The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-07
MR.. BEECHER ON EVOLUTION.
Closing Discourse of the Great Preach
er's Present Series of Sermons.
The Two Camps of Evolutionary Thinkers
The Need Of Spiritual Institution
The Future Of the Church.
New York SnariaI

| season 10 day. tie had intended to preach next
Sunday, but was obliged to change his plans on
account OF the Thirteenth Regiment of which
he is chaplain, being ordered into camp at
Peekskill week earlier than had been arranged
at first. Mr.. Beecher remarked this morning
that on his return in the autumn he would dis
cuss even more important questions than he has
considered in the present series, namely, those
of miracles, prayer, atonement, the divine
Savior Jesus, and Immortality. These great
questions already had risen above the horizon,
not in the church alone, but outside of it, in the
realm of philosophy.
The sermon this morning was from the words:
And when he had thus spoken he cried with loud
| voice. Lazarus, forth" And he that was dead
came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes,
| ana his face was bound about with napkin, and
Jesus saith unto them, Loose him and let him go.
| John, XII, 43-14.
Mr.. Beecher said: "Such is the nature of
the human mind and the influences which sur
round mankind that no great truth ever begins
and goes forward to its demonstration and
settlement without intestine discord, division,
controversy. Not only has evolution been sub
ject to this common fate of advancing truth, but
it has had peculiar separations and difficulties
Almost Immediately two camps were formed,
| thinkers, according to their circumstances dis
positions and previous education, as we'll as ac-
cording to the way in which the truth struck
them, seyerally. For long time evolution was
contested, reluctantly received. then finally en-
| braced, but now embraced with contradictory
parties. The foremost thinkers of England
differ from those of Germany. If you might
select typical men, / should say Herbert
Spencer was the typical man of English
thought and Ernst Heckel of German or
continental thought Both sides have taken
| distinct grounds l think the formest thinkers
of England seem to be growing toward spirit
ual center, and those Of the continent toward
| material center. The English school seem to re-
pudiate with growing intensity that materialism
which is believed the continent, and pro-
nounce it gross and dangerous. They refuse to
| go further at present than agnosticism. though
many Of them show themselves to be impatient
| OF camping out permanently on that ground.
| The ablest thinker of them all, and the abiest
| man that has appeared for many centuries, Her
| bert Spencer, seems to me to have passed the
winter solstice. 1t seems to be the dawning of
| spring with him. and summer Should his life lie
spared, ! should not wonder to find in him
sential elements of Christianity that
has been seen for many days Not that Iregard
every part Of his system with like favor; not
that should regard every station which he has
| established and position which he maintains as
| to be believed in. And yet, when, by and by
the bounds of knowledge are widened: and the
| interior more perfectly surveyed and settled, |
| think Spencer's name will be found to have
| given the world more in one lifetime than any
other man that has lived in the school of phi
| losophy in this world. On the other hand, the
greatest materalists of the continent the atheists
of the H@ckel school, seem eager to destroy
| every veStige OF religion. There is nothing
which they respect in the past. They seem
irritated if any man claims to hold on to any
fOe v,IOit,
ture. They look with disdan upon theists and
those who seek to find in Christianity the highest
development of mankind and the ripest fruit of
| the doctrine of evolution. Atheism or nothing
| is their spirit; the absolute negation Of any re-
ligion of the past no compromise; no halfway
station; no scrap or thread Of Christianity
can be permitted. And those that read
them IN this land, if they unripe and have
read nothing else, are very apt to catch the
same feeling and say; "Oh, well, this preach
| ing that evolution is true and attempting at the
same time to hold on to the old church and the
old beliefs is folly. Either be a Christian in
| twilight or else be renouncer of religion and
| an atheist in sunlight" That is their spirit.
| Now when this controversy as between the
| evoutionists themselves is known young a1nbi-
| tious men, DESTROYS of knowledge and reading
on this subject, and their testimony in their
| household, alarms father and mother, and when
| the young and bold in the church rooms aver
the truth of evolution good men and good
women are scared and think everything is going
with rum and they would fain stop this de-
lection. I wish to inquire what the result is
likely to be upon the church and the ministry of
the acceptance of the doctrine of evolution Is
it going to tear the church up by the roots! Is
it going to destroy the pulpit? Is it
going to overturn all those great spir
erto has been founded9 Is it going
to turn over to the unkindly justice of a
material world? Is it to cruelty afresh a loving
| Savior and leave us without hope and without
Code Do you suppose that after fifty years in
| the Christian ministry, | would attend the
funeral Of religion cheerfully? Do you suppose
l would advocate any truth that would destroy
| the substance, or in any degree even materially
affect the forms Of region9 Iwould die sooner.
Do you suppose from my make and from my
| whole example that l could 60 into this course
of sermons for any other reason than that
| believe they to give to religion power, and
| scope, and character such as has never yet been
| known in the world at large? Better men than
some men suppose never will be born. But
| that which look for is the advantage of the
| race. | am not in sympathy alone with the
| Church, but with the whole human family and
| my longing is for such teaching shall lead on
the race to higher conditions. Suppose evolu-
ton to be true, and TO be carried ont is it going
| to materially affect the church, and if So favor
ably unfavorably2 No great development can
| be made in these times of intelligence and
liberty and not be felt everywhere. The
attempt to repress investigation would be i'm
| possible.
Open faced cleareyed men should be encour-
| aged to investigate, and when inquiry has been
made, don't allow yourselves to be terrified. What
is the church but an association to seek develop
ment of moral and spiritual nature among its
members? The ordinances are secondary. And
| is there anything nobler than the association of
men and women in the purpose of living
| by their highest nature? Not intellectual
alone, but lower down, by integrity and by the
worship and the reverence of love and spiritual
| ity as distinguished from the bodily life9 That
| is the root idea in the church.
Now absolute liberty will, perhaps, be one of
the achievements of evoluton-that everywhere
men may gather together for this supreme CON
cepton, helping each other unto the higher spir-
itual ife 1t will not need such sanctions as
| have been accounted necessary by spiritual
| tribunals. 1t inheres in the spiritual lib
| ort1y Of aplSind tO thar oh