Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-11-08
The New Departure Of ME-.
Beecher.
NoH York Tribune.

The Rev. Almon Gunnison, pastor
Of All Souls Universalist church,
South Ninth street, Brooklyn, Il. D.,
preached yesterday morning to a large
congregation on The New Departure
of Mr.. Beecher." Mr.. Gunnison, in
introducing his subject, spoke of the
constant change going on in the physi-
cal world, the coming in Of a larger
civilization, the discarding of old
philosophers, the rounding out of half
truths into completer revelation. he
traced the gradual improvement in
religious thought, showing that the
orthodoxy of to-day was the heresy OF
yesterday. We have not yet, he said,
reached an ultimate faith. The old
moulds of doctrine will be broken.
the new metal will be run into the
moulds off new faith. This shall
serve its purpose, be outgrown and a
lairer faith shall come, shaped always
to larger issues. The present time is
premonitory Of great changes in the
religious world. The foremost pulpit
in the Protestant world has been 90.
cupiod for more than a generation BY
Henry Ward Beecber. Questions of
social science, political philosophy and
religious truth have found in him a
master, who, if not the peer Of special.
lists, has been unrivaled in breadth Of
vision, 10 versatility Of powers by any
preacher in the world. For years he
has been cropping his way out Of the
darkness OF the past. There have
been flashes of the larger light, a
momentary fash and then a period Of
eclipse, a hope uncertain, hesitating,
breaking forth in those rapt moments
when his soul was stirred, and then
the old traditions have held him. But
the light has grown and at last in his
double statements he has broken with
the past. His break with orthodoxy
is complete; his conception of the
character and procedure Of God, Of
the moral ability Of man, his philos-
ophy Of the Atonement, his concep.
ton of salvation as dependent on
the character rather than belief, this
conception Of the larger hope for all
indicate his thorough reputation of
the fundamental principals of ortho.
dox press attempts to belittle this
utterance. Men ofsmall mindsin the
pulpit and theological chairs little
men who are esteemed wise when they
are simply dull, scholars counted as
t~heologians because they have grown
old and stupid in %burrowing around a
few Greek roots, religious editors
who assume omniscience, but
are not wiser than other
men, belittle the utterance of
Mr.. Beecher as unscientifc, unphil
osopical. oh" they say, you know
Mr.. Beeeher is not a theologian.
Granting it all, this statement has
significance because it voices what is
in the air. He has spoken what men
are thinking. What can be said of
the Endorsement Of his statement by
his brethen, the ordination OF Mr..
Thayer BY the Quincy Council. the
ordination OF Newman Smyth at New
Haven, his election to Andover, his
by the faculty Of that
school, and ever by the censors set for
the guarding Of the orthodoxy of that
institution There is alarm in the
orthodox church. The superannuates.
Dr.. CULVER, Professor Parks, DR.
Webb and others, came forth from
their retirement to try vaiDly to put
new wine into the old bottles. A
new paper is to be started for the new