THE REV. MR BROWN'S LECTURES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2103, 8 April 1889, Page 2

THE REV. MR BROWN'S LECTURES

TO THE EDITOR.

£iRi — I notice the Bey 0. 0 Browu of Timsru is about to pay Ashburton another visit. I write to call the attention of the church-going public to the fact that Mr Brown haa already twice visited Aehburton and although his views on "Eternal puniahment" and "The immortality of tho soul" are m direct opposition 10 tboae taught by all the churches here, none of our local olergymen have attempted to refute his arguments. la thin right? Can these gentlemen be held blameless if certain of their followers wander from the fold ? By a rough estimate I calculate we expend m th j county of Ashburton £2000 annually upon religious establishments We support eleven gentlemen fdr the bolo purpose of expounding to us Holy Writ and looking After our spiritual welifare, and yet when a stranger comes amongst us with a now theory, one that undermines our belief m the religion of our fathers, these gentlemen have not one word to say. Are they so deficient ia knowledge that they fear to appear at the meetings lest they be confouaded ? Or is it that tba certainty or uncertainty of deli iB, ia their opinion, a matter of no importance, If the Bible doas not teach the doctrine of eternal punishment m a lake of fire and brimstone, the question at oqoj arises doas it clearly teach anything m particular. Mr Brown siya the allusions to too ufore said lake are entirely figurative ani not to be taken litterally. Are the allusions to tbo "Realms ot the blest " of the same kind ? To the minds of most people tho fact of there being uo Bell at once suggests the probability of no Heaven, and if no Heaven or Ho!l, where are we ?

Oar spiritual ad visits are very energetic m their exhortations to us to be np and fighting the Lord's battle. Let them Sractice what they preach and attend the •range Hall en Tuesday and Wednesday eveuiags and expose (if they can) the sophistry of Ihe Roy C 0. Brown I am, eto. ; Enquieer.