The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-08-20

GnOSL, anu OtlcTS dlC lhOAS AiuPl Oo'Su
when the penitent comes up out of the
river, his garments dripping with the
waters OF baptism which signifies
the washing away of sin. Let either
have his own way. One man likes no
noise in prayer, not word, not a
whisper. Another man, just as good,
prefers by gesticulation and exclama-
ton to express his devotional aspira-
tions. One man is just as good as the
other. Every man fully persuaded in
his own mind"
George Whitefeld was going over
Quaker rather roughly for some of his
religious sentiments, and the Quaker
said: George, l am as thou art; | am
for bringing all men to the hope of the
Gospel therefore, if thou wilt not
quarrel with me about my broad brim,
| will not quarrel with thee about thy
black gown. George. give me thy
hand"
In tracing out the religion of Sec
tarianism, or bigotry, l find that
great deal of it comes from wrong edu-
cation 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 denounce
other sects and other denominations.
1t is very often the case that that kind
of education acts just opposite to what
was expected, and the children grow
up, and, after awhile, go and see for
themselves; and, looking in those
churches, and finding that the people
are good there, and they love God and
keep His commandments, by natural
reaction they go and join those very
churches l could mention the names
of prominent ministers of the Gospel
who spent their whole lives lombard
ing other denominations and who lived
to see their children preach the Gospel
in those very denominations. But it is
often the case that bigotry starts in a
household, and that the subject of it
never RECEIVERS There are tens of thou
sands of bigots ten years old.
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 infu-
entail; and it is "our" church, and
''our" religious organization, and ''our"
choir, and ''our" minister; and the man
losses his head, and wants other de-
nominations to know their places. 1t
is great deal better in any cominuni-
ty when the great denominations of
Christians are about equal in power,
marching side by side for the worlds
conquest. Mere outside prosperity,
mere worldly power, is no evidence
that the church is acceptable to God.
Better barn with Christ in the man
ger 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 a bigot. 1t is the
man who thinks he knows a great deal
but does not That man is always Q
bigot. The whole tendency of educa
ton and civilization is to bring mar
out of that kind Of state of mind an6
heart. There WAS in the far east {
obelislS, and one side of the obelisk was
white, another side of the obelisl
was green, another side of thu
obelisl1 was blue, and travellers wen
and looked at that obelisk, but they
did not walk around it. One MAJ
looked at one side, another at anothel
side. and they came home each looking
at only one side; and they happened
to meet, the story says, and they go
into a rank quarrel about the color o
that obelslS. One man said it wa
white, another man said it was green
another man said it was blue, an,
when they were in the very heat of tn
controversy, more intelligent travel
er came, and said: Gentlemen, hav
seen that obelisll 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 onl
one side of religious truth. Look GU
for the man who never walks aroun
e about these great theories of God an
: eternity and the dead. He will be
e bigot inevitably--the man who onl
a sees one side. There is no man NOR
d to be pitied than he who. has in hea
n just one idea-no more, no less. Nor
e light, less sectarianism. There
l nothing that will SO soon kill bigotr
, as sunshine-Gods sunshine.
d So have set before you what COZ
S slider to be the cause of bigotry
n have set before you the origin of thi
Y great evil What are some of the bali
n full effects? First of all, it crippies il
: vestigation You are wrong and | al
II right, and that ends it. No taste fo
r exploration, no spirit of investigation
S From the glorious realm of Gods trutl
o over which an archangel might fly frol
eternity to eternity and not reach til
l. limit, the man shuts himself out an
IS dies, blind mole under corn shocl
d 1t stops all investigation.
h While each denomination of Chri
Il tians is to present all the truths of I'll
it Bible, it seems to me that God ha
p given to each denomination an especi
j. mission to give particular emphasis
y some one doctrine; and so the Ca
D whistle churches must present I'll
% sovereignty of God, and the Arminia
churches must present mans fir,
l. agency, and the Episcopal church,
a must present the Importance of ord
E. and solemn ceremony, and the Bapti