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

" Oodin Christ," [P. 106.] "Nothing, in fact, is so unsolid, many times^-no figment so vacant of meaning, as that dead body of abstractions, or logical propo- rtions, called theology ; which, professing to give us the contents of God's truth, puts us off, too generally, with the mere exuvim of reason; which extinguishes the living fires of truth to show us the figures it can draw in the ashes." " God in Christ." [P. 342.1 "I will go farther; I will venture to suggest the doubt, whether a state of spiritual elevation, light, sobriety, and freedom from passion, may not finally be reached, in which the " unity of the Spirit " wUl suf- fice, without any human formulas, to preserve the pwrity of the Chv/rch. Manifestly we preserve no true semblance of purity now, by our formal standards; for the worst kind of impurity is practical, not theoretic, the impurity of a selfish, un- spiritual, undevout life ; and this will shelter itself as quietly under the platforms of orthodoxy, as if it were even acceptable to God." " God in Christ." [P. 842-3.] "Is not possibl«; under the double action of a two-fold process named by the Apostle John, to have a pure church kept in pre- servation by mere spiritual affini,ties ! First, in virtue of the fact that those who are not of the church, viill go out from, it themselves, because they are not of it ? And secondly, by the in^itive discerning of Spirits, enabling those who are truly in the Spirit, and who, according to another apostle, 'judge all things,' to perceive the spirit of other minds ?^' "Oodin Christ." [P. 350.] " We have also raised a theologicdbtinction, under the word inspiration, which, it is very eleai' to me, is operating a sad depression 84: ism was needed when it came. iS., [pp. 338-9]. Whether the principles thus propounded are true or false, Dr. Enshnell is no more responsible for them than for his anatomic frame. Id.^ vn our modem piety, even if originallj there Traa notliiiig false in the distinction ;: for we haye now taken it, practically, in such a sense as cuts ns off from the holy men of Scripture times, and ■works a feeling in us that God is now more remote, and, of course, that it is no longer permissible to realize the same graces, and ex- pect the same intense union of the life with God." " God in CTirist." [P. 349-50.] "The reality and power of this limitation is displayed in other methods. In how many mindB is the Spirit -viewed or receiyed, through their speculative theology, not as maintaining any social, moral, en- dearing relations in us, but simply as an abstract and dry agency— ^mere efficien- cy, running out from God's decrees, .to execute them Jn us by an ietic force ; or, (U best, as an effluenee or influence streaming through ««, which does not shape itself has no social consciousness, but only works, in the w^y of mere causation, like a stimulant or an opiate. This, manifestly, is not the Holy Spirit of the Scriptures, but the Holy Spirit; rather, of the schools. ATtd the difference is the more remark- able, that our dogma even goes beyond the Scriptvres in asserting the metaphysical personality of the Spirit. We call him a Person, insist on his personality, raising, at the same time, a scheme of dogma which reduces him to a something literally prur- chased for us, and dispensed as a gift to us ; or to a mere causative agency that works m us without feeUng, sociality, character, or anything which properly dis- tingmshes personality. Hence, there is scarcely produced in us at all, the sense of mutuality, lore, or inwardly abiding friendship. "In the Scriptures, on the other hand, he is even represented as being the Spirit of Christ— nay, Christ himself" " God in Christ." [P. 338-9.] " The manner in which dogmatism necessitates diyision, may be weU enough illustrated by the mournful separation which has taken place in the New Kngland churches. Had we been embodied in the sim- ple love of God, under some such badge, for example, as the Apostles' Creed, it is very probable to me that the cause of the division would never have existed. But we had an article which asserted a metaphysical Trinity, and this made the assertion of a metaphysical unity inevitable ; nay, more, even desirable. So we had a theory of atonement, another of depravity, another of regeneration, or the ingeneration of character, which required tite appearance, so to speak, of anta- gonistic theories." " God in Christ. " [P. 351-2.] " Rectifying thus, and enlar^g, our ideas of the Spirit and his relations to us, how clear is it that a new intimacy of faith and love will be visible between the church and God — ^that the old incrustation, or dogmatic shell of our piety will be melted away, and that, ceasing to see in the sparks of our own kindling, looking to God in the whole course of Kfe, there toill be unfolded a style of piety wholly unknown at present in the world" " God in Christ." [P. 97-8.] "Indeed, I seem, too, as regards the views present- ed, to have had only about the same agency in forming them, that I have in prepar- ing the blood I circulate, and the anatomic frame I occupy. Tltey are not my choice, or invention so much as a necessary growth, whose process I can hardly trace my- self. And now, in giving them to the public^ I seem only to have about the same kind of option left me, that I have in the matter of appearing in corporal manifestation myself, — about the same anxiety, I will add, concerning the unfa- vorable judgments to be encountered ; for though a man's opinions are of vastly greater moment than his looks, yet, if he is equally simple in them, as in his growth, and equally subject to his law, he is responsible only in the same degree, and ought not, in faet, to suffer any greater concern about their recyition than about the judgment^ passed upon his person." " Godin Christ.'