & W hame no
vance of the allc0nquerng ideas. Inc opi nal nrI
the young with the clearness OF their perceptions am
the boldness OF their speech am WIN & & the calm
ey has sgnalled to me again and again from tne 0'
| height OF six and eighty years. ,.,,-;on,
"HOw does the matter stand with Evangelical relg0n
II is stronger than II was twenty years ago. say
Frothingham But how is it stronger AS u9sntt0 usttn
system OF trinity atonement, total depravty'
revealed religion basing itself upon book infaDy IN
splredi Neither the one nor the other. on tGe con,
ary the numerical and general success OF Orthodoxy IS
largely in proportion TO ts modification or denial OF the
creeds it noniinay holds, to the retcence OF tne
years formed the staple of orthodox preaching are
now reserved for state occasions How much preaching
Is there about the trinity, about total depravty
election reprObatlOn, the tOrments OF the daheu
In every sect the preachers who have departed nOi'
In Germany the Lutheran Church has been remarkaoy
imperyous to radical truth. And with what result
replies haJ is steadily losing its hold upon the me,ta
In spite O the EmperOrs influence Berlin Is almost uhGOh
seous OF the existence of organized Cnrlsaiy crce
Protestant communities OF France ana hoiiahu e'iu'
steadily increasing ratiOnastic tendency.
In England the career Of Dean Stanley Is TeI TeaIRa
pie commentary on the no headWay OF Mr. Da4hess
ana brave free thought but hundreds OF tne & &eie h
written OF the Bible nationally could Mr. frOthhg
ham himself, and OF the New Testament miracles asU,
impeach his clerical standing. The condition OF religious
thought In Scotland IS so generally understood lnat
need hardly mention IT, Can IL be that dalyng pleas
antly with Alpine gores lost in admiration otne g
nOrdnt and spcrstOus priests at Rome, our friend has
never heard Of Robertson Smith or OF the Sc0cn ser
mons written by ten twelve or the most gifted MN
isCrs of the Established Church Of Scotland, which are
substantially as RATIONAL anti-supernatllra as the
sermons OF Theodore Parkerl A quarter OF CEN
tuTy ago the orthodoxy of Scotland had not gwen
sign OF rational tendency; and now the Established
Church and the Free Kirk and the United Presby eans
Vie with each other In the number and ability OF their
men completely dominated by this tendency. Bat all
who find themselves in this condition not content
still to maintain the Old ecclesiastical connections. In
England StOpOrd Brooke remembers the injunction OF
Carlyle: Else wnlther for q refuge die here !! and
breaks away from all the dear associations Of the Ma
iOnal Church Here In America the Unitarian ministry
is being constantly recruited from s'cal pupits
and the men who men of 80 much abity and
each newcomer reports score or two OF ministerial
friends anxious 10 follow lin into the larger liberty Oh
Unitarian fellowship.
Such are few OF many facts that have a certain
bearing on the assertion that rational religion has made
no headway during the last quarter OF century, ana
that evangelical churches are better filed to-day than
twenty years lf the second member OF this sen
tence Is true II Is because the first member is true
Let the old standards be enforced let the old doctrines
be distinctly preached, and the doors OF the churches
aye and the windows, would he chOKed with the crowd
OF men and that would tread uoD each other in
their haste to leave the ell precincts for breath or
less asphy Xiating and suphurous air"
In conclusion Mr. Chadwick said that IN Mr. Fr0thing
hams books would DE found abundant relutatiOns for
every sentence he has lately spoken against the cause
which once lie served 50 wcll'