that we are free agents, and therefore we cannot blame the Deity for our 
wrong acts, done against His will. On the other hand, suppose there were 
no Deity, what could hinder our being free ? I presume Mr. Holyoake will 
not say that he is not free ; he has, at least, not argued mainly from that 
point of view 
Mr. Holyoake. — But I do maintain that. 
Mr. Reddie. — That you are free ? 
Mr. Holyoake. — No ; that I am not a free agent. 
Mr. Reddie. — Well, it is difficult to argue with a man who denies his free 
agency. But surely Mr. Holyoake will not contend that he was not per- 
fectly free to stand up and make these remarks, or not to do so, a moment 
ago 
Mr. Holyoake. — I stood up because I could not resist the feeling that 
prompted me to rise. 
Mr. Reddie. — No doubt a feeling prompted him to rise ; but I say he was 
free to yield to such prompting, or not to yield. He will very likely feel 
similarly inclined to interrupt me as I proceed ; but considering the incon- 
venience of doing so frequently, or that the Chairman might not permit it, 
he will probably resist this inclination and not do so. But I say he is free, and 
that it is his own act, whether he rises or sits still. But if a man gravely 
tells me, that what he does he does without his own will, I feel I cannot very 
well argue with him. I believe, however, that the freedom of the will is 
recognized by most people ; and I believe Mr. Holyoake himself will 
be bound to admit it, when he examines more carefully his own actions. 
But, if not, why does he then believe that people can possibly be “ wrong ” 
in what they do ? For you will remember that he talked of people doing 
wrong, and of things being so awry in the world, that he even made that his 
ground for not believing there is a God ! Mr. Holyoake also maintained 
that the only revelations he could acknowledge were education and knowledge. 
Now, no doubt, the “ knowledge of the truth” is one of the greatest means 
of converting and elevating mankind, and, in short, it makes the great 
difference between the Christian and the heathen world. The inequalities in 
man’s condition are greatly produced by degrees of ignorance, and, of course, 
through the freedom of man’s will. This is discussed in Plato’s “ Dialogues ” ; 
and, no doubt, nine-tenths of the evils in the world arise from ignorance. 
When you get rid of the knowledge of Deity, and so of true morality (as 
Dr. Irons and Dr. Rigg have both said), your ignorance becomes of the densest 
and deadliest kind ; but Christianity comes, both to raise the standard 
of purity and to give men the power to do good, with the promise of pardon 
after they have done wrong. The great gospel message is, that if you will only 
admit that you have done that which is wrong and do better, there is the 
remedy provided by God ; so that men are without excuse if they do not 
acknowledge their faults and accept that remedy. In that case th 
sin must lie at our own door ; and I cannot see how a responsible 
rational being, in a Christian land, and knowing all this, can hold him- 
self irresponsible, if he rejects the teaching of that revelation of what is good 
