The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-09-19

is ihe best church which gets the most
bCEeY Of Christian grace for the heart,
and the most honey of Christian useful
ness for the life.
B esides that, if ycu want 10 build up
any denomination, you will never build
it up by trying to pull some other down.
IrtOlerancs never put anything down.
How much has Intolerance accomplished,
for instance, against the Methodist
church? For long years her ministry
were forbidden the pulpits Of Great Brit
ain. Why was It that so many Of them
preached in the fields? Simply because
they could not get in the churches. And
the name OF the church was given in
Gerlsion and as q sarcasm. The critics
of the church said, They have no order;
they have no method IN their worship"
and the critics therefore in irony called
them ''Methodists."
am told that ia Aator library, New
York, kept as curiosities, there are 7O7
books and pamphlets against Methodism.
Did intolerance stop that church? No.
It is either first or second amid the de.
nominations OF Christendom, her mis-
sionary stations IN all parts of the world,
her men not only important in religious
trust, but important also 10 secular
trusts. Church marching on, and the
more intolerance against it the faster 1t
marched.
What did intolerance accomplish
against the Baptist church? II laugh.
ing scorn and tirade could have destroyed
the church, it would not have today a
disciple left. The Baptists were hurled
GU. of Boston in olden times. Those
who sympath;z,d with them were impri.
soned, and when a petition was offered
asking lenisncY 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
Is, 900 churches and 100000 com NUM-
cants. Intolerance never put down any
thing.
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 position.
What came OF il? Were the Jews de-
stroYed? Was their religion overthcowD?
No. Who became prime minister OF
England? Who was next to the throne?
Who Was higher than the throne because
he was counselor and adviser? Dlsraell,
Jew. What were we celebrating il
all our churches as well as synagegues
only few years ago? The one hun
dredth birthday anniversary Of Monte
fore, the great Jewish philanthropist.
Intolerance never yet put down any
thing.
But now, my friends, having shown
you the origin ofbigotrY or sectarianism,
and having shown you the damage it
does, I want briefly to show you how
We are to war against this terrible evil.
and I think we ought to bsgin our war
by realizing our own weakness and our
imperfections. If We make 80 many
mistakes in the common affairs of life, is
it not possible that we make mistakes
in regard to our religious affairs? Shall
we take man by the throat Or by the
collar because he cannot see religious
truths Just as do? In tbs light Of eternI.
ty it will be found out, 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 egotistic and so puffed up as to have
an idea that we csnuot make any mis-
take in regard to religious theories. Aud
then I TANK we will do q great dsai to
overthrow the sectariauism from our
heart and the sectarianism from the world
by chiefly enlargilg in those things IN
which we agree rather than those on
| which we differ.
Now, here Is great gospel platform.
A man comes up on his side OF the plat.
form aud says, 81 don't believe in baby
springling." Shall I shove him of:
Here is man coming up on this side of
the platform, and he says, 81 don't b..
lieve in the perseverance Of the saints" ."
Shall I shove him of? No. I will say:
"Do you believ, in the Lord Jesus as
your Savior? Do you trust him for time
and for eternitY?" Ho says, eyes"
"Do you take Christ for time and for
eternity?" YES" l say. "Come on
brother. One in time, and one ia eternl
tY. Brother now, brother forever"
Blessed be God for a gospel platform 30
large that all who receive Christ may
stand on it!
Moreover, we may also overflow the
feeling Of severe sectarianism by joining
other denominations in Christian work.
like when the springtime comes aud
the anniversary occasions begin and all
denominations come upon the same plat.
form, That overthrows sectariansm
In the Young Mems Christian associa'
tions, in the Bible society, in the Tract
society, in the Foreign Missionary so2ie'
ty, shoulder to shoulder all denomina'
tons.
Perhaps 1 might forcefully illustrate
this truth by calling your atteutlor
to an incident which took place about 20
years ago. one Monday morning al
about 2 O'Clock, while her 900 passen'
gers were sound asleep in her berthS
dreaming of home, the steamer Atlantic
crashed into Mars Head. Five hundred
souls in 10 minutes Ian dedin eternity
| Oh, what a scene? Agoniz,d men anc
women running up and down the gang
ways and clutching for the rigging, anc
the plunge of the helpless steamer ant
clapping OF the hands Of the mercilsss
sea over the drowning anQ the deaC
threw two continent into terror.
Rutsee this brave quartermaster push
ing out with the life line until he gets tC
the rock, and see these fishermen gath
ering up the shipwrecked snd ia klne
them into the cabins and wrapping then
in the fannels snug and warm, and see
that minister of the gospel, with three
other men, getting into ljfoboat ant
pushing out for the wreck, pulling away
across the surf and pulling away until
they saved one more man and then get
ting back with HIM to the shore. Car
those men every forget that night, ant
can they every forget their companion
ship in peril, companionship IN avid
catastrophe and rescue? Never! Never