The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-05-12
HENRY WARD BEECHER ON LIBERTY
AND PROGRESS

1OuS progress. In almost every point UI
theology and ecclesiOlOgy q change was
gOingA forward. II IL vent forward.
properly, great good would come. Many
persons wanted a change in church OF
church relations. There should be large
liberty in religious thought and teach.
tng.~lNAS men grew and increased, work
ing higher and higher their rights and
liberties increased. Christ's love emaIi-
cipated man from bonds, lifting hIm
from animalism TO soul power. Under
the Holy Ghost of love man had perfect
liberty of thought, speech and conduct.
perfect Christian was the only person
who had, complete liberty. He had The
liberty to do only what he wanted to.
and he wanted to do only the right. For
the man who had gone into the uniYer-
sal and sublime there were no metes
and bounds Rights and liberties mad a
negative as we'll as a positive extent.
Some men, II they got ideas, could not
help hfing them off, as child dld Chit
nese crackers. But public teacher had
right to hold back his utterances rs
well as to give them forth. Often an
uttered truth was a lie. .......
) The brave old chap continued: The
low condition of moral character was
the greatest obstacle to free Thought.
No man could touch the inner truth OF
God with unclean and vulgar hand.
There must be a disposition, To well do
ing and love to secure the discovery Oi
truth. Holiness enlarged mans.
knowledge, authority aud influence. Ii
individuals had love and charity, organ
lied bodies had not. DIR. Thomas and
Prof. Swing, of Chicago, were cast out,
the one bv the MethOdists, and the Other
by the Presbyterians, because they
crossed denOninatIonal lines. But hl
bird had right To fly where its wings
would carry 1t, aud mole right TO.
run in the dark where It's nature carried
IT; but If the mOleS ruled the birds,
wings would be uOf discount. The
higher moral truths would be throw Ii
away on dull, unthinking, cIOd-likei
congregation. Further, perfect liberty
was thwarted and hlndered largely by
organizations. .l.., ,... -ll cd
In civil Government the rights of the
people Were gradually being secured !.
To-day, in Italy and France The peOpItl
ruled. In Germany they had their rights
partly secured, but look out when tht
Teigning family died. In England there
was dynamite under the soil, and the
people day by day were more considered; !;
but there would be many elements Oi
difficulty before there was perfect un
derstanding.D In Russia there wouIu
soon be the finest pyEOtechnic display
the world has ever seen in the daTb
clouds now over hanging her. Ii wOuIu
be worlds spectacle. at will happen
before you die, orl either, as am al
present Informed" added Mr.. Beecher
He then said that even in old SUain
Castelar, stood for freedom of thought.
the grandest figure of our times.
In thiscOuntry there was the greatest
civil freedom; but In the churches thert
was more fear of freedom and wide an
VestigatlOn than anywhere else in tn,
world. ''Heber Newton was a gOUl
Christian" Air. .Beeeher went on To say !:
mo one doubted it. He was OF swee 7
and temperate spirit. How did IL com
that he had ordination VOWS imposed uI,
him that deprived him of the divine 4
right of liberty Ofspeech aud of thOughtt
II was the Church that was criminal Z
No organization has the right to exis,
that can not hold in It's bounds man
who gives proof that he is the Lords il 4
temper and in all the elements of life
Sweet, temperate in action, beautiful
in love, cOnsiderate in all he did, he ha 4
right to stand in any organization
Woe to the synagogue that casts HIM
out! a.. l-i- .s....as...-.l
sAre Ruth and Esther of .ecual au-
thOrity with Galatians, or Revelation OF
the same force as Matthew's Gospel OF
the sermon on the mount? Is eircum-i
spectiOn as necessary rs Regeneration I
Some men are not disturbed by these
questions. Hundreds of men who madt
damnatiOn roll through the arches oil
the church once never say damnatiOn.
any more. II you ask them in regard
to esehatolOgy, If they believe men are
to perish and suffer forever and ever
and ever and ever in endless tOrments
they dodge, and say there are many
opinions on the subject. know men,
not far away, who have undergone n
perfect revolution on this and cOgnatp
subjects. They devote themselves To-
Al uf D.,A
and there Is a man who can not keep
still. He speaks his mind, and if it is
doae effectively he d1stuTbs the Church.
There are in every denomination a
set of men who hound their brethren.
They have a nose for heresy. and they
lay it down on the track, thinking they
are doing Gods service. hanRman'h
work may be very good, but it is not
very reputable, and still less would it be
If he elected himself toit. But men run
around for rope to run up heretics
for the purity of the Church. Another
set of men have settled over the churches
until they have added all their own
eggs, and then they try to spoil those of
the Others They have the rarest talent
to rot eggs in the wOrlda They are al
ways at heTesy trials. Then, other men
live by argument and controversy, and
feel called 20 contend earnestly for the
faith. This Is the sweetest text they
have ever mouthed. fit had been to
suffer for the faith in meekness OF self
abnegation, they would not like it so
we'll. Butaif an angel appears tosthem
and tells them to fight for the faith,
they answer promptly, Here 1 am lll
= 'fhe world is on the eve, not of the
ruin of doctrine, destruction of Christi
aDity OF the dissolution of the Church,
but or new pOwerin The spiritual liber-
ty which comes by true piety. Do not
be disturbed by the cry of the age of in
difference and 1nfdelity.s The Church
was never so anxious to sow the salt of
salvation. There never was a deeper
desire for renovatiOn,- or a greater con-
ments aud perfect sanctifcation will
follow, and the music of Heaven will
sound throughout the world"
-A & WI, r,.,.,.-d.a n, - -i-+Ht