The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-08-09

castle. Robert g. Ingersoll assails the
castle from the outside. These men who
pretend to be advanced thinkers in all
the denominations are fighting the truth
from the inside, and trying to shove
back the bolts and swing open the gates.
| Now / am in favor of the greatest free
dom of religious thought and discussion.
I would have as much liberty for hetero-
doxy as for orthodoxy. If | should
change my theories Of religion l should
preach them out and out, but not in the
building where l am accustomed to
preach, for that was erected by people
who believe in an entire Bible, and it
would be dishonest for me to promulgate
sentiments different from those for which
that building was put up. When we
enter any denomination as ministers of
religion we take a solemn vow that we
will preach the Sentiments of that de-
nomination. If we change our theories,
as we have right to change them, then
there is a world several thousand miles
in circumference and there are hundreds
Of halls and hundreds of academies of
music where we can ventilate our senti-
mentS.
I remember that in all our cities in
time of political agitation there are the
Republican headquarters and the Demo
cratic headquarters. Suppose 1 should
go into one of these headquarters pre-
tending to be in sympathy with their
work, at the same time electioneeling for
4 the opposite party would oone-fnd
that the centrifugal force was greater
than the centripetal Now, if a man
enters denomination of Christians, TAX
ing solemn oath, as he will do that he
will promulgate the theories of that de-
nomination, and then the man shall pro-
claim some other theory, he has broken
his oath and he is an out and out pcr iurer.
Nevertheless, l declare for largest liberty
in religious discussion. l would no more
have the attempt to rear monument to
Thomas Paine interfered with than |
weuld have interfered with the lifting of
+the splendid monument to Washington.
Largest liberty for the body, largest lib
erty for the mind, largest liberty for the
SOUL
Now, I want to show you, as matter
of advocacy for what believe to be the
right, the splendors of orthodoxy. Many
have supposed that its disciples are peo
pie of flat skulls, and no reading, and be-
|
ity. shall show you that the word or
thodoxy stands for the greatest splen-
dors outside of heaven. Behold the
splendors of the achievements. All the
missionaries of the Gospel the world
round are men who believe in an entire
Bible. Call the roll of all the mission
aries who are today enduring sacrifices in
the ends of the earth for the cause of re-
ligion and the worlds bettermert, and
they all believe in an entire Bible. Just
as soon as a missionary begins to doubt
whether there ever was a Garden of
Eden, or whether there Is any such thing
as future punishment. he comes right
home from Beyrout or Madras, and goes
into the insurance business! All the
missionary societies this day are ofiicered
by orthodox men, and are supported by
orthodox churches.
Orthodoxy, beginning with the Sand
wich Islands, has captured vast regions
. of barbarism for civilization, while
heterodoxy has to capture the first square
inch. Blatant for many years in Great
: Britain and the United States, and strut
, ting about with a peacockian braggado-
clio 1t has yet to capture the first conti-
nent, the first state, the first township,
the first ward, the first space of ground
as big as you could cover with the small
end of sharp pin. Ninety-nine out of
, every hundred of the Protestant churches
of America were built by people who be-
J lieved in an entire Bible. The pulpit
now may preach some other Gospel, but
, it is heterodox gun on an orthodox
carriage The foundations of all the
, churches that are of very great use in
this world today were laid by men who
believed the Bible from lid to lid, and if
cannot take it in that way 1 will not
take it at ell; Just as if received letter
that pretended to come from a friend,
and part of it was his and part somebody
r else's and the other part somebody else S,
| and it was a sort of literary mongrelisnl,
/ would throw the garbled sheets into the
waste basket.
e No church of very great influence
/, today but was built By those who be-
s lieved in an entire Bible. Neither viii a
: church last long built on part of the
e Bible. You have noticed, suppose, that
D as soon as a man begins to give up the
e Bible he is apt to preach in some hall,
: and he has an audience while he lives.
G and when he dies the church dies. If
t Thought that my church in Brooklyn was
. built on quarter of Bible, or a hall
k Bible, or three-quarters of a Bible, ol
y ninety-nine oe-hundredths of a Bible
}. would expect it to die when I die; but
when I know it is built on the entire
8 Word of God, l know it will last 20(
e years after you and I sleep the last sleep
: Oh, the splendors of an orthodoxy
1 J1 wi 1
p. pits and 10000 Christian churches, il
g trying to save the world!
n In Music Hall, Boston, for many year,
Is stood Theodore Parker battling ortho
# doxy, giving it, as some supposed at tha
time. its death wound. He was the mos
u fascinating man I ever heard or eve
e expect to hear, and / came out from
Is hearing him thinking. in my boyhoot
5, way, "Well, that's the death of th'
1t church" On that same street, and no
10 far from being opposite, stood Park Con
d eregational church, called by its enc
a mics "4ellfre Corner" Theodore Parke
f. died and his church died with him; or
1t if it is in existence, it is SO small yol
e cannot see it with the naked eye. Parl
1t Congregational church still stands Oh
r ''Hellfire Corner" laundering away th
l. magnificent truths of this glorious ortho
7. doxy just as though Theodore Parke
1t had never lived. All that Boston, O
> Brooklyn, or New York, or the worl'
2, ever got that is worth having cam
l. through the wide aqueduct of orthodox.
10 from the throne of God.
Behold the splenders of character bull
n up by orthodoxy. Who had the creates
n human intellect the world ever knew
n Paul. In physical stature insignificant
/, in mind, head and shoulders above al
& the giants of the age. Orthodox iron
If scalp to heel. Who was the greatest poe
l, the ages ever saw, acknowledged to be S
g both by infidels and Christians? Joh
n Milton, seeing more without eyes tha
D. ! ANYBODY else ever saw with eyes. Oh