Show RELIGIOUS DOUBTS AND SCHISMS the unsettled condition of the world religiously as well as politically is every day becoming more apparent politically there is nothing binding on individuals but the claims of party which unless there are personal objects of interest to hunt after are weak ad ropes of sand in the religious world the fact is staring mankind in the face that the old worn out systems of religion offered to them by men who are themselves in most instances infidels to the doctrines they preach are inadequate to meet the wants of the human mind they have striven to hold mankind in mental bonds forc fore for centuries en while professing to lead them to the eligher forms of truth which human beings felt existed but could not reach unaided and unguided these self appointed guides do not know the way which they assume to direct others in they are ae dependent on the lesser to help the greater according to their own construction and they make the exposition of religion dependent upon the advance of science because they do not understand the former and they have some slight glim merin merln gs of the latter the consequence is that men of thoughtful minds reject the so called christian rell reli religion I 1 n in in its ifo forms aua aud and str strike he out into A to 9 new fields W of tha thought ua of 1 1 toflus to nind find if possible something more congenial with their conceptions of right and wrong some hold on to it as a religion but alter and modify their modes of expressing belief tome reject it altogether while owning the existence of an overruling oyer over o yer ruling being of whom and of whose existence they have the most vague and un undefined definod ideas and others othera step into direct atheism own no god gad but their ow own h miti minds eis ils and reject any life but the brie brief sinful one in which they now exist if men would humble themselves before th the lord and hia hea hearken hearten b io to 1 effis ald ilg voice volee they would not thus be pied led astray by evry wind of doctrine andr would their minds be so troubled but they have been bewen educated to believe that modern christianity is correct and in conformity with the will of god and breaking the band of ignorance thus cast around them they sever other cords and launch out put without a compass or rudder into the broad and wild sea of infidelity not long since dr colenso the bishop of natal electrified the christian world by the peculiar character of his teachings dependent upon what light he could obtain from flom science and thought be he objected to much in the five books of moses taught christians fo to believe in polygamy and introduced some other views which were very shocking ing to unthinking sanctimonious christians who believe and yet they know not why profess faith in god and repudiate his very existence colenso is hut but one of many who have within a short time cast off their allegiance to existing forms of faith while still remaining teachers of religion to men though few of them are so elevated in the ecclesiastical world ashe asbe as he is one of the most notable of these Is a S scotch cotch divine who in the metropolis of rigid presbyterians rians and lind stern Covenant ers has abjured the faith of which he was a believer and anti priest the rev bev james cranbrook a clergyman of considerable notoriety and more than average ability recently resigned the pastoral charge of a church in Edinbur edinburgh gb gave his reasons for so doing to an immense audie audic audience nce who had collected to hear bear him and commenced as a religious teacher on another basis assuming to be alike independent of creeds and people in giving his reasons for forsaking his former faich he said some things which are as true as they must be unpalatable to the great mass of professing christians the following brief extract is pithy pith yand and pointed everyone every one I 1 presume is aware of the wonderful changes which which of late years ears have come over the state of rell reli religious lous ious opinions doubt perplexity unbelief are spread everywhere even in ma the most orthodox church churches cs you see the old moorings are loosening and vain efforts effort are being put forth to reconcile the ancient standards with modern methods of thought there are very few real genuine thoroughgoing thorough going believers in the creear credus 11 these statements he sustains by solid powerful arguments and then announces his Inteli intention tion of keeping 46 open a place for teaching all who may ulay chodl choose to accept his ministry ertis retis thus changes are rudon rung religion as on politics the world over no revel cevela fL tian from heaven no knowledge of that which god requires from the children of men no authority to guide and dictate and declare with the voice of truth thus saith the ld loyd rd 11 but all is doubt perplexity unbelief men ilea may break forth from old moorings only to drift down a stream of doubt and uncertainty and the great family of man trusting to such incompetent pilots are being carried along they know ijac klat of which they Y pave bave hr n ot i in e i i K clr vir cir ciri i t est laa iq u the truth as revealed from heaven can alone set the minds of men completely at rest when they are aalten ned ed to a consciousness of thor tui ther r 0 true u e condition well may the saints kainu abe i be thankful to god for the unity we m manifest kni kal I 1 and the certainty and knowledge which we enjoy enjoys |