Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-04-17
With Charity for All.

| We have said in a previous article
that whether you belong to this, thai
or the other religious denomination il
matter of no consequence whatever
Christianity is equally represented by
all sects, whose peculiarities had thel
origin in differences of temperament
Sects are convenience, but sectarlan
| ism is a crime.
| 1t would be misfortune if Quake
| were compelled to attend a Roman
| Catholic service, for the simple reason
that it does not appeal to him, and like
wise misfortune were Romanist t.
| be forced into Quaker meeting house
| because he would be spiritually repell
ed
1t the Lord had made us all like we
could all be Presbyterians, or EpIs
copalians, but since He saw fit to cast
us in different moulds, giving one man
a matter of fact nature and another
man nature poetic and imaginative
He certainly does not object if we wor'
ship Him after the fashion which He
has suggested by endowing us with GER
tain qualities of character.
1t is the fact of worship, and not the
manner of it, which is important
The man who would gather us into
one church does what he can to thwart
the plan of God, in whose universe the
law of differences evolves the greatest
harmony.
An orchestra whose members should
all play the same part on the same kind
of instrument would furnish only a
wearisome monotony. The trombone
and drum have their place as we'll as
the violin and harp, and if they are all
played with skill the result brings tears.
What instrument you play is second
airy matter; whether you play it well
or ill is the only question to be consid-
cred.
If we take this broad view we shall
have charity for all, and that offensive
bigotry which has worked so much evil
in the world and done more to injure
the cause of true religion than all the
infidelity that was ever formulated will
be banished.
But suppose we overstep the limits
of Christianity and explore the domain
of other religions, what conclusions
shall we reach? Shall we still hold to
our charity and give our "godspeed"
to every system of morality and every
aspiration after immortality in what
ever shape it presents itself, or shall we
insist that others shall think as we do
and accept our theories of life and
deathf
Can we be wide and inclusive enough
to give a gracious good will to the
dusky Hindoo, who was reared in a diff
ferent climate and different environ
ment; to the Monaghan, who follows
the precepts of Buddhism, and to the
disciple of Mohammed, who kneels in
prayer at the setting of the sun? Shall
we look with disdain on such and de-
clare that their religion is false, while
ours alone is true, or shall we believe
that Ged is leading all His children,
some in one way and some in another?
There is a strong tendency in these
days to go to the Orient for fresh sup
ply of ideas. We have fed so long OH
the diet of Christianity that we hunger
for a change. A man who has always
lived in the sunshine may he benefited
by sitting for an hour in the cleaning,
and trip to the Himalayas will, per-
haps, be grateful novelty.
Let us travel as far as we please; no
harm can come of it. If what we have
is better than anything we can find we
shall not exchange it for what has less
value, but if we can lay hold of loftier
thoughts and stronger incentives than
those we possess it is not only our right
but our duty to do SO. Ii our Chris,
tianity cannot defend itself against all
corners and all odds that is its misfor-
tune, not our fault.
You may safely depend, however, on
the fact that the best will in the end
prevail, and what is not best will step
to the rear. The law of progress has
not been repealed. If we have lump
of gold in hand we are not likely to ex
it for lump of silver; and if
we have system of thought which
produces the noblest kind of manhood
and womanhood we may be fascinated
for time by other systems, because
novelties are always pleasing. but in
the long run we shall come back to our
own with fresh appreciation of its beau
ties.
We ought to be large enough to say
THANK God for all the religions of the
earth," by whatever names they may
be known. If Buddhism has taken "a
crude and imaginative people and
them into high order of civil
ration, then Buddhism is a providen
tial religion, and the dear Lord has had
to do with it. Persia and
Arabia and the uttermost parts of the
and, though it may not br
chain of Gods way. for God
is just as truly in India as He is in
America
The honest man who does the best
be knows how is safe in the loving hand
Of the Almighty whether he be Chris
tian or pagan, and the theology which
does not recognize that fact is false to
itself and disloyal to Him who is the
Father of all alike. Indeed, to speak
plain truth, a pure minded heather
who is given to practices which we alb
hOr, but who is conscientious in duty,
enjoys larger share of Gods approval
than Christian who mods assent to
the creed on Sunday and robs his fel
lows all the rest of the week. 1t is no
III arit of yours that you were born
among large duties and hopes, and it is
no fault of the Bagdad merchant that
he was not SO born. Your merit lies in
the use you make of your broad sun
light, and his merit lies in the use he
makes of his slender moonlight. Sun
light and moonlight are both from God,
though, and the one need not despise
the other.
With a kindly charity for all, with
good will toward every race, dusky or
white; with profound respect for every
system of religion. because it is factor
in the problem of human progress, we
may nevertheless be grateful for the
hopes and ambitions which
the Christ represents. His great heart
went out in pity for the prodigal; He
felt the Fathers presence in the bright
est day and the darkest night; He loved
His kind with the love of self-sacrifice;
He was the friend of the friendless and
the low er of the despairing; in His dire
the heavens opened, the
troops of angels came down to minister
unto Him; He did not die, but simply
departed that He might prepare place
for us in heaven which is far more
real than the earth is.
If we believe all that, we need travel
neither east nor west in search of high
aspirations, for they are close at hand.
India, Persia, Arabia, China must come
to us in the fulness of time, for we have
jewels they do not possess. They have
been travelling our way for thousand
years. By and by We shall all be one
in essential belief, but the Christian
must first give up his dogmatic denun
citation and draw all men by that love
vr-I tal, ~ al,.~ Il