The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-08-18


Assembly Uatechism, and he makes q
gateway out of that, and he Iays to the
world: "You go through there or stay
out" And here is a bigoted member Of
the Reformed church; he makes gate
out Of the Heidelberg catachism, and he
says: "You go through there or stay out"
Here is a bigoted Methodist, and he puts
down two posts and says: "Now you
crowd in between these two posts or stay
out" And here is bigoted Episcopa.
lian, who says: Here Is a liturgy out OF
which l mean to make gate; 60 through
it or stay out" Here is bigoted Bap'
tist who says: "Here is a, water-gate; 0
through that or stay out" And 80 on in
all our churches and all our denomlns-
tions, there are men who make one
gate for themselves, and then demand
that the whole world 60 through it. l
abhor this ContraCtedness in religious
views. D, small-souled man, when did
God give you the contract for making
gatesP 1 tell you plainly, am not going
in at that gate. l will 60 in at any one
of the twelve ga es choose. Here is
man who says, Il can more easily and
closely approach my God through q
prayer.book." say, "My brother, then
use the PRAYER book Here is man
wto says, 81 believe there is only one
mode of baptism, that is immersion" l
say then, LET mo plunge you'll" Any
how, say, away with thu gate Of rough
panel and rotten posts and rusted lutCh,
when there are twelve gates and they
are twelve pearls. The fact is that today
a great many churches are oeing doCtrin-
ed to death. They have been trying for
twenty-five years to find out all about
Gods DEGREES, and who are elected 20 be
saved, and who are reprooated to be
damned, and they are keeping on discis-
sing that subject, when there are millions
of souls who need to have the truth put
straight at them, that unless they all re-
pent they will all be damned, They cit
counting the number of teeth in the jaw
bone with which they are to slay the
Philistlnes, when they ought to be Wiel
ding skillfully the weapon. They sit on
the beach and see a vessel going to pieces
in the ocean, and instead of getting into
a boat and pulling away for the wreck,
they sit discussing the different styles of
oarloCks. God intended us to know
something's and intended us not to know
others. l have heard scores of sermons
explanatory of Gods DEGREES, but came
away more perpleXed than when l went.
The only result of such discussion is
great fog. Here are two truths that
are to conquer the world: Man, a sin.
ner-Chrst, a Savior. Any man who
adopts those theories in his religious be-
lief shall have my right hand in warmest
Christian brotherhood.
A man comes down to the river in time
of freshet He wants to get across; he
has to swim; what does he doP The first
thing ia to get off his heavy apparel and
drop everything he has in his hands; he
must 90 empty handed if he is going tc
the other bank. And l tell you when
we come down to the river of death, and
find it swift and raging, we will have to
put off all our sectarianism, and lay down
all our lumbrous creeds, and emptyhan-
ded put out for the other shore. What"
say you, "would you resolve all the
Christian church into one kind ofChurChp
Would you make all Christendom wor.
ship in the same way by the same former
o., no. You might as well decide that
all people shall eat the same kind of food
without reference to appetite: or wear
the same kind of apparel without refer
ence to the shape Of their body. Your
your temperament, your sur
will decide whether you 90 to
this or that church, and adopt this or
that church policy. One church will
best get one man to heaven, and another
church another man. am not opposed
to fences being built around denomina-
tions of Christians; l am not opposed to
q very high fence being built around
each denomination of Christians; but
do say that in every fence there ought
10 be bars that you can let down, and
gate you can swing open. Go home,
therefore, take your Bible and get down
On your knees before God and make your
own creed. / am not opposed to Creeds,
[ believe in Creeds; but creed that does
not reach down to a mans immortal ma.
ure 10 not worth the paper 1t is printed
IN. l do not care which Of the gates
you 60 through, if you only 90 through
me I the twelve gates that Jesus lifted.
Well, now, gee all the redeemed Of
,arth comidg up toward heaven. Do
you think they will get inP Yes. Gate
he first: The Moravians came up; they
believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; they
,ass through; gate the second, the Qua
;ers come up, they have received the
inward light; they have trusted in the
ord; they pass through; gate the third,
he Lutherans come up; they had great
dmiration for the reformer, and reCeiv.
ID the same grace that made Luther
What he was, and they pass through:
ate the fourth, many of thu Romano Cath
liOs come up who look beyond the eu-
erstitions of their church, and believing
n salvation through Jesus Christ, they
ASS through; gate the fifth, the German
Reformed church passes through; gate
be sixth, the Congregationalists pass
through; gate the seventh, the Baptists
ass through; gate the eighth the Epis-
opalians pass through; gate the ninth
he Sahbatarians pass through; gate the
enth the Methodists pass through; gate
be eleventh the Reformed Dutch church
asses through; gate the twelfth thePres
yterians pass through. But there are a ,
reat host of other denominations who ,
lust come in, and great multitudes who ,
onneCted themselves with no visible
hulch, but felt the power Of godliness
4 their heart and showed 1t in the life; ,
here is their gate2 Will you shut all
lis remaining host out of the city? No,
hey may come in at our gate. Hosts
I God, ifyou csnnet get admission thro
ny other entrance, come in at gate the !
Velfth. Now they minele before the
lrone, looking out on the one hundred
nd forty and four thousands, and you
an not tell at what gate they came in.
me Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one
lassy sea, one doxology, q one triumph, )