The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1882-10-20
HENRY WARD BEECHER.
He Withdraws from the Association of Con.
gssgational Churches.

NEW YORK, Oct. 10.-The autumn meet
Ing Of the New York and Brooklyn Associa-
tion OF Congregational Churches opened
In Brooklyn to-day. Rev. Mr.. Beecher,
who had been assigned to open the discus
sion Of the subject OF spiritual Barbarism,"
made 1t the occasion for announcing his
withdrawal from the membership of the
Association. He delivered q lengthy and
elaborate exposition of his views respecting
the DEGREES of the Bible and Christianity.
He assigned as reason for Withdrawing
from the Association, that a. . Christian
gentleman, he could not afford to lay on
anybody the responsibility Of his views; he
could not afford, especially, to put himself in
position where they were obliged to defend
him.
Beecher explained the loose general repre-
sentations and misrepresentation In respect
to what he believed and taught. He held
that view that had been presented by the
Pagan Greek barbarians, one Of the most
barbaric or which Is that infantile and ig-
norant conception was an impossibiiity of
God, conception that perfection Of charac-
ter required that the being should not be
susceptible 10 pain Of any kind, Of sorrow Or
suffering. The divine heroes must stand In
the power Of God to suffer, aud 1t Is the very
root and force of the atoning life Of Jesus
Christ. Right over on the other side was
another element springing from q barbaric
nation and not from An esthetic, namely:
That God Is clothed with human passions.
Terms of that kind were not wanting in the
Old Testament but men had constructed their
conception Of God from the example Of their
animal instinct and appetites, not frsm the
example Of their reason and their moral
senses. So we had barbarous conception,
and that was spiritual barbarism. The
whole view Of God which was laid down in
the confession OF faith of the Westminster
school, In relation to DEGREES and to the
whole process and operation of devine grace,
Mr.. Beecher held that view Of the character
Of God made by the Lord Jesus Christ, as a
faithful Gorgon stood over against the head
Of an Apollo In the heathen mythology.
Then the doctrines of mans moral and ply
sical inability to obey the laws Of God would
be rejected. He also rejected the repre-.
sensations of future punishment which were
gross and physical and that were made from
the sensuous Roman school. He believed in
future punishment; he believed that q
wholesome and restraining influence of that
doctrine had been very largely destroyed by
substituting as slaughter house notion,
gross, carnal, corrupting and dia5olical rep
resentaiion of hell, and the suferlEgs Of
those who were subjected to them. The
sufisring would not be bodily as he held but
mental according tn the laws of moral sensi-
bility and all the affections, and not a ma
chine Of sulphur and FIRE, a deluge Of devils
and all manner of annoyances epitom!zed
and represented In the act of the Angels and
the Last Judgment, and represented more
abominsble by Cornelius and the German
school. That was barbaric. He regarded
also the whole doctrine Of original sin, as
found In the fall ofAdam, as being barbaric;
that is, as the conception of men that were
| as yet ignorant and uneducated on this sub
ject. 1t was not used single time in the
whole scope Of instructions of all the ages OF
| the old testiment. You cannot look through
all the teachings of the four gospels and find
. single passage that, except by wide infer.
ence and misconstruction can be applied to
1t. You can find 1t only In the Pauline
writings. He accepted without analysis the
Trinity. ANY attempt to divide the func'
tions wss futile. He believed in q provi
dence who overruled human life by and
through natural laws. Christ was infinite
with infinite limits aud In taking his place
- man be became subject to the laws Of
time, space and matter. He believed fully
enthusiastically, without break or single
line Of trenulous alteration In the divinity
Of Christ. Christ was God manifest In The
fesh.