HUMILIATING TRUTH

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 22, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 50.

HUMILIATING TRUTH.

DR. JAMES FREEMAN CLARKE, of Boston, has uttered some clear, humiliating truths in the following:—

Young people grow up in all our churches who have no opinions of any kind concerning God, Christ, sin, salvation, the foundation of morals, the grounds of belief in the Creator, in duty, or in immortality. Instead of being educated by doctrine they are fed on sentiment. Instead of truth they get love. The consequence is they drift easily into any church, creed, or opinion which happens to attract them. They easily become Roman Catholics or Free Religionists, as accident determines. If they meet a Jesuit they joyfully accept the pope. If they encounter a disciple of Huxley or Spencer, with equal contentment they reject God.

And all this in the interest of liberality and toleration! But know this, that it is impossible to tolerate the opinions of others until you have some of your own. You cannot be charitable to those who differ with you unless you first differ with them. What sort of toleration does the ship floating in the stream exercise toward the current which sweeps it along? I have heard the story of a young lady brought up in one of our Unitarian parishes in Boston, which seemed to be somewhat characteristic. She was visiting some poor Irish families to help them, and she encountered their priest. "You must not think," said she, "that I wish to convert them to my opinions." "What are your opinions?" asked the Roman Catholic. Then it appeared that she had none. But he had; so in a short time he had converted her to his views, and she has remained a Roman Catholic ever since.—Home Guardian.