Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-01-13

with the ignorance of the Greeks oi
old God las been bearing with our ig
norance, Hut now our eyes are opened
as were t4ose Of the Athenians Now
1t is timelfor us to repent Of our past
sins and surrender our hearts to Jesus
Christ. qDuld we have a better time
to do thistha on this first Lords day
of the nelqyear? AS the year 1905 has
slipped into the year 1906 we seem
to be in almost as dramatic a position
as were tie Athenians when listening
to the preaching Of the mighty Paul.
God in The first place has borne with
our igno1lnce theological. He has been
dealing WITH our creeds a great deal as
be has bk9 dealing with the shrines
of the Atlhnian worshlpers. To use
a homely cure, he has been shutting
his eyes toour superstitions as a moth
er sometlAes pretends not to see the
wrongdobas of her little child, because
she does NJ think 1t best to correct the
boy now, Man in the past has been
holding thdBaptist creed and the Epls-
copal cred and the Methodist creed
and the Presbyterian creed and the
Lutheran iced and the Catholic creed
sometimes With as little intelligence as
did the Ahenlans worshlplng at the
affairs Of dMercury, an Apollo, Ju-
piter, Jno and a Hephaestus, but
now men re beginning to realize that
while It lsimportant to adhere faith
fully TO tbs creeds Of their respective
churches To supreme necessity is that
they give heir loyal worship to the
Holy Trlniy, Of whom God Is the Fa-
tner and J. aus Christ the elder brother
and the hly spirit Is the paraclete.
And yet, ny friends, there was a time
when Chrltian people built their Sec
tartan fenis so high that they could
not see anigood In any church unless
that churd belonged to their own
household faith.
No sooneldid John Wesley come into
touch witllthe Moravians and get
broader coteption of Christ than had
the Episcoalians than at once the
chancel Of he Church Of England was
closed aginst him. To the Episco-
palian he became a spiritual outcast
No sooner id John Bunyan attempt to
start forthhs a nonconformist preach.
er than at nee he had to surrender bis
pulpit for 'edford Jail. No sooner did
Albert Bahes, like st. John, get
broader vibn Of heaven than had bis
ministerialbrethren than he was de-
prived of IS Presbyterian orders, and
the greatei Bible teacher and COM
mentator ohis generation had to sit In
the pew the First Presbyterian
church Of Philadelphia as a worshiper !
instead OF tanding In the pulpit as
preacher. II the prosecutions Of the |
dark ages ere due to the worship of |
sectarian Seed. All the horrors Of q |
st. Barthpmew massacre and the
murderingpf the Coyenanters among
Scottish h Is and the flendish works
Of a "Blhy Mackenzie" and Of q
Bloody 4 b" were due to the wor.
ship at enominatlonal altar instead
Of the cBs of Jesus Christ. Oh, re-
ligion. region, what awful crimes
have beerommitted in thy name! The
demons dthe darkest caverns and the
most beIal of sins have drenched
their ganents with human gore be-
cause uIer the helmets of sectarian-
ism thehave been prompted to un-
sheath ii sword Of bigotry. But now
all thlneare being changed. Paul re-
revealedhe unknown God" to the
Atheniat Jesus Christ has revealed
God to Now our religious teachers
have bone so broad that they are
ready toOln all Protestant churches in
one greifederation for Christian work
as long, the one cardinal doctrine OF
those clrches is Jesus Christ the Saw
Jour. W, has come to save man, a
sinner
hristinn Federation.
And. lark you, this revelation OF
Christ Is not been gladly acclaimed
by the lurches during the past centu-
ries, blpnly within the last few years.
You mt think of this church fellow
ship aa child of our youth and not
as a blsing of bygone generations. II
was aate as the life Of Patrick Hen.
ry, wi died in 1899, that the Baptist
minists Of old Virginia were called
upon defend themselves in the Grim
inal DIX because they were charged ,
with teaching the gospel Of the son I
Of Co You who are students Of his
tory tall how the same eloquence
whichred the American colOnists for I
"liberior death" reused the hearts Of (
his jurs when Patrick Henry pleaded ,
for tbreedom of the indicted Baptist !
minis,s. MY God' he cried, "can II :
be thlany man should be charged as l
crinal for preaching the love of
Jesushrist?" Then, again and again ;
he wed the indictment above him as ;
he 81, For preaching the love Of p
Jesujhrist." But now, thank God, all .
suchiminal trials are past. God has =
reveh himself to us theologically., y
We bw, and well know, that foreor- =
dinah or Arminianism or belief in =
apostle succession is not essential =
for lvation. Believe on the Lord :,
jest Christ and be saved" was the :,
slogof Paul and is the slogan Of the T
mob Christian pulpits. SectRrian in :,
tolelce is being rapidly demolished. :,
Weight have clung to our sectarian- =
ism the past as the Athenlans clung =
to ir affairs of gold and silver and =
mae before Paul appeared. But we HH
cart, we dare not do so now. There =,
is . one true altar, and that Is the =,
altof Jesus Christ. And the times o
of s ignorance God winked at. but ="
all men everywhere :.
to ;ent." Repent! Repent Repent In :,
Cbt's name or ye shall all likewise .. ..
pea. ~ y,
God has borne with our moral ~ ~