The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1894-10-13
I viii not quarrel WIN thee about thy
black gown. George, give me thy

In tracing out the religion Of sectar-
ianism or bigotry, I find that a great
deal of 1t Ome from wrong education
in the home circle. There are parents
who do not think 1t wrong to c~aricature
and jeer the peculiar forms Of religion
in the world, and denounce other sects
and other denominations. 1t Is very
often the case that that kind Of edu-
cation acts just opposite to what was
expected, and the children grow up,
and, after a while, 60 and see for them
selves; aud, looking In those churches,
and finding that the people are good
there, and they love God and keep
ton they 80 and join those very church
es. I could mention the names of prom
inent ministers Of the gospel who spent
their whole life bombarding other de-
nominations, and who lived to see their
children preach the gospel In those
very denominations. But it Is often the
case that bigotry starts in a household,
and that the subject OF it never recov-
ers. There are tens of Thousands Of
bigots 10 years old.
I think sectarianism and bigotry also
rise from too great prominence Of any
n denomination in q community. All
the other denominations are wrong,
and his denomination Is right, a
his denomination is the most wealthy,
or the most popular, or the most infiu-
ential, and it is "our' church, and "our'
religious organization, and "our" choir,
and "our" minister, and the man losses
his head, and wants other denomina-
lions to know their places. 1t is a
great deal better in any community
when the great denominations of Chris
tians are about equal In power, march
ing side by side for the worlds con-
quest. Mere outside prosperity, mere
worldly power, is no evidence that the
church is acceptable to God. Better a
barn with Christ in the Manager than a
cathedral with magnificent harmonies
rolling through the long drawn aisle,
and an angel from heaven in the pull
pit, if there be no Christ in the chancel,
and no Christ in the robes. BigOtry
is often the child of ignorance.
You seldom find a man with large
intellect who is a bigot. 1t is the man
who thinks he knows a great deal,
but does not. That man is almost al
ways a bigot. "a
While each denomination Of Chris
tians is to present all the truths Of the
Bible, it seems to me that God has Civ,
en- to each denomination an especial
nilsson to give particular emphasis to
some one doctrine; and so the Calvin
istic churches must present the SOW
ereignity of God, and the Armenian
churches must present mans free
agency, and the Episcopal churches
must present the order and solemn
ceremony, and the Baptist churches
must present the necessity or ordi-
nances, and the Congregational church
must present the responsibility Of the
individual member, and the Methodist
Church must show what holy enthus-
iasm hearty congregational singing can
accomplish. While each denomination
Of Christians must set forth all the doc
trines of the Bible, I feel it is espec-
tally incumbent upon each denomina-
ton to put particular emphasis on some
n doctrine. -
Another great damage done by the
sectarianism and bigotry of the Church
is that it disgusts people with the
Christian religion. Now, my friends,
the Church Of God was never intended
for. a wal barrack. People are afraid
of a riot. You 60 down the street and
you see great excitement, and missiles
flying through the air., and you hear
the shock of the firearms. Do you, the
peaceful and Industrious citizen, go
through that street? Oh, no! you will
say, I'll so around the block" Now,
men, come and look upon this narrow
path to heaven, and sometimes see the
ecclesiastical briclbats flying every
whittier, and they say, well, / guess
I'll take the broad road; there is so
much sharp-shooting on the narrow
road, I guess I'll try the broad road!'
Francis I. so hated the Lutherans
that he said that if he thought there
was one drop Of Lutheran blood in his
veins he would puncture them and let
that drop out. Just as long as there
is so much hostility between denomina-
ton, or between one professed Chris
tan and another, or between M
church and another, so long men will
be disgusted with the Christian religion
and say, IF that is religion, I want
none Of it."
Again, bigotry and sectarianism do
great damage in the fact that they him
der the triumph Of the Gospel. Oh,
how much wasted ammunition! how
many men of splendid intellect have
given their whole life to controversial
disputes, when, If they had given their
life to something practical, they might
have been vastly useful! Suppose, while
j spehk there were a common enemy
coming up the bay and the forts around
the harbor began to fire into each 9th
er-yOu would cry out national suicide!
why don't these forts blaze away In
n direction. and that against the
common enemy?" And yet I sometimes
see In the Church of the Lord Jesus
Christ q strange thing going on; church
against church, minister against min
lister, denomination against denOMina-
ton, firing away into their own fort
or the fort which ought to be on the
same side. instead Of concentrating
their energy and giving one mighty
and everlasting volley against the ma
yies OF darkness riding up through the
bay. J.
/ 80 sometimes In the summer, and
find two beehives, and these two hives
are in a quarrel. / come near enough
not to be stung, but I come just neal
enough to hear the controversy. anu
one beehive says, ''Thot field Of clo-
yer Is the sweetest" and another bee
hive says. THAT field of clover Is the
sweetest" / come in between them,
and / say, stop this quarrel; II you
like that field of clover best. so there:
,if you like that field Of clover best, 60
there; but let me tell you that hive
which gets the most honey Is the best
hfve!'. So Il come out between the
churches OF the Lord Jesus Christ.
One denomination Of Christians says,
This field Of Christian doctrine is
best Well, / say, "Go where you get