, 1874-01-05

Beneath tho walls Of Paradise"
FREE RELIGION.
Criticism OF Prof. Swing by 1. N.
Stiles.
Yesterday evening Gen. I. N. Stiles PEcsi-
dent of the Free Religious Society, addressed
that organization as follows, al the West Side
Opera-House, corner OF Randolph and Jefferson
streets:
learned Professor and pastor Of one Of the Pres
b5tsran churches In this city has recently delivered
Sermon IN which no undertakes to refute what he
derstans to be he doctrines Of the free xeg!onsts
BE treats free religion tho religion Of pure logic,
and says, "Logic, II well followed, may lead US to
doubt whether there Is such thing as beauty:
whether there La such thing honor, such thing ~
benevo1euce, such thing as mind such thing rs
gratitude purc Affection" Using the term unteles
as I think. in the sense, the Professor further
says: I" Unbelief Bays, be.ere not in God, hence
not In prayer, not In virtue, not In ain, not In
mans greatness not in his future beyond the grave
Hence let 1,e alone will eit here forever, and pon-
der and wcrder nud then de-" II these premises Of
the Professor ere true, then most Of his conclusions
drawn from them ought to be accepted. Is It t,Ia
that the tendency Of free religion IL to destroy It.
hef in virtue, hatred Of sin do not Know that
free regonts have any crccd but Of lis bocctes
Las platform, which reAds follows "a Ne define
Religion to be code Of morrl government based on
individual convictions OF duty, prompting man TO
seck his grenscst LApr1nesa in the Ilac1te OF tie
for his own notions, 70 each should be perfectly
free 10 choose his religion guided by those mental
faculties viii guide him in The Other Affairs Of life.
That in mstttgs II rete eicus otinicu reafon 10 the
final arher ind the only legitimate authority. The
Professor concludes bis sermon With TIE following
seme positive, active, singing, PRAYING, trusting
chureh IN
speak authoriaatvey e to the cardinal teefs IT. in-
decd there are any) OF the FREQ relgoulss OF CHIEF
so. No ezson has as yet. eeen ordaiued or called to
take charge Of this little ock No synod Las yet been
convened.
lam not aware p1eedent this Society, have
any trch authority. Ie1hnpk however, may, ~ why
Of fultltr efacc to 1ny lecture I1oI er give lrey
my views Of what ems to ne TO ee proptr smoIg
other things TO he discarded By tbs Society," ard Of the
rolriety Ut which 1ts Mt1nbezs arc to determine.
That the soul does not exist separate and apar frc
the tody while te functions Of the body contiane is
generally admitted Thet the soul lyt8 on aLd con-
t,ues to act atrer The dissolution Of the body, have
no evident which deem reliable, nor do know ct
any one who has. The laws ci Nature, fur aa am
abie to understand them. forbid me from reachiug
Nnuy urrc-u.iudcd and intelligent men and women
claim to herc c,yeu sufficient evidence through
called "spirtual manifestations satisfy them Of
the verify Of the Immortality ct the soul They have
Leen withheld from though have given the sub
iect less attention for than twenty years.
None of these people, far advised Enre ever
reached such d conclusion by reasoning u1cn facts
thoughtfl persons 10 Ie veil established. It does not
to to lie desirable, therefore, to dcEote any
further time to reasoning upon the subject
Of some evidence least of Trustworthy character,
and which tan comprehend III so11e degree through
the medium Of my sentes- Fer while longer lre-
fer to trust to this medium, AID to discard others:
prefer facts first and theories nfterward One fact
bsartng directly upon thlB question will DO to start
WITH And until Que such fact, well Infested, is lro
duced II seems to NE Lest to give our energies and
thoughts 10 the solution Of some OF The countless
problems which surround in this 1fe to the Irac
cal NJ airs OF this world, about which know some
thing already, and of which We need to know much
mora So much by nay OF preface
tho facts II 1t should Lc thought either or
sppropriate taat text should lie chosen, give the
words Of pan the a19ale .ssTant Of se.ns % Christ
Ifs lecturer should discourse to us upon his OBJ
se1vatcns and experience while on a voyage to the
moop, though he Should proceed in aty!e never 60
le interrupted with the request to first satisfy
us that he lad ever mado such voysge. VIA. Mnst
s that it duty to beiere that he had made the
voyage, in order to understand sle importance II The
:. What is your belief about it7" .aid David. ~
taye noue, laid NatEan " why should II don't
g 1psy M fs l. SsSsp SSns an ee n VII M
fuith help to know the truth taid Nathan. WILL
it enable me- to distinguish error" ..-.
from different understandings CT tie facts ftenl
which our opinions have .een dedu.ed It
. .ca' Easy q 9ous In proe e
what :he real facts which beer upon the question,
sud whi&n ought to constitute the foundation on
opinion Ell the facts involved, there comes aho
wondsous harmony in the conclusions reached. The
reiei over the color Of shield, neheF Of whom
but the Eide next himself. Nature Is emtnenlly.
strictly truthful Everything in nature 1 is fact,
only 9 m ef e oa
o1hers ais great Lrndle u facts n but these facs
mrst be arranged, sorted, eenc1z4ized, aud, when
The question to be considered constitute the evidence
upon which our conclusions ars to be rcached~ In
resching them, agree with an eminent laT wfater M
object he explore the myAterics Of nntuEe or un-
rzvel the hidden transactions Of mankind, is reason
guided by e1Eerenee And though reaso :. ~ IL naat
teScl truth not to be forgotten, that IN the nature o.
tlingp many problems cannot be soistd at al. Very
to solve that nott insolvallo Of al mysteries,
the origin ct matter, the problem Of creation,
the first great cnuse. The conclusions reached BY
some OF tie early thinkers have Lien adopted By many
Of the ablsst Ct Today, md knowledge 4 such tends
somewhat to confirm the t1ite ua11n that history
repeats ateelf." ....-
human re1eon inadequate to solve tLe myhtery Of
creation tlst II the hEmaa mind could not coz
ceive Of tho time wien matter you'd cease TO e3si
not begun exist To say that Il always had existed
md always would exist vas not satisfactory
seo0p Indeed + # was va. not no Solution =. a
i. was conclusion. That conclusion, stated in an
other forn this It is impossible ior the mind of
no,yer. but % the result, the effect, Ct something
which was before it. and this again Of hat Was stu
before it, and ou and on, and on, TIL the mind Is iot
save in the contemplation Of It's OWE ignorance and
heinlessness Nan III general, however, was slew to
believe That bis not sufficient for the so!u-
ton Of this and all other problems o. nature, , 10 For
s:sihle sptrata to which he gere Tie, name .te
# Eods 6yea Gv .rospa H. in % epst md de-
so4bad sausl txas in eqa1l t6ass, lsllsvsd EaAt IN