, 1876-06-24

the dnIlncsS amt dcNpondcncy rs the glIt-
ter and glamour lndrd away; people
discovering they are in pretty much the
stmc condition Us before, only Il few
mind, unhingrd, II few lnrlcs broken
up from mistaken ideas Of duty, us some
of the shining converted lights have fol-
lowed the preachers fortunes, otherwise
the body Of the population lying in the
same state Of ignorance and darkness as
before, except lor the additional effects OF
the reaction consequent on cNCItcmcnt;
those who have seen all this may well hc
tempted to share in the elder Mill's la.
tired Of everything that savorrd of cNthu-
siasm. No dOubl the enthusiasm OF an
apostle giving up his ljIc and his energy
to the dissemination of what he believes
To- he the truth is fac and stirring
SIGHT, but the enthusiasm ola crowd i,
mere bubble and iraLh. oar Lord to-
day, Balmbbas to morrow, are cqnaIly
the cry and the idol Of the hour. The
sensation is passne, and the effects Of it
ale not less transitoly. The most poor
and umlrarncd occasionally feel within
them longing for something bcttcr--a
ycarnng for enjoyment superior to the
material indugcnccs of II hauiaud grind
ing life. The rich, again, in this age OF
encvatng luxury, demand that even re-
iigion should be highly spiccd; and
many amongst educated women 60 out
of their mind from the stimulating coursc
Of religion, just rs the Turk dies from an
unlimited use of 'hashresh." Mud.doc
tols will tell you that almost Nll their Ic'
male patients are crn2cd ON the subject
of love or religion, the prcpondcrancG be
ing On the side of the latter Surely, if
religion is indeed II valuable and sacred
thing it ought not to he used to unhingc
thr splendid mechanism of the mind, and
leave the little gray mattcr--tlat source
of wonder even to Plato and the philoso
piers OF old---tO perform no better iunc.
ton than n rabbits brain. Bat, then,
those religious enthusiasts, Of whom there
have been plenty since the world began,
say men must he awakened from the
sleep of death at any price. What is
religious lunacy more admirable thing
than reason and sanity! Minds pcrpct-
ually worked on by particular train OF
thought, pcrpetually at high pressure,
trying constantly to feel n degree of emo
ton of which our imperfect faculties are
not capable, must lose the equilibrium
which constitutes well regulated mind. |
Our Lords teachings were Of n very diff ,
lrrcnt order. When people made to him |
violent demonstrations of attachment or |
unworldliuess, he quietly tested them by
such saying us, " Sell all that thou hast |
and give to the poor His own cnthu- /.
siasm was the perfect enthusiasm, was .
the perfect serenity OF faith and good !
life. To sum up, that no religion cun he |
good that leads 10 lunnCy reason being !
the sole intcrludc between ourselves and |
the brute beasts. Far too much stress is |
laid in the present day upon II mans feel
ings. Jeremy Taylor says: A good
liIc is the best way to understand wis
dom and religion" Religion being the
science Of God, what we feel is not the
important part, but what is the truth,
Ifreligion is a science, it must be govern
ed by the laws ofprogrcss and cnlightcn-
ment and sustained by the fundamental
principles OF truth and order The fact
is, true religion is OF 50 subtle and del.
iCate nature that the ordinary vulgar
mind cannot conceive in its purity, and
clothes it in the tlcshly iancies Of a grov-
cling mind. Nine. de Montcspan CON
lcssed and communicated regularly, con-
cciying that by this, as it We're, com
pounding for other sins, she was free to
follow the desires Of her heart. How
many converted sinners, whose reception
has been matter of talk and congratua.
tion in religious circles, have really per.
severed in good ways and have not,
while adopting the special phrases and
can't expressions or obscryanccs of their
Jwn particular religious set, carried on
their business Or their pleasure exactly as
they did before Religion founded on
mere impulses or states OF feeling of neccs.
'ity eyaporatcs when brought in to rude
contact with the evils and the harClships