New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-11-12
Parker. Third Discourse.
CORRESPONDENCE OF The Trlb0ne.
RnsrnS Nny Q L.


The interest in Rev. THEo. PARKER Lectures,
great at first, is still increasing. There a
brilliant audience on Monday evening TO hear his
Third Discourse, and the eager and almost breath
less attention of the dense ihrong was token of
their appreciation of his talents learning and elo-
quence. l have been in many public assemblies,
where deep and absorbing interest was felt both
in the subject and The speaker, but | have never
Witnessed stiffness so profound, listening OF the
soul (f may SO express myself 80 marked, from
beginning to end, rs pervadcs the multitude who
gather from week to week to hear Mr.. Parker
Nor is this attention The fruit of mere Idle curl
osity which surfeits itself the FIRST dyaughf and
then stays away, aferding room for another 'hrons
TO come and take their turn at staring but you
will see the same animated face, this week that
YOU saw the last, coming a full hour beforehand IN
order TO secure favorable position.
Mr. Parker took for his text on Monday eve
ming these words of Jesus: his people dcaw-
eth nigh me with their mouth, and honore,h
me with their lips: but their heart is Far from me.
But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doc
trines the commandments of men," From these
words of the Great Teacher he delivered pro-
found discourse on Theology and Religion
These, he said were oftener COMPOUNDED with each
other than Morals and Religion and the mistake
was much more dangerous. II needed but little
acquaintance with history and ltle observation to
learn two things, viz first that all science rested
upon facts secondly, that all men had their tho
yiss and opinions concerning these facts, which
were distinct and very different thing from the
facts themselves. And this, he said, was precise
" the difference between Religion and Theology
The first was absolute, and the latter the sum of
our opinions respecting II; the one was unchanse-
able and eternal the other evanescent and fleet
ing A Theology, good or bad, comes from the
nature Of Thugs. We naturally set things in a
row, and arrange and systematic our opinions of
facts We first search for the facts-then comes
the analyss-then the syn,hess. Thus it is in the
physical sciences--in metaphysics, or the phoso-
ply Of the mnd-and thus should it be in our phi
losophy of the soul and its relations to God
Theology may be defined ourtheory of things
pertaining to the sou-the science Of which Re-
ligion is the Practice In this sense, though not
according to the narrow conceptions of the secta-
rau and the Journalist, Theology, like every other
science, is subject to Reason, and rests upon in
disputable facts. 1t is not science which binds
and enslaves the soul, compelling it to receive a
prescribed theory, and sitting all fair nvesuga-
ton by the storm voice of Authority. The popu-
lar Theology OF eur day, instead Of appealing TO
universal fucts--to facts OF consciousness or OF de-
monstration-is founded upon the weakest of all
Observation-Disclosures. Its main doctrines Cor
those for which its votarics contend with the most
carnestness) are Assumptions, and its ultimate
and final authority is" Somebody said So" In
ssoad of modestly asking for facts, and rcverenty
receiving them as revelations from the Highest, it
sets them at defiance, though never so demonstra-
bic, when they clash with its own arrogant pre-
tensions This Theology has usurped the place
of Religion, and impudently says, There is 20
salvation without me-" 1t has been well said,
that God demands of every man that he should be
right in heart, but that he does unconditional
~ require of any man that he should adopt right
theory.
When man came 10 Jesus and asked what he
should do to inherit eternal life, how simple and
beautiful the answer He was told 10 do good 10
man from love of God. Is such the answer given
to that question by the sects Of our day. Far rem
it. The inauirng soul is told that he cannot be
saved do what he may, unless, first Of all, he &C
cepts the popular Theology! Thus is the ileeiing
and the transent-the mere theory of Religion
nut in The place of the Interchangeable and eternal
or Religion itself! Our Theology is mere see
saving on opposite ends of plank of logis. Some
of its points are so obscure that scarcely moon
beam of logic could fall upon them but on these
whole sec,s had agbted, and laid out their town
and county lots, and church reservations.
do not pretend, in these brief notices of Mr..
P.s Discourses, to give you his language, but only
some of his leading thoughts as they impress them
selves upon my own mind. notlce-not "a
ske,ch-of his remarks do | aim to presents and
in this trust have done him no injustice
Yours, truly, REylLo.
ONLY 121. Gents.
mr. Tuy WuIc ALMANAC and UNITED STATES REGISTER