The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-21

more than any other to give it celeb
 rity, pr. Nathaniel W. Taylor, who re
 mained in office until his death, in 1858
 He had been a beloved pupil of Dr Dwight. His influence, externally no
 so widespread as that of his Instructor
 was more radical in its effect on the
 ologlcal opinion. He was a most in
 spring teacher, AS a metaphyscian
 Dr, Taylor ranks higher than any other
 leader of the New England School since
 the elder Edwards, With an acutene ss
 and vigor which commanded universa
 respect, he united an eloquence rarely
 to be met with either in the lecture
 room or the pulpit At his side stood
 his colleagues, Dr. Eleazer T. Fitch
 likewise master in the field of meta
 phyiscal theology, and, in his prime, a
 profound as well as attractive preacher
 the successor of President Dwight in f the College pulpit, and Dr. Chauncey
 A. Goodrich who, for q good while, was l the chief conductor of the Christian
 Spectator, the Review in which many
 of the expositions of the New Haven
 Divinity" as it was then called, were
 given to the public. Associated in the
 Faculty with the trio just named-in
 his distinctive traits a complement to
 them-Was a soohlar, and q ripe and
 good one, Josiah w. Gibbs cautious
 and candid, and deeply learned in Lin
 guistlc and Biblical Science. It was g
 body of teachers which any Divinity
 School might be glad to possess. It
 was the lifelong purpose of Dr, Taylor
 to elimnate from the Edwardean the
 ology remaining elements which he be-
 lieved to be incompatible with fair view of hurAan responsibility, the truth
 which from the first it undertook 10 Vindicate. He did not mean to subtract
 from the prevailing tenets anything
 that is really involved in the sense of dependence at the basis of piety, and as such ever cherished by Calvnism with sedulous care, His aim was sc to rectify the conception of the liberty Of the will as to make room for theodicy
 that should leave untouched the free and responsible nature of man and the moral attributes of God. not less than his omnipotence, This is not the time or the place to weigh the merits of pr, Taylors system, only portion of which has ever appeared in print As lO lllt illellIllcab SubiSly anu grasp it exhibited, there could be but one opinion. I should add that the most conspicuous writers adverse to the peculiarities of DE Taylor's teach ing were, like him, graduates of Yale, and like him, owed their training main- ly to President Dwight. Such were Dr. Ashael Nettleton and Dr. Bennett Tyler, who led the way in the founding of East Windsor, now Hartford, Sem mary.
 From the time of the elder Edwards. the school which he originated, fastened its attention predominantly on the sub jects embraced under the term Ana The origin of sin, it's na- ture, why it should be permitted to ex- ist under the divine admnistrat ton, the of human agency with di- vine agency in conversion, and kindred topics, were uppermost. Even in the heat of the Unitarian controversy, this did not cease to be the case, Latin the ology in its characteristic drift in con- trast with the favorite themes of an- cient Greek speculation. was still in the But before many decades ! had passed in the century just brought to an end, there were marked signs of a change in the point of view. The | )logy in the etymological sense of the i -erm began to draw to itself a renewed | and increasing attention. In this move | nent, the master-spirit In England was | -oleridge. Under the stimulus emanat- ng from him, the Apologetics Of the previous century began to be supplant- ed by more spiritual method of de- ending the truths of natural and re- ,ealed religion The time had come when Dr. Johnson's satirical remark hat the four Evangelists were tried weekly in the pupits of England for orgery, was ceasing to be applicable. The value of the proof which Christian fsy carries in itself had begun to be nore justly discerned. Thought and investigation were directed more and nore to the Incarnation of Christ to lis person, life and character. A few f the most gifted pupils of Dr. Fay pr became deeply interested in writings f Coleridge, which were introduced nto this country by President Marsh f the University of Vermont, A new
 sta was opened before them began to lose its charm, he authority of logic to give place to hat of intuition. One of the pupils of j ,r. Taylor responded with especial to the new influence. The me has gone by when opinion was d- ided on the question whether Horace ( bushnell was a visionary, or man of { enius with a spiritual outfit rarely to l Q found in students and teachers of Z aigion. There was in him, moreover, | ( 2 all who knew him well were aware, vein of common sense, which was not f aldom manifest in the homely vigor of { is public and private utterances. Dr. ushnell was graduated in 1927 It was ( ot until 1881, while he was a Tutor In s ollege, that he reached the turning S pint in his religious convictions and ( iperience. At that time, it Is right to { member, Dr. Taylsr was still at the [ leight of his power, not only in the c classroom, but as preach q : both in College, and In the churches seWhere. He was a wise counsellor f the matter of personal religion to 1 students. It was an )och when the entire Institution was 'rvaded by remarkable attentive g ass to the gospel. The spirit of hon V ty and independence native qualities n
 Bushnell, were not discouraged but ere fostarea, by the example, as well [ , by familiar sayings of Taylor. But W om the outset of his ministry, Bush { Fl lifted the anchor and steered his Ii