The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-06-06 00:00:00

i" has introduced an extract

If you think these
below,

remarks worthy a corner, perhaps the extra
from the " Progress of Being," by the Rev. D:Thomas, of
Stockwell, editor of the liomilist, may be thought to have
some bearing upon the subject of Inspiration, and other
a new views.—Yours, &c., TOL E RATIO.N.

EXTRACTS

" Your system of divinity," says he in his preface,
author will not disparage; but his impression is, they can
no more answer the purpose of the gospel, than' pneumatics
can answer the purpose of the atmosphere. In the case of
Christianity, as well as the air, the world can live without
its scientific truths, but it must have the free breathing of
their vital elements." p. viii.
" Your Theological creeds to their authors were convic-
tions—great soul-elevating realities; but if I receive them
merely on their authority, they are nothing but dead dogmas
to me. And what is a conviction to me, if received on my
ipse dinit, becomes a miserable dogma to the recipient. In
remote ages,' says the philosophic Jouffroy, 'in which the
dogma had its birth, it was adopted because it appeared true ;
it was then believed, for reasons that were known ; faith
was alive. But the children of the first converts began
to admit the dogma, without verifying its claims, that is
to say, to believe without comprehending their belief, and
from that time the foundation of faith was changed ;
instead of resting upon conviction, it took its stand on
authority, and was transformed into a habit. Thus,
transmitted from generation to generation, in consecrated
words, and always lees understood in proportion to its
distance from its source, the moment at length arrives
when the dogma governs only in appearance, because all of
its truth has died out from the mind.' These dogmatic views
are wrong, because they imply mental indolence end
servility. It is the prerogative and duty of every man, like
the noble Bereans, to work out his own creed ; to have a
well searched and understood reason for all the religious
views which he entertains. He, who yields up his judg—
ment to another, sins against his own nature, and the
divine order of society."

" Now, these dogmatic views I class amongst the greatest
obstructions to true progress. Dogmas intimidate the soul.
Your dogmatic men have ever been Theological cowards.'
They are afraid of every new idea; the shadow of a new
ism turns them pale ; old Popery keeps them in a constant
panic. Dogmas enslave the soul ; they manacle its
intellectual powers, and confine its spiritual sympathies.
They foreclose all questions that seem not at once to har-
monise with themselves. Dogmas darken the soul ; they
shut it in. as with high massive walls, and almit no light
from any heavenly orb, but such as come reflected through
their own dim and narrow windows. Dogmas dissocialise
the soul ; they breathe into it the spirit of arrogant intoler-
ance, and set it in fiery wrath against all who differ from
it in opinion. They are a stumbling-block that must be
removed before humanity caa advance." Pp. 60, 61.

AN UNREPORTED ILLIIMINATION.—The newspapers have
grossly neglected to report the illumination that was in
front of Mr. Cobden's house. It was in the form of a
" Peace motto :-0-live and let live." It was surrounded
with branches, beautifully lit up with gas, and the effect
was as happy as it was luminous.—Punch.
THE PRINCIPALITIES.—A letter from Bucharest, dated
May 22, states that on the 19th ult., all the commissioners
for marking off the new lymndary were assembled at Galatz.
The first to arrive was the Austrian Lieutenant-Colonel
Kalik, aclompanied by Count Wimpfen, captain on the staff.
He was followed by Colonel Baron Stackelberg, the second
Russian commissioner; by Lieurant.colonel Stanton, in
the British war steamer Recruit; by Dervish Pasha,
attended by Muhlis Pasha (a son of Michael Stourdza, the
ex-Hospodar), and a numerous suite ; by Lieutenant-Colonel
Belson, the French commissioner; and finally, on the evening
of the 17th, by General Fonton, principal Russian commis.
sioner. A hall had ben allotted by the local authorities to
these gentlemen for their deliberations. Their first general
meeting was to be held on the 19th, and it was expected
they would set cut for the frontier in the course of the
week. The same correspondent expressed a hope that they
would so far rectify the line decided upon at Paris as to
remedy the inconvenience of the want of communicaions by
land between Moldavia and the newly-eded •territoiy. Tne
new frontier is also stated to be highly indefinable, by
reason of the lakes and marshes that extend along it, and
most of which are impassable by troops.