Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-07-30
Wasted Ammunition.

Wasted Ammunition.
Again, bigotry and sectarianism dc
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
speak, there were common enemy
coming up the bay, and all tho forts
around the harbor began to fire into
each other. You would cry out; ma
tional suicide Why don't those forts
blaze away in one direction, and that
against tho common enemy?" And yet
1 sometimes see in the church of tho
Lord Jesus Christ a strange thing going
on-church against church, minister
against minister, denomination against
denomination, firing away into their
own fort, or the fort which ought to be-
OH the same side, instead of concentrat-
ing their energy and giving one mighty
and everlasting volley against tho nuvies
of darkness riding up through the bay
go out sometimes III the summer and
1 find two beehives, and these two hives
arc in quarrel. como near enough
not to be stung but come just near
enough to hear the controversy, and ono
beehive says, "That field of clover is
the sweetest, and another beehE q
says, "rhat field of clover is the sweet
est" come in between them and say:
Stop this quarrel. If you like that
field of clover best, 90 there; if You like
this field 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 denomina-
ton of Christians says, "That field OF
Christian doctrine is best, j." and another
says, "This field of Christian doctrine
is the best u Well, I say, Ego where
you get the most honey" That is the
best church which gets the most honey
of Christian grace for the heart and the
most honey of Christian usefulness for
the life
Besides that, if you want to build up
any denomination, you will never build
it up by trying to pull some other down.
Intolerance never put anything down.
How much has intolerance accom-
plished, for instance, against the Meth
odist church? For long years her minis
try were forbidden the pulpits of Great
Britain. Why was it that SO many OF
them preached in the fields? Simply be-
cause they could not get in the churches.
And the name of the church was given
in derision and as sarcasm. The critics
of the church said, "They have no or
der; they have no method in the wor-
Ship" and the critics, therefore, in
irony, called them "Methodists -
Futility of Intolerance.
am told that in Aston library, New
York, kept as curiosities there are 707
books and pamphlets against Metho-
dism. Did intolerance stop that church?
No, it is either first or second amid the
denominations of Christendom, her mis-
sionary stations in all parts OF the
world, her men not only important in
religious trusts, but important also in
secular trusts. Church marching on and
the more intolerance against it the faster
it marched.
What did intolerance accomplish
against the Baptist church? If laughing
scorn and TRADE could have destroyed
the church, it would not have today a
disciple left. The Baptists were hurled
out Of Boston in olden times Those
who sympathized with them were i'm
prisoned and when petition was offer
ed asking lcniency In their behalf all
the men who signed 1t were indicted
Has Intolerance stopped the Baptist
church? { he last statistics in regard to
it showed Al, 600 churches and 4,o0O,-
900 communicates. Intolerance never
put down anything.
In England q law was made against
the Jew. England thrust back the Jew
and thrust down the Jew and declared
that no Jew should hold official posi-
ton. What came of it? Were the Jews
destroyed: Was their religion over
thrown? No Who became prime min
lister of England? Who was next to the
throne? Who was higher than the
throne because no was counselor and
adviser? Disraeli, Jew. What were
we celebrating i'll all our churches as
we'll as synagogues only q few years
ago? The one hundredth birthday of
Montefore, the great Jewish philan-
thropist. Intolerance never yet put
down anything.
But now, my friends, having shown
you the origin of gotry or sectarian-
ism and having "a, you the damage
it does, I want bri, to show you how
we are to war against this terrible evil,
and 1 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 it not possible that we may make
mistakes in regard to our religious
affairs2 Shall we take a man by the
throat or by the collar because he can
not see religious truths just as we do?
In the light of eternity 1t will be found
OUT I think, there was something
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 egotls'
tic and so pulled up as to have an idea
that we cannot make any mistake in re-
gard to religious theories And then
think we will do great deal to over.
throw the sectarianirm from our heart,
and the seotarianism from the world,
by chiefly charging in those things IN
which we agree rather than those Oh
which we differ.
Move Into Line.
Now, here is greater gospel plat
form. A man comes up on this side Of
the platform and says II don't believe
in baby sprinkling." Shall I shove hin
off? Here is man coming up on thi:
side of the platform, and he says, -
don't believe in the perseverance OF the
co;ntc }, Shall shove him off? No