MR G. A. BROWN'S LECTURE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1755, 4 October 1883, Page 2

MR G. A. BROWN'S LECTURE.

Mr G. A. Browx, of Auckland, delivered his promised lecture on " Signs of the Times ; or, What aie we coining to ? at Le Quesne's Hall, Hamilton, on Tuesday night. There was a large attendance, and the chair was occupied by Mr Geo. Aldiidge. The pioceedings opened with one of Sankey's hymns, after which the chairman intioduced the lecturer. Mr Brown, on coming forward, said some might wonder what they meant by " Signs of the times." The subject on which he intended to speak directly referred lo the second advent of Christ, and the signs were those which point to the nearne&s of that advent. The Apostolic Church was anxiously looking for the letuin of Jesus Christ, their hope being based upon the plain teachings of sciiptiue. But after the, introduction of Grecian philosophy into the church, the bible received an interpretation winch it had not obtained before, and henceforward the true hope of thechuich was obscured. Believing as they did that the " dead know not anything," they said that unless theio is a lesuirection from the dead, death is an eternal sleep. But resurrection cannot occur until the Master comes to this earth ; this second teaching was an impoitant feature in their faith and teaching. They looked abroad in the world for the coun'teipait to the hope revealed by the prophetic word, and they found that every flash of light from the outside indicated the near approach of the Master. But the world itself is looking for something v.istly different to this. She fixes her gaze upon the piosent with its thousand and one improvements visible on eveiy hand. She speaks of the means put foith for the intellectual advancement of the tising geneiv.tion, and she think-, that the mists of ignorance and daikness will be dispelled by the development of the intellect of humanity, .They recognised with the world all that is visible; they could with her lecognise, that intelligence is more universal. But they thought that when the woild piedicates upon her piosont pi ogres->ive intellectual activity, a continual process of advancement, .she is wrong, leaving out of her leckoning a-, she doe-, the teachings of the bible and the past. Weie they reasoniug from the history of past ages alone, they should by analogy conclude that the boasted progression by intellectual powers in the ]J)th centmyvvas untuie, and that as the age went on the woild would gr.nv worse and woise. The world's leasoning was utterly fallacious. Leaving out of consideration the bible doctiine, they contended that an intervention of some new vitality must soon take place if the present growth of intellect i-, to eontiuue. Let them look a moment at this ciy of continual progi ession, at the probable "lesults of another 100 ye.us of the world's going at the same late of speed at vv Inch it has advanced during the hist 50 ye.us. They woie liv ing in an age in which the power* of the bi.iin o,ie developed quickly. In the aiena of animal life they found "that that which is developed quickly dies quickly, and that which takes the longest period to develop has the longest life in cieaturehood. His obseivations led to the conclusion that intellect developed to its nieiidi.m rapidly fades in succeeding goueuitions. Theie were many who thought that the woild had never been so enlightened as now, but this seemed to _be a I'i.md mistake. Let them call to mind the days of the Ptolemies, of Aichimedes, of Euclid, the days when Alexandna nourished. If they could have stood there at that time they could have discovered that the germ thoughts at least, of the present age weie in existence and agitating the minds of the closest reasoners. What v\ mild the men of that age have thought if one had predicted the rapid decay of intellectual knowledge? As a fact they knew that those days of Inilliancy passed away, and the woild passed tin ough ]200 years of darkness and ignoiance. How was it possible for the m tolled of those times to bo buried .' Some leplicd that Christianity was to blame for the daiknos which followed. It was quite true that the apostate church did all she could to blot out that light, and in a l.ngu inea&me succeeded, but the thinker must look deeper than this. May theie not have been a needs-be for this 1 elapse into d.ukne-sV Whoie the intellect lvts boon allow ed to develop a,t the expense of the physical, they soon obtained intellectual dwarfs, along with phy.sic.il weakling. The present age differed fiom any which j had pieceded it in this, that they were able to recoup their intellectual vigour by the acquisition of phjsical stiength. The history of the .Roman Emphe shows that it reached a high stage of intellectual power, and then it rapidly detenorated. Then came the invasion of hubarians. It might bo thought that that invasion was a calamity, but, as a fact, it brought in new blood, and it sowed a seed of physical strength, fiom which they weie now reaping a harvest of intellectual binliancy. But to-day there weie no new races' that could come into their midst to bung back the physical constitution to civilisation. The lectiuer then went on to show, from cases with which he was personally acquainted, that the children of highly I educated paients vveie in youth precocious, but at manhood their powers of intellect were enfeebled. He summed up this argument by saying that if theio is to be piogression in intellectual attainments, theie must ba eithei an era of somi-daikness to recoup I physical strength, or theio must be an intervention by the Deity to give to men a new vitality. The latter the lectmer believed to be the most likely, for the 1 divine record piomised that this "mortal should put on immortality." Referring to ! the bible statements concerning the characteristics of the latter days just prim- to the advent of Chiist, Mr Brown adduced those enunciated in 11. Timothy, 111. chaptei, dwelling chiefly on the thoroughly selfish chaiacter of the age, even the church of God " bearing in her bosom those who in genoiosity act tin ough pure selfish motives. " The present bearing of children towards their parents was then animadveited on, and con tiasted with the close family ties, and filial roveienco of former day-. Mr Brown insisted that this fulfilled an nnporJ taut characteristic, that children should be " disobedient to parents." The gieat dislike of parents to children had engendeied a desire to pi event the birth of offspring, and the lectmer pointed out that according to the bible, men would be "without natural affection," and he contended that in the growing licentiousness of the age, and the increase in every civilised land of the will and desire to have no offspring, this characteristic is being fulfilled. The political features of the times next came under review, and weie connected with the vision of the image seen by Nebuchadnezzar. Mr Brown pointed out the deterioration of powor exercised by the world rulers .since the days of the pure autocracy of the king of Babylon, and that the last stage of earth's political power was now becoming universal, and the voice of the people was that which pulled the strings of political power, and when that stage reached its climax, the next thing would be the introduction of God's kingdom on eaith, by the advent of Christ. Mr Blown sat. down amid applause. After a hymn had been sung, Mr Aldridge pronounced the benediction, and the audience dispersed.

