Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-08-04

The religion Of the Panetheists gives no
personal and sympathizing God, no loving
suffering Saviour to lean upon. 1t gives US
meditation, the mystery Of existence, the great
and good, Christ among the rest, to admire and
copy after and 1t substitutes these for the
bible, for the sacrament. for the church. Tor
faith and hope, and trust in God. 10 the moral
air of these elittering subjectivities the soul
lsnguishes, and NO heroic souls are ever porn
from II. 1t takes no account Of sin, and the
necessity Of contrition and forgiveness 1t says
get q high idea of goodness and keep yourseii
up to it. Greece tried this religion under tne
most advantageous circumstances coucessos'
aided by philosophy and learning, and failed
1t is but gilded bsrbarism.
Mere intellectual culture ingenerstes no new
force We need new life and more OF IT. rms
natural religion supplies no public standard OF
truth. The requirement that religious ,iuth
shall evince itself in the consciousness Is ieg',
innate one The Testament sets upa general
standard of truth to which all men may con
form, and which renders possible a UNITY Oh re-
ligious thought Christianity is not 'hing Oh
the past, it is present existence 10 tnose ~no
walk in its ways. Ii builds itself INTO 'ne pc
lief of the world. This restless, arrogahI sp'ri'
of championship in its behalf among cer'Ais
theologians; this msrsh.lling of squsdrous OF
syllogisms to do battle for it, only weakens the
faith Of the believer, and provokes the criticisms
Of the skeptic
The speaker proceeded to show wherein
the religion of the positivist must fail. 1t is
incspable of reaching the lower classes Of man
kind. Il ia tie religion of the aristocracy, anu
can benefit only the cultivated and rehneu'
Christianity is the religion Of the poor It aims
to reach. and does reach the lowest and most
humble classes Of society and so II reacnes all
and moves all, as 8 lever placed under the lowest
stratum moves the whole superintendent inass'
1t nculcates as its prime doctrine, love and prac-
teal charity. The school of rstionalism looks
down in contempt upon the rabble which moiis
at its feet Its not the Good Samaritan, stoop-
ing to comfort and heal, it is the priest and
the Leyite. coming to look, and passing
by upou the other side This religion may do
for the cultivated, but what are all the ignorant
toiling millions to do?
Science and religion are not antagonis;ie, but
are allies, working together in common cause
Christianity is one revelsiion-s,ience Is an
other Reason and faith have separate heius'
one in phenomena, and the other beyond IL Is
cowardly for the theologian to fear science anu
shut his eyes to its light. All scientific and IN
tellectusl discovery will ultimately exalt Christ
Revelation added to faith meets the want of an
answer to the problems of the unknowable. The
prime duty of man is to perfect his intellectual
and spiritual powers, and the supreme condition
of success lie loyalty to Christ
This Thoughtful and excellent discourse was de-
livered with much vigor, and was listened to
with close attention by the numerous audience
After the singing of " Coronation " by choir
and congregation, the exercises closed with the
benedction by the Chaplain.