THE Thames Advertiser. THURSDAY, NOV. 9, 1876.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2466, 9 November 1876, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser. THURSDAY, NOV. 9, 1876.

A Methodist minister is. one of the last persons weshould expect to find promulgating the doctrine of evolution and aiding the theories of .materialism, .which sap; the roots of oiir comihoiv Christianity; "''Yei such appears to "be the '/case in that settlement founded by a religious body and on a religious basis—the town bf 'Dunediri; • The -author -of'-the' " Ethics of EvoMon," ; who hascreated a little sensation in, and.raised a torrent of abuse 1 anioiigst : the professing Christians ofr that place, is a very talented Wesleyan minister, the Rev. A. R,; Eitchett, formerly editor of the ' New Zealand Wesleyan,' stationed- in i Chmtchurcli, but now of Dunedin. The members of the Young Men's Christian Association of that place felt so strongly : on the subject 1 that they reL .fused ; the r rev. author; admission into tha!t society, and blackballed ; liim when : he attempted to, join. It is Jield that Mi! Fitciiett's. tlieoiies'are .injurious to, the growth of religion and morality, and take away, from man the Jiope,of. a future 'state' of.blessedness "oHvoe, by', comparing him to a perishable animal of ihe basest order. It is urged that the association from which'''this rev. freethinker is ' - excluded- professes 'to be one,- and as the " Ethics of Evolution" are not calculated to promote the Christian, religion—or;.' the Christian's belief—the Members had a perfect right to exercise tlieir discretion, iu his exclusion if they thought proper to do so. It is certain that in doing so they have brought a nest of hornets about their ears, and they will no doubt be eaUecl upon to show cause for their : belief that evolution is inconsistent with Christianity before 1 they, are jus'tifiedin the eyes of a large section of the, community. Already they have been asked if they have a "monopoly of piety and heaven," and are charged with being " saintly blackballed " who " sit on the comer of a damp cloud for ever singing hallelujahs," and "whose melancholy visages proclaim that they arc bearing the Cross of Christ." It is ■ surely a peculiar position for any, follower of the sainted John Wesley to' occupy, and however much we may be inclined to make allowances for the over-zealous-ness of some of his admirers, ; or, on the other hand, .the energy, which some people would display;'in hastening to widen the breach .between liis piety, and his. materialistic r-teachings, we do not think it becomes his profession, or is in keeping with ; the ■ earnestness of that section of the Church to which he is attached. It is : commonly accepted tliat persons holding: such tenets are not amenable to the ordinary obligations of Christianity or morality, and .for a minister of religion to enunciate these views cannot he in keeping \vithhis cloth or his -conscience, so far even as his duty to his church is concerned, much less his obligations to preach the first principles or the sublime truths of our holy religion. There, should be consistency in politics, and' mueli more so in religion, but when , a minister of the gospel is" found transgressing the bounds of that consistency which should [ever remain.a distinguishing cluirae

! teristic.of life, profession, the members j 6f a professedly Christian Association are siirely,at liberty to exercise their freewill in his election or rejection as oiie 6f ' themselves. The " Etliics of are not calculated to pro--mote-'.sterling-Christianity, and can have little with the work of preparation for a future state of holiness. The members of these Young Men's Christian Associations are not required to prove their lineal descent from a baboon iu order to qualify them for .membership, and they may have looked upon the introduction of theßev. Mr Fitchett to; their, association'as a. •' preliminary step to some such restriq- : tion. "We ' do" not" mean 'to say that -- - people should be restricted from propagating these doctrines. We approve of the. freest f liberty of this kind, although, we may not approve .of,. i a - minster exerting himself to spread such theories. . There.. are a variety of ways in which such view's can be ven- ; tilaited, but the pulpit or the Christian / Association platform are not suitable' : melns- for spreadingdoctrines...i.at. •vai'iance with, the : teachings pf revealed religion. The attractions: .of; novelty arej great, and-a, > miiiist6r;.; may; be tempted to enter 'the 1 arena' of popular teachings in ordei',,Tas lie,,.thinks,, to ■keep pace with - the times, and requirements of the people amongst whom his lot is cast; but we contend that .he cannot do so at the- expense of the grand, old doctrines of the church to which he is attached, or of undenninin'g the,'faith- / of the ,pe,ople in that Christianity lie has' 'been called : to preach and to practise,;,,. We would- encourage' the discussion of science in all forms, but if a man conceives'doctrines at variance' with those , ! !' i hejouglit to teach, let him separate himself from the position he has hitherto occupied in order'that he may; lt at jleast, be consistent in his teaching's.;'; All truly great nien have valued saettce.yi moVe or less,, and=have Ijeen..conversant with deep philosophy,- so that there is nothiiig inconsistent iii itsstudy; but' l Avhere theories,; so.; antagonistic are .enunciated, the.' teaching,■.•ojitlie v pj.u , e and undefiled religion: of; the, gospel should be given .:; up.. The .-'..Otago (jiiardifin,'' 'referring ' : td' .' the attempt to coerce J;he Young Men's Clii'ifetiaii''' Association - ■ into '• •' <ad<!i I 3 mission' 5 of 1 ' the • ! Rev. Mr. r jFitcliettj I says" We offer'ho' advice' to mem•bers of the Young Men's' Christian Association. But we raise voice iii ... protest against/their being bullied into -~ receiving Mr Fitchett and being; coni-;.'-' • pelled to it by a hailstorm 1 of heathenisli sarcasm and scorn and blasphemy. We have little doiibt.that many 'of its' 1 members will be' : coerced; by ,this form of ] treatment y and. that; the Rev , Fitchett, under the shelter-' of this 'bat tery of blasphemy, will -force a; passage ' into the citadel' of Christianity, where':".; b'iwill instal all lxis, brethren the j"des-;:, ( ' cendants of the apeSj. and'where he. can ;?•, have opportunity for inspiring all. : the young men with a becoming,scorn for ' St. Augustine, Lactantius, Knox, Wesley, Whitefield,' Hooker, Taylor, . . Baxter,;Bunyan,' and other non-scien-: v:, tists who. knew not -theiv, fathers, and ' with a religious desire to sit down/with Darwin and. Roseby, and Spencer and Stanford, in the Kingdom .of Hades for ever." >' ' '