The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-12-14
Beecher.

b60CuoT.
Henry Ward Beecher, it wonll appear
from recent pulpit and platform utterances,
las forsaken church orthodoxy and
out upon sea Of metaphysical re-
filming and rationalistic deduction, which drift
him far away from the bedrock OF chris
tianity. lie seems to seek to follow in the
footsteps of Rob't G. Ingersoll, and not of
Jesus Christ. In accepting the doctrine, or
theory of evolution, in imitation of OAR
win and Herbert Spencer. and preaching
against that Of final punishment and orig
the W hole christian system and virtually de-
MES the authority of the Bible. In one of
his recent sermons, he is quoted: II say
that the theory Of the development OF man
absolutely believe it do say livery strong
ly incline to Say that this evolution of man
from the lower animals is just as consistent
with the doctrine of God, as manifested in
creation, as is the other theory" In other
words he disputes the inspired record that
man was formed out of the dust, fashioned
In the image of The Creator and had
breathed into him the breath of life. He
denies the whole Bible record-the story Of
the birth and life OF Christ, and confronts
the inspired werd with the speculative
theories of scientists as 10 mans origin and
destiny. 1t has not yet been stated by the
learned scientists Mr.. Beecher is seeking to
initiate where the mere an imal ceases to
exist, in the process of evolution, and the
moral man commemorate what particular
stage of the evolution the soul becomes a
part OF the moral being. ard lifts him
above the brute creation. Ii has never yet
been exposed that man, sprung from the
lower animals, as Darwin has it,, OF from
the vegetable world, as Herbert Spencer
argues, was anything else than the human
being that we find him. At no period of
the human race. from Adam down, is there
record of transitive state from the
lower animals, or vegetable material, to
the moral being he is recognized to be in
his present relations. We are not furnished
with the evidences where the first thrill Of
spirit consciousness enters the animal or
gan;sm-linking humanity to all immortal
destiny-and advancing man to a higher
life than the source Of his being, These
are all unexplained mysteries, defying the
| reason Of the propagators OF the evolution
theory, and forcing them back to mere in
tellectual speculations as against inspiration
and revelation and the teachings Of our own
oeing. :--"e.&." #/-"
1t WAS perfectly relevant for Mr.. Beecher,
after having committed himself to the the.
DRY OF evolution, to have procla lined, as he
did in Washington last week, to a gap ing,
sensual crowd, with peals OF applause at his
impiOus utterances against the Bible record
| Of mans creation and fall, and to announce
in frenzy of mannerisms, gesticulations
and hair-pulling, that the doctrine Of orig
inal sin was mOnstrous lie, that the God
| who condemned to death the creatures OF
| his creative power, was hideous demon,
and that the whole Bible theory of mans
| accountability for his own acts was of hu-
man invention.
| Mr.. Reecher stumbles where many great
minds before him have stumbled. 1t is. in
attempting to reconcile the infinite power
of the Creator with human reason-tC
fathom the purposes aud plans Of God and
adjust the mysteries of His counsel to the
scope and understanding of the human
conception. 1t is just here where he forsskes
| one OF the cardinal tenets Of Christianity
abiding Falkland affects to reason Will
| God and bring him and his works dowt, te
| the level Of finite coinprehens ion. We
| could not worship a God whose works We
| could measure and whose every ins
| We could grasp. Faith would give n ace
| to knowledge, and the whole systenA the
christian religion would prove a del9sior
| and snare. Science has ach ieved mu CHI
has unfolded much in the heavens above
| and the earth beneath. but it cannot pene
| trate the wisdom OF the Infinite, or exf aain
the motive which threw into space the. roll
ing worlds, and created all living thing al
ter their kind, to breathe awhile and 1hen
tO uies WHEN WI. DeecheA uHuoitaNVf u.
argue with God and to question the tr hths
OF his inspired and revealed word, he pa set
beyond the lin its OF the Christian g CT led
and plunges into the labyrinthian 5eg ioni
OF Infidelity and embraces Reason as his
weapon of warfare instead of Faith. Paine
and Hume and Voltaire did the same, iant
bequeathed to posterity fame that IS rep
| rotated by the christian world.
Republican National Conarc5ttea