The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-15

WelI-knOwn Minister breaches ON
the Theology of Shakespeare.
Boston Journal.

DcSlOn JOuTTdl.
Taking Hamlet for his text. the Rev.
!. l.. Withrow d. D., of Chicago, preached
On Shakespeare and the Bible; Hamlets
Dream and His Perchance' at the Park
street Church last evening, and ne came
to the conclusion that the great dramatist
was devout believer in the old evangelical
faith. DR.. Withrow's sermon was listened
to attentively by a large congregation.
He began by saying that one must be
a blind reader who does not discover re-
igious sayings and sentiments in Shak-
speare's writing. Hamlet is perplexing
personality. Sometimes he appears a noble.
and at other times a feeble fellow. After
he had engaged a band of StrOlling actors
6pf had N n the kgs pr 5aS how his
proach himself Then he displayed a tenn
pest of feeling when his mother gave her
his father and this is followed by an out
burst of affection for Ophela.
Shakespeare was just biblical as any
theologian of the seventeenth century He
teaches that lit is appointed men once to
die. and then the Judgment"
The first lesson we draw is that the
future state of existence is self-assertive
IN the human heart. You may be bewil-
dered, and soliloquize, like Hamlet, ITO be-
or not to be- but the human breast says
there is a future life. Science has no data
on the subject. Men who discredit a future
existence are apt to think of a reunion in
their last hours. Criminals express the hope
There is an instructive and intuitive feel
ing that there is an undiscovered country
N0thlng less than conscience can make
men afraid of something we know not of
When the moral law is in high authority
the number Of suicides is reduced to a min
imum. When there is fiippant regard for
the future. then suicides are numerous.
The nobieSt minds always have a stead
fast regard for realities. Hamlet was of a
noble mind. Ophelia revealed this under her
fervent fancy when she said: "Oh, what
a noble mind is he"
Shakespeare, if he knew anything. knew
the Bible. He must have sat up nights read
ing it. for his mind was saturated with It,
There are thousands of Scriptural senti-
ments in his works. In no line do we find
an expression of the liberalism Of to-day
Shakspeare's belief was of the most evan
gelistic, old-fashoned faith. He would like
to have taught suicide a contamination
devoutly to be wished"-but he didn't.
The second lesson is that whatever ills
we may here endure there may be worse
beyond and the third the deeds done win
make the exper1nce of the world to come
That is not the preachers teaching bur
that OF the great poet-drama fist. All people
who have ever held any faith regarding
q future also associated retribution and
ton of the hereafter is more shocking than
the Holy Scripture: I'm that sleen of death
what dreams may come What are
dreams? They are results caused by what
has occurred. Dreams are punishments for
what has been donesawake. You know what
il is to be let out of your mind when you
dream. If you just have that all of the
time in the future, you don't need any lake
of fire.
Disagreements as to what the future is
do not ,disapprove of it's reality, but rather
confirm that there is one. The old-fash.
Toned book will not seriously mslead one
Take it as it is.