[[F. 344-5.] "I know of no illustration of the effect of dog- matism, taken as a limit upon piety, which needs to be pursued, at this time, with more attention, than that which is turniEJied by the theory, extensively 85 [pp. 97-8]. Their prevalence will bring in a style of piety now wholly unknown. Id.^ [pp. 361-2] EEMARKS. . 1. If the Gospel, as received among our ministers and cliurches, is emptied of its life and power, in the. judgment of Dr. Bushnell, it is vain for him to pretend that there need be no difference between his preaching and that o?his brethren. There must be a heaven-wide difference, if he is an honest man. 2. The whole scope of what we have quoted goes to show that Dr. Bushnell ainis to produce changes in our practical diyinity and religion, as great as in speculative theology. ; ; 3. That " chemistry of thought," which is able to accept all creeds, may -be as easily applied to all expressions of belief. What confidence can we have, then, in any declaration of his faith whicl^ he may make ? This avowal shocks our first sen- heW, of Christ's •work, ' He U regarded riot as a pmiier, in the manner of the New T^tament, but more as a paymaster ; not as comirig to hiring us life, and take lis to his bosom, but in literal dogmatic verity, to suffer God^s displeasure in our stead, and sotorec6ncileGodious."'Takends he stands, theologically represented, there is nothing given to us of Christ, which is closer to feeling, often, than that hefUls out a judicial machinery, and is goodfxs a legal tender for our Mns. Diminished thus, by dogma, Christ ceases to be the lAfe. We only look to see how he brings us by the.law. Se is a mere forensic entity. SChen follows what otily could; — a dqetrine of justification by faith is held by many, so literal and forensic in its form, that the Gospel of -heaven's love and light is- narrowed almost to a superstition. They scarcely dare entertain the thought of a personal righteousness, or to look upon any such hope as permissible. It implies, they fear, some expeet^tions of being sarcd not wholly by the merits of Christ. They cannot even read or hear, •with- out a little jealousy or , disturbance of- mil)d, those tp^ts of Scripture that speak of assurance, liberty, a conscience Void of offense, victory over sin, a pure heart, a blameless life, and a perfected love. They are so jealous of merit, that they make a merit of not having any. They are so resolved on magni^ng the grace of God, as almost to think it a crime to believe that the grace of God can inake them any bettfer. They come before God in confession of sin so exfeavagant, so •wide of t"heir own c'onsciousness, 'that if a fellow-man were to charge upon them what they confess, they •would be mortiUy offended. And though there be no sincerity, no real verity in such confessions, 'they think it altogether safe to include enough, 'becauee it strips them df merit! Meantime their standards are let down to the lowest point of attainment; for if they deem it an essential part of their piety to keep up their confessions, it will be some'what natural, at least, to live in a manner' to do them soAe tolerable degree of justice. And, if an air of falsity or affectation is thus thrown over their piety, what, meantime, be^ comes of Jesus, the Savior — God' in Christ reconciling the world to himself! What element of life and divine eloquence is left? Where is Christ, the wisdom and the power i" 86 timents of honesty and veracity, and undermines all confi- dence. i. This, with all else that we have quoted, and much more which we might quote, manifests the deepest scorn and hate of all creeds, formulas, and theological propositions of any sort, when used as tests of soundness in the faith, or fitness for the ministry. 5. According to the principles set forth by Dr. Bushnell, taste and feeling are the guiding, while reason and intellect are the subordinate faculties of our nature. The truth of the Bible acts upon the sensibility before it is or can be appre- hended by the intellect, and upon the intellect only mediately through the heart. The feeling of truth precedes and guides the perception of it. The perception of it does not precede and shape the feeling. Hence, to apply our intellects to the Bible, and ascertain the truths it contains, and to make these truths, thus ascertained, the guide of our feelings, the mold of our religious experience, and the standard of our faith, is, as he would have us understand, dogmatism, rationalism, &c. The true course, he would have us think, is, to receive what of the Bible we may, through the sensibility, the taste, the imagination, and then construct our theology out of con- sciousness instead of the Bible. 6. Hence, theology is as variable as the experience of dif- ferent men, and of the same man at difierent times. All fixed standards, all external creeds or tests of faith, are inadmissible. The Bible itself is contradictory. " Probably the Gospel of John is the most contradictory book in the world." God in Christ, [p. 66.] On this system, therefore, the Bible cannot be a standard of faith. 7. On such a system there is, of course, need of the con- tinuance of the gift of inspiration, without cessation, in all Christians. The Church sufiers loss in discarding this belief in continued inspiration. It needs more of mysticism, which discovers divine things by immediate intuition, inspiration, or quietistic contemplation, without any external standard, to be the law of its faith. 8. If the principles thus advanced are correct, and are a 87