Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-01-04
True Christian Tolerance.

| venture few suggestions as TO the
character of the religious armory at the pres
ent time, and the temper of the Christian
warrior as he goes to the intellectual battle
field. And first let me express my conviction
that, if in any contest, certainly in this, it is
lawful to learn even from the enemy;" nay
more, we owe very much to our opponents
for what thay have caused us to learn.
Their attacks have led to better acquain.
tance with the language of Scripture, a
fuller comprehension of what it does and
what 1t does not mean, more accurate con-
ception of what it is intended to be, and
what it is not intended to be, for mankind;
may | not add, greater admiration of its
marvellous comprehensiveness, such that a
book proceeding from an inconsiderable
Oriental people adapts itself to the varied
habits, opinions, and modes of thought of
widely different individuals, races, and
epochs in the worlds history / maintain
without fear of contradiction, that Holy
Scripture has been far better known and
more valued since the time when it began
to be more fearlessly and audaciously i'm
pugned and deprecated. . The growing
intolerance which characterizes the skepti-
cal tactics should teach US TO be tolerant
liberal in the best and truest sense of the
WOiNs A$Oe no bifO OBlOuculo
for endeavoring to seek the truth. II is a
hackneyed remark that truth is many-sided:
we must not fail, therefore, to remember
that there is much more error and falsehood
in negation than in affirmation. The sci
ence which is unhappily opposed to us may
be-nay, most often is-true after all : our
adversaries' view of the truth is taken from
different standpoint to ours 30 that they
are in the right when they affirm, and fall
into deadly error only when they begin to
deny; and denial on our side might not
necessarily preserve us from being in the
wrong. And yet tolerance has its limits
there is point where true liberalty stops.
There is no real tolerance in acquiescing,
for the sake of peace, in what we know to
be untrue. Genius has by some been de
fined TO the power of seeing remote simi-
larities. This genius is TO my mind a kind
OF Coolies, mighty, but one-eyed. 1t would
be imperfect without the power of seeing
points of difference also; aud these two
powers themselves require 10 be completed
by the presence of judicial faculty, o
power of estimating the value of points of
agreement and difference, and deciding
whether they are essential or merely acct
dental. Such genius we must call TO pre-
side over our contests for the faith so that
while we tolerate all that is tolerable, we
may make firm stand against all that is
really incompatible with the essence of our
Christian belief. OF this am sure, that
quiet, large hearted, and yet firm mainte-
nance of the great truths Of our religion in
the face of the glare aud din of new discov-
cries, amidst all the confusion which neces-
sarily arises when, as now, old landmarks
are broken up,--a temperate and enlight-
ened defense of our Christian inheritance
against those who would bid us fling it
away as effete, tainted with the supersti-
ton of the past, and dmmed with the rust
of ages, will, with the blessing of the Great
Author OF all, be the happy means of pre-
serving many soul from the eddying whirl,
pool OF atheism, or the dreary dssolation of
pantheistic wilderness:-Address before Me
Victoria Institute by Robinson Thornton, DID.