The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-08-04

In traciag out the ssligioa Of sscta-
Fianisn OF bigotyy md that . great
deal of Il comes from wrong sducation
In the home circls.; Ttsss Ass passats
wAs q not think Il wrong 70 caricAture
and jssr ths peculiar forms Of tssigiow
In ths world sad asnounce other sects
ana other denominations II II very
oftsa the cgss that that kind OF edm-
cation acts Just opposite to what was
expected and the children grow up and
after q while SO ysnd see for them
selves and looking In those churches
and finding that the people are good
there and they love God and keep his
commandments. BY batural reActIon
they 20 and Join those very churches.
I could mention the names Of promi-
nent ministers Of the gospel who spent
their whole lives bombarding other de-
nominations and who lived to see their
children preach the gospel In those very
denominations. But 1t is often the case
that bigotry starts In q household ani
that the subject Of 1t never yecovera
ten years old. +'~ ..
Bigotry 10 often the child OF ignor-
ance. You seldom find q man with
large intellect who Is q bigot. 1t is the
man who thinks he knows a great deal
but does not. That man is almost al
ways 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 obelisk and one side Of the
obellsk was white. another side OF the
obelisk was green, another side of the
obellsk was blue. and travellers went
and looked at that obelisk, but they did
not walk around II. One man looked at
| they came home. each looking at only
one side, and they happened to meet,
the story says. and they got into q
rank quarrel about the color OF that
obelisk. One man said II was white.
| another man said II was green, anoth-
er man said 1t was blue. and when they
were In the very heat Of the contro-
versy more intelligent traveller came
| and said: Gentlemen. have seen
that obelisk. and ycu 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
\ hA, % nnl
eternity and the dead. He will be a
bigot inevtably--the man who only
sees one side. There is no man more
to be pitied than ne who has in his
head just one idea--no more, no less
More light. less sectaranism. There
Is nothing that will 80 soon kill bigotry
as sunshine--God's sunshine.
While each denomination OF Chris
tians is to present all the truths OF the
Bible, L seems to me that God has
given to each denomination an especial
mission to give particular emphasis to
some one doctrine, and 30 the Calvinist
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
ceremony, and the Baptist churches
must present the necessity OF ordinan-
ces, and the Congregational church
must present the responsibility OF the
individual member, and the Methodist
church must show what holy enthusi-
asm, hearty congregational singing can
accomplish. While each denomination
! Of Christians must set forth all the
doctrines OF the Bible, I feel II Is es-
pecially incumbent upon each denomin-
alton to put particular emphasis on
some one doctrine.
Another great damage done by the
sectaranism and bigotry Of the church
is that 1t disgusts people with the Chris
tian 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 excitement and missiles flying
through the air and you hear the shock
Of firearms. Do you, the peaceful and
Industrious citizen, go through that
street? Oh no! You will say, "Tll go
around the block" Now, men come
and look upon this narrow path to
heaven. and sometimes see the ecclesi-
astical brickbats flying every whittier
and they say: We'll, guess II take
the broad road. There Is 30 much sharp
shooting on the narrow road l guess
I'll try the broad road"
go out sometimes in the summer
and l find two bee hives. and these
two hives are in a quarrel / come
near enough not to be stung. but cor,e
Just near enough to hear the contro-
versy, and one bee hive says: THAT
field OF clover Is the sweetest" and
another bee hive says. THAT field of
clover Is the sweetest" come In be-
tween them and say stop this quar-
rel. II you like that field Of clover best.
go there. II you like this field OF clo-
yer beat, go there. But let me tell you
that that hive which gets the most
honey Is the best hive" So I come out
between the churches Of the Lord Jesus