Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1875-06-08

unutterable scorn on the idea that re-
| ligion fingers on sentimental suffer
ance !" that the clerical profession builds
| on feeling; that the church keeps open
as nursery of emotion and he
trusts that when 'semotion" proves
empty it will be stamped out and got
| rid of.
Mr.. Martineau's lecture, which is per-
haps the ablest criticism of Prof. Tyn-
dall's address yet published, is remark
able for its affluence of illustration and
| its brilliant rhetoric, but it is singularly
| illogical and inconsistent. 1t admits the
facts of modern science, and would en-
| dorse them, but as shadows of anxiety
steal forth and mingle with the adyanc-
| ing light of natural knowledge, temper
| ing it to less general warmth, it betravs
tendency to turn back and renounce
the lead of science, if science should in any
manner endanger the office and power of
the clergy. 1t cannot tolerate the idea
of universal evolution, except as the work
of a super natural mind yet Mr.. Mar
tineau accuses the scientist of ''borrow-
ing one of the worst errors of theolo-
gy in indentifying the anomalous or
lawless with the divine, and assuming
that whatever falls within the province
of nature drops thereby out of relation
| to God. He thinks that the scientist,
| by confounding the idea of the Divine
mind with that of miracle worker,
virtually goes over to the theological
camp. He says the essence of religion
| is summed up in three assumptions: LIST,
| OF an Eternal mind ID, OF Moral
| Government Sd, OF Spirit Commun-
| ion is independent of any possible re-
suits of the natural sciences, but fur
| Their on asserts that ''In the whole his
| tory of the genius of things Religion
must Internationally surrender to the
| sciences On the question of the origin
| ating power Of things, he thinks the
sciences have nothing to say, while of
the mode or h0ao of things Religion has
nothing to say. Still, he says, the Gun
practical mind goes out upon things en-
mGSse and unfortunately feels and
thinks" He promises a religion based
on knowledge as against the religion of
Prof. Tyndall, based on emotion, but
he nowhere indicates such a religion.
His religion is as strictly and complete
ly emotional as that of Prof. Tyndall
He makes intuition the ground of
faith-religlon springs from conscious
ness. Force and power, he says, as ex-
ternal causality; is ''not an object Of
bn0aoIedge," but San clement given in the
relations Of kn0ac5edge, a condition Of
oar thinking Of phenomena at ALL"
"We have, he says, ''to assume caue-
atty for all things" Speaking of the
material force in contrast with the Di-
vine energy or agency, he says, "Neith-
er can be observed, one or the other
must be assumed"
l. g 20 & al.
notice to quote Mr.. Martineau in many
of his truthful and eloquent statements,
but only in those respects. where he
criticises Prof. Tyndali with severity,
and yet, in reality, endorses and sus-
tains him. We are interested in the vi
tai question which is at the bottom Of
the controversy, the question whether
religion is matter of subjective feeling
or Of objective knowledge.
Prof. Tyndall treats it as natural
instinct or passion, not at all requiring
an exact or correct and scientific knowl- (
edge, not, in fact. to be verified by science;
but taking on this or that, relative sub
iective, changing theology, which may
best accord with the education or infor-
nation of the mind which feels after
God in nature. He admits the religious
feeling and would exercise and ennobIe
it. -...#s-. ....-=
Mr.. Martineau thinks this view of
religion tit only for the nursery-and, /
for that part, it may be so-our business
is 10 take truth as we find it, not as we de-
sire to make it, and if it should prove to
be the only consistent scientific view to
take Mr.. Martineau can claim that his
view also is matter of feeling-an as
sumption in his premises nf oil he fluds
in the result 1t Is no less necessary !
with Mr. Martiroau TO assume Divine !
or ideal life man with Prof. Tyndall TO
SESAME ''cOsmic life"--and SO far as
regards any positive knowledge-any |
demonstrated, interchangeable aCquaint- |
ance with the mysterious energy or life
giving power in nature, Mr. Martiheau |
has no advantage over Prof. Typdall. |
Both alike know nothing of Whist is su-
per-natural and beyond the verifcation |
of the observing and reasoning powers
only as they assume that inheritance, and |
instinct or intuition are valid and trust |
worthy functions of objective knOwl- |
edge and truth.
There is no doubt supreme function !
of the human reason, or of reason in |
man, by which large influences and gen.
ordinations are made. The mind can
not be tied down TO sensible and physi-
cal experience alone. We know moral
and abstract qualities, affections, just
ness, goodness, right, but who can dem
onstrate that these are not derived and
relative, the result of selection and long
development It is easier to assume
the contrary than to prove it. But, in
any event, these higher instincts which
are to US the permanent well-springs of
our religious inspiration and hope, our
faith and love are rooted in our hearts
affections, in our moral feeling and con-
sciOusness, and not in any scientific or
demonstrated knowledge.
The knowledge of religion is only
what men have felt and can give form
to in the language and expression of
thought. The imagination or thinking
powers are, of course, called into action
to give form and expression to feeling,
but we have no verified or scientific
forms of theological knowledge, and
whether we can ever have knowledge of
that which lies outside of the under
standing, if the insoluablc mystery of
being, is the problem of speculative
philosophy.
Prof. Tyndall stops when he has gone
as far as science goes and reverently bends
the knee in alteration. Mr.. Martineau
goes further and claims that intuition
gives exact knowledge, that we know
what is outside aud beyond science,
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