"CHRISTANITY: PRIMITIVE AND POLITICAL.”

Evening Star, Issue 4058, 28 February 1876, Page 2

"CHRISTANITY: PRIMITIVE AND POLITICAL.”

Mr Char'es / Bright lectured on the above (Subjectin the circus tent last night ; There was an .attendance— rvarioqslr Sotimatedat b:tw«n 2,500 and Sioo— and the chair was occupied by Mr Stout, M H.RI The lecturer, before entering upon , his subject, disclaimed any Intention of trespassing on the functions of the clergy, and explained that he chose .Sunday night because he was certain-of a laafee audiewse. In proposing to treat of ChrisManityTle approached it front its universal, and. not its ■ sectarian aspfect. His Object, in brief, was to show 1 that Christianity had..not conquered -Paganism «# jmuoh as Paganism had conquered Christianity- : and if he was enabled to give a sequel loctnre.he would seek f oither to demonstrate that the Eefor;mation,had cleared the toad to'some .extent* ttr ■rending anddividing the ecclesiastical harriclftg sat . much of the rabbisb, and that the iprofound analyses dt itba l dumoifins minds of GerXDony at the beginning ot lihls oetttnry, scad the philosophical dissertations of the immts—frd spirits of EngUmd and America in our day, wen pMnthur the way definitely to a revival of fixe mmple, unseotarian, universal, ethlaal system promnlgated in the teachinga,*nd still mcoe.in.um life, of Jesnsol Naxarelh, whpmhq admitted to be the greateStamong Cod’s metoengers «S3| the Bnbl|mwt religions grains the worlderer aaw[ ;Bnt religion before bia.tune—ae it was at *h* rrfrt sent day—was external, public, and oexemonito The religions hum was fine who observed all the new moons, feasts and fasts, *ae rigid in his maintenance of the Sabbath, contributed handtotoel* to or the purposes of. public, worship and the support of the priests , Ecligion,' in Short, then, as now, was a .thug which trained and paid priests interpreted* and the one crowning, d amsing, impregnable offonoe against it was declining to contribute to its interpreters. The Christian religion had never ■ been emancipated from the dsgeadalwß into whteh • , agenti ot Divinity Cr ininiwtCr* of■’ religion was op- * posed to the teaching of Jesua. If it waS avfiwedlr a t ade, claiming no superior sanctity, like tailoring ©reprinting, lawyering or leobnring. .the grSed’ol pay ajjd jadvwwementj manifested hy moati of itj| votaries might baas unnoticed. But; when to ,ito undoubted sordidness it wbtufl Seek to sun itself in the light which radiated round the person and the . lifefif the '•elf-saCHficiiig Nasarene, ft must bbmet with an indignant won constat. Beugtbn, es tirade, would paw with other eb*nm and illnSions Sway arisihg from it, \mii£ig'with thebdbr shedbyoSar similar blossoms, wonld be ahObpttidas a Divine gift byall races of mankind." At thecobolasion Of the lefitorei which <ooeu% pied nearl# *k -hbup 4nd tobatt in ita deUvery; it was inrimated ! by ;tW c haSrmßit that Mr 1