Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-28


get In tho churches. And tho namo of tho
church was given in dcrision and rs sar-
casm. Tho critics OF the church said,
"They have no order, they have no meth
cd In their worship" and the critics there
fore in irony called Thorn Methodists."
/ am told that In Aston library, New
York. kept as curiosities, there are 7O7
books and pamphlets against Mcthodism.
Did intolerance stop that church, No 1t
Is either first or second amid the dcnomi-
nations of Christendom, her missionary
stations in all parts of the world, her men
not only important " religious trusts, but
important also in secular trusts. Church
marching on and the more intolerance
against 1t tho faster 1t marched.
Intolerance Avails Nothing.
What did intolerance accomplish against
tho Baptist church, II laughing scorn
and TRADE could have destroyed tho
church, it would not have today a disciple
left Tho Baptists were hurled out Of
Boston in olden times. Those who sym
p0thizcd with them were imprisoned and
when petition was offered asking lcni-
cncy In their behalf all tho mon who sign
cd 1t wcrc indicted. Has intolerance stop
ped the Baptist church? Tho last statistics
in regard to it showed A, 900 churches and
4, 600, 600 communicates. Intolerance new
or put down anything.
In England law was made against the
jew. England thrust back the jew and
thrust down tho jew, and declared that no
Jew should hold official position. What
came of 1t? We're the Jews destroyed
Was their religion ovcrthrown? No. Who
became prime minister of England? Who
was next to tho thropc? Who was higher
than tho throne because ho was counselor
and advlscrY Disracli, a jew. What were
we celebrating in all our churches rs well
ms synagoRucs only few years ago2 The
one hundrcdth birthday of Montctlore the
great jewish philnnthropist. Intolerance
never yet put down anything.
But now, my friends having shown you
tho origin of bigotry or sectarianism and
having shown you the damage it does,
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 imperfCctions.
If we make so many mistakes in the com
mon affairs of life, is it not possible that
we may make mistakes in regard to our
religious affairs? Shall wo take n man by
the throat or by the collar because he can
not SEQ religious truths just us wc doS In
the light of eternity 1t will DO found out
| think, there was something wrong
in all our crcods and something right in
all our crccds, but since we may mako
mistakes in regard to things OF the world,
do not let us be so cgotistic and so puffcd
| up as to have an idea that we cannot make
any mistake in regard to religious theories,
and then think we will do u great deal
to overthrow the scctarianism from our
heart and the scctarianism from the
world by chiefly enlarging in those things
in which wo agree rather than those on
which we differ
Now, hcro is great gospel platform.
A man comes up on this siGc of the plat
form and says, Il don't believe in baby
sprinkling." Shall shove him Off Hero
is man coming up on this side of the
platform, and he says, II don't believe In
the perseverance of tho saints" Shall
shove him off? No. will say; "Do you
believe in tho Lord Jesus as your SHvours
DO you trust him for time and for ctcr-
nity?" He says, Yes. do you take
Christ for time and for eternity" Yes -
l say, Como on, brother One in time
and one in eternity Brother now, broth
er forever. Blessed he God FOR n gospel
platform so large that all who receive
CnriSt may Sthnu Oh IT,
Noble Institutions and Noble Men.
l think we may overthrow the severe
scctarianism and bigotry in our hearts and
in tho church also by realizing that all the
denominations of Christians have yielded
noble institutions and noble men. There
is nothing that so stirs my soul as thi:
thought. One denomination yielded {
Robert Hall and an Adoniram Judson
another yielded u Latimcr and n Melville
another yielded John Wesley and the
blessed Summerfcld, while our own dc
nomination yielded John Knox and I'll,
Acknowledgement of whom the world wa'
not worthy. Now, say, if we are homes
and fair minded men, when We como NJ
IN tho presence of such churches and sucl
denominations, although they may be diff
icrcnt from our own, We ought to admire
them and we ought to love and homo
them. Churches which can produce sucl
men, and such large hearted charity, an'
such magnificent martyrdom ought to vii
our affcction-at any rate our respect, -
como on, yc 600, o0U Episcopalians In thi
country, and We !, 400, 900 Prcsbytcrians
md yc 4 ZOO, 900 Daptists, and &c b, 900, 00
Mcthodists, come on. shoulder to shout
der we will march for the world $ conquest
for all nations are To be saved, and Coz
demands that you and l help, Forward
tho whole line! In the Young Men
Christian associations, in tbs Bible society
in the Tract society, in the Foreign Mis-
sionary society, shoulder to shoulder al
denominations.
Perhaps | might forccfully illustrnt
!, , this truth by calling your attention TO a
! incident which took place 25 years age
One Monday morning at about 2 O'Clock
while her 900 passengers were sound aslcc
in her bcrths dreaming Of home, the steam
err Atlantic crashed into Mars Head. Fiy
: hundred souls in ten minutes landed l
eternity Oh, what IA scene! Agonize
men and women running up and dow
the gangways and clutching for tho rie
: ging, and the plunge Of the helpless steam
er, and the clapping Of tho hands OF III
: mcrcilcss sea over the drowning and tn
Q dead, threw two continents into terror
' But SEQ this brave quartermaster pushin
y. out with tho life line until he gets to tn
rock, and see these fishermen gathcrn
: up the shipwrecked and taking them int
o the cabins, and wrapping them in II
D flannels snug and warm, and see thu
| minister of tho gospel, with three oth'
o men, getting into lifeboat and pushin
O out for the wreck, pulling away across II
o surf, and pulling away until they save
a ono moro man, and then getting back wit
{ him to the shore. Can those mon over 70
e get that night? And can they over forg
Y their companionship in peril, companion
h ship in struggle, compnnionship in awf'
Z catastrophe and rescue? Never, Neve
In whatever part of the earth they NEE
they will be friends when they mentio
the story of that night when the Atlant