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Show REVIVES DOCTRINE OE TRANSCENDENTALISM Inconsciously Rev. Mr. Goshen Offers Himself J as the Yard Measure for Truth I and Goodness. I Rev. Mr. Goshen's private views of what con-I con-I Miiuu-s i ho essential or fundamental principles of religion are matters which concern him personally .mikI would not be considered of any importance, only so far as his attempt to revive the old doctrine of Transcendentalism into a new system bearing the Christian name is concerned. When first broached in the middle of the last eentu-- by Theodore Parker, Par-ker, and uphold by Ralph Waldo Emerson, it was for a time popular. The Congregational pastor's avowed essentials, "A belief in the fatherhood of God and a love for mankind."' are vague, and whilst Jiot affirming much, yet his non-essentials clearly shnv ihat lie considers man by reason of his own inherent and natural force and relationship to God entirely sufficient to attain his end. Hence there would be no necessity for man of the interposition of Providence or the assistance of his Maker. llev. Mr. Goshen, in relegating to the old, ef-feie ef-feie doctrines the divinity of Christ, the doctrine of iitonement. baptism, etc.. adopts the old rule of the Tr.-uiM-enuontalists. namely, that of unrestricted private judgment. Neither the authority of the church of which he is an ordained minister, nor of I the Bible, the Apostles or Jesus, shall interfere, with r.s individual, right when preaching his modern I tlni'triiie to the "enlightened men and women of Salt I L;ikt." This is following the footsteps of Theodore I Parker, who said: "Philosophical spiritualism lib-1 lib-1 cnit-s us from all personal and private authority f pud restores us to God. the primeval fountain. Kiieiicc 1 up i nurcii, tne scriptures ana jesus arew k!1 the water of life wherewith they filled their urns." The one and only essential which conforms to the above is "a belief in the fatherhood of God mid a love for mankind." Persons who may have 'hnst doubts" and wish to have them solved must be prepared to accept the above brief formula; otherwise, like Job with his sympathizers, ''they (Will tind no 'comfort from the pastor." The pastor here claims the unrestricted right of ' hi- vu private judgment to make a creed, and as he intends "to live the life Christ taught," he per-, soiiiilly is ihe measure of truth and goodness. This assumption of judgment on the part of lie v. Go- f-hen in a matter of such vital importance as religion re-ligion involves three terms. These are, the judge, the article of faitli and the rule which must direct in arriving at the true faith. But as he assumes for himself the right to judge, he becomes his own rule of judgment: that is, the yard-measure of religious re-ligious truth and judgment. Herein is a denial of all rules of judgment, and the only obligation that be is under is "to pn-ach a modern doctrine that will ci inform to the ideas of enlightened men and voijicu." Put a judgment without any rule of pro- lure, si, miv the lawyers, would be illegal, and hi-,,v 1, enlightened" audience, after a little reflection, reflec-tion, would call it absurd. But Mr. Goshen rests bis , -liu'i:! to judge of this very important matter en rlii- riuht of his private judgment. What is the foundation ,,f this right which he claims for himself.' him-self.' 11,. gives none outside of himself. Then he i the foundation of the right to judge the roquirc- I 1111 ins ,,f the Deity in matters of religion. There- fore he i the measure of truth and goodness, j Lest ibere may be any doubt of Rev. Goshen's I transcendental claims, like Kalph Waldo Emerson, I who -:iid. "Whoso would be a man must be a non- conformist." h-, too, has said that "no association J of ministers will be responsible for what is here I laudi!. an.! this pulpit will not le responsible for i tin- doings of itnv such." For him and his lone I doctrine "the fatherhood of God. the brotherhood ; ami ihe need of man for the guidance of a higher I V",' r." there is no resjKmsibility, save onlv such as I 1 is inner eonciou -ness dictates. Admitting "the "'ed of man for the .guidance of a higher power" I -how- th:(t Mr. Goshen is conscious of his own in- sufficiency; ako ih;it a religious element exists in I 1 ,,.-.; !V. Therefore it is inseparable from man's I '!,s:i!l!tioii and has its foundation in human na-I na-I 1,1'v. !;,. this consciousness of the infinite as an I -.! 1 of maif nature is impossible, because man I 'Hot l ive consciousness of the infinite. Ion m.iv -.eejvo the infinite, but it is no object of k?i.,v.!.-.:-e. since that would imply infinite knowl-i knowl-i ' Hn'eh is beyond the reach of man. Pn; ioum, this point. Most people, whet h- t ib'peiit or unlearned, whilst doubting the I ' '"' ;-;ve truths of religion, the Creator, creation I ' : immortality of the soul, have an idea that I "1" v Mr w rong. Their maturer judgment tells ii "H'-ia !,;;! t,eir doubts, which they strive to conceal. ' i;! :"iit any foundation. In the heyday of life - :iioubts may be dorrnant, but after the turn-: turn-: - 1 ' in; of life is reached, and man extends his j vis;..:. to the great unknown, ihey wish to give I v ''!,' realization to their thoughts and speculations, , f ' " : ii!-:.- ihe drowning man catching at any straw. v ' ':!. ra-e the religion which is least in its ex-I ex-I promises; happiness to all. The great fl'i"s'ioU with such persons is the essence of God's j " i. whether he has revealed himself to man and j vdi!it is il,0 jneaning. significance and extent of '?d r, v lation. "I read the Bible every day," said le.vued jurist to the writer, "but the trouble with I II" is 1 do m.t believe it to be inspired." ! ( P' v. Mr. Goshen, unconsciously, when depicting I ''die old doctrine of atonement as monstrous," will : 1 '1 himself enrolled in the list, it may be, of honest j ' '',.iih;(.;-s of revealed religion. Trained in the' school j I ' f Transcendentalism, his doubts or denials arise lu'' frotn the real meaning and significance of the n.y.steries of religion, which he casts aside, but from ,: nn "Xiiggerated and unreasonable . light in which I ""'.v wi n rejiresented. His "fatherhood of God" "v,;uhl naturally and reasonably lead him to throw I ;'"'.'' 'he errors and exaggerations of the Calvin- j 's'le schoil, which taught thaf God's grace was ir- rl'p1'1''''. unconditional election and reprobation, j i ins doctrine, which contradicts reason, he will not i '"''I't. (, regards such doctrines unreasonable; & 'oei'ej or(. cannot believe them. But in throwing ( aside tiic principal mysteries of religion he passes Judgment on the spurious and" not genuine mys-I'lies mys-I'lies of faith. He rejects a mystery because, as I he understands it, or as he learned its meaning from his own research and study, it is unreasonable, unreason-able, and no matter what proofs may be adduced from revelation, or he may strive to smother his doubts, his intellect will not embrace what his reason rea-son contradicts. But does Mr. Goshen deny these mysteries because be-cause they are mysteries? Mysteries surely are credible. Life itself is a mystery. The simplest facts in nature, the blade of grass, the acorn buried in the earth, dying, producing a large tree, are all mysteries. You cannot, then, Mr. Goshen deny a mystery of religion because it is a mystery of religion, re-ligion, since you are surrounded every day with mysteries which all the enlightenment of the age is unable to explain. Your right to deny an erroneous er-roneous or exaggerated explanation of mysteries of faith is reasonable, because it is fair to presume that those who indulge in presenting the-, creature's relations with his Maker in a false light, have mistaken mis-taken 3 lis revelation, than it is to suppose that God's word contains unreasonable mysteries. The reasonableness of the mysteries denied, when properly understood, will be the subject of the next and last communication. (To be Continued.) .! r |
