The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-20
BEFORE BUSINESS MEN
FATHER HUNTINGTON DELIVERS A
TALK AT CHRIST CHURCH.
He Discusses the Best Form Of Re-
ligiOn for Practical Use-No
Women Present.

in a petition addressed to him, signed by
many prominent business and professional
men of this city, Father Huntington ad-
dressed a large number of them at Christ
Church yesterday afternoon Promptly at
ten minutes past II o'clock the speaker
made his appearance and the services
opened with the singing of hymn by
those present to the accompaniment of
cornet and pipe organ, both played in
masterful way. Following the music the
ritualistic recital in concert Of the Lords
prayer was an impressive feature of the
service. Father Huntington scarcely occu-
pied ten minutes in his talk, which was re-
markably clear and logical. He discussed
the best form of religion for practical use
and also presented the doctrine OF the free
dom of the will in a somewhat unique man.
ner. He said, in part:
MY first statement must be a thoroughly
unpopular one, one that you will not find
readily accepted by other minds-perhaps
not by your own-and that statement is
this, that religion stands for authority,
that religion that has not got the note of
authority in it is simply of no use and no
worth-in other words, what costs much
is worth much, and what costs little is
worth little. The only kind of religion that
will battle with hard and bitter battle Is
a religion that speaks with authority
How are you going TO have authority IN
the exercise of the WILL for doesn't the will
mean unlimited power of choice? Would II
not be slavery for a man TO surrender his
unlimited power of selection and choice!
But consider whether in the exercise of the
volition there is such freedom as you sup
pose. Nay. you will find right there the
most resistless law, the most uncompro-
missing and exacting obligation.
THE MORAL LAW.
81 am not speaking now Of the moral law.
That you can waive aside; you can know a
thing that is right and do the wrong-any
man can do that-but there is another law
and it is this, that you must use your will,
that you must make your choice, that you
must decide in your own individual life
upon this or that, and that you must stand
by the consequences of your decision.
Choose you shall, and choose you must,
whether you like 1t or not, and by your
choice you must stand or fall. That Is a
law that you cannot break, that you cam
not lay aside. You would be glad to, some
of you. You don't want to feel that re-
sponsibility resting upon you. Freedom
consists not in your power to choose. but
in your choosing right. Choose right, and
you win freedom. You don't start with II.
People talk about the freedom Of the will,
but freedom of the will is not an original
boon, but il is prize to be won by a right
decision. Choose. right and as you choose
right you limit the reign Of choice. and not
until you have fixed choice, not until you
have made ii impossible for you to choose,
have you won freedom. Choose wrong.
and again you limit the power Of choice;
not by freedom but by slavery. Now look
at it; see If that Is not true Your friend,
the man you trust, the man you honor
most and love best, would he be a freer
man If he could do a base, treacherOus,
dastardly thing, or is he a man you respect
because he could not do it? Then do you
x,<@fs- hot .,,-< H. 80
he is free. free to be the noble man whose
character you look UP to, in whose honor
you rest. He could not do the base thing;
he has no power of choice left In that di-
is closed to him; he must do what is fair
and honorable, and just must, not by neces-
sity that holds him, but by an internal in
tegrity that upholds him.
WAY TO WIN FREEDOM
'The only way that you can win the
freedom that belongs to man is by SUBJ
uniting your will to the will of God, by
putting your reason to school with His
truth, by putting your conscience to the
service Of His law, by making your life
the expression of His will. You may not
like that, but you cannot escape from the
logical force of 1t. The only freedom that
a mans will can have is to be found in
choosing to put that will to the service of
the TeSlStleSS ana dlmlSnty VIII OF MS
Maker. Do the right, do Gods will. live
the truth, and then youfare free. His serv-
ice is perfect freedom. To serve God is
to reign. And what do you want in the
world? What do you want, you men in
| middle life-some of you beyond that point
what do you want? You want something
to strengthen your WILL to bind your will
up to the will of God, to knit 1t into His
eternal purpose, to hold IL firm and true
| amid the temptations and allurements and
| trials of the life in which you are. How
| are you going to get it? That is the bust
ness of religion, of any true religion, of
| the one true religion-to tell you what you
are to believe. But you say 4 can't be-
| lieve it at the command Of any one out
| side Of me. / believe what seems to be
| true. 1T is not matter of my own will.
| 1t Is. l am not talking about hearing the
| truth, or having scientific proof of the
| truth, but am talking about accepting the
| truth and living by 1t. That is a matter
of your own will; it is a matter of your
own choice, but it calls for humility and
| submission, and humility and submits
! sion are not favorite virtues to-day,
yet it is a wise man who says Il will
| subject my reasons to the truth
ELEMENTS OF TRUTH.
what did you write your worlds
| fair as the central word of that great
| pageant? 'Ye shall know the truth. and
| the truth shall make you Free You want
to know the truth. Has God revealed 1t?
| Has he spoken out OF the darkness? Has
he flung His word down into this world
| so you can come and hear it? Or are we
left to the varying opinions Of clever ora
| tors and the blunders and mistakes Of our
own minds? You want the truth to put
| your back against, TO fight against the
| error and the darkness and the illusion
| and the snare. You want authority, author
| ity that will say TO you This Is the way
walk We in it, / submit to you, then
| that you are not making yourselves the
| slaves of any human opinions when you
| say L want TO know II God has spoken
! and I want to subject my reason to the
! truth which He is and which He has de
| clared.' So you want the right TO be clear
| and definite before you. You want to know
| what is right to do, what is Gods viii
| to do. Who is to tell you? Are you &c
| be merely guided by the authority OF the
| State? You know how the authority OF the
| State is manufactured-some OF you. Dc
| you think that the present laws OF thi:
| land are exactly parallel with eternal jus
| tice, or is there a higher tribunal and g
| better legislature than you manufacture
| by your laws? Is there a law which tell:
| you, not only what is true and right. and
| doing which you can find freedom and live
| I'm the face of all opposition more thar
| conquered by His love? All this depend!
| upon,the subsection CT your own will to tn.
4 n q. 20 of ho xrafr