The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-10

method in their worship" and the critics,
therefore, in irony called them Method
lists
lam told that in Astor Library, New
York, kept as curiOsities there are seven
hundred and seven books and pamphlets
against Methodism. did Intolerance stop
that church, No; it Is either first or sec
Ond amid the denominations of christen-
dom. her missionary stations in all parts
of the world, her men not only important
IN religious trusts, but important also in
secular trusts. Church marching on, and
the more intolerance against il the faster
it marched
What did intolerance accomplish
against the Baptist church? If laughing
scorn and TRADE could have destroyed the
church it would not have to-day disci-
pie left. The Baptists were hurled out Of
Boston inolden times. Those who sym
/ pathized with them were imprisoned,
and when petition was offered asking
leniency in their behalf, all the men who
signed it were indicted. Has intolerance
stopped the Baptist churchl The last
statistics in regard to it showed twenty
five thousand churches and three million
communicates. Intolerance never put
down anything.
In England law was made against the
Jew. England thrust back the Jew and
| thrust down the Jew, and declared that
no Jew should hold official position. What
came of it, We're the Jews destroyed
Was the religion Overthrowni No. Who
became prime minister of knglandi Who
was next to the throne} Who was higher
than the throne because he was counsel
lOr and adviser! Disraeli a Jew. What
were we celebrating in all our churches
/ as well as synagogues only a few years
agol The one huudredth birthday ami
versary of Montefore, the great Jewish
philauthrOpiSt. Intolerance never yet
put down anything.
But now, my friends, having shown you
the origin OF bigotry or sectarianism, and
having shown you the damage IL does, I
want briefly to show you how we are TO
war against this terrible evil, and | think
we ought to begin our war by reali ing our
own weakness and our imperfections. If
we make so many mistakes in the com
mon auairs of life, is it not possible that
we may make mistakes in regard 10 our
religious anairs2 Shall we take a man
by the throat, or by the collar, because he
cannot see religious truths just as we do
In the light OF eternity it will be found
out, 1 think, there was something wrong
in ali our creeds, and something right in
ali our creeds. But since we may make
mistakes in regard to things of the world,
do not let US be so egotistic and so pulled
up as to have an idea that we cannot
make any mistake in regard to religious
theories. And then l think we will do a
great deal to overthrow the Sectarianism
from our heart, and the sectarianism from
the world, by chiefly enlarging in those
things in which we agree rather than
those on which we differ
Now, here IS great gospel platform.
A man comes up on this side of the plat
form and says Il don't believe in baby
sprinkling." Shall / shove him OFF, Here
is man coming up on tlis side of the
platform and he says: Il don't believe in
the perseverance of the saints" Shall |
shove him or No. 1 will say: ''Do you
believe in the Lord Jesus as your Saviourl
Do you trust him for time and for etern-
ity2' He says: Eyes" do you take
Christ for time and for eternity" Eyes"
l say; Come on, brother; one in time and
one in eternity; brother now brother for
ever" Blessed be God for a gospel plat
form so large that all who receive Christ
may stand on it
l think we may overthrow the severe
sectarianism and bigotry in our hearts,
and in the church also, by realizing that
all the denominations of Christians have
yielded noble institutions and noble men,
There is nothing that so stirs my soul as
this thought One denomination yielded
a Robert Hall and an Adoniram Judson;
another yielded Latimer and Melville:
another yielded John Wesley and the
bACoSGO Mul6 our OWN O6-
nomination yielded John Knox and the
Acknowledgement of whom the world was
not worthy. Now, say, if we are honest
and falr-minded men, when we come up
in the presence of such churches and such
denominations, although they may be diff
ferent from our own, we ought to admire
them, and we ought to love ana honor
them. Churches which can produce such
men, and such large-hearted charity, and
SnPh TDapnifiPopt unartVr1Oun 70
win our afection-at any rate, our re-
spect. So come on, We 100, 600
Episcopalians in this country, and We 500
600 PresOy terlans, and We 1000, 0U0 Bap-
lists, and We 100000 Methodists-c come
on; shoulder to shoulder we will march
for the worlds conquest; for all nations
are to be saved, and God demands that
you and l help do it. Forward, the whole
line!
Moreover, we may also overthrow the
feeling of severe sectarianism by Joining
other denominations in Christian work
like when the spring time comes and
the anniversary occasions begin and all
denominations come upon the same plat
form. That overthrows sectarianism. In
the Young Mems Christian Associations,
in the Bible Society, in the Tract Society,
in the Foreign Missionary Society, shout
der TO shoulder all denominations
Perhaps 1 might forcefully illustrate
this truth by calling your attention to an
incident which took place about twenty
years ago. One Monday morning at
about O'clock while her nine hundred
passengers were sound asleep in her
berths dreaming of home. the steamer
Atlantic crashed into Mars Head Five
hundred souls in ten minutes landed liz
eternity! o, what scene! Agonized
men and women running up and
down the gangways, and clutchiug
for the rigging, and the plunge of
the helpless steamer, and the clapping of
the hands of the merciless sea over the
drowning and the dead, threw two con-
tinents into terror. But see this brave
quartermaster pushing out with the life
line until he gets to the rock; and see
these fishermen gathering up the ship
wrecked, and taking them into the bins,
and wrapping them in tiannels snug and
warm; and see that minister of the Cos
pei, with three other men. getting into a
lifeboat, and pushing out for the wreck,
pulling away across the surf, and pulling
away until they saved one more man, and
then getting back with him to the shore.
Can those men ever forget that night2
And can they ever forget their com pan
ionship in peril, mpanionship in strug-
gle, companionsnip in awful catastrophe
and rescuel Never! Never! In what
ever part OF the earth they meet
they will be friends when they
mention the story of that night