The Bossier banner., 1894-10-25

man out of that kind of state of mind
and heart. There was in the far east
a great obelisk, and one side of the
obelisk was white, another side of the
ObeliSlz was green, another side of the
obelisk was blue, and travellers 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 look
ing at only one side; and they hap
pened to meet, the story says, and they
got into a rank quarrel about the
color of that obelisk. One man said it
was white, another said it was green,
another man said it was blue, and
when they were in the very heat of the
controversy more Intelligent travel
er came, and said: Gentlemen, have
seen that obelisk, and you are all right
and you are all wrong. Why didn't
you walk all around the obelisk?"
Look out for the man who sees only
one side of religious truth. Look
out for the man who never walks
around about these great glories of
God and eternity and the dead. He
will be a bigot inevitab blythe 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 sectarianism.
bigotry as sunshine-God's sunshine.
So have set before you what 1 con-
slider to be the causes of bigotry. I
have set before you the. origin of this
great evil. What are some of the bale
full effects? First of all, it cripples in
vestigation. You are wrong, and l am
right, and that ends it. No taste for
exploration, no spirit of investigation.
From the glorious relm of Gods truth,
over which an archangel might fly
from eternity to eternity and not reach
the limit, the man shuts himself out
and dies, a blind mole under a corn
shock. 1t stops all investigation.
While each denomination of Chris
tians 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 Calvinis-
| tic churches must present the sover-
eighty 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 ordinances,
and the Congregational church must
present the responsibility of the in.
dividual member, and the Methodist
church must show what holy enthu
siasm hearty congregational singing
can accomplish. While each denomi-
nation of Christians must set forth all
| the doctrines of the Bible, l feel it is
especially incumbent upon each demon
ination to put particular emphasis OF
some one doctrine.
Another great damage done by the
sectarianism and bigotry of the church
is that is disgusts people with the
Christian religion. Now, my friends
the Church of God was never intended
for war barrack. People are afraiG
of riot. You go down the street and
you see an excitement, and missiles
flying through the air, and you heal
the shock of firearms. Do you, the
peaceful and Industrious citizen, gC
through that street? Oh, mol you viii
say: III go around the block" Now
men, come and look upon this narrow
path to Heaven, and sometimes see &c
clesiastical brickbats flying every
whittier, and they say: "Well, CUES
I'll take the broad road; there is 81
much sharp-shooting on the marrow
road, guess I'll take the broad road!
Again, bigotry and sectarianism d.
great damage in the fact that the,
hinder the triumph of the Gospel, Oh
how much wasted ammunition! How
many men of splendid intellect hav
given their whole life to controversial
disputes, when, if they had given thei
life to something practical, they nigh
have been vastly useful! Suppose
while 1 speak, there We're commol
enemy coming up the bay, and al
the forts around the harbor be
gan to fire into each other
you would cry out: National sui
eide! why don't those forts blaze ava,
in one direction, and that against th
common enemy?" And yet l some
times see in the church of the Lor
Jesus Christ strange thing going on
church against church, minister agains
minister, denomination against demon
ination, firing away into their owl
fort, or the fort which ought to be o
the same side, instead of concentrat
ing their energy and giving one might
and everlasting vol1ey against tn
navics of darkness riding up throug
the bay!
go out sometimes in the summer
and | find two beehives, and these tw
hives are in a quarrel. | come nea
enough not to be stung, but | com
just near enough to hear the contrC
: versy, and one beehive says: THAT fiel
| of clover is the sweetest, and anothe
) beehive says: THAT field of clover
! the sweetest. 81 come in betwee
i. them, and say: 'Stop this quarrel;
7 you like that field of clover best, e
| there; if you like that field of Glove
/ best, go there; but let me tie
4 you that hive which gets the mo-
$ honey is the best hive!' So