Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-08-05

confidence of thousands) could but have q
benumbing effect upon his faculties, sufi
cient to rob him OF the sprightliness and
| mental buoyancy which once characterized
| him. Admitting the confession of the
woman to be true land women are not apt
to forswear themselves in that regard) the
| remembrance of his oath in court, can but
haunt him as an accusing Nemesis, down
all the remaining lanes of life. It is very
painful to see Mr.. Beecher, as an exponent
of morality and religion. experiencing ad-
| tloDal damage to his reputation for con-
sistency and reliability, by drifting away
from the faith of the fathers, and entering
upon the cherries and chilling field OF
skepticism occupied by Darwin, TyndalI
| Huxley and atheistic teachers of that
school. The scope and spirit of Mr..
Beecher's lecture on Evolution, if ii
has any influence at all,
would be to disparege and over
throw the great truths and statements OF
the Bibte. and substitute in their stead the
dogmas of modern infidel Scientists, -
boastfully so called. The lecture of Mr..
Beecher, which it is not too harsh to say,
was the mere dreary, senile drivel of his
former self, in his better and more palmy
days, would undermine all religious faith
based upon the scriptures of the Old and
New Testements, r denying Bible inspira-
ton and setting it aside as the word of
God. Mr.. Beecher comedies that the Bible,
though uninspired, is not without GER
tain value as historical record, but claims
that the pretended history, in the Book of
Genesis, of the creation of the world and
of man, is but the childish effusion of a
childish romancer, designed TO amuse and
entertain men in the comparative infancy
and weakness of the human intellect: yet
he is condescending enough to admire the
high morality inculcated in the
scriptures, but il remains
for him and his co.scientists
to separate these moral teachings from the
alleged false statements, claiming nspir-
alton as their basis, in regard to the crea.
ton of the world, the origin of man, his
fall, and the introduction of sin into the
world. Mr.. Beecher distinctly avows that
there is "New Religion" antagonizing
the ''Old," and by carefully following and
watching him, we find that the new is based
upon the dogmas of infidel scientists like
Darwin, Tyndall and Huxley, supplemented
by his own, in contradistinction to the
faith and belief in the divine scriptures
as inspired by God himself,
which constituted the rule of
life, faith, dctrine and action of the fool
ish old orthodox fathers of the centuries.
Mr.. Beecher doubtless feels that in this
roundabout farewell" journey to the
Pacific coast he is the very apostle of the
new religion" in opposition to the old,
an like Peter the Hermit, he is leading his
hosts as valiant crusader to the promised
land of newly discovered theology, which
blossoms all over with the brilliant cor
ruscations of science, to the overthrow of
simple scriptural faith. Mr.. Beecher has,
apparently, outlived his usefulness,
if he ever had any real,
substantial usefulness, which may we'll be
doubted, in view of his whole eccentric,
AAoOhSloICh0 SotOOIS ny W lib pICSCA1 dO-
vanced theological position. Those who
have no settled belief in religious truth as
proclaimed by the Deity's inspired oracles
may believe in Mr.. Beecher's new religion,
because they wish to, but that these teach
ings of the latter days of his life will have
great potency in unsettling the faith of
men generally, is not much to be feared.
Faith in the inspiration of the Bible
in its entirety will remain, when
Mr.Beecher,and his new school of scepticaI
scientists are forgotten. 1t is not a pleas
ing reflection that an orthodox pulpit in
st. Paul is implicated in bringing before
the people such an outpouring of irrelig-
ious, Bible disparaging, not to say bias
phemous heresies. Charitably it may be
admitted that the crude feast to which the
audience was invited was as much a sur
prise to the introducer as to the introduced.
Evolution, based upon monkeyish deduc-
tons. is probably not destined to very
brilliant or permanent career. A monkey
(simial, or his accredited descendant, or
representative, will hardly be able to over
throw revealed religion. 1t is not likely
the audience expected much instruction,
and they were not disappointed"