Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-07-29

D AlOl anu iAA " pA'oo las NAN
votional aspirations. One is just as good
as the other. Every man fully persuad-
I'd in his own mind. "
George Whitefield was going over a
Quaker rather roughly for some of his
religious sentiments, and the Quaker
said "George, am as thou art am
for bringing all men TO the hope Of the
gospel. Therefore, if thou will not quar-
rel with me about my broad brim,
will not quarrel with thee about thy
black gown. George, give me thy hand. l"
In tracing out the religion of secta-
rianism or bigotry find that great
deal of it comes from wrong education
in the home circle. There are parents
who do not think it wrong to caricature
and jeer the peculiar forms of religion
in the world and denounco other sects
and other denominations. 1t is very
often the case that that kind of educa.
tion acts Just opposite to what was sx-
pected, and the children grow up and
after awhile go and see for themselves,
and, looking in those churches and find
ing that the people are good there and
they love God and keep his command
ments, by natural reaction they 20 and
join those very churches | could men,
tiOn the names Of prominent ministers
Of the gospel who spent their whole
lives bombarding other denominations
and who lived to see their children
preach the gospel in those very denomi-
nations. But it is often the case that
bigotry starts in a household, and that
the subject of it never RECEIVERS. There
are tens of thousands of bigots 10 years
old.
Causes of Bigotry.
l think sectarianism and bigotry also
rise from too great prominence of any
one denomination in community. All
the other denominations are wrong and
his denomination is right because his
denomination is the most wealthy or
the most popular or the most infuen-
tial, and it is our" church, and "our"
choir, ana "our" minister, and the man
tosses his head and wants other denom-
nations to know their places. 1t is
great deal better in any community
when the great denominations Of Chris
tians are about equal in power, march
ing side by side for the worlds con-
quest. Mere outside prosperity, mere
worldly power, is no evidence that the
church is acceptable to God. Better
barn with Christ in the manger than
cathedral With magnificent harmonies
rolling through the long drawn aisle
and an angel from heaven in the pulpit
if there be no Christ in the chancel and
no Christ in the robes.
Bigotry is often the child Of igno-
rance. You seldom find man with large
intellect who is bigot. 1t is the man
who thinks he knows a great deal, but
does not. That man is almost always
bigot. The whole tendency of education
and civilization IS to bring a man out Of
that kind of state of mind and heart.
There was in the far east great obelisk,
and one side Of the obelisS was white,
another side Of the obelisk 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 one looking at only one side, and
they happened 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 man said it was |
green, another man said it was blue, |
and when they were III the very heat Of |
the controversy a more intelligent trav- |
eler came and said: Gentlemen, l |
have seen that obelisk, and you are all |
right and you are all wrong. Why |
didn you all walk around the obelisk:"
Look out for the man who sees only
one side of a religious truth. Look out |
for the man who never walks around |
about these great theories of God and
eternity and the dead. He will be a
bigot inevitably-the 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. There is moth
ng that will so soon kill bigotry as
5 sunshine.
Truths of the Bible.
So have set before you what / con-
iider to be the causes Of bigotry. | have
set before you the origin Of this great
Evil. What are some Of the baleful ef-
'ects? First of all, it cripples investiga
ion You are wrong, and am right
md that ends it. No taste for explora-
ion, no spirit of Investigation From
the glorious realm OF Gods truth, over
which an archangel might fly from
eternity to eternity and not reach the
INIT. the man shuts himself out and
lies, blind mole under a corn shock
Il stops all investigation.
While each denomination of Chris
ians is to present all the truths Of the
Bible it seems to me that God has given
o each denomination an especial mis-
ion to give particular emphasis to some
me doctrine, and so the Calyinistic
hurches must present the sovereignty
# God, and the Arminian churches
must present mans free agency, and the
Episcopal churches must present the
Importance of order and solemn cere-
nony, and the Baptist churches must
resent the necessity Of ordinances, and
he Congregational church must pre-
ent the responsibility of the individual
member, and the Methodist church
must show what holy enthusiasm,
hearty congregational singing, can ac-
omplish. While each denomination
f Christians must set forth all the doc
rines of the Bible feel it is especial
y incumbent upon each denomination
o put particular emphasis on some one
loctrina
Another great damage done by the
and bigotry Of the church
s that it disgusts people with the
christian religion. Now, my friends,
he church Of God was never intended
or a war barrack People are afraid OF
riot You 90 down the street and you