, 1882-10-28
Beecher's Creed.

At the autumn meeting of the New York
and Brooklyn Associations OF Congresa-
tional Churches, at Park Congregational
Church, Brooklyn, Rev. J. c. Roberts OF
Rochester avenue Church otiiciated as
Moderator, and Rev. Mr.. Stiles as tenn
porary Scribe. Rev. II. W. Beecher,
who had been assigned TO open the dis
cussion of the subject of Spiritual Bar
barism," made it the occasion for an
nouncing his withdrawal from member
ship of the association. He delivered an
elaborate exposition Of his belief respect
ing the doctrines of the Bible and Chris
tianity. He assigned as a reason tor
Withdrawing, that as Christian gentle
man he could not afford TO lay on any
body the responsibility of his views. He
could not afford, especially, to put the as
sociation in such position that they
we're obliged to defend him. lie now
here, in greatest love and sympathy, laid
down his membership, and should go
forth not to be separated from them, but
really TO be nearer them. Mr.. Beecher
explained the loose general representa-
tions and Misrepresentation in respect to
what he believed and taught He held
that of the views that he had present
ed by the pagan and Greek barbarlsm,
one of the most barbaric, infaniile, igno-
rant conceptions WAS that OF the impossi-
bility of God, a conception that perfee-
ton of character required that a being
should not be susceptible to pain Of any
kind, or to sorrow or suffering The di-
vine heroes, lie said, must stand in the
power of God to suffer, and is 10 the very
root and force of the atoning life and
death OF Jesus Christ Right ever on
the other side was another element
springing frcm barbaric nation and not
from and esthetic, viz, that God is cloth
ed with human passions Terms OF that
kind were not wanting III the Old Testa-
ment, but men had constructed their con-
ception Of God from the example of their
animal inclinations and appetites, not
from the example Of their reason and
their moral sense Mr. Beecher held that
the character of God, as taken by the
Confession of Faith, and that as given by
the Lord Jesus Christ, differs as widely
as frightful gorgon and the head Of am
Apollo in the heather mythology. He
was made monster in the place Of low
ing master and master of love. He re-
jected this with au impetus that touched
every foundation Of his soul Then the
doctrine of mans moral and physical ina
bility to obey the laws of God he rejected
He also rejected those representations OF
future punishment. which We're gross and
physical, and which were made from the
sensuors Roman school He believed in
future punishment. He believed that
the wholesome and restraining influence
of that doctrine had been very large
ly destroyed by substituting slaughter
house section, gross, carnal, corrupting
and diabolical representation Of he'll and
the sutferIngs of those who were subjected
TO punishment. The suffering would not
be bodily, as he held, but mental, accord
ing to the laws of moral sensihility and
all the affections not a machine Of sui
phur and fire, a deluge of devils and alp
manner of annoyance. epitomized and
represented in the art of Michael Angeles
LAST Judgment and represented more
sbominably and ine1cusably by the Ger
man school That was barbaric. He re-
garded, also, the whole doctrine of original
sin as founded In the fall OF Adam as be-
ing barbsric. He accepted without ana
lysis the Trinity. He believed in Prov
idence who overruled human life, BY and
through natural laws. Christ was infinite,
with infinite limits, and in taking his
place as man he became subject 10 the
laws of time, space and mstter. He be-
heyed fully and enthusiastically, without
a break or a single line of tremulous aber- |
ration, in the divinity of Christ Christ |
was God manifest in the flesh.