Welsh Journals

THE WELSH WEEKLY. March 4, 1892. LECTURES ON CHRISTIANITY. BY THE LATE REV. PRINCIPAL D. CHARLES DAYIES, M.A. (Translated for the Welsh Weekly.) LECTURE III.—THE RELATION OF CHRISTIANITY TO THE UNDERSTANDING; OR, CHRISTIANITY AND ITS MYSTERIES. (Continued.) 2. It . might Lave been expected, too, that Christianity should involve mysteries, inasmuch as its professed aim is to reclaim man from sin to holiness, and man, in himself, is full of mysteries. If Christianity is, as it professes to be, adapted for man in all respects, it contains mysteries, of necessity, which are proportionate, as to number and profundity, to the mysteries which exist in man. If a lock is of a complicated and clever construction, it is natural to expect, in the key which turns easily in the lock, and which opens the door, a corresponding complexity and clever¬ ness, especially when it is said that the same person is the maker of both. Similarly, when it is shown that there are mysteries belong¬ ing to man, it is perfectly natural to expect mysteries in Christianity, which is adapted for man, especially when the same great Being is the author of both. Now let us examine some of the mysteries which appear in the nature of man. (1) There is a great mystery in the relation between mind and body. We do not say body and soul, because many scientists deny that there is a soul distinct from the body ; we therefore meet them on their own ground, and regard the relation between mind and body, which is allowed, of necessity, by all. Here are a few questions upon this relation which scientists, hitherto, are unable to answer:—How can the relation between mind and body be explained in the case of an idiot, in whom mind has com¬ menced to operate, but has ceased, and its growth has been arrested ? How is the relation between body and mind in an idiot to be distinguished from the relation between body and mind in the highest of the irrational animals ? How can the same relation be explained, again, in the case of the man of genius who has become insane ? How can this relation be described in the case of sleep, and of dreams ? How can the action of mind upon body, and the action of body upon mind,, be harmonized with each other ? It is easy to speak, and correctly so, of the functions of the brain; ifr is easy, on the. other hand, to speak of our consciousness in thought and feeling; but how can the relation between the substance of the brain and the consciousness of the mind be explained ? Each of these questions brings us face to face with an insoluble mystery ; our doctors, philosophers, and scientists are un¬ able to overcome the difficulty, and are obliged to admit their inability. (2) It is found that there is a mystery, too, attaching to the relation between mind and external nature. We know nothing of nature but according to the impressions that are made upon our minds through the bodily senses. We are conscious of impres¬ sions, but this consciousness is purely mental. Accordingly, we find eminent scientists casting a doubt, not on the existence of mind, but on the existence of matter. How, it is asked, can we infer, on reasonable grounds, that anything exists, simply from our consciousness of certain impres¬ sions made on our minds ? John Stuart Mill's definition of matter was, not that there is a real existent thing, but what he calls "a permanent possibility of sensation," that is, he held that a constant feeling is the whole of what surrounds us. To persons who know nothing of mysteries, who have never attempted to trace things to their roots, the hypotheses of learned scientists must appear as absurdities. But this appearance arises from the mysterious character of that with which scientists deal. Because of the mysteries which confront them, we find scientists in these days, on the one hand, praising the " potency of matter," magnifying and glorifying it; and, on the other hand, we find them—and especially so Professor Huxley—expressing doubts whether matter exists at all—whether anything truly exists but mind. There must be some secret, inexplicable great¬ ness belonging to mind, since, on the one hand, it clothes matter with such sub¬ limity, and shows that it contains some glorious power and greatness, and, on the other hand, throws out dubious surmises as to whether such a thing exists at all. Frequently matter is hidden from view by the brilliant abilities of those who praise it, as a gifted biographer, by the display of his own powers, might hide the subject of his biography ; or as we might fancy the sun coming out to praise, with his bright rays, the moon and the stars, but in doing so, raising doubts as to the existence of moon and stars by the manner in which he hid them with his own beams. Scientists turn things into thoughts, and, in the midst of a world of thoughts, doubt whether anything else exists. By trying to explain their science, they hide it from view with the splendour of their own thoughts. More than tbat. According to the speculations of Darwin and Huxley, Spencer and Tyndall, these strong mental powers which work such wonders are the fruit of a force in lifeless atoms which took millions upon millions of ages to develop into full operation. Their own genius, they tell us, once lay in its germ in a lifeless mass ! Here is a mystery equal to anything that lies in the profoundest doctrines of the Gospel! If I undertook to write a Scientific Catechism, I should be tempted to borrow a question and an answer from Mr. Charles' Christian Instructor, and to apply that which he said of the doctrine of the Trinity to the discoveries of this age, asking, "Is not this a great mystery?" and replying, "Yes; a great mystery, to be believed, and not be comprehended. Great is the mystery of Science." (3) A mystery is