National Baptist world., 1894-09-21

and finding that the people
are good there, and they love God and
keep His commandments, by natural
reaction they 60 and join those
churches. | could mention the names
of prominent ministers of the gospel
who spent their whole life bombarding
other denominations, and who lived to
see their children preach the gospel IN
those very denominations. But it is
often that bigotry starts in house
hold, and that the subject of it never
RECEIVERS. There are tens of thousands
of bigOts 10 years old.
l think sectarianism and bigotry also
rise from too great prominence of any
one denomination in community.
All the other denominations are
wrong, and his denomination is right,
because his denomination is the most
wealthy, or the most popular, or the
most influential, and it is ''our"
church, and ''our" religious organiza-
ton, and ''our" choir, and our min
ister, and the man tosses his head, and
wants other denominations to know
their places. 1t is great deal better
in any community when the great de-
nominations of Christians are about
equal in power, marching side by side
for the worlds conquest.
You seldom find man with large IN
tellect who is bigot. 1t is the man
who thinks he knows great deal, but
does not. That man is almost always
bigot The whole tendency of edu-
cation and civilization is to bring a
man out of that state of mind and heart.
There was in the far east a great obe-
lisk, and one side of the obelisk was
white, another side of the Obelisk was
green, another side of the Obelisk
was blue, and travellers went and looked
at that obelisk, but they did not walk
around it. One man looked at one
side, another at another side, and they
came home, each looking at only one
side, and they happened to meet, the
story says, and they got into a rank
quarrel about the color of that o1elisk.
One man said it was white, another
said it was green, another man said it
was blue, and when they were in the
very heat of the controversy more in
telligent traveller came and said: Gen
tlemen, have seen that ObeliSk, and
you are all right and you are all
wrong. Why didn't you walk all
around the obelisk?"
Look out for the man who sees only
one side of a religious truth. Look
out for the man who never walks
around about these great glories OF
God and eternity and the dead. He
will be a bigot inevitably-the man
who only sees one side. There is nc
man more to be pitied than he who has
in his head just one idea-no more, no
less More light, less sectarianism
There is nothing that will so soon kill
| bigotry as sunshine--God's sunshine.
While each denomination of Chris
tians is to present all the truths of the
| Bible, it seems to me that God ha:
| given to each denomination an especia
mission to give particular emphasis tt
some one doctrine; and SO the Calvanis
tic churches must present the sover
eighty of God, and the Armenian
churches must present mans free
agency, and the Episcopal churche:
must present the Importance of order
and solemn ceremony, and the Baptis
churches must present the necessity O
ordinances, and the Congregations
church must show the responsibility o
the Individual member, and the Method
ist church must show what holy Ell
thusiasm hearty congregational sing
ing can accomplish. While each de
nomination of Christians must Sc
forth all the doctrines of the Bible,
feel it is especially incumbent on eacl
denomination to put particular empha
sis on some one doctrine.
Another great damage done by tn
sectarianism and bigotry OF the churc
is that it disgusts people with tn
Christian religion. Now, my friends
the church of God was never intende
for a war barrack. People are afrai
of a riot. You go down the street an
see an excitement, and missiles f1yin
| through the air, and you hear tn
shock of firearms Do you, the peac'
| full and industrious citizen, go throug
| that street? Oh, no! you will say, II
, 90 around the block" Now, mel
come and look at the narrow pat
| to Heaven, and sometimes sc
; the ecclesiastical brick bats fl,
: mo every whittier, and they sd.
"Well, guess I'll take the broad roa'
: there is SO much sharp-shooting on tf
narrow road, guess I'll try the broa
4 road!"
4 Francis |. so hated the Lutheran
$ that he said that if he thought the
e was one drop of Lutheran blood in h
, veins he would puncture them and
: that drop out. Just as long as there
\, SO much hostility between denomln
S ton and denomination, or between OF
). professed Christian and another, or b
/ tween one church and another, SO lor
!, men will be disgusted with the Chr
f tian religion, and say: IF that is rell
ion. I want none of it.
e Again, bigotry and sectarianism
d great damage in the fact that tn
A hinder the triumph of the gospel. 0
p how much wasted ammunition! nc
! many men of splendid intellect ha
= piven their whole lift to controversi
: disputes, when, if they had given the
y life to something practical, they mig
. have been vastly useful! Suppos
e while I speak, there were comm
J. enemy coming up the bay, and all t
y forts around the harbor began to Il
o into each other-you would cry OF
b National suicide! why don't tho
!. forts blaze away in one direction, a
e that against the common enemy" A