The New York herald., 1872-11-23
FREE RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATION.

Freedom OF Religion in Religion-Thc
Efficacy Of PrGycr-Lectures by Revs.
o. Il. rockingham and f. ID. Mills.
About one hundred persons assembled last even
ing in the Unitarian church, presided over by the
Rev. Mr.. Chadwick, corner of Clinton and Congress
streets. Brooklyn, pursuant to announcement that
lecture would be delivered under the auspices OF
the Free Religious Association. The Rev. Mr..
O. B. rockingham, in opening his DISCOURSE
said it seemed to be necessary with most
systems Of religion to accept 1t only in the letter
and form, and it is by such religious adhercnts gen.
orally centended that those not in strict conform
ity with the letter have no religion at all. The
Free Religious Association, however, did not tole-
rate any, but accepted ALL We protest against the
letter and pull down walls, so that peo-
pie can come and go over our borders
We have borders to disenchant those
who would seek heaven in broad anu liberal
spirit. Those outside our belief say that we are
an intelligent body Of gentlemen graduates Of
Harvard College, capable OF expressing our views
very well and that we not willing to be guided
by the common theology OF the world and
therefore have o way of our own. CON-
mon impression about US is that we are
mere spectators in spiritual matters and are not
practical in our purposes of religion, He hoped
that In the course OF time this impression
would be Obliterated. The movement IN which
they were engaged began in practical reason and
common sense. Our object Is that we may bring
religion down to earth and make it a daily practical
and working faith, vital in all things in politics,
industry and associations. What we call infdelity
had its origin in feeling that religiOn was not
sincere, or practical All nfdels were first OF ALL
deep-leeling men. The speaker then spoke OF Vol
taire as having done some OF the most heroic Things
that were ever done by men, and eulogized him for
his charity and generosity to his fellow men. Out
of moral sensibility at the craven manner Of
N m nn10 inf
against theology came out Of the hearts of men
and not from the heads. Our work strikes deeper
other system OF religion. The speaker then spoke
OF superstition, and upon TINS subject he said there
ass aha os Of t The
Speaking upon the efficacy OF prayer he said
aat voar ne on VISITED during visit to London
were even solicited for its support It was under
a certain Sunday he visited spurgeon's
saur church and that Clergyman preached
people During wers his
Spurgcon made strong appeal for the asylum.
cs Sse' atenon Rss@ a 70 sSsry Ss asya ss
and the speaker heard the money drop
ping pThg IKE hail into these receptacles. Now
supported by prayer alone That there was special
providence Gel IN the matter perhaps, spurgeon be-
the money 1t was q supcrstitious, but innocent
belief But the speaker believed that nobody was
he
ized People have risen out OF the vulgar slough Of
materialism to higher perception OF mankind. He
dwet upon the project of Professor Tillen to set
apart certain wards In hospital in London to test
the efficacy OF prayer, that the patients in the
one might be prayed for, and those in the other
ward he left to the treatment of the physicians
without spiritual supplcation In their behalf In
the controversy which had grown out of this pro-
ject 1t was remarkable that there was not one of
the thcologians that did not repudiate the ortho
dox theory Of PRAYER in this matter; they looked
upon the project as carlcature. Man should not
turn over his work to Heaven when he could do it
himself. Other instances were cited In which
cures were made and money subscribed for hui
tanned pr0fesscdly through prayer, came regularly
from material sources. In conclusion, Mr.. Froth-
lngham defined religion as being a consciousness
OF being free to walk upright in truth and Justice
and TO ask questions OF all men.
Mr.. Il. ID. MILLS, OF Syracuse, was the next
speaker. lie took for his subject Bible idoiatry.
Man, he said, was ever looking in other depart.
ments-seeking to go further. There was no sphere
which he did not seek to enlarge and no depart
ment that he did not seek to expand. There was
he did not look for one still higher, for
his thoughts went out far beyond all he had OBJ
tained heretofore. The two worlds OF which we
sometimes speak were, he said, as inseparable in
the minds OF men as the gold which was found In
California was inseparable from the sulphur and
iron. Dividing the spiritual and material was
dimcult matter for humanity. Eternity as con-
sdercd was O time beyond our s0jOurn here,
and we could not shift to any spiritual exist
ence In which the physical was not in some way
review the various systems OF belief In higher
Being which existed since the beginning OF The
world; and, coming to the Christian era and to the
present day, he argued In favor OF greater tolera-
ton and the abolition OF oil HectaTlan feelings ae
iDipical TO Christian faith