The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-11
WHY THEY FEAR INGERS0LL.
HIS TEACHINGS VIEWED FROM 4
sWEDENBORGIAN PULPIT.

Rev. e. smiths Sermon on ''when
TngcrsOu Comes to Savannah"-He
Discusses the Attitude of the
Christian Church Generally To-
ward the Great InndeI.
Rev. J. T. Smith Of the Park-New church
preached last night on when Ingerson
Comes to Savannah" The sermon did not
have any special reference to Col niger
soils recent lecture in Savannah upon
Shakespeare. but was devoted to a discus
sion Of the attitude Of the Christian church
generally towards Ingerson and his utter
ances on religious topics.
Mr.. Smith began his discourse by reading
a portion Of the 18th chapter of ]. Samuel,
where David tells King Saul that he will
90 out and fight Goliath who has so sue
cessfully defed the amy Of the Isrraelites.
Mr. Smith applied the spiritual interpre-
tation to this incident. according to the
swedenborgian theory Goliath. he held,
was the spiritual prototype of Ingerson.
the champion OF the modern Philistines,
Saul the type Of the literalistic divlnes Of
the present day who are afraid to meet
Ingersol because, according to their inter-
probation Of the scriptures, they must
meet him on his own ground, while in
David is portrayed the youthful champion
of the spiritual Interpretation of the scrip
lures who destroys the infidcl with spir-
itual arguments.
Israel, he said, was the spiritual signii-
canoe of the church. The Philistines are
those who have possessed religious and ed
vocational advantages and who fight relig-
ion from their intimate knowledge of its
teachings and its professors. Ingersolps
parents, he said, were religious people, and
ne had himself, no doubt, been raised up
religiously. The characteristic of the re-
lgOus Philistine, he said, was his depen-
dence upon self derived intelligence, the
base of which was selhshness. IngersOlls
lectures and sayings his assaults upon
Christianity, he said, were simply evil
dences of self assertion. The Christian
ministry of to-day, Mr.. Smith said, largely
Quails before Ingersoll There is scarcely
a man in the church, he said who will
confront this Goliath on his own ground.
This is because they interpret the scrip
lures literally, just as Ingersoll does. The
strength which they must bring against
him is the same strength which he pos
sesses. 1t is a battle of giant against
giant of Saul against Goliath. This weak
ness, he argued, consists OF their literal
Interpretation and understanding OF the
scriptures.
When Ingersoll points out the errors
and contradictions of the Bible and ITS
apparent scientific mistakes they are at
a loss for reply. The remedy for this,
he said, IS the spiritual Interpretation of
the scriptures which gives the true
spiritual meaning to these portions OF
scripture which the ministers lind it so
hard to explain. Many ministers, Mr..
Smith said, are unwilling to go to hear
Ingersoll lecture upon religious topics.
For his part he would go to hear him
with pleasure, he would enjoy his mag
nifcent oratory and his skilful and artful
use OF language and come away with
faith mistaken because he placed
spiritual Interpretation upon those pas
sages Of scripture which Mr.. Ingersoll
used to disprove the inspiration of the
Bible. Ingersoll, he said, is like a strong
man who goes about knocking crutches
from under weaker persons and leaving
them no spiritual support. Inidelity, he
said, has never contributed a new thought
or new idea to the world
1t is destructive, not construc-
tive. 1t is negative and not pos
tive. Mr. Smith will preach next Sun
day night upon Ingersollia, devoting him
self to Irgersolls works.