Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-09-15

against the common enemy" And yet
sometimes see in the church Of the
Lord Jesus Christ q strange thing going
on-ohurch against church, minister
against minister, denomination against
denomination, firing away into their
own fort, or the fort which ought to be
on the same side, instead of concentrat.
ing their energy and giving one mighty
and everlasting volley against the navles
Of darkness riding up through the BAY
Dangers of Intolerance.
What did intolerance accomplish
against the Baptist church? If,laughing
scorn and TRADE could have destroyed
the church, it would not have today
disciple left. The Baptists were hurled
out Of Boston in olden times. Those
who sympathized' with them were i'm
prisoned, and when o petition was Of
fered asking leniency in their behalf all
the men who signed it were indicted.
Has intolerance stopped the Baptist
church? The last statistics in regard to
it showed %, 900 churches and 3,00O,-
600 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 declared
that no Jew should hold official posi-
ton. What came Of it? Were the Jews
destroyed? Was their religion over
thrown? Mol Who became prime min
lister of England? Who was next to the
throne? Who was higher than the
throne because he was counselor and
adviser? Disraeli, Jew. What were
we celebrating in all our churches as
we'll as synogogues only few years
ago? The one hundredth birthday ami
versary of Montefore, the great Jewish
philanthropist Intolerance never yet
put down anything.
But now, my friends, ha,iEg shown
you the origin of bigotry or sectarlan-
ism, and having shown you the damage
it does, I 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 of life,
is it not possible that we may make
mistakes in regard to our religious at
fairs? Shall we take man by the
throat or by the collar because he can
not see religious truths just as we dos
In the light Of eternity it will be found
out, I think, there was something
wrong in all our creeds and something
right in all our creeds. But since we
may make mistakes in regard to things
of the world do not let us be so egotis-
tic and so pulled up as to have an idea
that we cannot make any mistake In re-
gard to religious theories. And then, l
think, we will do great deal to over
throw the sectarianism from our heart
and the sectarianism from the world .hA
chiefly charging in thase1kAS ~ by
which We agree re imam those on
which we..1'~4.
Brothers Forever.
Perhaps I might forcef1lly illustrate
this truth by calling your attention to
an incident which took place about 20 /
wears ago. One Monday morning at
about 2 O'Clock, while her 500 passen-
gers were sound asleep in her .berths
dreaming of home, the steamer Atlantic
crashed into Mars Head Five hundred
souls in 10 minutes landed in eternity
Oh, what scenel Agonized men and
women running up and down the gang
way and clutching for the rigging, and
the plunge of the helpless steamer and
the clapping Of the hands Of the mercl-
less sea over the drowning and the dead
threw two continents into terror.
But see this brave quartermaster
pushing out with the lifeline until he
gets to the rock, and see these fishermen |
gathering up the shipwrecked and TAX
ing them into the cabins and wrapping
them in the 11annels snug and warm, and
see that minister of the gospel, with
three other men, getting into lifeboat
and pushing out for the wreck, pulling
away across the surf and pulling away |
until they saved one more man, and
then getting back with him to the shore.
Can those men ever forget that night,
and can they ever forget their compan-
ionship in peril, companionship in strug-
gle, companionship in awful catastrophe
and rescue? Never! Never! In whatever
part of the earth they meet they Will be
friends when they mention the story OF
that night when the Atlantic struck
Mars Head. Well. my friends. our
world has gone into aworse shipwreck.
Sin drove it on the rocks. The old ship
has lurched and tossed in the tempest
of 6, 900 years. Out with the lifelinel
do not care what denomination carries
it. Out with the lifeboat! I do not care
what denomination rows it. Side by
side, in the memory OF common hard
ships, and common trials, and common
prayers, and common tears, let US be
brothers forever. We must be.
And expect to see the day when all
denominations of Christians shall join
hands around the cross of Christ and
recite the creed: 81 believe in God, the
Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and
earth, and Jesus Christ, and in the
communion of saints and in life ever
lasting Amen!''
Sleep and Long Life.