Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-02-13
Christian Liberty.

I
"But, more IN detail, Christ has given
to every one Of US liberty of thought and
| liberty Of belief II is not irresponsible
liberty of thought that we are called to,
We have no liberty of thinking that dis
dains the law Of thinking. There is no
liberty that does not involve the obser-
vance of law. Nevertheless, you have,
every man has as much right as have
to-read Go d 5 Word, to think what
truths are in that Word, and to use eve
ry part of the mind in reasoning upon
these truths. Sometimes men say that
faith requires US to lay aside cur reason.
| beg your pardon, it never does, / will
tell you what l think about faith and
reason. 1t is about these as it is about
birds that both run and fly. A turkey
that runs around ia the woods never
rises suddenly. It first runs on the
ground ill it gains sufficient momentum
to enable it to rise and fly. Now think
that reason is like legs that run on the
ground, and as soon as you have come
to the end Of the earth, if you need more
and you have faith, lift your wings, and
YOU can 1y. But one follows the other.
Faith never can be said to be coincident
with reason. Reason is that faculty
which knows things SO far as they can
be known and up to the point to which
they can be found cut you are free to
use it, and when you get to the cad Of
knowing, if you have fancy, then fly. All
beyond that is the region Of faith. Faith
is that which takes cognizanee of things
that are not within .he sphere Of know
ing. And part Of Christian liberty is
the right Of free thinking md free be-
lieving.
If there are infdels here who have
been accustomed to carp at religion, and /
that say that they have right of free
investigation, beg to inform them that !
they have not that right any more than
every Christian has it. You have the
liberty to think we have the liberty to
think. We are responsible for the laws
Of thought. We all stand on one ground
in that regard. And as far as the liberty
Of believing is concerned, we all have
that. You may frame a doctrine differ
ent from mine, and you have right to
your doctrine and have right to mine. 4
You have a righ. to use your liberty Of
believing. You have right to investi- !
gate, to think, to believe and to frame !
doctrines but you are bound to do these
according to certain laws Of inyestiga-
lion, Of thought, Of belief and of doctrine
that have been unfolded and established
A word more, perhaps, is required re-
specting this declaration that you have
a right to use every part Of your mind
Do not you know that old castles and old |
almost always have some
rooms that the children are not SLOWED /
to go into They are haunted rooms. |
The children have lived ten or fifteen |
years without ever having entered those
rooms, except, perhaps, occasionally at
broad MONDAY. They would not 60 in
10 them at night for all the world, be-
cause they are haunted
Now the mind has haunted rooms, and
% Sunday / reason in this place, with |
ny causality, my comparison, analogical
powers without disturbing anybody-but
he moment that, in reasoning, | with
nirth drive right towards great truth,
illed full Of benignity toward men and
reverence toward God, men hear sounds
proceeding from those rooms.
/ am largely endowed With the organ
If mirthfuness and what did God put
t into me for but that it might be help
o me in reasoning But the moment
begin to use II men look toward the
haunted rooms and say positively
leard sounds that seemed like laughter
Ind they begin to exclaim against the
lesecration of the Sabbath.
There is also liberty Of worship which
Christ has restored TO us, and that is alb
olute. Why, you may be a Quaker -
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