Mr Walton's Lecture.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 5, 3 June 1885, Page 2

Mr Walton's Lecture.

"Facts concerning Jeans and the Gospels," was the subject of MrWalton's lecture at the Town Hull on Sunday night. The attendance was very good and the audience seemed to thoroughly appreciate tho discourse. Some very conclusive evidence was produced, to sustain the following points taken up. First. — The lecturer /went to prove that there is no evidence to prove that Jesus ever lived. As tiic Gospel narratives required confirmation, and there was no contemporaneous history to shew that such a person lived. Second. — That the New Testament scriptures were ntt written at the time they purported to have been. Third. — That they were not written by the persons whose names they bear, or to whom they aro attributed. Fourth. — That they do not contain genuine history ; but are to a great extent mule up of errors, contradictions and forgeries. Fifth. — That the Bible doctrines are not genuine or necessary. The deity of Jesus only dated back to the fourth century, and was conferred on him simply as a compromise with Paganism. The vote was carried by a slender majority ; and on account of the fear entertained by *hose present of the bloody and atrocious Con T stantine. Arius and. a large number of followers voted, against the idolatrus proposition to confer divine honours on a human being. But the begetting; of children by the gods was a beloved doctrine of the priesthood. The immaculate conception, and genealogy of Jesus was fully criticised, going to shew that a dream was not a reality, neither a reality a dream. Also shewing that Jesus could not be of the house of David, if Joseph the carpenter was not his father. The murder of children by Herod, without saving the little girls, and the safety of John who was just the age to be killed gave the whole story a tone of improbability. Herod need not have sacrificed the females, knowing that the new king Loi -the Jews^was not of that sex. The ablest of Christian writers and ancient fathers were quoted m support of the as.aertion that there is no record of Christ I having lived. And the assertions of the I most learned mon, that the reference j made to Jesus m the works of ■ Josephus I was a gross forgery. Dr Gardner, Bishop Warburton, Justyn Marty n, Clement of | Alexandria, TertuUian and Ongen, The ! passage was- first quoted by EJusetlus m I A.D. 315 it being more than pwibable it I was forged by him. The genuineness of the Gospels was next considered, and numbers of authorities quoted m support of the assertion that they were spurious forgeries, not written by the men whose names they b jar, m fact no evidence no evidence can be obtained, as to when, where, how, or by whom they were compiled. It is vphcld that Ireneaus himself ha.l forged. At any rate he introduced them to the world on his own authority. Tha several doctrines were dealt with, it being shown that man had never fallen, but was really progressing. The Trinity, Atonement, Baptism, and the many doctrines received attention, and the physical resurrection condemned as absurd and unworkable. The lecturer stated that the authors of tha Gospel Hommce were indebted to " Jiiz ins Christ ria," the Lord and Saviour of the Hindoo*, for the miraculous fables narrated about the hero of the Gospel narratives, they being similar to th >so ontaino 1 in 1 ' the Sanscrit 1200 years b store Christ's time. And that Baptism was an ordinance of the Brahminicaii faith thousands of: years be>ore John was supposed to have live 1. A touching allusion was m ule to tho suffering of miny m the past, by torture and stake m do f once of the truth. The lecturer sat down amid prolonged applause.