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CHRISTIAN SUN
“ The Lord God Is a Sun and Shield,”
HILLSBOROUGH, » C. MAY, 1844.
NO, 5.
From the Weetrni Recorder.*
The Evils of* Sectarian Spirit*
If o. 3.
BY ASA SHINN.
Mr. Editor:—A fourth evil of the sec
tarian spirit, is its tendency to produce self
deception. The stroMt confidence which
the sactarian has in tlS purity of his par
ty, and in the soundness o£ its principles,
has a secret and f^gressivh influence, tq
lead his^soul to rely upon his association
with sucn a party, and upon his adherence
to its principles, for acceptance with his
Maker. Were he iypf&habit 0f deriving
his theology from ml word of God, he
would feel the necessity of going to the
Bible likewise, to learn the true conditions
of eternal life; but as he receive* Jhe articles
of his from the authorityofthe church,
why cannot the church also save his soul,
provided lie shall punctually observe her
rules and regulations? What pigjf can
be given, that ecclesiastic^councils have
not as much authority W prescribe the
condition# of, sanation, as they have to
decide whar arc, and what are not, the
essential articles of t}|£ Christian faith?
If they haveUr right to claim our faith in
their infallibility, they have an equal right
to demand obeaience to their orders; ^and
if our sanation be made to depend on the
former, it must be alike dependent on the
latter. Thus the members of a sect are,
this assumption, made t^'lean upon am
arm of flesh; and in exact proportion as
they do this,' will their hearts be apt to
depart from the Lo
bers of the body c
Tie different mem
mly. encourage one
anther in thisdelusion; for if a man be
very zealous ifi support of the party, and
in an unbending adherence to its dogmas,
he is regarded ala " full-blooded” disciple;
and tWvJelesiastical powers will, direct
ly or indirectly, encourage him to pre
sume tftat his soul is Safe, and that this
zeal for the church will be his passport to
pUmal happiness- itence h^ concludes,
perhaps almosfcifenconsciously to himself,
that he need not be over scrupulous in re*
gard to deficiencies of moral character.
Now so far as thi# influelic^ extends, in
any denomination, so far the sectarian
spirit operates to prevent the salvation of
human souls. lm
A fifth evil of this spirit, is its doing vi
olence to truth, by an uncandid suppres
sion or distortion of robral evidence. How
entirely is all argument lost upon the bi
goted sectarian ! With what readiness and
ease ar^criptur^ demonstrations given to
the winns! Mr. Wesley says, “ He re
gards them no more than stubble or rotten
wood.” Now this is the very spirit and
the principal cause of infidelity. The
Deist feasts his soul with the writings of
Hume, Voltaire and Paine; but as* to de
fences of the Christian jjeligion, such as
tBseyOf Leeland, Pal£|§jy|nd Watson, he
either will not read tl85|-or will bar his
mind against their evidence, with the most
determined prejudice and contempt. Sec
tarian (TnristianS do the same; and in the
mean time they thijnder their anathemas
upon the poor Deist, for imbibing their
spirit and following their example! IJiho
does not see that infidelity is thus prtrnio
Jed, and even excused, by the shameful
want of candor so extensively prevailing
among those who profess to be the people
of God, ajid to be on the way to his ever
lasting kingdom. The only way,” says
Dr. Wylie, “ by which the growth of in
fidelity, in our country, can be checked,
is by purging religion from the evils? of
sect. When the followers of Christ shall
become one?, then, and not before, may we
expect infidelity to cease from among us,
tfhd the world to be converted.” p. 88.
Agai|i he says, “ I would entreat you to
read over and over again the story of Je
sus—his discourses—his parables—his