The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-24

How pleasant thus to dwell oeloW
In fellowship of love.
Before the sermon, DIR. Talmage expounded
the story of David and Jonathan. The subject
of his discourse was Religious Intolerance
and the text was Judges xii, 6: "Then said they
unto him, Say now shibboeth,' and he said
'sibboleth,' for he could not frame to pronounce
it right, Then they took and slew him at the
passages of Jordan" Following is the sermon
In full:
Do you notice the difference in these pronuncia
tons, shibboleth and sibbolethl Very slight and
unimportant difference, you say, but the differ
ence of pronunciation was the difference between
the life and death of many people. Two of the
Lords people, Gilead and Ephraim, got into
fight The Ephraimites were worsted, and IN
their retreat came to the fords of the Jordan to
cross. Orders were given to destroy all the
Ephraimites who attempted to cross, but how
should it be known who were Ephraimitesl
They were detected by their pronunciation.
Shbboleth was the word for river 1t seemed
that the Ephraimtes had peculiar brogue, and
that in pronouneing the word shibboleth they
always left out the sound of ''h." AS the troops
on retreat came to the Jordan, they were asked
to pronounce the word shibboleth, and if they
said 'sibboleth, they were known Immediately
as Ephraimites, and were destroyed. ''Then
said they unto him, Say now shibboleth,' and
he said 'sibboleth for he could not frame to
pronounce it right. Then they took him and
slew him at the passages of Jordan"
What small difference between these tribes of
Gilead and Ephraim, and what small intolerance
with that difference. But the difference be-
tween the tribes OF the Lord m our time, that is
between one denomination and another, is often
of no Importance. The church of God is all di,
vided up into multitude of denominations
and scots Time would fail me to speak of the
Calvinists and the Sabbatarians, and the Arlne
mans, and the Swedenborgians, and the Baxter
ians, and the Dunkers, and the Shakers and the
Parkerites, and the Methodists, and Baptists, and
Lutherans, aud Presbyterians and Spirtualists
and scores of other denominations of religion
lists. Some of these denominations were estab-
lshed by very good men, some by very egotisticai
men, some by very bad men. Between some Of
them there is oaly difference in words; between
others a difference as wide as between truth and
and error between light and darkness, between
heaven and hell. Some of these beliefs l could
In no wise adopt, and yet SO long as 1 demand
liberty of conscience for myself l must allow
liberty of conscience to every other man; for 1
must remember that he does not differ more
from me than differ from him
ADVOCATING THE LARGEST LIBERTY.
shall this morning advocate the largest lib
erty in all religious belief and discussion. In
art, in social life in politics. in religion let there
be no moving of the previous question" no in
tolerencc, no thumbscrew, no gaglaw, no perse-
cution. You all know that the air and the water
are kept pure by constant circulation, and l be-
lieve there is a tendency in religious discussion
to publication and moral health. Between the
fourth century and the sixteenth century the
church of God proposed to keep out error by
prohibiting all religious discussion, and by a
strong censorship of the press and rack, and glib
bet, and hot lead poured down the throat to make
people orthodox; but the world found out that
you can not change mems beliefs by twisting of
their heads or make them see things differently
by putting an awl through their eyes There is
something in every mans conscience to upheave
the mountain that you would throw upon it. and,
unsinged of the fire, out of the flame to mako
red wings on WHICH the martyr shall mount, to
glory. e. .a liza ..c4a gee 49,. ~: =.
In that very time of which speak, between
the fourth and sixteenth century, men went from
the churches of God into the most appalling in
EQUITY, and right by the affairs of Christ flowed
tide of drunkenness and RIGHTEOUSNESS that the
world has never seen equaled, and the very sew
ers of perdition broke loose and deluged the
church with filth and wickedness. Then the print
ing press came forth and broke the shaekles of
the human mind. There came good many bad
books, but right after them there came a great
many beautiful books; so that where there was
one man to denounce the Christian religion there
were twenty men to advocate it, So, my friends,
have no nervousness in regard to this great
war going on between truth and error. Let er-
ror run, If you only let truth run along with it.
Urged on by skeptic's shout and transcendental-
lists spur, let it run Gods angels of wrath are
in hot pursuit, and quicker than eagles beak
eiutcheth out hawks heart Gods vengeance
shall tear it to pieces. Let error run if you only
let truth run along with it. .....-.
In this great conflict between the right and
the wrong the right will triumph Just as certain
ly as that God is stronger than the devil Let
us have no fear then that the error of the world
Is going TO overcome the truth of the church
God is ruling in the world and all shall be we'll
am very glad that people do not all think alike
In matters of religion. What stupid world
this would be if all people were alike. l will
never see through your eyes You will never
hear through my ears. No man can lord it over
our consciences.
1 propose this morning to speak to you of
sectarianism, its origin its evils and its cures
There are those who would make us think that
this monster, with horns and hoofs, is religion.
shall chase it to its hiding place and drag it
out of tho caverns of darkness, and rip off its
hide. But / want to make distinction between
bigotry, and the lawful fondness for peculiar re-
ligious beliefs and forms of worship l have no
admiration for nothingarian In world of
such tremendous vicssitude and temptation. and