The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-01-27


christian ministers sometimes labor un-
der the same difficulty. l am disposed
to cover with vail of charity the designs
and motives of christian ministers. even
when they are heaping denuncl4tlons up
on all those who differ from whit is self
stvled "orthodox" opinions. | grant that
they may.honestly believe that they are
building up Christ's Kingdom on earth,
and infusing his spirit of brotherly kind
ness and good will into the hearts of their
hearers, when they are misrepresentiug
their principles aud motives, and de-
nouncing them as infdels and heretics.
Saul of Tarsus verify thought he was do
ing Gods service when he was persecut-
ing the Saints even unto death. | fear
that we have many Sauls of Tarsus, even
under the Gospel sun of the nineteenth
century. Good would it be for the world,
both saints and sinners, if like their great
exemplar, they might become Pauls of
the Gospel and for the spirit Of persecu-
ton and intolerance, substitute the spirit
of love and good will to men. ] do not
know what right a man has, (even if he
is minister and enunciating from the
! Pulpit to call his Brother an inidel, be-
cause he believes little moro or a little
| less than himself or the church to which
he belongs, on a subject in which all men
have an equal interest and an equal right
to Judge. If understand the meaning
of the word infdelity, it is unhelief of
whatever is true. If am correct then
we are all Iptidels, and all orthodox in
proportion as we believe more or less Of
trutl, and error
/ Where is the man who has drunk at
the fountain of Knowledge who has
basked in the sunlight Of spiritual Wis
dom and theological Love, until he is able
to pronounce with absolute certainty what
I is, and what is not true in reference to
spiritual things? If a man is not able to
do this, it seems to me it would be much
more becoming in him to be modest in
! his pretenslouS to unerrIng wisdom, and
instead Of denouncing in dogmatic terms,
to look with liberation and cOmplaceLcy
upon the supposed heresies of others
! Knowing that "with what Judgment we
judge we shall be judged, and with what
measure we mete it shall be measured to
US again." it might be well for such to
remember, that while he is labosing to
pull the mote out Of his brothers eve,
there may be q beam IN his own. 1t
is the spirit ofBeezebuh and not of Christ,
that would anathamatize and denounce a
brother or fellow being because of an
honest difference ofreligiops opinion; that
would insult him by calling him hard
names, rather than to convince his judg-
ment by kind AID benevolent appeal to
his understanding. In view of the fact
that We are all hort-sighted, erring NOR
tails, weak in Judgment aud dull in COM
prehension, it would be much more be-
coming in US (whether minister or lay
MANI meekly and humbly to implore the
guidance of unerring wisdom in the fol-
lowing beautiful and appropriate lines of
the poet;
Let not this weak. unknowing hand
Presume thy bolts to throw,
And deal damnation round the land,
On each judge thy foe,
If am right thy grace impart,
Still in the right to stay;
If am wrong, O teach my heart
To find the better way. Z.