MR. VOYSEY'S NEW CHURCH

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 205, 4 January 1872, Page 7

MR. VOYSEY'S NEW CHURCH

(From the "Pail Mall Gazette.'" Oct, 6.)

Mr. Voysey, late vicar of Healaugh, conducted Divine service on Sunday inorniug at St. George's Hall, Lang- , liain place, under the auspices of a committee formed for the purpose- of establishing Mr. Voysey in a church of -his owu. The programme of this committee, headed "The Voysey Establishment Fund," announces -•"» the prinripsil pointo uf Mr. Voysey's teaching: — 1. That it is the right and duty of every man to exercise his private judgment in matters of religion. 2. That the character and dealings of God are r infinitely higher than the popular views represent them to be. 3.- That its necessary to-prac-tice virtue and brotherly love in <«der to understand the love P" d goodness of God. Of tbis com»'rttee Dr. Hinds, late Bishop of Norwich, is chairman. There p" 3 two or three other clerical munes on the list of some 60 names, among which the best known are those of Charles Darwin, Erasmus Darwin, Sir John Bowring, Sir 0. ~W. Trevolyan, W. C. Price, M.P., -and James Heywood. Mr. Voysey, who wore the usual surplice and stole, and an Oxford hood, read prayers from a revised Prayer-book, compiled by himself. Much of the language of the Prayerbook is retained, but many passages are supressed and others condensed, and the whole is, to use the words of the preface, " stripped of all that has become obsolete and out of harmony with a pure Theism." Of the confession some clauses are struck out, and in "Spare Thou them, O God, which confess their faults," " cleanse " is Substituted for " spare." The Absolution is altogether dispensed with. The . Lord's . Prayer is retained, . and also its name ; but in the rest of the forms all allusion to the Second 'and third Persons of the Trinity seem co have been expunged. The petition of* the Litany in favor of Magistrates is followed by this orte— " That it may please Thee to help all literary persons and editors' of the public press, that they mqf" use all. their p.(ftvers_in the cause -of truth and righteousness, and .rise ab,ove the prafse arid, Elaine of man." There is fa similar petition in favor of schools and seminaries of abound learning; -te'sehers/rand. .men of science. In his sermon Mr Voysey isirid the object of the mbvement which V c and his friends bad set on foot was t le removal from Christanity of those portions of. the popular belief which, -ift hfs opinion, are contrary to the teaching of history and experience and derogatory to the character of_ the Supreme 'Being.' He" desired especially to get rid of the doctrines of the fall, eijeraal damnation, arid the atonement for the sins of a portion of mankind by the .sufferings of Jesus Christ.; The, d6ctrine- o.f the inspiration of the Scriptures, which niade'God responsible for the absurd and immoral notions of various ignorant and arrogant men, was about to be repudiated. It would probably not b"ernrthe"tif(stimerof any one of his hearers that the blots and blemishes of popular^ religion- T would hi <removed, dt least not in England, s and he began jtoatteflipt'tiheir removal w|th no very sanguine hopes of sue* ceps | tyut ibe would never, give it ,up white he had a vj?ice left with wjhich to protest.