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

denominations and who lived TO see their
children preach the gospel in those very
denominations. But IL is often the case
that bigOtry starts IN a household and
that the subIe of it never RECEIVERS
There are tens Of thousands Of bigots ten
years old.
1 think sectarians and bigroty also rise
from too great prominence of any one de-
nomination in community. All the
other denominations are wrong, and his
denomination is right be ause his
denomination is the most wealthy,
influential, and it is "our" church,
and our" religious organization, and
our" choir. and 'Ourn minister, and the
man losses his head, and wants other de-
nomination TO know their places. 1t is a
great deal better in any community when
the great denominations Of Christians are
about equal in power, marching side Oy
side for the worlds conquest Mere out
side prosperity, mere worldly power, is
no evidence that the church is acceptable
to God. Better a barn with Christ in
the manger than a cathedral with mag
nihcent harmonies rolling through the
long-drawn aisle, and an angel from
heaven in the pulpit, If there be no Christ
in the chancel, and no Christ in the
robes. Bigotry is often the child of ig-
norance.
You seldom find man with large in
tellect who is a bigot. 1t is the man who
thinks he knows great deal but does
not. That man is almost always bigOt
The whole tendency of education and
civilization is to bring man out Of that
kind of state of mind and heart. There
was in the far east great obelisk and
one side of the obelisk was white. another
side Of the obelisk was green, another
side of the obelsk was blue, and travel
lers 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 one look
ing at only one side; and they happened
to meet, the story says and they got
into rank quarrel about the color of
that obelisk. One man said it was white,
another man said 1t was green, another
man said it was. blue, and when they
were in the very heat Of the controversy
a more intelligent traveller came, and
said Gentlemen, have seen that ODE
lisk, and you are all right and you are all
wrong. Why didn't you walk all around
the obelisk2"
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 theories of God and eternity
and the dead. He will be a bigot inevi-
tably-the man who only sees one side.
There is no man more to be pitied than he
who has in his head just one idea-no
more, no less. More light, less sectariau-
ism. There is nothing that will so soon
kill bigotry as Sunshlne-GOd's sunshine
So have set before you what l consider
to be the causes of bigotry. | have set
before you the origin of this great evil.
What are some Of the baleful efects2
First of all, it cripples investigation. You
are wrong, and l am right, and that ends
it. No taste for exploration no spirit of
investigation. From the glorious realms
of Gods truth, over which an archangeI
might fly from eternity to eternity and
reach the limit, the man shuts himself
out and dies, a blind mole under corn
shock. 1t stops all investigation.
While each denomination of Christians
is to present all the truths of the Bible. it
seems to me that God has given to each
denomination an especial mission to give
particular emphasis TO some one doctrine;
and so the CalviDiStic churches must pre-
sent the sovereignty of God. and the
Arminian churches must present mans
free agency, and the Episcopal churches
must present the Importance of order and
solemn ceremony, and the Baptist
churches must present the necessity of
and the Congregational church
must present the responsibility of the in
dlv1dual member, and the Methodist
church must show what holy enthusiasm,
hearty congregational singing can ac-
complish. While each denomination of
Christians must set forth all theNocuines
Of the Bible, l feel it is especially in
upon each denomination to put
particular emphasis on some one doctrine.
Another great damage done by the sec
and bigoJry of the church is
that it disgusts people with the Christian
religion. Now, my friends, the Church of
God was never intended for a war bar
rack. People are afraid of riot You
go down the street and you see an excite
ment, and missiles flying through the air,
and you hear the shock of firearms. Do
you, the peaceful and industrious citizen.
go through that street, Oh, no, Won
will say, "Pll so around the block" Now,
men come and look upon this narrow path
TO heaven, and sometimes see the ecclesi-
astical brickbats flying every whittier,
and they say, "Well, l guess I'll take the
broad road there is so much sharp shoot
ing on the narrow road, guess I'll try
the broad readu"
Francis l. so hated the Lutherans that
he said that ii 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 hos
tility between denomination and denomi-
nation, or between one professed Chris
tian and another, or between one church
and another so long men will be dis
gusted with the Christian religion, and
say, IF that is religion, want none of
it"
Again, bigotry and sectarianisn do
great damage in the fact that they hinder
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 l speak, there
were a common enemy coming up the bay
and all the forts around the harbor began
to tire into each other-you would cry
out, National suicide why don't those
forts blaze away IN one direction and that
against the common enemy}" And yet
see in the church of the Lord
Jesus Christ strange thing going on;
church against church, minister against
minister, 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 en-
ergy and giving one mighty and everlast-
ing volley against the navies Of darkness
riding up through the bay!
| go out sometimes in the summer. and
l find two beehives, and these two hives
are In quarrel. come near enough, not
to be stung, but ( come just near enough,
TO hear the controversy, and one beehive
says, That field of clover is the sweet
est and another beehive says, That
field OF clover is the sweetest" come in
between them, and / say, stop this quar-