New-York tribune., 1882-02-28

Quaintance with the people OF other beliefs ana he
thought it would make him more liberal, quoting
his own words, both in his religious and moral
views, TO 20 into new circle and be under new in
flucnces
The liberal tendency which he anticipated as the
result of wider culture fully realized He was
emancipated from mere sectarian belief. and with
eager interest pushed his investigations in the d-
recton of modern progressive thought. lie followed
with quickcning step in the paths of exploration
and speculation so fearlessly trodden by Darwin, by
Huxley by Tyndall, and by other living scientists
of the radical and advanced type His own church,
binding its disciples by formulated creed but ac-
ccpting the Old and New Tes aments as the word Of
God with unbiased liberty of private Interpretation,
favored if il did not stimulate the spirit of nvesti-
CATION It's members profess with sincerity, and pro-
fess only to be of one mind and one faith with those
who Immediately followed the Master. and who
were first called Christians at Antioch.
But however high Garfield reasoned Of /" fixed
fate. free WILL foreknOw Wedge absolute" no was
never separated from the Church of he Disciples in
his affections and in his associations. For him it
held the ark of the covenant. 10 HIM 10 was the
gate of Heaven. The world of frcgous belief Is full
OF sOeCismS and COntrLdi ictiOnS. a pMlOoophc
observer declares that men 10y the thousand viii die
in defence of creed whore doctrines they do not
comprehend and whose tcnets they habiually VIC,
late. 1t il equally true that men by the thousand
will cling 10 church organizations with IuStnctNe
and uudN ing fidelity when their belief in maturer
year, is radically different from that whlcn in
sprcd them rs neophyteS.
But after thi, range of speculation, and this ai-
tude oi doubt Garfield came back always with
freshness and delight to the simpler instincts oi re-
giOus faith, which, earliest implanted, longest
survive Not many weeks before MS assassination,
walking on the banks of the Potomac with "A friend,
and cOuverSng on those topics OF personal religion
concerning which noble aatures have an uncon-
qucrabie reserve he said that he found the Lords
PRAYER and the simple petitions learned in Infancy
infinitely res lul to him. not merely IN their stated
repetitiun bur in their casual aud frequent recall
as he went about the daily duties of lie. Certain
| texts of Scripture had very strong hold ON his
memory and his heart. He heard, while in Edln-
burgh some ycais ago, an eminent scotch preacher
! who prciaccd his sermon with reading the eighth
chapter of the Epistlc To the Romans which book
had been the subject of careful study with Garfield
during all his r-lI. Ous life He was greatly ul-
pressed by the clJcution of the preacher and de-
ciarcd that it had impaired new and deeper mean
ing To the majestic utterauccs of SAINT Paul. Tie
referred often in after years to that memorable
service, and dWclt with eNaltatiuu OF feeling upon
| the radiant promise and the assured hope with
which the great apostle of the GcntIlcs was per
suaded that neither death, nor life, angels uoI
! prlncpalltles nor powers, nor things present noI
! things TO come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
] other creature. shall be able to separate us from