The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-10-16
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A LEARNED DISCOURSE ENTITLED
THY KINGDOM COME"
The Rev. DIR. Clarence Augustus Barbour
Makes an Eloquent Plea For Fellow
ship-Cause OF the Dear;h OF Candidates
For the Ministry.

Baptist Church, 81. James pace and La
fsyette avenue. Sunday morning, the Rev:
DR.. Clarence Augustus Barbour, pastor Q;
the Lake Avenue Baptist Church Roches-
ter. y. Y. preached on the subject. Thy
Kingdom Come; Plea for Fellowship.
The text was from Matthew WHO: Thy
kingdom come" DR.. Barbour said:
Matthews gospel is distinctiyely the
gospel oi the kingdom. but in a very true
sense the Bible throughout is the book OF
the kingdom. II. as one has suggested,
the conception of suffering Redeemer
runs as a blood-red cord through the
Scripture. II is no less true that the con-
ception Of the all-embracing kingdom and
the all-conquering King runs through all
the Scripture as cord of royal purple.
NV fundamental proposition Is that the
kingdom of supreme and transcendent
importance. The kingdom of God. that
divine polity over which Jesus Christ is
King OF Kings and Lord OF Lords-that
claims pre-eminent fealty.
The kingdom is OF greater importance
than the local church, OF greater import
ance than any communion IN any COM
munity. OF greater importance than any
single denomination With any different
conviction the denominations easily be-
come "sects," something cut off in svm-
pathv, as well as in organization and be-
hef from the rest Of the Christian world.
There is real danger that the local
church or the denomination be exalted
above the kingdom of God. You know
that our Roman Catholic friends say that
Professionalism IL split up into lnnumerab.e
little sects. ouarreling among themselves.
I'm the Protestant missionary work OF
Japan they say, the japanese. seeing
the headquarters OF fifteen different and
non-co-operating sects in the square of
Toxic. wrote 70 America. DO not send us
any more kinds of religion We of the
~ -, star b.
in America. in Africa. in Asia. in Europe.
in almost every city and village oi every
land: the same form OF worship. the same
articulate ard compact organization. We
are the church. one and united" We
might answer that this is not necessarily
ground for Decentralization: that
wherever there is freedom OF INQUIRY, free
dom of opinion. freedom OF will. there is
bound TO be diversity. But we are not
now discussing the truth or falsehood.
the good or evil. in Roman Catholicism.
We saw that this argument the Roman
Catholic uses with powerful effect.
True II is that narrow denominationnl-
ism is be,ittling and deadening. That was
a significant remark made by one OF our
college presidents. "The men who least
comprehend what i am tryinr TO do in this
college are some professors Of the college.
Thew are noble, selfsacrifcing men. hut
zach one considers his own department the
only renly important one, and the ;dea
OF building up n university IS something
which none Of them can grasp" So there
are self-sacrihcing denominatlonalists. who
have no adequate concepton OF the dig.
nifty and importance of the church univer-
sal-the vast embracing kingdom of God.
The field is the world" says our Mas
ter, nothing less: anv smaller conception
is caricstnre OF Christianity. helittlinc
OF our faith: any ideal short OF united
effort for the conquest of the world.fed
is an ideal unworthy Of the Christian
name. "The good seed, these are the sons
OF the kingdom the words immediately
follow the reference TO the world.feld.
The good seed. these are the sons of the
kingdom not the membership of any To-
cal church. nor of any single denomina-
tional body.
nize the essential unity of the kingdom OF
God. Many mountains, one globe; many
ravines, one mighty earth mass, vastly
greater than the wrinkles on her face:
many regiments. one army; many denomi-
nations. one church; manv creeds one
faith: many ways no the hill one city at
the top. where sits the King on His
throne. Denominationaism wisely man
aged. nav be used for mutual provoca-
tion 10 love and good works Perhaps II
ls better to be broken up externally, that
each denomination may do it's own work
But there must be recognition. and that
recognition more than a normal one. Of
the practical fellowship, the cooperative
fellowship Of believers
am Bartist bv birth. by training by
conviction. ! Weld to no one in nv 10y
atty ~ essential BAPTIST principles There
are Co1creRatlonalists and Presbvterians
and Methodists with equal loyalty But
the Christian should bo no bgot. md no
sDecies of blgotry IS more offensive than
that Of the UNCONVENTIONAL higot.
Let no one misunderstood. We are not
Of those sentimentalists who dccrv eccle-
sastical and denominational organization.
We are not OF those who idealize the man
who perches on the denomnational fence.
The fence-sitter is nauseating as lulewarm
water.
We counsel no sacrifice OF conviction.
but mirroring forth of the spirit of our
divine Lord. who PRAYED for His disciples
and for those who should believe on Him
through their word chat thew all may be
one, even as Thou. Father. art in Ne. and
/ in them. that they also may be in ne.
that the world nav believe that Thou
didst send Me-" that as OF cd the world
may recognize us as His. in that these
Christians Glove one another"
Such a spirit is lorg wav beyond the
spirit of "toieration.' Yet even liberation
Is in adva1ce Of what we have known
even in this "land OF the free" In the
Harvard baccalaureate of this year Dr..
Van DYKE eloquentlv said Of the Puritan
Something too little OF sunlight nav
have come in through the narrow Windows
OF his house. But that house had FONDA
tlons. and the virtues lived in it." With
all difference que to our national forefath.
ers-and 10 them Difference is due-there
were tenants in the house other than
those readily recognizable az virtues In
tolerance. intense and bitter. was cbarac.
teristic OF Prritanism. The Puritan failed
20 aDprehend the first principles OF relip.
ious liberty. That II was his independence
of conviction and his demand for freedom
Of worship which banished him from his
native land. but renders his failure in this
respect the more conspicuous. He had no
charity for those who read the truth
through other eyes than his The freedom
which he demanded for himself he would
not accord 20 those OF different faith. To
his view Of truth the whole community
must We'd assent: 70 his standards OF
worship all must conform. And this pur.
pose 20 secure uniformity Of worship did |
not content itself with seeking 10 correct
error by the gentler arts Of persussion:
error must be rooted out at whatever |
cost. The arm Of the State is invoked 20 |
secure uniformity. Upon the shores Of |
the New World are re-enacted scenes of |
which these-1xiles should long since have |
grown weary. The Puritan rivals in cru.
eltv the prosecutors from whom he has |
fed. We see Holmes, and Clark. and !
Crandall dragged before the Governor and |
sentenced 10 heavy punishment. We hear |
the shril crv Of their clerical nccuser az
he smites Holmes before the Judgment |
seat. The curse Of God 20 with thee" |
We sec the three frail Quaker women |
tcourged through the settlement. until re-
prieved at last at the point Of death. We |
see Ann Hutchinson. her reason well nigh |
gone driven through the deep SHOWS 20