Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1903-07-16
"BROADMINDEDNESS"
Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev. Dr.
Henry G. Swentzel.
Contrasts the Church With the Narrow Gauge
Average Man-One Of the Miserles OF
Irrellgion Pointed Ont Ia Detail

avenue, near Fulton street, preached Sun.
day on "Thc Broadmindcdness OF Chris
tianity." He took his text from Psalms
cxix:96: "Thy Commandment is exceeding
broad" DR.. Swentzel said:
The Son of God Las called men into
pace of liberty and has set their feet in
large room. His example, His teachings
and His whole tone illustrate and prove
His observation-disclosures No one who rightly
appreciates the Gospel can we'll contend
that it seeks to make human nature smaller
and feebler than it is. or that it would
lower the dignity and lessen the freedom
and Danish the opportunities OF human
life.
In the observation-disclosures of Jesus is one
of His most notable characteristics. lie
lived in the open, and His every word
indicates the comprehensiveness of Ills
thinking and the perfect sanity of His
conclusions He is the broadcast being
who has trod this earth and He has given
the broadcast religion that man has known,
a religion which is not racial, national or
provincial, but worldwide 1t is intended
to inspire the most liberal ideas and to
make the largest men. 1t is the embodi.
ment of observation-disclosures in doctrine and
ideal, in its outlook, its estimate of posi-
biiities, and it's conceptions of human des
tinv.
Every follower of Christ should divest
himself as far as possible of narrowness and
pettiness in living his life and doing his
work. Let him be thoughtful and honest
and industrious and brave: let him be
sane, broadminded in his ideas. generous
in his principles and loyal in his conscience,
lie is not called upon to emulate the
paltry disposition of the pass, or to try
to restore the regime of a bygone age or t.
eamor for the return of conditions which
were well enough for younger civilization,
but which should not be installed in the
twentieth century. Religion is not super
stition. faith is not bigotry, godlness If
not intolerance.
We all do well to take account of the
Lords admonition concerning the use OF
language. He has warned us that we must
answer at the last for every idle word We
speak. How many idle words are used
and how massive is human guilt IN this
particular. Even those words which
should be pronounced with reverence ar,
mixed with frivoit,cs. Other words which
should be used always seriously and with
the utmost accuracy are connected with
the announcements OF gafru!ous brain.
and hippant lips. breadth" is ono OF the
words against which pcop,c sin most often
so that earnest souls have almost reached
the point of suspectinC its tenor whenever
they hear it. In common parlanre
"broad' Eomanist is a Roman Catholic
who cares Mite or nothing Tor ms chNrcl
or for the religion which it breaches. \
broad Christian is man who. though
he may not have broken with Christianity
has no definite religious princinlcS, NJ
clearly stated rules of right and wrong
and has no fault to find with propaganda
the success Of which would mean Eo'
only the overthrow of faith bat the ruiz
of society. 1t is supposed tc be "hroad'
to he not too scrupu'onS about ones amuse
ments, to encourage irrclcioa to disregard
the sanctitcs Of Sunday. It j. supposed
to be broad to say and to do nothing
that would indicate that one has religions.
feelings, to put himself in H." attitude o
sympathy with bad things. II is supposed
to be "brOad' TO upset the Bible 10 cnSI
diScredit upon the church. to brand holy
traditions as a pack of lies. 10 make The
gospel mean as little as possible to reduce
religion. not to its lowest terms. but TO Nc
terms at all. Thus the robe word i,
clothed with sense which it ought not t,
have. When people tell of "hroad state
mcnt" they mean n statement which i,
suspicious. if not inaccurate. Whra the,
refer to ''broad story" they mean A story
which is not quite decent. Ii were wrA
to distinguish between 4 true breadth ard
a spurious breadth. so that we might he
spared from the Ills that follow in The trlir
Of a mere c1!chworI and hayn The h,c..ino
ana the lOWpr Whitl are lnlnlrtpH bN inc
breadth of thourht and symraihy which
is one Of the ycry finest marks of n .or
Of God,
rno,,, ,,l.,,,,.o. .,,.,,,;,. :. :, ,.;..n,,,
h aI"1. Mm''ET'' S'1"I"no",t !, Is ''rWg'
g.. ~ IN ''' - ;'',''1''' ~"
lo[ US nIIG'nln,lnnod'.'NI' ~ Is lo.Ha{ ~.
9nN "9'in trIIS,on' avg 'he yAHrlh lo'ts
lGrW2 VIA 10 Inc 'Ilnc "ncn al ne peoHi,'
81 an inc l,a'!onS Wll n'rol'1' nc L"tI
olsclP,'s. an SN3minatl9n OF the theories
OF schemes Whlch nave nTen set up ~
oppoSitl"n 10 or rlEaIlN vain TN" eNCr!lSt
ing gospel WA disclose their essential mar
i""he>'' pom as 10 laeaS ana me; In con
trast with thr notions heid by those wh1,
stand ?loo, from Christ; how how broad an n,
S'ronH IS the pintlorm OF christian heici!
IN al the world there |; no creed or con,
lesson Whlch Is 50 am2e ana liberal ana
COMPREHENSIVE The NiprnC Crppl IL Is