The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1894-10-05

most honey of Christian usefulness fol
the life.
Besides that, if you want to build NJ
any denomination, yon will never bsiild
it up by trying to pull some other down
Intolerance never put anything down
How much less intolerance accom-
plishes, for instance, against the Meth
odist church? For long years hel
ministers were forbidden the pulpit Of
Great Britain. Why was it that sc
many of them preached in the fields!
Simply because they could not get in
the churches. And the name of the
church was given in derision and as a
sarcasm. The critics Of the church
said: ''They have no order, they have
no method in their worship;" and the
critice, therefore, in irony called them
"Methodists.
/ am told that in the Astor library,
New York, kept as curiosities, there
are seven hundred and seven books
and pamphlets against Mothodism.
Did intolerance stop that church? No;
it is either first or second amid the de-
nominations of Christendom, her mis-
sionary stations in oil parts OF tho
world, her men not only important in
religious trusts, but important also in
secular trusts. Church marching on,
and the more intolerance against it
the faster it marched.
What did intolerance accomplish
against the Baptist church? If laugh
ing scorn and TRADE could have de-
stroyed the church it would not have
to-day disciple left. The Baptists
were hurled out of Boston in olden
times. Those who sympathized with
them were imprisoned, and when pc
tition was offered asking leniency in
their behalf all the men who sighnedit
were indicted. Has intolerance stopped
the Baptist church? The last statis-
tics 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 de.
clared that no Jew should hoiG official
position. What came of it? Were the
Jews destroyed? Was their religion
overthrown? No. Who became prime
minister of England? Who was next
to the throne? Who was higher than
the throne because he was counsellor
and adviser? Disraeli, Jew. WhSt
were we celebrating IL all our churches
as well as our synagogues only few
years ago? The one hundredth birth.
day anniversary of Montefiore, the
great Jewish philanthropist. Intoler-
ance never yet put down anything.
But now, my friends, having shows
you the origin of bigotry or sectarian-
ism, and having shown you the damage
it does, want briefly to show you how
we are to war against this terrible evil,
and think we ought to begin our war
by realizing our own weakness and
our imperfections. If we make SO
many mistakes in the common affairs
If life, is it not possible that we
nay make mistakes in regard to our
religious affairs? Shall we take man
Dy the throat, or by the collar, because
he can not see religious truths just as
we do? In the light of eternity it will
De found out, think, there was some'
hing wrong in all our creeds. But
since we may make mistaks in regard
20 things of the world, do not let us
be so egotistic and so pulled up as to
nave an idea that we can not make any
mistake in regard to religious theories!
And then / think we will do great
- L he ~ ~
rom our heart, and the sectarianism
rom the world, by chiefly enlarging
n those things in which we agreg
'ather than those on which we differ.
think we may overthrow the severe
and bigotry in our hearts,
md in the church Also by realizing
that all the denominations of Chris
ians have yielded noble institutions
Ind noble men. There is nothing that
% stirs my soul as this thought. One
yielded a Robert Hall and
IN Adoniram Judson; another yielded a
Iatimer and Melville; another yielded
Tohn Wesley and the blessed Sum-
nerfield, while our own denomination
rielded John Knox and the Alexanders,
men of whom the world was not
worthy. Now, say, if we are honest
md fair-minded men, when we come
Up in the presence of such churches
md such denominations, although they
nay be different from our own, we
'ught to admire them, and we ought |
o love and honor them. Churches
which can produce such men,
md such large-hearted charity,
md such magnificent martyrdom,
,ught to win our affection-at any
ate, our respect. So come on We hug
lred thousand Episcopalians in this
country, and ye five hundred thousand
'resbyterians, and We million Baptists,