The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-02
'CHRISTIAN LIBERTY"
STIRRII'G DISCOURSE BY REV.
DUANE GRIFFIN.

Speaks of True and False Notions of
Liberty-BoundIess Intemperance Not
Liberty.
christian Liberty" was the subject
of an exceedingly interesting address
by Rev. Duane N. Griffin of st. An
drews M. e. church yesterday morn
ing. He spoke from the text, John viii,
So: IF the son therefore shall make
you free we shall be free indeed
In opening Rev. Mr.. Griffin spoke of
the fact that this week we celebrate
the 124th anniversary Of our nation S
independence, and of the fitness with
which the event might be spoken of
from the pulpit ''Of all the nations
holidays" he said, this is the most i'm
portant, for the reason that on July
4, 1916 in the staid old Quaker City of
Philadelphia, our forefathers met and
declared that these colonies are and Of
right ought to be free and indepen-
dent States Hence this is particularly
our own holiday.
'Of all the gifts from God to man, y
he continued, ''the greatest is liberty
Liberty is of two kinds, civil and relig-
ious. I would not speak so much of the
former or personal liberty as of moral
or spiritual liberty In order to better
undestand the subject l may say first
liberty is of two kinds, true and false.
What I mean is, there are true and
false notions of liberty. AS Sir James
Macintosh once said True liberty is
the liberty to Go right This is the
greatest liberty of the angels, Bound
less intemperance in a nation is not lib-
erty, but chaos. All true liberty is
der heavens eyes but hath it's bounds,
either earth or sea or sky Cicero said,
He is free who lives as the Gods will
To Christianize the statement he would
say He is free who lives according to
the will of God. Such definition of
liberty may be taken by some to mean
a boundless freedom. Such a liberty
we characterize as false This is the
liberty of the communist, the anarchist
and the free thinker. Liberty abused is
the worst kind of slavery oh liberty
and liberty, how many crimes are COM
mittsd in thy name!' License they
mean,' says Milton, when they cry lib
erty.' st. Augustine said, Liberty is
from God: Liberties are from the DEVIL
Personal liberty is always circum-
scribed by the rights of others The
rights of ar individual must always be
tempered by the rights of Others"
The speaker now dwelt more especial
ly on Christian liberty His first propo-
sition he announced was that all men
are naturally the slaves Of sin in moral
bondage. by nature all are the SER
wants of sin. This is the universal con-
dition. The service of sin is slavish.
Behold the drunkard bound by the
appetite for strong drink. Bondage
and death the cup contains The sin
ner FORCES a chain to bind himself.
Next I would speak of the desire for
liberty. This is universal, and is as far
reaching as the bond of sim"
Here the speaker quoted beautiful
little poem:
ION to freedom; on to freedom;
lis the everlasting cry
Of the winds that strive with ocean;
OF the storms that smite the sky;
of the sea beneath the ground,
or everything in mature that is bound;
It was the cry that led from Egypt, DER
the desert wild of Eden;
out of darkness, out of bondage on to free
dom, on to freedom
ut was this desire for freedom that
inspired Moses. This that led Jembabel
to build the temple of Jerusalem, that
inspired cur Puritan fathers to leave
their country and come to one where
they might worship God according to
the dictates of their own conscience. 1t
was this desire for liberty that caused
Patrick Henry to say: Give me liberty,
Or give me death" This desire is noble,
pfa 'seworthy and give 1t Is
therefore approved by Him.
My third proposition is that there is
no freedom for the soul out of Christ.
He is cur great emancipation He pur-
our freedom like the slave; we are not
to be redeemed for silver or gold, but
by the precious blood of Christ alone.
AS my text says, IF the Son therefore
7hal make you free We shall be free in
Iced. Arnold Won Winkelried made a
way for Swiss liberty by the sacrifice
Of his own life. But Winkelried pur-
chased life for few; Christ for the
whole world.
AS a last proposition I would say
liberty is eternal, When Christ raised
Lazarus from the grave He said Loose
aim; let him go. He not only gave
aim life, but his liberty General Grant
and others of our great leaders have
been given the freedom of cities. a
special mark of honor, We may all
hereafter have the freedom of the heay
emily city, Stand fast in the liberty
whence Christ has made you free We
were once servants of sin, now we
nave the sweets of Christian liberty"