Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-04-11

the heather affairs? ! think not Would
you have liked to eat itY No; yo,
would no more have desired to eat that
meat than you would like to eat tire
flesh of some animals killed in n Span
ISL bullfght. had dear friend who
some years ago went to the Mexican
! capital and saw some of these poor
helpless animals slain by the mata
dorcs. lie said that it was the most
sickening sight Of his life For days
| and nights. he could see the poor
wounded beasts, some Of them with
their ontrails dragging upon the
ground, and he could hear the screams
Of the frightened horses ripped open
by the mcrcless horns. Just outside of
that arena he saw the butcher wagons
standing On his way back to the city
hotel he saw these wagons rulnbling
past filed with the carcasses of tho
slain bulls When he saw those wagons
he said that he felt he was looking at
the dead carts carrying away the de
capitated corpses from the French gull
lotne during the tragic ascendency Of
Robcspierre. Marot and Danton.
"Why. so sickening was the sight" said
he, that during all my stay in the
Mexican capital refused to eat beef
for fear | would cat some Of those
poor creatures slain at that awful bull.
night. That was the way. think
Paul felt when he looked upon the
meat which was taken off the heather
affairs. | do not believe he could di-
vOrce that meat from its vile associa-
tous. Neither could YOU.
When Paul saw that meat. there
doomed up before him the beautiful
Greek temple dedicated to tho Worship
OF Venus. That worship was the most
bestial and loathsome and immorallv
corrupt of any temple in the east, par
alleling the worship of ancient RaaI
so corrupt was this worship that for
centuries the name Of a Corinthian wa
n synonym for debauchery. But.
though every refined sensihiitv Of Paul
rcvolted from touching that idol meat.
think | hear Paul say as he looks at
1t: Paul, you do not want that meat,
bnt remember ii is not tainted. 1t will
give strength OF muscle and Of brain.
Remember. Paul If you buy this food
cheaper there will be less need for
your long hours now devoted 10 tent
time to preach Jesus Christ" So Paul
bought that meat So Paul stided
every personal rclfNsion which he
might have in order TO he able to
spread the gospel further and preach
Jesus Christ to the people Of Corinth.
Even in his food he economical In or
der that he might become n 1aming
evangelist. oh, my brother. are we
consecrating our poo textbooks. or
whole lives. our every desire. to bring
the message of the cross nearer to the
hearts of men, as Paul did in the
market place Of Corinth?
But, though Paul was not like spir-
itual weathercock, easily turned this
way and that by every popular wind,
my text proves that he would change
when there was sufficient reason. Paul
was ready and willing TO yield about
nonessentH 3 If thereby he could win
the good will of his fellow men and
by that good will make men more will
Ing to heed his message. He was not
one Of those ecclesiastical stcklers who
want to put the whole world into a re-
liglous straitiacket and compel others
to think as he thought and do as he
did. You know there are some people
born in this world who never have any
respect for the individuality Of other
people.
They are so convinced that theirs Is
The right way to worship God that they
demand that their fellow men worship
him In the same way, with the same
liturgy and using the same hymn hook |
ana with the same rites. They say, !
IF you do not do as | do and wear !
my ecclesiastical gown and my surplice.
hood cassock and stole. then you are |
not true Christians" Now it was men |
IF this kind who were worrying Paul !
about this trife of the meat that had /
oeen\offercd to Idols. AS he told them,
IN idol was nothing in the world" |
and the meat offered TO it was not |
harmed by being offered. But he saw
hat opposition 10 them diverted their
thoughts from the higher questions of |
'ailh and holiness so he yielded to
hem, that they might be free to think
II the essential things. Some OF the
questions of ritual that men dispute
lbout now are Of the same character
is this Of the sacriiicial meat. We may
we'll be as charitable about them as
he apostle was.
Nonessentisls.
What is the good of you and I fight
NC about the apostolic succession of
he Eplscopalian church? What Is the
good of our lighting about whether
PRIEST should or should not Wear q
gown in the pulpit What is the good
" entering into nm eternal dispute of
whether We should have liturgy in
he Presbyterian church or no? I tell
'ou these things are all nones-
entials. They are nonessentials az
800 other facts over which the eccle-
iastical world is fighting today are
The longer I stay in
ne ministry the more ] believe tina
What Richard Baxter wrote over 200
ears ago Is true. Listen while ! read
t: THE older grow the smaller stress
lay on those controversies and curl
stiles of the Bible as finding greater
in them than | first dis