A Crown lands sale of town, suburban and rural lands will take place at Auckland on Wednobday, 24th October, at 11 o'clock. The anniversary soiree in connection m ith the Cambridge West Wealeyan Church will be held on Wednesday, 10th inbt. Mr J. S. Buckland notifies that he will hold his next Ngaruawahia and Waitoa and Waihou cattle sales on Thursday October 11th. Eats and Mice.— lf you wish to destroy them get a packet of Hill's Magic Vermin Kitxiiß in packets, (id. Od, and Is, to be obtained of all storekeepers, or from T. B. Hill by enclosing an extra stamp. One Shilling.— Francis J. Shortts' Popular Art Union.— Ten first-class Oil Paintings by celebrated artists. 5000 tickets at Is. The pnzos are magnificent and costly. Country subscribers sending stamps or otherwise will have tickets by return post. Enclose stamped envelope for reply.— Fkancis J. Shortt, KO, Queen-street, Auckland.— [Advt.] Life in the Bush— Then and Now.— It is generally supposed that in' the bush we have tp nut up Wit» many discomforts and privations In the shape ot food/ Formerly it was so, but now, thanks to T. 8., Hii<l, who has himself dwelt in the bushi if food does consist chiefly of tinned meats his Colon* al Sauce gives to them a most delectable flavour, njaking them as well of the plainest food most enjoyable, and instead. as hard biscuits arid indigestible damper, his Impkovbd Colonial 'Baking" Powdbr^ makes the very best 'bread,' f sc6nei,T«iiltes, and, pastry far superior and. more , wholesome than yeast or