BIGOTRY

The following quotation is from Wesley: "The thing which I was greatly afraid of all this time, and which I resolved to use every possible method of preventing, was a narrowness of spirit (for we may have an amazing degree of it ourselves while ostensibly laboring to correct it in others) a party zeal (no zeal but for our party) a being straightened in our own bowels; that miserable bigotry which makes many so unready to believe that there is any work of God but among ourselves. I thought it might be a help against this, frequently to read to all who were willing to hear, the accounts I received from time to time of the work which God is carrying on in the earth, both in our own and other countries, NOT AMONG US ALONE, but among those of various opinions and denominations. For this I allotted one evening in every month, and I find no cause to repent of my labor. It is generally a time of strong consolation to those who love God and all mankind for His sake; as well as of breaking down the partition walls which either the craft of the devil or the folly of men have built up; and of encouraging every child of God to say (when shall it once be?) "Whosoever doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is any brother and sister and mother."

Bigotry might well be pronounced "Big-I-try": it is an expression of the deepest self life. It is the refusal of fellowship or affection to any save those who come altogether to its way of thinking. Wesley defined the difference between his work and that of the Dissenters from the Established Church of England, to be in that while the Dissenters or Non-Conformists proceeded to build their work on a basis of how fallen the Established Church and ministry were, Wesley and his helpers proceeded to show "how fallen all we ourselves were from the righteousness and power of God."

If the multitudinous sects of our day, founded often because of disgruntled feelings at the conditions of the present day churches, would heed the injunction of Paul to self-judgment, we would soon be in the throes of a mighty revival. Some one has said -- "Those at home are without saving faith; those abroad without saving knowledge; with one it is light unused, with the other it is darkness unbroken." We say we possess light, we say we see, therefore our sin remains. Those who crucified Christ knew not what they did -- we know exactly what we do. There are blights on the history of Rome, but sad ones too on Protestantism which refuses communion or fellowship or baptism to all save those who come bowing submissively to its various tribunals, as did King John to the Pope.

We have a communication from one pastor who told some of his disgruntled flock that if they could get more good in another place of worship and do more good there, he would be sincerely glad to give them their church letter. Let us say, parenthetically, of the transplanted tree and of transplanted souls, that only by the most careful, painstaking cultivation can they survive at all the shock of the transfer.

Christ gave His warning about helps undying worm in connection with His withering rebuke of bigotry -- Mark 9:38-50. A partisan zealot said of his church that Jesus was a member of it and that the Apostle Paul was the ringleader and the founder of it, and that it was the only genuine church extant and had the best thing going. So far may bigotry go beyond the truth.

Sectarian Revivals Not Purely Christian

Jude exhorts that we should "earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints." It was not once for all delivered to the self-appointed bosses of the saints! And the exhortation is not to contend for the shibboleth, or the formula, or mould, or peculiar tenets of the party, BUT FOR THE FAITH I It is frequently said that OUR church has had ITS meeting -- We have had OUR REVIVAL! And there is just where the trouble lies -- it is too often OUR MEETING, our kind, rather than the Master's kind. As one keen modern seer puts it -- "Our revivals are not Christian; they are sectarian revivals, grounding the people in the peculiarities of the sect" rather than enthroning within them the LORD JESUS. We stamp them with sectarian peculiarities, brand them with our brand, so that they are safely known as OUR PEOPLE, and together we rejoice and boast over it. They are glad to get with US and we are glad to have THEM -- all of which is narrow, selfish and unChristian.

Then comes the work of conserving: we must guard OUR people, we must keep OUR people together, we must see that they go to OUR meeting; they must attend OUR CAMP, and patronize OUR PUBLISHING HOUSE, buy and sell OUR BOOKS (which will contain nothing to break the spell of deception anymore than did the Papal censored literature); they must subscribe for and push OUR paper so that they will fail not of a constant culture in the spirit of OUR CHURCH, all of which may lead the soul into as great bondage as ever a Romanist was led into by the Hierarchy.

This does not, however, apply to the soul that. is entirely free, his work is simpler, he must only exalt Jesus and then all worthy things in all worthy movements are quickened. If we love only our own, what do we more than others? Then our converts are not Christian but sectarian. Christian converts follow Christ. Our consecration then is not Christian for it does not abandon all. Our sanctification is often emotional rather than Christian, judging from its fruits, manipulated by Satan working as an angel of light. Then our activities are not Christian but selfish, seeking our own and not the things of Christ. Our prayers are not Christian but seek to increase US with no interest in others outside OUR FOLD, whereas the Christian prays earnestly for all saints everywhere. Then our fellowship is un-Christian as it is limited to OUR own but the Christian has fellowship and companionship with all those having fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. If we have a sectarian spirit then we are not Christian in fairness and impartiality for the Master experienced joy at faith and character outside the circle of his disciples and Paul commended the grace of God to all who loved him in sincerity. Paul was the apostle to the uncircumcision but he referred to two co-laborers who were of the other party, and wrote that they were a comfort to him. The modern pattern would be for divergent parties like the Nazarenes and the Methodists, in the unity of the Spirit, to work so harmoniously together as to derive comfort from each other's fellowship.

