The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-18
FOSTERING RIVAL CHURCHES
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH POOR
PROSECUTING PREACHERS.
"What the Church Needs To-day Is
Less of Party Spirit and Strife,
and More Of that Spirit OF Mutual
Fosbearance and Charity, which
IL the Fruit Of n vital Union with
Christi
Associate Retor,:ed Presbyterian.

We often hear reference made to "ministe-
rial courtesy" which implies that pastors
and ministers have certain rights which are
to be respected and that to Disregard the same
would bc breach OF ministerial etiquette"
a pastor is the guide and companion Of his
people, their spiritual futher, He is supposed
TO love them tenderly and lo be loved and re.
spectcd by them. But when some other min.
lister is called in by members or his flock to
otticiate at marriage, baptismal or funeral
service, this pastoral tie IS subjected TO q pow
crful and pcrilous strain and wound 1ntilct-
ed upon tho pastors heart that may result In
alienation and separation.
1t has been Stated as ~ fixed rule in such
cases that no outsider ought TO intrude hin-
self upon ground so sacred without the con-
sent and Concurrence Of the pastor. But II
ministers have rights that must be respected
and II there Is pastoral ground that belongs
entirely to One-and upon which no outsider
has any right to be found without being in.
vted and cordially welcomed; Is there not a
sense tn which every denomination has rights
which all sister denominations ore in duly
bound to respect? For instance. where Ger.
by one denomination-and where there ls
room for but one church organization to find
u comfortable existence and healthy growth,
would 1t not be unki,,d and atnch'istian for
the field and by inauguratins an opposition
movement seek to weaken and cripple the
existing organization? Where one church
might havebecome strong and se.fsustain-
Ing, Il light In the world and power for good,
we have two or more weak and struggling or
ganizatiOns, until at last one becomes ex.
tinct, after period Of prOtracted and painful
decline. How many such churches are FOUND
throughout our land, weak and sickly bodies,
not able to stand alone, wilted and wizened
monuments for the cOnsummate folly OF some
enthusiastic evangelist or intense partisan.>
II the time, money zeal and energy TINT
little rival organizations that. have no right
to exist, had been spent In carrYibS the .gos-
pei 10 tile more needy portions of the land
and to fields hitherto unoccupied; what rapid
strides might have been made towards the
subjugatiOn of the world to Christ.
Where other denominations have obtained
n right to certain Held by priority Of .occu-
patton, and Where there Is not sufficient ma
teriel out side to afford u reasonable hope of
building up y seli-snstuintng church. 1t would
not only be the part of wisdom but OF right
and justice to transfer our operations TO some
more destitute field.
When ministers and churches become so
numerous as not to be able to live or find en,-
ployment except by intrudiHg upon each
others rights and seeking to make proSelytcs
from each others communion, tEen 1t would
be better for the world and the cause of chris.
tianity in general to transport them by the
ship load into the Junglcs of India and deserts
of Africa. The above reflections were sug-
gested Iy paragraph In the letter OF cor
respondent writing from Alabama some
weeks since. He had visited d town where
several A. II. Presbyterian families resided,
and In answer to the question why have we
not church, in that town." replied: ut
might he like planting eight apple trees on a
piece of ground ten feet square; 1t might be
great nukindness to the Methodist and Pres
byteran churches which are struggling there
for life; and then 1t might In time come to be
q success. Who can tell 2"
AS to The application OF the above 10 the
cause referred to by our correspondent, We
have nothing TO say: but the spirit breathed
ty the paragraph struck US as something ad-
nirable and to be commended. How strlk-
ingly in contrast with the spirit displayed by
certain enthusiastic champions OF Sht6bo.:
leth and foremost fugle men of party,
who would persuade men that they can never
enter heaven unless they have their liNle par
tn tag appended. What the church needs to.
day Is less Of party spirit and strife. and more
of that spirit OF mutual forbcarance and char
ity, which Is the fruit of vital union 10
Christ. =,
Or, as Canon Farrar puts 1t In recent arti-
Gle: "The more VIC are Christians. the more
will our faith 'be broad with the breadth OF
the charity of Almighty God, and narrow on.
ly with the narrowness Of his Righteousness "