Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-09-12
ONE FOLD AND ONE SHEPHERD

ONE FOLD AND ONE SHEPHERD
And other sheep have, which are not of
this fold.-John. K l6
Denominational pride is another
maine for religious weakness, and is
proof of Il small nature. \ 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.
COL 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 secta
rians in heaven; they are all lovers of
the noble and the true in every cline
and in every system of religion known
to struggling humanity. A Methodist
or an Episcopalian or Baptist angel
cannot be found in the New Jerusalem
The various sects which are scatter
ed 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 denounce him
for exercising his own Judgment in
stead 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 differ
ent temperaments require different 10
centlves and that what is good for. one
may possibly be bad for 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 pretty nearly everything that is
worth doing, and one way is as good as
another. To call this man 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 I'M
christian.
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 L;
poor kind of creature who is so pref
udiced that he can't find words with
which to tell the Lord how grateful he
is whether he sits in a Quaker meet
is Hg.s- at o. 5a1hufc cathedral
1t is not the building hut the idea
which it represents that is important
1t is of no consequence whatever that
the clergyman wears a surplice or does
not wear one; that the service is char
acterized by pomp and ceremony or
conducted without these auxiliaries;
that the edifce is the exponent of &c
clesiastical architecture 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
and smutches on it, the mere robes of
count for nothing; and if you resolve
to lead life of integrity the preacher
has accomplished the task which the
Lord Almighty gave him, whether he
is Methodist or a Baptist.
The object OF the Church is not to
make a man a sectarian, but to make
him loyal to the truth. At least that
should be its object, and if it achieves
that object, the fact that it belongs to
this or that or the other denomination
is not worth a second thought.
IS. You should believe in something, and
that something should furnish you
with noble impulses, with charity for
your fellow men, with pity for the un
fortunate and with d desire to do all
that lies in your power to make this
old world better because you have lived
in it. That much of creed is abso-
lutely necessary, and when you have
that much you want no more. 1t will
give you work enough to keep you
busy until death knocks at the door
and sends you word that you are want
ed somewhere.
few convictions hammered out of
your own sense of dependence and the
consciousness of your daily need to be
watched over and guided by the invis
ible beings who walk the earth both
when we wake and when we sleep"will
serve you better than all the theology
that was ever printed in books.
If you think that one sect serves
your purpose better than any other
join it by all means; but be careful
that you don't worship the ladder up
which you climb instead of the heaven
against which the upper end of the
ladder rests. And, above all, don'tI
criticise your neghbor because he is |
made of different stuff and chooses to |
get to heaven in some other way. I'll
that neighbor is an honorable man and |
is doing the best his circumstances al |
low give him your good wishes even if |
he goes to some other church than |
your own. And if he prefers to say his |
prayers at home or in the woods or in |
any of the other temples of God still |
give him helping hand and not insult |
him because he cannot think as you do |
or insult the Almighty because He
made that man to do just as he is do
ing.
You cannot prescribe a diet that
shall be equally beneficial to ALL When |
you spread your banquet allow each |
guest to take what suits him. That is
the only true hospitality. If man |
has any religion at all don't ask him |
what kind it is and sheer at him be |
cause 1t is not your kind, but be CRATE
full because he and you are trying to
get to the same place, though he takes
one road and you another N. Y. Her,
aid.
sald net to Misfortune.
was afflicted with catarrh last
autumn. During the month of Octo-
Der | could neither taste or smell and |
could hear but little Ely's Cream