But, says one, would you have us all called by the same name and worship in the same place? No, not necessarily, but we are all called to have the same Spirit, The great need of the hour is for revivals which will make men Christian rather than sectarian, revivals of loyalty to Christ rather than to party; that shall save us from being ISTS and make us like Christ; That shall save us from being mere members of a sect and in the true sense make us living members of the Body of Christ. Great enthusiasm over the great meeting we had will not answer for the lack of transformation from selfishness to benevolence and from narrowness to the Spirit of Jesus; and from small to great-souledness; from Pharisaism to Christ, Christian revivals will make us permanently different!

We may believe, theoretically, ever so many things about the Bible, God and Christ, and experiences, and evidences and healing, but without righteousness in all departments of life, we fail as Christians. The Mohammedan follows Mohammed, the Mormon follows Mormonism; Buddhists, Buddha, Confucianists follow Confucianism; Science (falsely so-called) follows Mrs. Eddy, and the theorist follows his theory; the emotionalist follows his emotions; and the sectarian his sect; the Churchman his church; and the enthusiast his enthusiasms, the healer his healing; but THE CHRISTIAN FOLLOWS CHRIST.

The great need is not to join some church or religious organization which claims to be founded on the teachings of the Bible, and live up to its so-called principles as a substitute for that faith in His Son's atoning sacrifice, which God requires, but to follow Him whithersoever He leads, into whatsoever church.

A man wrote the writer that he had established a new infallible church and that it was our duty, under penalty of eternal damnation if we refused, to leave all others and to join his. Laugh not at this fanatic, as he has many familiars. A holiness church evangelist said that the holiness people of a certain city would all go to hell unless they joined his church. Shades of the Vatican The Roman monster has arisen again under subtler claims of superior sanctity. The same humbuggery with a changed label!! All the free soul in Christ Jesus has to do is to stand fast in the glorious untrammeled liberty wherein Christ has made free, and denounce these would-be popes and lords over God's heritage. When they cry -- Lo here! or Lo there! believe them not. Lo, Christ! is sufficient.

The early church was an association of unworldly and other-worldly, spiritually-minded people, with a common life in their Lord. They were exhorted to cleave to the Lord on whom they believed, this was their strong bond of union. Christ is the Chief Shepherd of the sheep; He is the Head of the Church; He is the Bishop of the soul; to whom they are solely" responsible. His sheep know His voice and follow HIM.

Men would limit God, often, to certain places of operation; to cut and dried methods of interpretation; to stock expressions, but He holds them in derision. He will not stay in the corral; rile will not be cornered, syndicated or monopolized. He bursts every straightjacket in which men seek to encase Him. He is always doing the unusual and the unexpected.

"Aut Caesar Aut Nullus" -- He Would Be Supreme Or He Would Be Nothing!

There is some evidence that John Wesley would be "aut Caesar aut nullus" -- he would be supreme or he would be nothing. He said to John Fletcher: "It is not good that the supreme power be lodged in many hands. Let there be one chief Governor." Very commendable and scriptural when Jesus is that One. With keenest appreciation of the great good this man did, and with a sense of obligation to him under God, yet our cry is not -- "Back to Wesley, " but -- "On with Christ!"

You say, Well, but Wesley gave men liberty to preach the Gospel. We ask -- Who was John Wesley that he should assume the prerogative to give men this liberty? Christ alone says to whom He will -- "I have ordained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit." This is the only true ordination; without it, men lay hands on us in vain.

Wesley tried to bind his forms on succeeding generations and to him is traced the germ of the unity rule in the Bishops' Cabinet where all are supposed to make unanimous, that with which some do not agree, and which good Bishop Warren, no.w gone to heaven, refused to sanction when the matter of the elimination of the paragraph on worldly amusements came up. We are sure this caused him no regrets when he saw the Lord.

No age has a right to saddle on coming generations, their pretended infallible theological deductions.

False Glorying

Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom nor the mighty man in his might, nor the rich man in his riches, wrote the prophet of the Old Testament and the apostle of the New exhorts, after presenting Christ as the source of all the soul's need: "He that glorieth, according as it is written, let him glory in the Lord." However, what do we behold on every hand? -- Men glorying in man; in his achievements; in commercialism, big business, architecture, great cities, projects, railways, subways, tunnels, art, music, modern hotels, world celebrities, theaters, singers, fine cars, houses, bric-a-brac, cut-glass, expensive jewelry and clothing, Haviland china, costly Persian rugs, fine damask, country estates, summer cottages and winter palaces.

Men glory in reform movements which do not reform; in prohibition which does not prohibit; in politics, education and culture, and in all of God's good things, but apart from God.

They glory in fine churches, organizations, elaborate ritual, pageantry, religious parades, dogmas, doctrines, polity, government, war, national cities, statistics and numerical strength, denominational names, institutions, enterprises, conferences, camp-meetings, periodicals, blessings, experiences, works of grace, bodily healing, Spiritism, Eddyism, New Thought, heavenly choirs, evidences, signs, preternaturalism, the gifts of the Spirit, holiness, sanctification, leaders, church names-many of the enumerations commendable, except when they exclude God Himself; then He who will have no other Gods before Him, must wither all which usurps His place; or, as the Prophet Isaiah puts it, "He will stain the pride of all glory."