New-York tribune., 1874-08-03
RELIGIOUS SUGGESTIONS.
A FREE PULPIT AND A FREE PRESS.
Ta< Rev d. Henry Miller d., he Plymouth Baptd ch4rca


or"A Ere, Pulpit aad Ere, Press"
The Rev. DR.. ID. Henry Miller preached yes
terday at the Plymouth Baptist Church on Free fu
Dit and Free Press" taking for his text Proverbs KILL
2s: "Remove not the ancient landmark which thP
fathers have set"
In their original hearing said Dr. Miller these words
refer TO the boundary lines OF property This nterpre
tston is fully shown the injunction OF the Jewish law
eiver I'm Deuteronomy XIX. IA" Thou shalt not remove
thy peighbors landmark which they Of oden time have
set I'm their inheritance" IL seems TO me today we can
not fail TO read clearly the lesson taught us
though inferentially - we are not TO allow
ourselves or by our silence allow Others, to ntrench
upou the rights the liberties, and privileges, social.
CIVIL or religious, OF neghoors or the community IN
which we reside The time futers with tho forces of
sudden transition. Every month we have the record OF
discoveries in science and daily and weekly our atten-
on is invited to progress In art letters or spirtua
DEVELOPMENTS. 1t is an important question. What can
be done to settle judgments The Church OF Goa
is assaied The ministry is mocked by the goddess or
sandered by the fallen The Holy Spirit Is bias phemed
against The Divinity OF Christ is rampled in the dust
Moralis,s defantly chant Popes Goddess coupet:
"Ror forms of faith let grsceess aealois fight
Whe have the multiplying OF associations, human IN
their origin and selfish in their aims We have cove
nant.breaking-we have fraud crime, and cruelty-aw
breaking, misunderstanding. and God-defying einis
saries every hand. The pulpit OF to-day Is dstln
guished for independence, beraly and conservatism
II is independent to replOve, liberal to wn and con
servatye in righteousness breaking letters revealing
n divine Savior and protesting, amid n works Of
darkness all the changes OF tho hour, and threatened
aggressions of false religious ormasm. "Tbou shalt
not remove tho ancient landmarks" am no defender
of tradition because it is mossc0vered with age-but
when 1t harmonizes with the word OF God then VIII
hold IT, as love the truth and defend IL, az love
liberty. What but the truth shall correct the WRONGS
Of society BY what power shall the truth be given to
tho world . How shall streams OF living waters be
sent through the stagnant pools Of a goddess, faith
less creedess people ! To these questions is
20 defend the God-ordained instrumentaltie5 the
proclamation OF His own wOr1-tDe pulpt and tic
resbv fine voice of the preacner-by tne leaf of the
the press truth sent from pole TO pole, and made TO
gladden. the hearts OF men wherever man has ST. his
foot spread his canvas.
