The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-02
FREEDOM IN RELIGION.
The Brooklyn Preacher Considers the IntOl-
erance of the Church.
New York Special.

|
New York Special.
Henry Ward Beecher said yesterday that
suffering and sorrow were the godmothers of
| all liberty and prog ress in the world. This
was day of great religious progress. In al
most every point of theology and eccles-
ology a change was going forward. If it went
| forward properly, great good would come
Many persons wanted a change in church
or church relations. There should be large
| liberty in religious thought and teaching
As men grew and increased, working higher
and higher, their rights and liberties in
creased Christs love emancipated 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 A 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 universal
| and sublime there were no metes and bounds.
| Rights and liberties had a negative as well as
a positive extent. Some men, if they got
| ideas, could not help firing them of, as
child did Chinese crackers But public
| teacher had right to hold back his utter
ances as well as to give them forth. Often an
uttered truth was lie.
| The low condition of moral character was
the greatest obstacle to free thought. No
man could touch the inner truth of God with
unclean or vulgar hand There must be
disposition to well-doing and love to secure
| the discovery of truth. Holiness enlarged
mans knowledge, authority and influence.
If individuals had love and charity, organized
bodies had not Dr. Thomas and Professor
Swing of Chicago were cast out, the one by
the Methodists, and the other by the Presty-
| terians, because they crossed denominational
lines. But bird had a right to fly where its
wings would carry it, and mole a right to
run in the dark where its nature carried it;
but if the moles ruled the birds, wings would
be at a discount. The higher moral truths
would be thrown away on a dull, unthnk-
ing clod-ljke congregation. Further, perfect
liberty was thwarted and hindered largely by
organizations.
There are in every denomination 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 serv-
ice. A hangman's work may be very good,
| but it is not very reputable, and still less
would it be if he elected himself to it, But
men run around for a 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 others. They have
the rarest talent to rot eggs in the world
They are always at heresy trials. Then, other
men live by argument and controversy. and
feel called to contend earnestly for the faith
This is the sweetest text they have ever
mouthed. If it had been to suffer for the
| faith in meekness or self-abnegation, thew
would not like it so well. But if an angel
appears to them and tells them to fight for
the faith, they answer promptly, Here l
am" He' hi3 "'A - Ti
The world is on the eve, not of the ruin of
doctrine destruction of Christianity or the
dissolution of the church, but of new power
| in the spiritual liberty which comes by true
| piety. Do not be disturbed by the cry of
the age of indifference and infdelity The
church was never so anxious to SOW the salt
of salvation. There never was deeper de-
sire for renovation, or greater conservation
of wealth. Growing achievements and per-
feet sanctiicaton will follow, and the music
of heaven will sound throughout tide world.