Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-07-28

ers. There are tens OF thousands OF
bigots ten years old.
think sectarianism and bigotry also
rise from too great prominence OF any
one denomination in a community All
the other denominations are wrong,
ana his denomination is right because
MS denomination is the most wealthy,
or the most popular, or the most infiu-
entlal, and 1t Is our church, and
our religious organization, and "our"
choir, and "our" minister; and the
man losses his head. and wants other
denominations to know their places. 1t
Is a 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 a
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.
II there be no Christ in the chancel, and
no Christ in the robes.
Bigotry is often the child OF ignor-
ance. You seldom find a man with
large intellect who is bigot. 1t Is
the man who thinks he knows great
deal, but does not. That man Is almost
always a bigot. The whole tendency
or education and civilization Is to
bring 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 obelisk was white, another side OF
The obelisk was green, another side
or the obelisk was blue, and travellers
went and looked at that obelisk, but
| they did not walk around 1t. One mar
| looked at one side, another at another
side, and they came home each one
looking at only one side; and they hap
! pened to meet, the story says, and they
got into rank quarrel about the color
of that obelisk. One man said 1t was
white, another man said it was green,
another man said it was blue, and when
they were in the very heat OF the con-
troversy, a more intelligent traveller
came and said Gentlemen, l have
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 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 nothing that will so soon kill
bigotry as sunshine-God's sunshine.
But now, my friends, having shown
you the origin Of bigotry or sectarian-
ism, and having shown you the damage
1t does, l want briefly to show you
how we are to war against this terrible
evil, and / think we ought to begin our
war by realizing our own weakness
and our imperfections. If we make so
many mistakes in the common affairs
of life, is 1t not possible that we may
make mistakes in regard to our re-
ligious affairs? Shall we take a man
by the throat or by the collar because
he cannot see religious truths just as
we do? In the light of eternity it will
be found out, think, there was some
thing wrong in all our creeds, and
something right In all our creeds, but
since we may make mistakes in regard
to things of the world, do not let us
be so egotistic and so pulled up as to
have an idea that we cannot make any
mistake in regard to religious theories.
And then think we will do a great deal
to overthrow the sectarianism from our
heart, and the sectarianism from the
world, by chiefly charging in those
things In which we agree, rather than
those on which we differ.
Now, here is a great Gospel plat
form. man comes up on this side of
the platform and says: 81 don't be-
lieve in baby sprinkling" Shall !
shove him off? Here is a man coming
up on this side Of the platform, and he
says: II don't believe in the persever-
ance OF the saints" Shall shove him
Off? No. ! will say: do you believe
in the Lord Jesus as your Saviour? Do
you trust him for time and for eterni-
typ" He says: Yes" do you take
Christ for time and for eternity?"
Yes" say, Come on, brother; one
in time and one in eternity; brother
now, brother forever" Blessed be God
for Gospel platform so large that all
who receive Christ may stand on 1t!
l think we may overthrow the Sc
we're sectarianism and bigotry In our
hearts. and in the church also, by re-
alizing that all the denominations OF
Christians have yielded noble institu-
lions and noble men. There Is nothing
that so stirs my soul as this thought.
One denomination yielded Robert
Hall and an Adoniram Judson; anoth-
er yielded a Latimer and a Melville;
another yielded John Wesley and
Summer6eld. while our own denomina-
ton yielded John Knox and the Alex
anders-men OF whom the world was
not worthy. Now. | say, II we are hon
est and fair-minded men, when we
| IN