Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-02-13

Beecller or Corbit-Which "A Sermon
i'm The Church of the Messiah.
Il large audience gathered last evening to
hear the Rev. Mr.. Houghton of the Church
of the Messiah preach sermon entitled
"Beecher or Corbit. Which" Mr.. Hough-
ton spoke of the recent sermon of Henry
Ward Beecher which was replied to by Rev.
VIM. P. Corbit of this city, and, after defining
the position of Mr.. Beecher, pointed out the
essential features of Mr.. Corbit's creed, after
which he went on to say: My object to-
night is not to create sensation, but to see if
we can derive some knowledge of the truth.
There is q difference of belief in these gentle.
men and If either is in error we have a right
to see if we can discover on which side the
preponderance of testimony is given. And
here let me say that do not wishito criticise
harshly. I love the Methodist church and
honor many of her noble members. 1t was
the church in which I was reared and of
which members of my family are now COM
municants. would also say that am not
here to simply controvert anything that any
one has said, but as disciple of the truth to
compare, and state the true position as I un-
stand it. And now as to the belief of Brother
Corbit and his church. In the first place he
holds to what is known as the scheme of
salvation under the orthodox system. That
system implies that man was born into this
world originally without sin. He was as
pure as the saints in Heaven, but by mis-
choice he took the wrong course and
fell down into the depths of
moral despair, from starry Eden to darkness
T,1y
compassion and mercy, determined &C. extri-
cate his child from his lost cCndition. He
called his angels and selecting lie brightest
-Immanuel-sent him to be mediator and
saviour. Jesus came To-day his voice is
singing through the land, and the method Of
escape which he provided is the only door
from this world into the celestial city. If
we must go ploughing into the midnight and
darkness and fiery pillows forever But if
we heed the voice the stars will light us
along our heavenly pathway.
This is the general statement, as I under
stand it, of the Methodist church. MIR. Cor
bit in his sermon said that though man be
moral and amiable and just and yet have not
this belief his morality and goodness cannot
lift him out of the darkness which must fin
ally forever oyershadow him unless he comes
to Christ Salvation is not predicated on
what he says or does, but in change of heart.
Mr.. Beecher does not believe in the old doc
trine of original sin but, thinks that the
statement was cropping after truth. " He |
does not believe in what Brother Corblt con- |
siders the essential features of the Christian |
religion. He does not believe in total de-
prayity or the necessity of the atonement as
by many. He holds that sin is to |
be accounted for in a general way that we
were born in this world ignorant, selfish, low
that the race started, as he puts it, ''at zero
that instead of being perfect being man was
but just above the animal creation, II, indeed,
he was not evolved from that creation, and
there has been one grand unfolding all the
way up and will continue till he takes his
place with the angels at last.
We see then this difference One holds