16 OCTOBER 1880, Page 14

MR. VOYSEY'S BELIEF.

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.")

Sra,—Though I am a constant reader of the Spectator, I had not observed until to-day a letter signed "E. L. Garbett," in your paper paper of the 2nd inst., in which my name is coupled with that of Mr. Clifford. Whitworth. The passage is as follows —" Society will find it to make very considerable practical differ- ence, if even a small proportion of us come to lose as largely as Mr. Whitworth or Mr. Voysey our remaining supernaturalism." I entirely disclaim this association of my religions beliefs with those of Mr. Whitworth, which you so justly criticised. It would be monstrously unjust to classify me or any genuine Theist with those who evidently desire to reduce God and the divine influence to a minimum. On the contrary, all our much abused antagonism to Christianity springs from a desire to make the most of God, and to restore him to his rightful supremacy in the trust and loyalty and affections of men.

As for the term " supernaturalism," if Mr. Garbett means by it only the miraculous element in the Christian Creeds, then I admit we have discarded the supernatural, just as much as and no• more than Mr. Stopford Brooke has discarded it, whom, never- theless, you would not place in the same category with Mr. Whitworth. Allow me to add that when people undertake to• write on any subject, especially when doing so involves the re- putation of public teachers, it is before all things necessary to make themselves fairly acquainted with the facts, lest they should cast aspersions where they are wholly undeserved.—I