Farewell to the First Congregational Church in Norwalk, Conn. (bound with other addresses)

There may be a true Christian experience when one rejects the altar form, both as a truth and as a form without truth [p- 264, 265]. It will add greatly to the comfort and true under- standing o? the preacher, if he has in his mind this solution of the form, viz., that it is art and not truth [p. 271], and prob- ably the philosophic or subjective view (which rejects the doctrine of vicarious atonement as a reality, andvipws it as a liturgy or form of art) may be allowed to come into a some- what more prevalent use among a cultivated, philosophic peo- ple [p. 271], and in a philosophic age of the world. Yet such people will, fromjheir infirmities, continue to have some need of the sacrificial or ritual view [p. 271]; and the rude masses would be much injured by the discovery that these represent- ations are not realities; and would make a sad figure in ap- plying a gospel of philosophic causes to their own nature, for they hardly know as yet that they have a nature [p. 267]. selves for the next eighteen centuries, in quarreling, each for the particle of truth he has, because it is a particle, or, to come back, in shame and sorrow, and receive enough of God's truth to enlarge our consciousness, universalize our feelings, and make us brothers r" [P. 264-3 " I do not say here, it will be observed, that no one can have a true Christian experience, who does not find it in the embrace of Christ as a sacrifice, or a vicarious religion ; I only af&rm that no one ever becomes a true Christian man, who does not rest himself in God, or give himself over to God in objective faith and devotion, somehow. He may do this, regarding simply the essential truth and goodness of God as revealed in Jesus Christ !" — " And here it is that the objective view of C%ns«. holds a connection so profound, with all that is freest, most unselfish, and most elevated in Christian experi- ence. There may be a Christian experience where it is rejected" [p. 265.] [P. 271.] " An interesting question remains, which I can only reply to just far enough to save from misapprehension, viz., how ought Christ to be preached ? Not, certainly, as a theory, nor in the half scholastic manner in which I have here exhibited the Christian doctrine. I only think it will add greatly to the comfort and true seLf-mderstandi/ng of the preacher in his wfHrka, if he has,mAisoM>«mimrf,some such solution as this. Meantime, he is to preach much as the Scriptures themselves speak, blending the two views of Christ t<^ether. Sometimes he will be more in one,and sometimes more in the other. Probably the philosophic, or subjective view, may be allowed to come into a somewhat ilwre prevalent use among a cultivated, philesophie people, cmd in aphilomphic age of the world. But it must never exclude and displace the sacrificial or ritual view ;1 for even the Christian philosopher himself will need often to go back to this \ holy altar of feeling, and hang there, trusting in Christ's offering ; there to • rest himself in the quietness of faith, getting away from his care and reflec- i tion, and his troublesome self-culture, to be eared, for and clothed with aj righteousness not his own." P. 267.] " I niight speak also"—" of the sad figure that would be made by 26 They want an altar, and at least a form of Christ's blood sprinkled on it ; he must, though not in reality, yet in their apprehension, bear their sins for them. He must be a stock of righteousness before them, and be, in fact, their religion- They, then, taking him by faith to he all this before and for them, though, in reality, he is nothing of all this at all, — the Divine Art hidden in it transforms their inner life, in the im- mediate and absolute manner of art; and seeing now their new peace, not in themselves, where it is, but in God (where it is not,) they rejoice that God is reconciled, and his anger smoothed away ; being equally under an illusion in supposing this last to be true as the first [p. 267 ; see 213-216, under Justification]. the rude masses of the world, in applying a gospel of philosophic causes to their own nature ; for they hardly know, as yet, that th§y have a nature. How manifest is it that they want an altar, set up before them, and if they cannot quite see the blood of Christ sprinkled on it, they must have it as a Form in their souls ; he must be a stock of righteousness before them ; he must bear their sins for them, and be, in fact, their religion.. Then, taking him, by faith, TO BE all this before and for them, the Divine Art hid in it, transforms their inner life, in the immediate, absolute maimer of art ; and seeing now their new peace, not in themselves, where it is, but in Wed, they rejoice that God is re- conciled, and his anger smoothed away. "However, there is no such difference of class among men, that the most cultivated and wisest disciple will not often need, and as often rejoice, to get away from all self-handling and self-cherishing cares." — " The mind becomes wearied and lost in its own mazes, discouraged and crushed by its frequent defeats, and virtue itself, being only a conscious tug of exertion, takes a look as unbeautiful as the life is unhappy. Therefore we need, all alike, some objec- tive religion ; to come and hang ourselves upon the altar of sacrifice sprink- led by the blood of Jesus; to enter into the Holiest set open by his death; to quiet our soul in his peace, clothe it in his righteousness, and trust him as the Lamb of God that taketh away our sin. In these simple, unselfish, un- reflective exercises, we shall make our closest approach to God." REMARKS. According to this scheme, we are both justified and sanc- tified, by embracing as truth that which is no truth ; and though the more " cultivated and philosophic " might become so even under a knowledge of the truth, yet it is essential to the " rude masses " to be thus deluded. Accordingly, God prepares a Divine Form, a form not corresponding to the reality of things, and which, regarded as the truth, is not true,, by which, through an illusion — not to say deception — prac- tised on their understandings, he moves their feelings to loves 27 aad righteousness. This illusion is far more effectual than truth ; indeed the rude masses would have made a sad figure with the truth; and even the cultivated and philosophic stand in much need of the illusion. God therefore , persuades men that Christ died to atone for their sins to his offended justice and to his injured law ; but this is not so. He makes them believe that Christ is the propitiation for their sins, and that Christ is their righteousness ; but it is not so. Taught to ap- ply to Christ "all these terms of vicarious import" [pp. 255- 258], they hold him hy faith as the victim substitutedi'or ihe'ir sins [p. 267]. Holding thus, by faith, to an untruth, under the illusion; — or delusion — that Christ bears their sins [p. 256]i suffers the just for the unjust, is made a curse for them — " with the humblest and most subduing confessiobs, they de- posit their souls tenderly and gratefully in the Divine mercy " [p. 256]. Thus by Divinely prepared Forms, or Liturgic exer- cises wrought before them, and by Divine Art hid in forms de- void of truth, God converts and sanctifies the soul. And, what is even more remarkable in this scheme is, that God so deludes men by representations of vicarious suffering, which have in them, "when speculatively regarded," that which is "' repugnant to the most sacred instincts or sentiments of our moral nature," and which " dissolves itself at the first approach of rational inquiry " [p. 203]; and by which, if we once regard these representations as true, he forfeits our es- teem as the God of our love and worship [p. 199]. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, " Sanctify them through thy truth : thy word is truth." No, says this book, sanctify them thi'ough illusions. It will not do for the rude masses to kiiow the truth. Besides, " thy word " — in its representations of vi- carious atonement, and as it is necessary to be understood by the rude masses — is not " truth." The Savior says, " Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." No, says this book ; truth cannot be known ; language is inadequate to allow of any written and external revelation which shall truly and intelligibly declare the mind and will of God to his creatures. What we want 28 is not truth, but impressions from litur^es and forms of art. Doctrinal statements of truth are mere dogma, fraught with error and mischief Ye shall not know the truth; ye shall receive impressions from Forms of Art, and embrace by faith things which are not truths; and error " shall make you free." We had indeed read of some, that God should send them " strong delusion that they might believe a lie ; that they all might be damned who believe not the truth ;" and that for the very reason, that they " received not the love of the truth,. that they might be saved." But according to this theory, God has beforehand prepared Forms of Art, to bring upon men strong delusion, that they might believe a lie, and embrace it with faith, that they might be saved. We cannot receive such a scheme. We regard it as a corruption of God's holy truth — a subversion of the most fundamental and vital doc- trines of Christianity ; as destructive of all confidence in re- velation itself; in one word, as "another Gospel." IX. Has Dr. Bushnell retracted any of these doctrines ? Has his communication, embodied in the report of the Ma- jority, contradicted them ? We inquire, 1st, Concerning the Trinity. In that commu- nication Dr. Bushnell says : " I start with the conception of the One God, different, I suppose, in no wise, from the one substance or homousion of the Church, — which one God is developed to us, or becomes a subject of knowledge under the conditions of a three-fold personality. I take the three, therefore, in their threeness, as distinct grammatical personalities, as they are practically employed in the Bible, acting and interacting mutually to- wards each other, as the Bible represents ; only refusing to investigate their interior mystery— believing that in such a use of them, I receive in the truest and fullest manner the One God. The Trinity and Unity as thus set forth, I constantly preach in public, regarding it as necessary to the efficacy of the Gospel, in saving souls. I love this Trinity, I live upon it. Without it I feel that I could not work my mind and hear! in the private exercises of my own Christian fife." Is there here any retraction of what Dr. Bushnell has 29 taught in his book ? It is not pretended that there is. Is there here any contradiction of what he has taught in his book ? Not even the shadow of it. Nor does it appear that such was his design, or that he would allow it to be the fact if it were so charged. The only difference is, that in this com- munication, he has dealt in general terms, which in his book he has fully explained ; and that explanation is, that there is no Trinity in the Godhead, but only an instrumental Trinity, produced and adequately accounted for by a process of reve- lation,— a Trinity which, even as a representation, is probably casual, and finally to vanish away. The only thing insisted on in the report is, that Dr. Bush- nell preaches the Trinity, and lives upon it in his Christian experience ; just as he finds it revealed in the Bible ; and that a minister should be held responsible, not for his theories, but for his preaching, and for holding the facts of the Gospel.