New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-28
THE RIGHT FREE-THINKER.
PHILLIPS BROOKS DEFINES CHRISTIAN
FAITH.
THE LEADERSHIP OF THE SOUL BY JESUS
CHRIST" HE CALLS Ir-No BOUNDS
TO ORTHODOXY.

CHRIST HE CALLS IT-No BOUNDS
TO ORTHODOXY.
The fourth Of the Rev. DR.. Phillips Brookss Lenten
lectures the truth which makes free dealt with
the freedom Of Christian thought that belongs To the
Christian re; the way In which man entering into
the dominion Of Jesus Christ ssos hts mind as he has
never used 1t before had the chance Of using It,
Trinity Church was again crowded and enough men
to make a goodsized congregation had to be turned
away from The doors for want Of room.
DIR. Brooks began his brilliant discourse by the
statement that live I'm two great regions. the
region Of action and the region OF thought; and that
q man who lives only In one OF them Is necessarily
one-sided and incomplete. Then he gave combat To
the opinion that Christian life was limited He
that Christianity like ship sailing on IT'S wav
that has thrown overheard great deal that Is valuable
In human lfe that has cast the cargo In order
TO save the Ship Hero some Of the things that
he said:
al am unwilling to give the noble name of Free
thinker TO the mere dener Of the truth. see liz tho
Scriptures that in obedience TO the great Teacher OF
men there Is continually the opening Of the great
regions into which may enter, In which he may
sec truth that he has not seen before. am not no"
pleading here a controversialist am not plead
ing with any man who brings himself In declared anu
open hostility. bnt would now speak with reference
to the multitudes Of who stand aside from
Christian thought because II TO them that In
entering Christianity they shut themselves OF rom
the whole region Of free thought.
"There Is one kind Of man l have In mind now. the
man shut out from Christian thought and faith, not
simply because he is hostile to them. but shall hoe
say because 1t seems as II all this wondrous picture all
these conceptions in Christ were so vastly 100
good to be true, II far beyond earthly Thoughts
and the ordinary conceptions In which we hve' tho
ordinary natural furnishings Of our life that We can
have nothing to do with them There are two gre"'
dispositions I'm human nature. The first Is to enter
with q natural readiness into that which We nios'
desire: and the other, which / THINK grea. ued'
stronger. Is the disposition of man to question
thing lust In proportion he feels 1t OF vaiue 10 MS
soul.
what is the Christian faithi We live IN such
maze such haze Of underlined terms, we taiK "oo"'
so many things II the whole worid uhue'
them alike We describe them to ourselves, ana II "o
walked out on the street and asked other men whom
We met 10 define them. they would dchhe 'heh
differently. Think Of the different answers men woud
give ~ asked them on the street to day '"hat u
the Christian faithi' And l should be oVer"heimcu
with a whole multitude OF creeds ana co"ie" u,
articles and catcchisms and definitions uhoi wv
Christian faith would either drift away OUT WI my
sight altogether. IL there were no sucn INNS "
Lilo there a great bundle OF confusions ana cohtfad'
80 an which wonld not dare TO lay my hand, INTO
which 7 would not dare TO send my heart. kho"
what is the Christian faith. II Is the leahefShP oi ~
soul by Jesus Christ. - q
~ toloy a man who is greater than am, II
II n movement Of slavery or movement vi ". -.
With which | give myself TO him When ae'U'o
myself TO some great man, who STANDS ior.h III ."o
midst ~ his century, and say 10 him, LEAD nc l'Vo
,hose regions whore l cannot so myself tut "he'o
with human sympathy and unfolding powers n,,'
On with you' Is IL liberty or eerNi'uu0'
christian man. under tho simple icahehs"P VI
christ sets himself free from everything cSc ''''
has accumulated around him, gives hnisen " -
CHRIST as his servant and finds his Heea"n 'ne.o
.Uow did the apostles como TO follow Chnst' ~
am, ., IN tho simplest way, Jesus won their cohhoc'o
They trusted themselves 10 Him. lie oecano ne,
- a. nam You SAY What OF the miracles
lie wrought They were not men 10 iono" Jug
cIcrs up and down the street, but Just 10 soon -
hev had learned TO SEQ In Him superior nature or
wiser and greater man. then they look 10 SEQ
nature recognize her master. and answer HIM wiz. r
nonses that she did not give to them Inc ~hoo s'fy
OF miracles is that. miracle Is out "oiu''' ~
a wonder has always relation 10 the acO VI man ~
* no wonder when toss o ball into inc AR anu ~
comes back again, because IT Is familiar bu' mum
grows greater, and II 10 morrow knew there was !"
come the perfect man into this world no" shou'o
,o,, With the suns awakng to see this great rich
Incident Nature. this Nature which IS the servant OF
mankind which holds her forces until nin s"'',
como TO claim them. this Nature which, as 81 raui
.avs .croancth and travaeth for the manifestation
Of the sons OF Cod do wondrous Things LOT NM
- docs the wondrous things for Christ II Is not inc
,,.ac,s that proves Him divine 1t Is the Divine
IN Him that makes the miracles no longer "ohaer'
,ul wien match them with His nature
cone tho things that Jesus said was that death
.s not "a remove Him from his followers. that lie
W.. IL, &c with the world forever. ii wouid nave
), yod in Jesus in Jerusalem, would believe III
him in New-York. The wonder OF Ills He my
friends is that lie leads the soul that seeks INN
row There is not a puzzle In your business. II IL
Ia n nuzzlc in the moral that Christ VIII not
answer for you. know In every ec"ilder,9cI' d q,
mot soc the specific action. there comes mo me
aood Of His influence, making me 90 the r'sh'cS'
'n'lf Tnt Won say. what becomes of all tho great
svstems of the Church. OF all those questions WIN
character OF books that tell me about l a,S
With regard TO the way people shall be dea. WIN
th4S are not our Christianity Al these GueSu Ghs
are infinitely interesting Infinitely valuable me
s sou religion Thcrciore tho Limitation Of the
Christian lie is simply In the hn p hon rs 20" Of
nrthodoxv. no Christians that are keps out al ~
Christianity Mas, that these have been There In ae
NV Master and follows Him with faithful allegiance
that man is a Christian. .,,.,,u,
ho Wnat t sha seepe II he is honest Il absolutely
refuses give aecanco because his soul ana mnre
not persnade tlt, rF1 Rs Truthful though
roaS get the the soul truth IN some Region Of
Christ's universe some time. -, $3.50 =. ,.,, him
,o,f Gravel the man who lets himself he twisted o!
eor draws the bars that shut him out
run COX and look until see the sunlight. lhink
u will lie nv Chrst's light when you see W. LOON
= Won see something that shall Illuminate YOU
Gith iUmortallty and while YOU look. be lofty.
Lei yourself do no mean thing. Bc pnrr ch,t yyahe
Himself known 70 the soul TO which he belongs. ana
which belongs To you Blessed are the pure N hea 70
Complain that does not sec God when he knows ma,
heart Tor they shall see COO
,,p. MOODY SPEAKS TWICE IN TWO HOURS