The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-07-25

\ wanss othsr denominations 20 Know their
places. Il b 4 great deal bsttsf In any
community when the great denomination
Of Christians are about equal in power,
marching side by side for tho worlds con-
quest. More outside prosperity, mere
worldly power, is no evidence that the
church is acceptable to God. Better q
barn with Christ in the manger than q
cathedral with magnificent harmonies
rolling through the long drawn aisle and
an angel from heaven in tho pulpit II
there be no Christ In the 0hanoel and NO
Christ in the robes.
Bigotry and Ignorance.
Bigotry IL often the child Of ignorance.
You seldom find man with large intel
iect who Is bigot. It is the man who
thinks he knows q great deal, but docs
not. That man il almost always bigot.
Tho whole tendency Of education and CIV
ilizatiop Ia to bring man out Of that kind
of state Of mind and heart. There was In
the far east great obelisk, and one side
Of the 0belisk was white another side Of
the obelish was green, another side of tho
obelisk was blue, and travellers went and
looked at that obelisk, but they did not
walk around 1t. One man looked at one
side, another at another side, and they
came home, each one looking at only ono
side, and they happened to meet the story
says, and they got into rank quarrel
about the color of that obelisk. One man
sold 1t was white, another man said 1t was
green, another man said 1t was blue, and
when they were IN the worry heat Of the
controversy more intelligent traveller
came and said: "lentlemen, / have seen
that obelisk, and you are all right, and
you are all wrong Why didn't you oil
walk around the obeliskp"
Look out for the man who secs only one
side OF a religious truth. Look out for
tho man who mover walks around about
these great theories Of God and eternity
and tho dead. He will 10 bigot inevita-
blythe man who only sees one side.
There Is no man more to DO pitied than he
who has in his head just one idea-no
more, no less. More light, less sootarian-
ism. There Is nothing that will SO soon
kill bigotry as sunshino-God's sunshine.
So havo set before you what consider
to be the causes Of bigotry. l have set be-
fore you the origin Of this great evil
What are some Of the baleful ef1octsp First
Of all, 1t cripples investigation. You are
wrong, and am right, and that ends it.
No taste for exploration, no spirit Of In. |
vestigation. - From the glorious realm Of |
Gods truth, over which an archangel
might fly from eternity to eternity and not
reach the limit, the man shuts himself out |
and dies, q blind mole under corn shock. |
1t stops all investigation.
While each denomination ct Christians |
Is to present all tho truths Of tho Bible, Ii
seems to me that God has given to each
denomination on especial mission to give
particular emphasis to some one doctrine
and 30 the Calvinistic churches must pre-
sent the sovereignty Of God, and the Ar
miDian churches must present man q free
agency. and the Episcopal churches must
present tho Importance Of order and solemn
ceremony, and the Baptist churches must
present tho necessity Of ordinances, and
tho Congregational church must present
tho responsibility Of tho individual NOM
Der, and the Methodist church must show
what holy enthusiasm, hearty oongrega-
tional singing, can accomplish. While each
denomination of Christians must set forth
all the doctrines of tho Bible, feel it Is
especially incumbent upon each denomi-
nation to put particular emphasis ON some
ono doctrine.
Damage Done by sectarjanism.
Another great damage done by tho SEQ
tarianism and bigotry Of tho church is
that 1t disgusts people with the Christian
religion Now, my friends, the church Ct
God was never intended for war barrack.
People are afraid of riot. You go down
tho street, and you 500 an excitement and
missiles flying through the air, and you
L.. Al -, l. 81 n1 |
peaceful and industrious citizen, 60
through that street? Oh, mol You will
say, "Pll go around tho block" Now,
mon como and look upon this narrow path
to heaven, and sometimes SEQ tho occlesi-
ustical brickbats flying every whittier, and
they say: "Well, guess I'll take tho broad
road. There Is SO much sharpshooting on
the narrow road guess I'll try the broad
rOad!'
Francis SO hated tho Lutherans that lie
said that If he thought there was one drop
of Lutheran blood in his veins no would
purcturo them and let that drop out. Just
as long rs there Is so much hostility bo-
tween denomination and denomination or
between one protested Christian and an
other or between ono church and another,
SO long men will BIO Disguised with the
tHfiStlAil reiIBioH dlti say, IL bilaU ID T6- |
ligion, ! want mono Of 1t.
Again, higotry ard sectarianism do
great damage in tho fact that they hinder
the triumph of the gospel Oh, how much
wasted ammunitionl How many men OF
splendid intellect have given their whole
life to controversial disputes when, if they
had given their life to something practi-
cal, they might have been vastly useful.
Suppose, while speak, thcro were conl-
mon eEemy coming up the bay and all tho
forts around the harbor began to fire into
each other. Yon would cry out: National
suicide Why don't those forts blaze
AWAY in ono direction and that against the
common CDemy2' And yet sometimes see
In the church Of tho Lord Jesus Christ
strange thing going on-church against
church, minister against minister, denom-
!nnton against denomination, firing away
into their own fort or the fort which
,ught to be on tho same sido, instead of =
their energy and giving one a
mighty and everlasting yolley against the n
lavies of darkness riding up through the !,
,ay q
go out sometimes in tho summer, and
find two beehivcs, and these two hives
~ III q lNNhliCA. SOilIO iSNtA Cl2OuSA uou
o be stung, but como just near enough
0 hoar tho controversy, and one beehive q
ays, THAT field of clover is the sweet o.
st, and another beehive says, "That field
clover is the sweetest" como in be- b
ween them, and say: 'Stop this quarrel. L
you like that field of clover best, 20 O
here If you like this field of clover best, v
o there. But lot mo toll you that that a
i've which gets the most honey is the best
ivoi" So l como out between the tt
lurchss of tho Lord jesus Christ. One IL
Of Christians says, "That 81
cid of Christian doctrine Is BEST" and "
mother says, "This field Of Christian doc
inc Is the best" Well say, "Go whers CT
ou get the most honey" That Is tho best Of
lurch which gets the most honey of IL
hristian grace for the heart and the p,ort
,ney Of Christian usefulness for the life. IN
Besides that, If yon want to build up tn
~ denomination, you will never build it to
? by trying to pull some other down. CO
Tolerance mover put anything down. IA
ow much has intolerance accomplished, In
r instance, against the Methodist church, or
or lano years her ministry ypnro forlid.