Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1912-10-19
AASATURDAY
& NIGHT
\ SERMONS
BY
zA,.eer ACKNOWLEDGMENT
THE BROTHERHOOD OF DENOMINA.
TONS.

bier rank to more glorious cause.
Never was given larger opportunity or
heavier obligation. No wonder the mil
liant church OF today crowns them with
salnthood. These were the stan officers
OF the captain OF salvation. II would
be interesting to go back nearly 1900
years and see that little company gath
cred from fishing boat and taxgath-
ercr's booths: TO see them as they
really were. not In cathedral pictures
or stained glass windows, but back OF
the canvas. glass and statuary, back Of
legend and trndition-men with pas
slons like ourselves. frail. fallible. blum
dering mortals. one capable OF betray-
ing his Master. one of denying him,
another Of doubling him and the rest
Of following far or" and yet back OF
that. after touched by Pentecost. hav-
ing the blood Of heroes. Now they
stand In the morning sun OF that Sep
TENDER day In the rough Gnlllean VII
lage. brave little band OF apprentice
missionaries! They are going forth to
preach the kingdom of their Lord. An
army of sacred invasion that was to
do more for tho world that now Is and
that which Is to come than any force
of empire In the worlds history.
Roll Call.
1.-TWO by two" Why by two? Divine
arithmetic! One and one may DO more
than two. Two may be more than
twice one. Even in cold arithmetic a
single one gains power by position
with another. These needed each 9th.
er. Iron sharpeneth iron. 80 man
sharpencth the countenance Of his
friend" The blade sharpened Is twice
moro effective than one dull. Now
they go! Peter. the aggressive; An.
drew. the onservative-impulse and
caution; John tho youngest. James
the oldest-sunrise and sunset; Ma
thanlel. the scholar: Philip. the plod-
der-thought and action: Thomas. the
doubter; Matthew, the bclievsr-skepti-
cism and faith; Thaddcus. tho apostle
Of creed: James the Less. the apostle
of work-Mary and Martha among the
twelve; Simon. the zealot; Judas. the
traitor-fidelity and infidelity. The
twelve, each the complement Of his
contradict When Peter grows despond-
ent Andrew cheers him up. When
james grows pesslmlstic John CLOVIS
with enthusiasm. When Thomas
doubts Matthew quotes proof. When
Judas Is In the milf tree threatening TO
leave Simon the zealot brings him
back. Christ takes twelve incomplete
men and makes six complete ones. Man
Is all for quantity. God for quality.
The Church Universal.
Such had been the church whether
twelve disciples or 100000. whether
the first century or the twentieth. The
painter who packed all the future into
such small landscape was divine. From.
these men we learn how God deals
with impcrfections and limitations. He
doesn't discard us for our faults. Tint
petty business Is human. We would
have suspended Peter from the church.
rebuked Philip for his stupidity. canon.
tied Thaddcus for bigotry. excom-
mnnicated Thomas for his doubts and
burned Judas nj the stake. Not so
with Christ With him n weakness
was not fault TO be condemned, but
an infirmity TO be helped. We have n
great deal TO learn from God. Men
narrow the church. They build up de.
nominational walls and fence in Chris
tianity with creed. But the church
OF Jesus Christ cannot be so circum-
scribed. II knows no line OF color.
sex or race. There Is room in the church
for all sorts of gifts. God can conse-
crate anything. the shepherds crook OF
Moses or the sling Of David. His are
all kinds OF people For church to
be made up of certain class" Is In
itself a condemnation. When we have
our own little coterie In our fold he
startles us by saying. "Other sheep
have / not OF this flock" There nre
now It's separate denominations In
the United Stntes-an embarrassment
OF choice. Yet God can and does use
them all.
The Earthly Garden Of the Lord.
All kinds OF flowers make up the
garden OF the Lord. Drop twenty diff
ferent seed In the same garden. with
the same soil. rain. sunlight. cultiva-
ton. and they spring M into twenty
different plants. from the delicate
mignonette 10 the haunting sunfower.
from the warm Jack rose to the cold
lily. The fuchsia viii always be the
fuchsia. the rose the rose. tho gerani-
um the geranlum. Each after his kind
like the solemn roll and ritual OF the
Episcopal church. the emphasis on
baptism OF the Baptist church. the
freedom OF the Congregational church.
the missionary zeal OF the Moravinn
church. the cordial welcome of the
Disciple church. the devotion to sacred
things OF the Catholic church. the quiet
sincerity OF the Qunkcrs. the sturdy
loyalty OF tho Lutherans. the intelli-
gent scholarship OF the Presbyterians.
the musical whole heartedness OF the
A. A. eat -