found in the relation between the mind of one person and other men. Since, according to scientists, all that is contained within the immediate circle of a person's knowledge is his consciousness of the impressions that are made upon himself, we take for granted at this point that other persons exist. Man has a personal responsibility, and a personality distinct from those of all other men ; still, others exert an influence upon him which is often almost in¬ vincible. On the one hand he is held responsible, at least to society, for his actions; and yet scientists say that he has received his nature by inheritance, and that it bears traces of ideas and habits inherited from a long line of ancestors. He cannot help his nature, for it is inherited, and yet he is condemned for the natural fruit of that nature. If it was a false, and cruel, and deceitful nature that he received, what reason is there for blaming, condemning, and punishing him for cruel and deceitful acts ? Why is he not regarded as an object of pity alone, as those are regarded who have sustained accidents through the carelessness of others? Nobody doubts personal responsibility to society, and yet, one of the favourite themes of present day scientists is that, as to our nature, we inherit corrupt principles from our ancestors? Who will harmonize these things? "Is not this a great mystery?" "Yes," we say again, "a great mystery, to be believed, and [not to be comprehended." (To be continued.) CARDIFF CYMMRODORION ANNUAL BANQUET. Tms society, which now numbers about 300 members, held their annual banquet on Tuesday evening, at the Park Hotel. Major Jones, the President, read letters of apology from Lord .Tredegar, Sir Ed. Reed, Alfred Thomas, M.P., T. E. Ellis, M.P., Sir W. T. Lewis, Archdeacon Griffith, Canon Roberts, &c. He further said that he had been present at the London Society. The Lord Mayor was present, and spoke " tipin bech," in Welsh. After the National Anthem was sung, the Mayor proposed " The Welsh Pulpit," and coupled with it the name of Dr. T. C Edwards. He could not help thinking of the old Welsh pulpits, and the powerful preachers of old who had moved Wales. He thought that in those days the preachers stirred the emotions, now they preached to the hearts. He had a lively recollection of Christmas Evans. He believed that the secret of the power of the Welsh pulpit was in the language, insomuch that an idea could be conveyed in two words of Welsh, which would take a dozan or more English words to convey the same thing, and that without the warmth and spirit of the Welsh. He greatly deplored the fact that many Welsh ministers left the Welsh for the English pulpit. It was, however, a consolation that they could not carry with them " the fire." But, lacking this, they could not do half the good that they were previously doing, and so it would be far preferable to remain where God had placed them. Dr. Edwards (in Welsh) was glad that the Mayor, in pro¬ posing the toast, gave it as Y Pwlpid Cymraeig, and not Pwlpid Cymru, for the first was situate wherever Welsh men were. He had had the pleasure of looking at it from a distance, and that adds greatly to its charms. Wherever a Welsh pulpit has been placed and a Welsh Bible placed on it, it has always been a success, because of its sim¬ plicity. Even after people have left the church, there lies in their heart a deep devotion for the Welsh pulpit. He once met a man in Los Angele3, and although he spoke in English, he knew he was Welsh by the utter simplicity of his belief in the Bible. Someone asked him if he believed the story of the Red Sea swallowing up the Egyptians? " Why, yes," said the man; " and more than that, if the Bible told me that the Egyptians had swallowed the Red Sea, I would believe it still." Major Jones proposed " St. David." The Welsh have certainly their shortcomings in literature, etc.; but in respect to their patron saint they were equal to any nation. Amidst the conflicts that are going on around us, St. David's Day is like a fairy island on which all can meet on ,a common platform. St. David was a symbol of everything that is good, and among its many attribu'es might be counted simplicity. It was said of A. Lincoln that he was a man of few wants, and those few easily supplied. When asked when he had last dined, he said, " I don't dine, but just browse round a bit." Another of it3 attributes is sincerity. He considered insincerity as the vilest thing that had ever crept into the human heart. He read tele¬ grams expressing good wishes from the societies at New¬ port, Barry, Swansea, and Bristol. Mr. Peter Price, in proposing " Our Society," said that, like all other societies [in Wale3, this was an intellectual society, delighting in literature, music, &c. Rev. J. Morgan Jones was glad to find the Society in such a flourishing state, as there was a great danger for a young Welshman coming to town, having nothing but English in the office, shop, or street, to think that there was no such thing as Welsh in Cardiff. He was pleased to think that there was a day in the year when all classes of all denomina¬ tions could meet. At this meeting all had to leave their differences outside. The Methodist had to leave behind his "Cyffes ffydd"; the Baptist, his " Iorddonen"; the Congregationalist, his " Gogoniant " ; and the Churchman, his " Common Prayer-book." Stipendary Magistrate North proposed "Our Educa¬ tional Institutions," which was supported by Professor G. Hartwell Jones. "The Mayors, Corporations, and Councils of Wales " was proposed by Mr. D. Beynon, and supported by Coun¬ cillor Thomas (Cochfarf) and Councillor F. J. Beavan. " The Guests " was proposed by Dr. B. Rees Griffiths. The proceedings were concluded with "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau."