El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-29

be understood as contradictory or op-
posed to each other. While jude was
moi 50 pronounced in his views about
freedom from bondage to Judaism as
was Paul he seems to have STOOD win
the apostle instead OF against MN IN
that particular; and while Paui STOUT
" demanded freedom from the yoke
OF bondage he would nave Deen the
last TO have looked approVIInIgIy upon
any moral derelectlon- we neeus
however. to know the difference IN
the atmosphere out from winch lhese
texts came or We may quite nlsuh-
derstand and misapply both OF them:
There is a freedom winch CuElS-
tianitv not only grants, bur which IS
essential to its very life. DO not
mean license when say Teeuon-
One may so use his freedom as 10 IN
jure both himself and the cause ne
represents Religious freedom does
not necessarily mean that one must
blatantly proclaim every new Iancy
o. his own egotistic MIND Sucn a
course deserves and usually receives
the condemnation of all right thinking
people. One does not need 70 become
a nuisance because he IS Iree- ruin
never gains by boorishness- one
discoveries in the realm OF truth
should be made known mOdestly and
with due Difference to the conVlcuons
Of others. But freedom itself IS es-
sential to the progress OF CHRISTIANITY
Must Have Right to Investigate.
People must have the right to IN
vestigate, to reason, to draw conclu-
sions and form convictions, however
RADICAL they may seem to be- only so
can the newly discovered truth gain
acceptance and become operative we
must remember that as Sabatier has
'The new truth discovered by free
inquiry is older and more venerable
than the most venerable authority
It is hard to grant this freedom
graciOusly and il is hard to exercise
1t gracefully. Our convictions get to
be our idols and we do not want them
modified Our doctrines become shib-
bCleths by which we test the orthO-
doxy Of others. It is absolutely
necessary that from time to time these
forms into which the truth has been
cast be broken up and recast, other
wise they cease to have meaning and
inspiration Of the scriptures, but it is
to be feared that the phrase to many
people, is merely a phrase, a shib-
ooleth which they want others to
pronounce
Protestants and catholics alike be-
lleVe IN the divinity Of Christ" and
rightly insist upon il, but this phrase,
too, is in danger of becoming a mere
othodoxy Of others I wish we might
become accustomed to the use of
that rich variety Of phrases used IN
the new testament to express our
Lords nature and relations.
Pleads for Freedom from Phrases.
am pleading for freedom from
bondage to set phrases. forms and
traditions that have become stilted II
not stale, and have no meaning 10 the
average man We dare not deny this
freedom Every time the effort has
been made TO check il. division has
resulted and unhappy strifes have fol-
lowed, greatly TO the detriment OF
the cause OF Christ People must be
given the liberty to think and speak
for themselves, using their own Ian
Euage to express the convictions OF
their own hearts It is the exercise
OF such liberty that set the church of
the first century free from the letter
that would have killed it It was
the exercise Of such freedom that
liberated the church again in the 18th
century from Journalism and dogma
tism that had well nigh robbed it Of
its glory and power. Freedom has
been the watchWord Of all the re-
formers from Savonarola to Camp
bell In its exercise they unclaimed
the bible and removed it from the
altar and cloister to the home and
Ilreslde; they loosed il to the trans
lators who have made il accessible
70 all the people; they interpreted its
precious truths and set them free to
comfort and console, to cheer and to
cnasten- to inform and inspire the
hearts Of men and women everywhere
We must have freedom or our re-
ligion viii become a dead Journalism
a juiceless, insipid thing, unless al
least for the present life with its prob
lens Of sin and sorrow. Of despair
and defeat And there should he M
meets and bounds set to freedom save
nose Of good sense and Christian
Must Also Be Loyalty.
But there must be loyalty as well.
mere are some things TO conserve.
and they are inestimably important
and 1nexpressibly sacred to ali right