, 1873-11-03

Tho TrtlstcoB, In accordance with form, thon
delivered tho building to DR.. Fowler to DO dedi-
in tho Discipline. Tho eorvicoa woro then con
clod by tho singing the Doxology. In lao
evoning, tho Rev. Arthur Edwards preached.
FREE RELIGION.
Discomrsc by Prof.. T. II. Taylor.
A now roNgioua Society has been fornoa in
this city, callod tho "Froo noligioniatB," which
ia composed Of Darwinism, Ronanism, and
Bpirituallsm. Their first services woro held yes
terday afternoon At tho Globe Theatre which
was completely fillod with ladies md gontlo-
mon, moat Of whom came moro out OF curiosity
than bscausu they Endorsed tho principles OF tho
philosophers. ..
After tho singing Of a hymn by qlartette,
Prof. 7. D. Taylor mounted tho improyisod pull
pit on tho stage and delivered sermon, or
rathor lecture. Tho speaker commenced by
saying TINT no preceding ego had equaled tho
present In close. critical, scientific, and PHI
loaophical researoh. Every department Of learn
ing, ali history, sacred and profane, art soionce,
philosophy, poetry, and theology, seemed to be
doomed alike to pass into tho cruci6le OF close
analytical criticism. DR.. Haven, tho worthy
presdent Of tho Philosophical Society in
III 5 5ey yf.seas sosa too m s shst asm s sus m onn sS
tion In some philosophy was not worthy Of ac-
ceptanco by Intelligent mon and women" s'lch
= atatomont coming from Doctor In Divinity,
bad encouraged him to prepare lecture on tue
Of the Age" Tho nero statement Of this sub
ject would presuppoao whnt a great many people
hold was not true, viz. tho existence gonoral-
ly OF IN irrational religion.
What was Rationa1ism and what it's toachinga2
What was tho rationale Of doematio theology.
and what its influence on aoclcty? These were
questions that could bo protitabty considered.
The Bible Repository defined Rationalism as fol-
lows: 4 BYstdm Of opinions doduced from
to toit.' It." ''''AS' ''' '''l'' ''' - 0pp''e
This definition WAS. like Thousand othors to
bo found In Wahatar'a Unabridged Dictionary.
for ho quotod from the Bible Repository, partly
some one untrammolod by tho chains OF dog.
matte theology wins tho demand OF tho present
age. No Nationalist, or evon Liberal Christian,
could fail to sec, in thousands OF instances,
tions Of theological terms, like tho frowuing
cliffs Of tho glaoial period 10 geology: RATIONAL
roaaon. bnt not necessarily distinct from royela-
nntionaliann accepted of ali facts revealed in tho
physical OF intellectual world, and deduced rea-
sonablo conclusions from thom. At Trenton
Falls, years ago. ho had broken of from
tic rocky wall Of tho deop-cut gorge some speei-
Of saltwater inhabitants, but thoy were deep-
boddad In the solid rock, 500 miles from the son,
and aa many feet above Its present lerol: What
conclusions would reason draw from this data !?
| To say that these shells In such place wero o
moro freak OF nature, would be tho voice OF ig-
norancc. To Bay that they had neon produced
| by tho Btars, would be superstition. To say
| they were the result Of some mysterious "prin-
| mentasion. had produced these resemblances to
| living things, would DO irrational speculation,
! or to say these rocks existed long prior to tho
! appearance Of animals on tho earth, and that
tie Creator nodded these forms as a}9pios. from
nnce based on tho crodal dogmaH of theology.
1sationalism answored clearly this That as
these shells were found 800 miles from the sea,
and 30 many miles above its level, the time once
was when tho murmuring OCEAN dashed its angry
wavea against tho enstoru boundary Of the
Adirondacks. [Applause.] Justas tho relics OF
tho Roman dominion we're found in England,
Franco, aud Germany, SO the antiquities Of the
old ocean had bocn eshumed from the solid
granite up tho mountain heights Of Natures
| pyramida. So reasoned Fracastoro, who in 1917,
e1humed multitude OF potrifactions, and which
had aroused tho spocu]ations of humorous writ
era. But Fracnstoro WAS atanpted q herotic BY
that papal orthodoxy which prosecuted also tho
starry Calico.
After tho crucifl1ion Of Jesus, his dis,
ciplcs woro assembled in small
uppor. room. with doora md windows
}@Thoy wero exceedingly dospondont oyor the
death Of Jesus. becauHo they had hopod that
this was he who should redeem israel. The an
l. -nouncoment that jesus WAS alive from tho dead,
| and had appeared unto many, revived their
Ehopes. But one Of their number, Thomas by
j nano said ho would not believe it until ho Ind
A"soen it. Peter, James, and John accompanied
4 Jesus up to tho Mountain Of TRANSPORTATION,
Moses had boon among tho dead 1900 years,
and Elias 900. Yot, in beautiful aEray, they ap'
i poured and talked with their elder brother
Jesus about tho gufrerings he was soon to undor'
g., bnt strengthened ts3, bun by the ASSURANCE
supposing Robert Col]yer, ". r. Mger, David
Swing, Mr. Darwin, Mr.. Huxley and others, oil
wanted to testify tlat on q certain OCCASION,
when assembled In room, discussing tho groat
problem Of life, wish doors and windows locked
and barred, in manner to preclude the possbil
ity of physical personality entering tho apart.
mant, thore appeared in thelr midst mnn il
shining and beautiful garments, with tho TiBage
Of a sago, and the radiance of saint, bearing
Htriking resemblance to the authorized por.
traits Of Washington, the Father OF his country,
[Groat applauso] aud In different ways indicated
to the witnesses aforesaid, that it was he. anG
that he Was still living in . higher state2 What
tho testimony Of tho creditablo and competent
Witnesses above named? 70 say that 1t was an
hal1uciuation Of the brain with which they vert
all simultaneously affected, would bo un
It was an image Of tho great warrior
and atateaman, projected from tho concentrated
minds Of tho Witnesses. and infused with Lift
and intelligence that correspondent with his
willie their thoughts were pinioned to proto
plasm, would DO atraining ut . gnat and swallow
Ing camel [Applauso:1 Reason. would say
Snco this fact is certified to by eight credieabls
Witnesses and corroborated by many othora ii
tho history Of tho past, it has to be accepted al
; ono of the affirmative answers to the question
propoundod 1000 years ago. "!Ir man dies
shall ho live again 2" Reaaou docs, therefore
not reject revelation, but turns the whole ques
ton upon the characters Of tho Witnesses fastl
Tying to the revelation given. From this i
would be seen that Webster and tho Bible Re
pository were mistaken when they affirmed tha
rationsliBm rejected and opposed revelation.
those Who considered supernatural events 70
corded in tho Bible % happening in tho ordinas.