The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-10-22

went up to take sacrament, and an
other sister said to her: This IS 6
Methodist church." and she said,
well, all right, there are good people
there and / am going up there any
way" Tnat was right.
But the result OF thes9 differences,
, born in the dark ages and living yet 10
the noontide glory of the nineteenth
Century, have resulted in a rivalry
that has been death to discipline, and
therefore the Church is filled with men
and women who are Goddess ana
Cnristless. How is it7 When the Bap-
fists are on q dead run for great mum
bers, the Methodists are on q run for
great numbers; when the Methodists
are on a great run for social position,
the Baptists are on q great run for so
cial position. Here is Mr.. Q, a $4,000
member. If the Baptists are too straight
he will walk ou5 and we will get him
and If we Methodists are too straight
he will leave our church and go TO the
Episcopal Church, where he can do all
those things. We must bear with these
things. and thus this spirit of rivalry
has resulted, and what seemed to be q
little thing has developed the ungodly
position of the Church In the nine
teenth century.
Do not think, my friends, that it is
any Joy to me to thus speak; it has
often filed me with deep regret that
these things exist. Yes, l have shed
tears Overthe condition of the churches.
To-day the Church is not free. In the
wealGhier ones the pulpits are under
the Influence of tie money god. 1t is
a sad fact; a sad fact. How do |
knows WHAT right have I to make
this ~utterance9 This. my friends: That
q rich nan Is never turned out of the
churches, or very seldom; the richer
he is, the less danger there Is of eXcOm
municating him. Why is this9 Because
we have got TO that age in the world
when the spirit of rivalry manifests
itself in a pride Of the most cost costly
churches, and costly churches mean
that rich men must give, end great
costly temples are built.
OF course it won't do to denounce
from the pulpit a man who gives his
money.
The Church takes it for granted that
it must not turn him out Bring out
the money let it come from whiskey
let it come from cigarettes; let it come
from gambling; no matter, it is not
our business to see where the money
comes from. We will take it las n
Of the best men I ever knew sald) and
make good use of it. l challenge any
man in the Church to-day to show a
single passage of Scripture for taking
the Devils money and co~nsecrating it
to Gods use. / challenge it. God told
Abraham not to take so much as a
shoe lRtchet from that old king that he
whipped. Did old Abraham say, I
guess | will take this gold and conse-
crate it to good use9
God told Israel i'm all her wars not to
take anything from her enemies 8, lest
getting rich by them; that Israel might
be ever independent Of her enemies,
and forever dependent upon the God of
her salvation. God does not desire that
men who Cypress the poor should bring
a penance into the Church. They may
turn to the churches, but they can't
turn to Christ. The Church says, we
will take your great gifts and endow
our colleges and build u magnificent
churches.
Do you remember how Ztccheus
came down from that tree and how he
came to Christi He was a publican
and a rich man He got to Christ by
restoring all that he might have taken
from others by false accusation, or
otherwise.
They make money by crushing the
poor, and then come and atone for it
by occupying the high places in the
church,
And what has been another results
Ignorance. Ignorance is slavery; not
ignorance merely of arithmetic and
grammar and geography, but igno
rance of God. The rich men come and
build up the fine churches and the poor
people will not feel at home in these
churches, and they stay away and
don't get the gospel, and therefore they
are In slavery. GOd neve intended
for the time to come when the rich
man should worship on the front street
and the poor man in his little chapel
down in the corner of the city. G. I'd
intended for some men to be rich and
some pOor, but he never intended for
him to get off there and fold his hands
and kneel while the poor man was
turned off to find his gospel where he
could. No. God never intended that.
And this slavery is increasing every
day among the great manufactures of
the North, and in North Carolina with
the building of every new cotton fac,
tory. That is the truth, If you think
over it.
The people who are getting the most
out Of the educational fund in North
Carolina are the colored people. All
over the State white men think that
they are beneftting the poor by giving
them work in the cotton factories, but
the negroes are getting the education
and the white people are failing to get
it. I have seen it in every cOngrega
ton that / ever served, and I know
the fact to be that under the approval
of the Church, by its silence against
the wickednees of wealth, they are
allowing this slavery to creep upon the