MR BRIGHTS' LECTURES.

Evening Star, Issue 4083, 28 March 1876, Page 4

MR BRIGHTS' LECTURES.

« Adcotdmg’ to announcement, the Rev. Dr Roseby, duriug-the evening, sendee gt the , Morayplace Congregational Chiirch’j on Sun—- '' itey, reviewed the lectures on Free Thought recently delivered by, Mr Charles Bright. The following was the of the rev._ g^reman’skjbservatiohs;— There were a good many points where he (Dr Boseby) scurcely - aifere<h^oml& - Bright at all, Ue beßsy^ft^afc'those formularies, wherein wise and Tibira men of bygone days had set forth.their best ' thoaghta*as.taught))y conscience and revelation, on V’ ■ the subject" Of' religion, no longer expressed the noblest and best thoughts of the.Chcistiau world of „ to-day. -He did not'believe any intelligent Christians* left ‘.perfectly free to express their relifians convictions Jn the ink) wn way, would raprouce such a aymbolas-the Athauasian Creed, or the Westminster Confession of Faith. -'The partiality of God pf the heathen world; that fearful misrepresentation of. God’s’; iato'ning love . . which represented Him as flaming ■' ‘ Bwprd pf H« wrath, in.flieblood l Of'His Son; the doctrine of a merely--official sanctity,,and of :an‘ imputed .with -ib* telatioif'tb teak • : * > these which" did no Jhenor to o>i.t certainlyiior means of .edification to ,■ • • )"®Swwei ne- believed, dead! .'the omi&ops; silence of most, and'the indignant condemnation of maiiy, ; . held-these doctrines. Not-preed,’but character: not form, but life; not the letter* but the spirit- . f -nojj tha'Seotvbirt humanity; n6tthe Sabbath, b!ut ; ,™o,weßK.day;religion; notorthodoxy,butholiness, These, unless he was. mistaken, were thn articles of • ‘the living faith pf the Church... He ialsp' concurred • ‘;jb Mrßnght’s deptinciatibn pf religious cant. And ;: hej helieved the Want' of harmony .between the' living faith, of the Church "obsolete fortes m —which, - she - still" professed *~to . express lit was largely, -answerable',,for.thatf r .that "ctint. But, . he remarked,' there was ai.cant .iof sceptic! Sb as well -- as . of ‘ orthodoxy*. and Mr Brights lectures were notnltogether ffeefrom it. Finally, the few—he ventured~to tfliuk they were not, ntune- ., SOUSj dud• they] were certainly d diminishing number—who apposed religion to science, he willingly abandoned to the; lecturer’s scorn.' “At this point, however, besepatated from the lecturer, and would indicate the points of difference. Mr Bright was especially severe bn all church organisations. But JJS JAM wise-P:. "Was it cousistentiWth human nature? Human nature-craved the sympathy and needed sho help of association. He (Dr Koseby) never mode much:of religious forms. But they had their use* and were iudeed neCessary. i Public worship often degenerated into'mere foi malism—it .far more often preserved and enshrined devotion —•but, abolish forms of worship altogether, and the spirit, 'of • devotion’ was Already exhaled. Mr “Wi » further,: especially; severe upon, the cl A r B7;. He (Dr Koseby) was-ijocapolbgtet for the narrowness, gloom, and bigotry, vdiip.h characterised sonmiolergymen.- But, fating them,as a class, ho ventured to tUink the public Sentiment about them would be somewhat _ TB[6re .favorable than Mr 1 the.clergy, after all,- were nten*andi •brethren. They , thpnght )uoihiug human to be They, hod all the - faults, but countless also all the' .excellencies, that were com-i to inen., They r i?e:re conseiv **B “frit wa&’to' be remerdtered that the root! of their conservatism was'.their belief in revelation! and theiriaith in 'Christ. They could npt consent' *“o* AA-Uttmance pf Christshonld'coUnt M- nothing! n S*i ny concerning the soul’s relatibns to' destiny in eternity. There was* there- i J Jft*B£ftn£tmuat be, a chasm between them and those to whom Christ *aS no atathorlty. j7 Buf Mr Bright’s severest strictures had reference to money. He : denoiincgd thegreedrof: the Clergy. ■ HC fulminated i agamst churcb collections.! But take (said the' doctor) an intis tfation from the occurrences of the i poat weok which may serve to show, the -Unwisdom of this, denunciation. 1 A Celebrated'gymnast had ; been performing'in'Kbtisington, and. u bazaar had the Bui verity Hall bn betalf of Knox. complaiti of- the.tight-rope sfaUbemg,so profitable;to him, but which object, to which, to. contribute? WJio m the full knowledge pf all that was meant in this community by .the name of ‘*Knpr Church” wouM-dara tosay that the institution was not and more 'than aid ■Winch the community had so nobly rendered it he (Dr Koseby) say this as a mere fautor of Knoxphurph, , Her believed that, os help, img to present itiihe’community a reverent sense aspomting man up wards to a higher* and OU)TO.<dB tAa nobler life, there.was noth church in fhiSjtajjfi which.was not- doing a service"'for which who feared God and loved his brother iThe Churchesuiad their S UI ‘Act remained: -they were reservoirs pr religions, power; they were conservators of reli-jpous.fMtU;-they were centres of Clmatiah helpful- • ness and philanthropy; they helped tO"tiiaihtain in toe community those.virtues and:graces, which df r the earth and the salvation of the State—tbelear of God, the love of Christ,’ the ser.beauty Of- holiness. He would nae to know-what the disciples of Free-Thought would put in the Churches’ place. Free Thought *9wWee! ware a pAbr substitute" for' Christian pooT;substitute for the Varibuaiiistitu-vhnstian-philauthropy. . Mr Bright’s creed Now, th. s was a sense in SAioh he f Koseby) hoped they might all avow themSblves adherents of that cteed. He beUeved that it waa every man’s duty to obtain all the l.ght he_ somewh .t different to this. He seemed to believe in Itee thought-in -onedirectiGu,bufc -not-immother. £lu Zt pnfwasitempted to. thiiikihatrMr Bright wlieved ill ftee-thought in the sense in which flis Holmess of Borne believed in'it, viz., freedom to “A™* lSS.MP? l aud freedom tonbusa-those who did not,r_ The lecturer concluded by baling that he beeved there was some truth in Bishop Moran’s rethat the intelligence of Europe would at length, be divided between Christianity ajnd Posi®aße his (the lecturer’s) choice was maos., He' founded the answer to the cry ot hig soul*,and the realisation of his highest ideal, r in Gie fflmjeaty and Tenderness, the Holiness and Grace, of vflrißb> J- -• y r|-« " ,