The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-08-02
are tens of thousands of bigots 10 years
CAUSES OF

CAUSES OF BIGOTRY.
l think sectarianism and bigotry also
rise from too great prominence OF any
one denomination in a 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 inhuen.
choir, and our minister, and the man
losses his head and wants other denom-
nations to know their places. 1t is a
when the great denominations of Christ
ians are about equal in power. march
ing side by side for the worlds con-
quest Mere outside prosperity; mere
church is acceptable to God. Better a
barn with Christ in the manger than a
cathedral with magnificent ~harmonies
rolling through the long drawn aisle and
an angel from heaven in the pulpit II
there be no Christ in the chanceI and no
Christ in the robes.
Bigotry is often the hid of igno-
rance. You seldom find a man with large
intellect who is a bigot. It is the man
who thinks he knows a great deal. but
does not. That man is almost always a
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 a great obel-
isk. and one side Of the obelisk was
white, another side of the obelisk was
green. another side of the obelisk was
blue. and travellers went and looked at
Iud cDSilSh, u lnEy 0ld moi 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 in the very heat of
the controversy a more intelligent trav-
eler came and said: Gentlemen. I have
seen that obelisk, and you are all right.
and you are all wrong. Why didn't 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 nevitably-the man who only sees
one side. There is no man more to be
pitied than he who has in his head just
less sectarianism. There is nothing that
will so soon Kill bigotry as sunshine
Gods sunshine.
TRUTHS OF THE BIBLE.
SO I have set before you what I con-
slider to be the causes of bigotry. L have
set before you the origin of this great
evil. what are some of the baleful eff
fects? First Of all, it criples investiga-
tlon. You are wrong, and l am light,
ton, no spirit of investigation. From
the glorious realm of Gods truth. over
which an archangel nightly from eter-
nlty to eternity and not reach the limit.
the man who shuts himself out and dies
a blind mole under a corn shock. It stons
all Investigation.
While eacn denomination of Christians
is to present all the truths of the Bible
1t seems to me that God has given to
each denomination an especial mission
to give particular emphasis to some one
doctrine, and so the Calvanistic churches
must present the sovereignty of God, and
the Arminian churches must present
mans free agency, and the Episcopal
churches must present the Importance of
order and solemn and the
Baptlst churches must present the me-
cesslty OF ordinances. and the Congre-
gatlonaI church must present the re-
SponSlbllity of the individual member
and the Methodist church must show
what molly enthusiasm, hearty congrega-
tlonal lnglng, can accomplish. While
each denomination of Christians must set
iorth all the doctrines of the Bible | feel
1t is especially ncumbent upon each de-
nomination to put particular emphasis on
some one doctrine.
Another great damage done by the
Sectarianism and bigOtry of the church
is that it disgusts people with the
Christian religion. Now, my friends, the
church of God was never intended for a
war barrack. People are afraid of a riot.
You go down the street and you see an
excitemnt and missiles flying through
the air. and you hear the shock of fire
arms. do you, the peaceful and indus
triouS citizen, go through that street?
Oh, no. You will say, I'll go around the
block" Now, men come and look upon
this narrow path to heaven, and some
times see the ecclesiastical brickbats fly
ing every WHITTIER, and they say: Well.
L guess I'll take the broad road. There
IS so much sharp-shooting on the mar
row road L guess I'll try the broad
road"
Francis I so hated the Lutherans that
he said that if he thought there was
one drop of Lutheran blood in his veins
ne would puncture them and let that
| drOn ONT Inst as long as there is so
much hostility between denomination
and denomination, or between one pro-
fessed Christian and another, or between
one church and another, SO long men
will be Disguised with the Christian re-
ligion and say, IF that is religion, I
want none of it."
WASTED AMMUNITION.
Again. bigotry and sectarianism do
| great damage in the fact that they him
der the triumph of the gospel. Oh, how
much wasted ammunition! How many
men of splendid intellect have given
their whole life to controversial disputes
when, If they had given their life to
something practical, they might have
been vastly useful! Suppose, while l
speak. there were a common enemy
coming up the bay, and all the forts
each other. You would cry out: ma
tional suicide! Why don't those forts
blaze away in one direction, and that
against the common enemy?' And yet
I sometimes see in the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ a strange thing going
o~n-church against church, minister
against minister, denomination against
denomination, firing away into their
own fort, or the fort which ought to be
on the same side, instead of concentrate
ing their energy and giving one mighty
and everlasting volley against the navies
OF darkness riding up trough the bayi
1 go out sometimes in the summer and
l find two beehives, and these two hives
are in a quarrel. I come near enough
| NOT TO he SfnnO hlIf nnnoa inst q
enough to hear controversy, and one
beehive says, That field of clover is the
sweetest and another beehive says
THAT field of clover is the sweetest" ]
come in between them and say: STOP
this quarrel. If you like that field OF
clover best, go there; if you like this
held of clover. best go there. but let me
tell you that that hive which gets the
most honey is the best hive!'' SO / come
out between the churches of the LORD
Jesus Christ. One denomination OF
Christians says, That field of Christian
doctrine is best. and another Gays
This field of Christian doctrine is the