The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-09-20
THE CHURCH OF GOD
ONE FOLD AND ONE SHEPHERD
The Holy Temple of the Almighty--It
is not the Building but the Idea it
Represents that is Important In.
teresting Reading for Christians
and Others.
New York Herald.l

proof of :, small nature. A broad and
generous man is in sympathy with all
the sects Of Christendom, and would
not impose the form of worship which
he personally prefers on any one, but
insists that each man shall believe
what he pleases, provided it results in
an honest life.
God will never ask what special
religious body you belonged to, but
whether your faith made you good
citizen, good father, good friend
and good man. There are no
sectarians in Heaven; they are all
lovers of the noble and the true in
every cline and i'll every system known
to struggling humanity. A Methodist
or an Episcopalian or a Baptist angel
can not be found in the New Jeru-
salem.
The various sects which are scattered
over the earth are simply SO many
ladders by which the people climb to
the upper regions. The foot of each
ladder is on the ground, while the
other end rests firmly against the
Throne. When we die we shall leave
the ladders behind, because they will
have achieved their purpose and we
can have no further use for them.
The path by which you reach the
top of mountain is of no consequence
whatever, and if your neighbor chooses
to get there in some other way you are
very ungracious if you denouuce him
for exercising his own judgment instead
OF following yours. His brains belong
to him and your brains belong to you.
You may do as you please and he may
do as he pleases. If his eyes are fixed
on the summit, and he is doing what
he can to attain it, God will certainly
regard him with favor and you should
do no less. The bigot can see only
one way, and that is his own way. He
lacks very important element of
character because he isn't large enough
to understand that different temper
aments require different incentives
and that what is good for one may
possibly be bad tor another.
There is altogether too little charity
in the world for those who do not find
it easy to see things just as we see
them. There are thousand ways to
do nearly everything that is worth
doing, and one way is as good as
another. TO call this man a hereto
because he has his individual method
of solving the puzzle of life and that
man orthodox because he happens to
think as you do is both unwise and
unchristian.
If you have we'll developed soul
you can worship in any church that
was ever built, or you can worship
without any church at all. He is a
poor kind Of creature who is SO preju-
diced that he can't find words with
which to tell the Lord how grateful he
is, whether he sits in Quaker meet
ing house or a Chtholic cathedral.
1t is not the building but the idea
which it represents that is important.
1t is of no consequence whatever that
the clergyman wears surplice or does
not wear one; that the service is
characterized by pomp and ceremony
or conducted without these auxiliaries;
that the edihce is the exponent Of the
ecclesiastical architect or only barn
in the back woods. If you get the
idea, you get all you need and all you
can ask for. If you are smitten with
remorse because your record has blots,
smirches on it, the mere robes of the
priest who thus smltes you will count
for nothing and if you resolve to
lead lite of integrity the preacher
has accomplished the task which the
Lord Almighty gave him, whether he
is a Methodist or a Baptist.
The object Of the Church is not to
make man a sectarian, but make
him loyal to the truth. At least that
; should be its object, and if it achieves
that object, the fact that he belongs to
this or that or the other denomination
is not worth second thought.
: You should believe in something
and that something should furnish you
; with noble impulses, with charity fol
your fellow men, with pity for the
unfortunate and with desire to do al
that lies in your power to make thl:
old world better because you have
lived in it. That much of creed i
absolutely necessary, and when yol
have that much you want no more
1t will give you work enough to keeE
you busy until death knocks at th'
; door and sends you word that you ar
wanted somewhere.
\ few convictions hammered out o
your own sense of dependence and tn
{ consciousness of your daily life need t'
Il be watched over and guided by tn
invisible beings who "walk the cart,
I, both when we wake and when VI
! sleep" will serve You better than al
the theology that was ever printed il
y books.
> If you think that one sect serve
your purpose better than any othel
2, join it by all means but be Garrett
II that you don't worship the ladder Il
. which you climb instead of the Heave
l. against which the upper ends of II
"A ladder rests. And, above all, dol
a, criticise your neighbor because he
II made of different stuff and chooses ,
- get to Heaven in some other wa
If that neighbor is an honorable ma
&C. and is doing the best his circumstanc