The mission OF the Church is very specific the olco
OF the pulpit, beyond n matter oi question "GO ye
INTO ali the world, preach the gospel to every
ture" From my point OF view, L believe there f. no
Interpretation nearly allied 10 the trGth, presented
I'm the original SCRIPTURES as that OF the Baptist Chnrcn
yet every man would call bgoi, ami justly II 10y
word or deed would disnante any pulpit, or silence
any uteraDce whose sibboeth was not as mlne IN he
instruction principles of morality ana righteous
neycrtbress o"knowiedee the srrIures m their al,
thorlty. in their genuincness. ana receive them
as revelation TO each ihii'iuual soul iHe
mission OF the pulpit takes hold on all that
relates TO man. VINO would think OF stiiing
os we believe il Who would dare saw there shall be no
uttergnces unless as directs VINO wolld ALLOW any
ruler put IN prison the preacher because ne faithfully
reproved sim ana Guilti Who would iilOw this
march cLward in histoIyf 1t could not be. Every
man. Of all creeds, ects, and denominations "cd rise
up and rebuke such a wronS--sdch an imposition on
Christian liberty. Better far that men be allowed TO
utter the truth revealed u them, though there may
be some error mixed with much truth than to silence
the messenger curtl to any degree the freedom OF
his pupt-the uttcrdDCeS OF bis heart lbc truth u
maely will make the man free ana IN his work he Will
come 10 bless " the way, the truth. and the HE" -
What ask for the pulpit invoke i Tor the pfes5tne @
10 Slle
rcpIOved would silence the voice OF faithful iehuhe
from the pulpit would YOU suffer the thief. tue lber
tne freeOyer the drunkIrd, or the rumseller TO
serce the press because their crimes are there lptu
odous Tue press is the mirror rejecting the guilt of
II Is only the base had man who instgaes opposition
TO free press Depend upon it, only that party or
class or clan institute 10 check the license o
the press To ntlmiddte editors ana correspondence
who fear exposure OF trckery fraud bribery. If not
high handed vainy l. the pulpt the censor VI public
and religious living. the is the censor OF
political and commercial intelligence. Is the pulpit
power good in the world the press is less power
ful; indeed It's power is the terror OF eVll C0crs.
whe thus speak OF the press. and claim for II the
fullest freedom, am not iSensbe 10 the fact that II
also oftiimes the medium OF scandal But We must
all admit that though 1t should give couitehaneo
sometimes TO the rankest heresles 1t were better 30
than have the press feered, or its voice SO con-
trOlled 10y law that II should not be guilty OF any
utterance other than that which egazed censor may
permit. WHAT II do fad much to regret III the
columns of our daily newsDapers DO We not also hnl
the columns giving 10 the world the best ana
strongest utterances OF our best writers aud thinkers
IL is "a mistake good men make when they con-
demn the secular press aud teach that ITS anlDus us
influence, Is tending to tbe,eXtlngushment or morality
and the overthrow OF pety II the antidoe OF error
given side by side with the poison 10 which exception
TAKEN endure the test then ~ Ii unworthy 10 be
held as antidoe, and the IL Is sire the
better Never since the days of COser Faust, Gutten
burg and CaXtOn, has tie been bur1oncd with
messages OF priests and preates OF pOus story tel
lers, and with proclamaUns OF progress in arts aud
sciences at the present moment. Well II is the press
is free-ior in It's power made for Deity, catches
the burning words OF truth and sends them far
and wide though columned by the side Of words de
Tending philosophers after the rudiments OF the world
and not after Christ" tAt tins point Dr Miller pre-
seuted statistics showing the power Of the press
by its issues In Europe and this country He said there
l0Oc 900 books 30OO0J periodicals, 4OOeO0OO0 news
paper sheets. aud go different BALLADS and songs
circulated annually III the United states. How
these moding the National character1 y Shall silence
the press, direct its utterances by lawi Never!
This do for those who sway the sceDter where the
the helpless. but 1t never be allowed the soil
OF American liberty. a few years ago this was the
boast of our country, "We are q free people. and
have a free press" Yet to-day political tricksters
don because orsOoth their tricks have been exposed
their frauds have been rebuked, aud their plots and
plans brought by the press 20 public scrutiny and
throw. "Te IL not In Gath. publish not In the streets
OF Ascalon" that any honest American over
voted for such measure. Rather let him die. and 10
place In forgetfuness and lot another take his
Office There Is beautiful lesson In the old engraving
OF printing press with the emblem OF the just
above % my mind, this Is Just the relation of the
pulpit 10 the press Before the discovery of printing
book making and learning were confined to the eccles
astcs The pulpit and the have ever been united
in the worlds service. Let them so remain. Free
the air. each pshng Its mission III the education
OF the people, who will love them more and more-;he
doctrines Of union and equality III the light OF truth
reason, and the right
THE BLESSINGS OF SOLITUDE.
The Rev Dr. Robinson Of Troy at Plymouth Church COngreoana
Brooklyn.