The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-12-16
DR, TALMAGE'S SERMON.
TUE DRooKTIYN DIvINE's SUN.
DAY SERMON,
Subjects "a Family Quarrel Settled" )"

TEXT: Letthere be no strife, Iprau thee,
oetweeB mo aud thes, and be,tUeen mn herds
men and thy herdsmcn. Is not the uhole
land before theeP Genesis aiii, s.
Uncle and nephew-Abraham and Lot
both pious, both millionaires; with fioclSs so
large that the herdsmen got into a fight,
berhaps ahous fetter pasturage or about
petter water priv leye, CT the cow of one
herd hooked the COW of another herd. 1t
was not their poverty OF opportunity that
Drought these two men into difference but
1t was their wealth of opportunity. Abca-
ham, the glorious old Bedouin sheik, saw
chat the controversy was absurd and he said
% - LotGfor It really seeie like two ships in
the middle of tho Atlantic Ocean quarreling
about sea rooni-Abraham said to Lot:
Now, let US e9ree to differ. Here is the
mountain district swept of ths tonic sea
breeze, and with far-reaching prospect,
and out yonder is the Valley of the Jordan,
with cornfields and vineyards, and tropical
luxuriance and immeasurabls acreage Of
wealth, aud the great river in which to water
The fiockS. You can have either" Lot, who hal
not as much wealth as Abraham and might
have been expected to make tho second
choice made the first selection, and with a
modesty that must have brought smile to
Abraham's face, said; Abraham, you can
have the rocky district ald the fine pros
poets, and I'll take the valley of the Jordan
with the cornfelds and the great river in
which to water the flocks, and all the tropi-
cal luyuriance of the vineyards. I'll take
that" So the controversy was forever set
tied, and Abraham, great-souled Abraham,
carried out the suggestion Of the text: "Let
there be no strife. pray thee, between me
and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy
herdsmen. Is not the whole land before
theep'
Well in this last quarter of the nineteenth
century, and In this beautiful land called
America, after Americus Vespucius. but
which ought to have been called Columbus
after its dscoverer, Columbus, we have a
wealth of religious opportunity and of eccle-
siastical advantage that is positively bewil-
derlng. So many styles Of creed, so many
styles OF worship, 50 many styles of church
government, so many styles of architecture.
What opulence of ecclesiastical opportunity.
While in desoate regions there may be only
I one church, and it is that or nothing, in our
thckly settled districts of country there is
such vast variety of churches and such vast
variety of creeds, one would think man
would have no difficulty in making a seec-
ton Let there be no war of vestments, no
contest as between liturgical and non-liturgi-
cal adherence, no strife about baptismal
modes, no quarrel as to whether handful
| of water or riverfull of water is the better.
If Abraham on the heights gets only the
|. sprinaling of the clouds let him not begrudge
+ Lot. who has the whole river Jordan
in which to 1mmerse himself. Let there be
!, no strife, | pray thee, between me and thee
and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen.
Is not the whole land before thee" Espe-
cially is it unfortunate when in the home cir
Gle there is an angry controversy across the
I breakfast, or the dining, or the tea table,
and on the one side of the table some one
/ says: Il never could bear the rigid doctrines
of Presbyteranism, and the answer comes
from the other end of the table saying: 81
never could endure the conventionalties
of Episcopacy," and from one side of
the table comes: II can't see how they
stand the noise in the Methodist Church" !"
and from the other side there comes back the
RESPONSE IAN the Baptists are bigots!"
Hundreds of families have been split of &C.
clesiasticism, and as tho discussion goes on
there is kindlng Of Indignation. and it needs
some Abraham to come out and put his foot
on the lighted fuse before the explosion takes
place, and say: "Let there be no strife be-
tween me and thee and between my herdsmen
and thy herdsmen. Is not the whole land
before theeF l undertake this morning a
discussion never before undertaken in
the pulpit, because it is very deli
cate subject and if not rightly
| approach the question without the slightest
trepidation because feel l have the divine
direction in the matter to be proposed. 1t is
a tremendous question, often asked with
tears and sobs and heartbreaks-a question
| involving sometimes the peace of families
and the salvation of immortal souls: "In
matters of church attendance and in matters
| of religion, should the wife go with the hus-
! band or the housband go with the wife" l
| lay tie foundation for my remarks in the
fact that all denominations of Christians
shave in them enough truth to save tho
| soul and fit us for happiness and for heaven.
Go with me into any well selected theological
library, and will show you sermons from
all denominations of Christians setting forth
the idea that man is sinner and that Christ
is the deliverer from sin and sorrow. Well,
that is the whole Gospel. Get that into your
heart and your life and you are fit for the
here and the hereafter. The world has
twenty-six letters in its alphabet, but there
are only two letters in the Gospel alphabet, s
and C standing for Christ the deliv-
erer. Blessed be His glorious name
forever. Now in any church where you can
learn these two letters and appreciate all they
stand for you ought to be edited and you
ought to be happy. Then there is differ
ence between denominations of Christians,
and some we like better than others. But
suppose four or five of us should agree to
meet each other one week from now in Chi
cago on some very important business, and
one man should take the N. Y. Cen.
| Uiui IL. lh-J anu dHOUutI IudH SuOulu
take the Erie, and another man
should take the Pennsylvania r. R.,
and another man should take the Baltimore
and Ohio r. r. One because he likes the
scenery on this route the better, another be-
cause he likes the carsas they are mere lux
uriant on this route than the others, another
man takes this route because the train is
swiftef, another man takes another route be-
cause he knows all the employees on that
road. 1t makes no difference so far as our
engagement is concerned if we only get there.
1t makes no difference by which route we
come if we come to the terminus and meet
our engagement. Now, in every denomina.
tio of evangelical Christians, there Is
enough truth to take you to heaven. AL
though some denominations may run train;
on broad gUage and others may run trains
on q narrow grage, still you follow the
teachings of any one CT the evangelical de
nominations of Christians and you will
come ont at the Grand Central Depot OF the
unive s,-Heaven, the great metropolis OF
God on high. Now, having understood this
that man is safe in any evangelical de
nomination, proceed to remark:
First-If in the married couple one be
Christian and the other not Christian
then it is the duty of the one who is Chris
tian to go with the one who is not Christian
to any church preferred, If he or she will gC
to no other. You of the connubial partner
ship are a Christian. You are safe for tbs
skies, s,and your first duty then is to secure the
eternal salvation of Your lifetime partner
The salvation of the wife impentent, or tn,
salvation of the husband impenitent, is o
more importance than your church wor. hip
The residence Of your companion for ;
duadrfllion OF years is mightIer considera-
tion than the qualification Of your ecclesias
ticnl taste for forty or fifty years If a man
or woman halt one half minute before
surrendering q church preference when the
question of the eternal salvation Of a partner
is inyolved-I say if such person halts fol
half minute in tho consideration before
making tho surrender, suchperson has no re
ligion at all, never has had, and, fear, never
will have. Mighty God, in all Thy creation
Is there ore person protesting to be @
Christian and yet so stolid, SO unthinking
so far gone unto death as to hesitate about
surrendering church preference before
question of salvation and Heavenly reunion
II you are a Christian woman and you ar
attendant on this Brooklyn Tabernacle, ant
your unconvertad husband will not come
here because he does not like Its minister, OF
its music or its architecture, or It's uncom
Portable crowdiny. and he goes to no houst
of God, but would 60 if You accompanied
him. then your first duty is to change youl
place of worship Take home your hymn
book to-day, say goodbye to those who arr
| ,aar x-o,, II, tho pavvs and Won po To any on,