The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-12-20
Beechcr Criticised.
4 SHARP ARRANGEMENT BY THE BAPTIST PAS
TORS OF NEW YORK.

4 SHARP ARRANGEMENT BY TIE BAfIiSi IAS-
TORS or NEW YORK.
The Rev. #. A. X. Gcsslcr, OF Brooklyn,
road n review before the Baptist pastors
Yesterday OF Henry Ward Bcccher's recent
naper i'm the North american Recie'o on
"Ihe Progress OF Thought il; the Church"
No clergyman, Mr.. Gessler said, occupies
a more commanding position than tie pas
tor OF Plymouth church, and no philan-
thropist, patriot. or lover Of Christ would
willingly forget the ten thousand utter
anccs which have fallen from his lips
in the past in the cause OF hui
manity and religion. When such a
man speaks, his words arc always worthy
Of careful consideration. Mr.. Beech
cr's views OF the progress OF thought in
the Church are optimistic. lie says that
sectarlanism is giving place to liberality OF
views, and a minister may now change his
denomination and cause rs little excite
ment as would be aroused by his moving
from one city to another. All this may be
true TO some extent, but il is also true that
it Is the men OF solid, sterling convictions,
who arc not swayed by every popular
breeze, that the world honors last and
most. The soldier who has no enthusiasm
for his own regiment, but who trains
with every regiment and all regiments,
is very likely 10 prove a hummer at
the last. The notions which Mr..
Beecher holds up to ridicule are the
sterner dogmas OF CalyinEm, and he looks
upon their decadence as an evidence OF the
progress OF thought in the Church OF this
country. II should be remembered that
these stelner doctrines have never been
underlying truth OF Cavanism. "thc Lord
reigneth," is more potent to-day than ii
ever was before. The most remarkable
part Of Mr.. Bccchcr's essay, however, is
his hint of the insufllciency Of ,he Scrip
tural testimony on the one hand, and bis
openly-exprcssed hope and confidence In
fhc scientific results 81 our time Oh the
other. The source Of final resort, he SAWS,
! is The Development Of human reason, andre
lieion has much TO hope, aud old tlcoiogy
much to fear, from scientific development.
q" Here certainly" said SIR. GesSler, sis q
remarkable spectacle. y Christian minis
ter, who has become Disguised with creeds
and finds the Scriptures no longer authOri-
tatiye, turns TO scientific theory, which
lead, its inventor TO aerosticism and in
fidelity, while stlll claiming a place as a
preacher Of that Gospel which depends for
its final confirmation upon the New Tesla
mcnt alone. Ii any man WAS competent TO
sneak Of evolution in lis relations
to the Scriptures Mr.. Darwin ought
to lie that man, and he has said
that science and religion have no.
thing to do with each other. except rs
science makes = man cautious about accept
ing any theological creed. Ucckel goes
| further, and avows atheism, pure and SIM
pie, rs the result OF evolution. 4 theory
which begins without a God and ends
without future will seem TO most men a
poor substitute for the ccrtiudcS Of the
| New Tcstament.r The cause OF Mr..
| BeccheI's change Of base, the reviewer
said, was his departure from 4 simple and
sincere reliance on Gods word. With any
mooring hut that Of The Bible Z preacher is
sure TO DRIFT on uncertain seas, aud Mr..
Becchcr is in that position now.
Mr. GesslcI's paper was discussed by
many OF the clcrgymen who had listened TO
it, and the cnconliums passed upon it were
many. The Rev. J. b. Taylor said "This
notion that God did not finish the creation
before the Sabbath is the basis Of infdelty,
and any man who attempts 70 eXpound the
word is q servant Of sin il he i'll any way
peryerts that word" The Rev. J. Il.
Thomas said {: "When q man winds up
by saying that we must change the entire
base Of our theology he transfers himself
from Moses and Paul to Herbert Spencer
The Rev. Mr.. Douglass asserted that
Beecher does not know where he stands
himself, and that it was always difficult "a
know what he meant, for in all probability
he did not know himself. The Rev. w
X. Evarts said: ole is giving the power
OF his name TO reinforce atheism and ire
ligion, whether he knows it or not" The
Conference adjourned over the holidays
the next meeting being set for Monday
January 9, 1888.