posies I have ever gathered of all the weeds that grow upon the dung-hill; rank with fanaticism, disgraced with materialism of the basest kind, and promoted by the most vulgar bell-ringing and sending round of the crier that the world ever saw. If you count that as the result of "envy" and 'jealousy," so be it.

I have referred to these things, as illustrative of what movements are being made in the great divisions into which the theological world may be divided.

of

of you could

We have little time left to look at the Rationalists. The real movement of Rationalism is to depart from Christianity as a complete system of life or ethics; or of the truths of eternity; or of the things touching God. Some of you look shocked. Well, how many pass muster in an examination upon Christianity as a complete system? None of you that I know of. There are none of you who could practice the ethics Christ taught if you tried —that is, if you take them in their literalness, or unless you make such wide allowances as really amount to alterations. The fact is, the world is fast passing away from systematic religion—that is, from theologies that affect to be complete and final statements of what relates to the infinite, or even

complete statements of that which relates to human. duty and human holiness.

With regard to myself, I am more than ever convinced that the best thing nowadays is to organize men-not for the defence of the Devil, and his personality; nor to make a stand on behalf of the Trinity; nor to do something for Heaven; but to bring together the scattered forces of charity; to gather together men and women so that the warmth that is diffusive from the heart may uphold and alter. This is the most important of all-to gather men together to examine on what basis morality is to be placed when tradition is decaying, when the old authority is impossible, when no form of religion can be allowed to claim its exclusive right over our own judgment and conscience, and when we deny that a thing is made right or wrong by being made the law. A very pressing question, which must, before long, come up before the nations is this: In the decay of the traditional faith on which morals have been based, what basis is to be put before men, so that they may still believe that there is right and there is wrong, and still be able to judge what is right and what is wrong? Just as in politics the great question will be how to get a good authority, and a wise reverence for that

authority, out of the large liberty that modern times give us; so, with regard to religion, the first great question is, on what shall we base, for the future, our ideas of right and wrong, and how obtain the sanction of law in these matters ?

On these questions, if strength should serve and inclination should abide, we may enter in the future. They are questions of more importance than the personality of the Devil, or the procession of the Holy Ghost, or many of those things about which our fathers fought, shed tears, and died.

CHRISTIAN RATIONALISM.

Morning, September 12th, 1875.

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."-ACTS xvii. II.

INSTEAD of the faith of the Rationalist being feebler than that of those who are orthodox, it is deeper, stouter, tenderer, more true. Instead of having less piety among us, than exists among others, we need more, and if God is good to us he will grant us more. That large, latitudinarian faith, which I glory in and utterly profess, requires more abnegation and self-denial in its quiet willingness to be damned even, if so God's glory can be promoted, than to belong to the "chosen people," the "elect" saints, who would shut us out from the mercies of God. As robust Englishmen, we believe that common sense is by far the most valuable, and

that without it devotion becomes a superstition, piety a travail, and the word of God a kill-joy. It is religion without common sense that hides the blue heavens, makes fools of men and imbeciles of women, and thinks the world is covered with darkness and is alien to the life of the spirit and the word of God. Now, Cardinal Manning-formerly of the Church of England, but now a Cardinal in the Church of Rome-has given us a definition of Rationalism so brief and sound, that we thank him for what he has done. Not that he meant it, but it is good to find the truth, however absurd the use

it may be turned to. Cardinal Manning says that "A good definition of Rationalism is that it makes reason to be the test of truth. Even in revelation, reason is the measure by which the doctrines of Christianity are tested, so that what is received by reason is accepted, and what commends itself not to reason is rejected." The Cardinal's definition answers most admirably, though he intends it as a reproach. What reason approves shall be received, and that only. Certainly; assuredly, oh, Cardinal! That is the stone upon which all belief must be founded.

Let us examine this matter. We declare that reason is the ultimate test of truth, and we declare