The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-02-24
FREE THOUGHT.
The Christian Church Is an Advocate Of
All Forms of Religious Freedom.

The Christian Church Is an Advocate OF
All Forms of Religious Freedom.
OAKLAND, CAL, Feb. 23.-Rev. Ed
wards Davis, minister of the Central [ hris-
tan Church, delivered the second of Sc
ago the youthful preacher took for his
theme 1.-THE Realm and Reign of Free
Thought in the Church." He announces
as the subject of the third sermon, 1.-THE
Broad Basis of the Liberal Church to
Come" The subject of last nights dis
course was, Correct Belief Not the Essen
tial of Salvation" Rev. Mr.. Davis be-
lieves in stirring things. He will likely
succeed in his aim.
In last evenings discourse he said:
Sincerity and desire cannot of necessity pre-
sage truth. Every true philosopher has writ
ten the tenets OF his theories with the blood of
sacrifice. Socrates paid mortal life for belief
in immortality, Dante endured ostracization
for the sake OF society, Savonarola felt the fire
of his funeral pile because of belief in political
liberty, Jesus OF Nazareth suffered sacrifice on
the cross of Calvary for belief IN yicarious
atonement. But there are those who lived and
died, not for truth, but for error. The acce pied
rights OF respective ages have become the con-
ions have blown along like autumn leaves be-
fore the winter wind.t
The search for complete truth cannot assure
lls discovery COTTect DelleI Is yet TO De pos
sessed. In consequence l claim it cannot be
the essential OF our salvation. We are seeking
knowledge and searching the Scriptures as Il
Immortality depended on such stuff. Philoso-
pliers have lived in continual domestic dis
cord, lbertine poets have eulogized purity and
preachers have fallen in their practices far
short of their teachings 1t is not knowledge
of truth, but possession thereof, that is TO be
desired. The rude pioneer telling the forest
and planting the clearing with grain may not
have allowed the rubbish of things to have
oveTgrown the intuitive MUD, and have
planted good deeds and reaped rich harvestg
But deeds do not demonstrate creeds. Our
beliefs will neither damn or save us. The
terms of knowledge are not the shibboleth of
entry into the gates of the eternal city If sal
vaton depends upon belief humanity is lost
beyond redemption. If salvation hinges on
such requirement, and granted tn. church of
Christ is correct in its belief, but one million
souls of Christendom can be saved.
No denomination has patent right on tru th !;
equally true if one believes unto faith IN a
doctrine and disobeys its teaching, this know,
for that he cannot receive reward. 1t is dan
gerous thing to read the word of God without a
willingness for obedience upon conviction
thereto. Nor can one that has realized the in
spiration of broad conception be saved by q
narrow creed.
The church of which 1 stand minister
pleads for freedom OF thought, pleads for lib
erty of speech pleads for the learning OF litera-
ture pleads for the search OF the star of science
that we may know when its light will brigher
the world-pleads that the highest exhalation
of a mortal man is his obedience to God and a
his word. o wonderful creed, the recreating
Christ, infinite thou art, but mine, and hence
to thee give my life, my partial comprehen-
sion, my complete obedience