The Red Cloud chief., 1889-02-01
SCOFFERS ANSWERED.
d.. Talmage Defends tho Christian
RELIGION.

Creeds Among lntelIigeat People-Athsists
Answered-The Churches Misreprs-
Observation-Disclosures BY Faith DE-
fsnded-Power OF rrayer.
Rev. DR.. T. Dewitt Talmage's sermon
ct Brooklyn recently was on ISLANDERS
Against Religion Answered" His
text was: And took the little
book out Of the angels han and ate
il up; and IL was in nv mouth sweet as
honey; and a. o as l had eaten il my
belly was bitter. And he said unto me.
Thou must prophecy again before many
peoples. and nations. and tongues. and
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Z 1o-ll. The rev.
srend gentleman said:
Domitian, the Roman Emperor, had in
his realm . troublesome evangelist who
would keep preaching, and SO he exiled
him to a barren island. as now the Rus
SLAMS exile ~convicts to Siberia, or rs some
times the English Government used to
send prisoners to Australia. The island !
speak OF Is now called Patmo,, and is SO
barren and u~nproiuctive that its lnhabit.
ants live by fishing.
But one day the evangelist Of whom l
speak, sitting at the mouth OF a cavern on
the hillside, ani perhaps half asleep under
the drone OF the sea. has a supernatural
dream. and before him pass as in panorama
time and eternity. Among the strange
things that he saws was an angel with a
little book in his hand. and in his dream
the evangelist asked for this little book,
and the angel gave it to him and told him
to eat Il up. As in a dream things are
sometimes in~congruous. the evangelist
took the little book and ate il up. The
angel told him beforehand that IL would be
very sweet in the mouth, bat afrerward be
would be troubled it'll iniigestio4. True
enough. the evangelist devOurs the book.
and 1t becomes To HIM a sweetness during
the mastication. but aftc ward . physical
bitterness.
Who the angel was and what the book
was no one can tell. The commentators
do not agree, n ! shall tax no response
bility Of Interpretation but will tell you
that IL suggests 10 me the little book OF
creeds which skeptic, take and chew up
and find . very luscious mo,sel 70 their
witticism. nj after a while it is TO them q
great distress. The Angel OF the Church
hands Oat this little book Of evangsl-
ism. and the antagonists OF the Christian
church take it and eat it up, and 1t makes
them smile at first. but aiterward it is to
them . dire dyspepsia
All the intelligent people have creeds-
that is, favorite theories which they have
adopted. Political creeds-that is, theories
about tariff. about finance, about civil
service, about government. Social creeds
that is, theories about tanners and
Cs,oenuu. nd .n,l ,.ihlnrl,nl LsfhAA.
ical creeds that is. theories about
tapestry. about bric-a.brac. about styles
Of o~rnamentation. Religious reeds
that is. theories about the Deity.
about the soul. about the great future.
The only being who has no creed about
any thing Is the IDIOT This soothing
against creeds is always sign Of pro-
found ignorance on Tn. part Of the ~scoiYer,
for he has himself a hundred creeds in re-
gard to other things. In our time the be.
liefs of evangelistic churches are under a
fusiiade o! caricature aud misrepresenta.
ton. Men set w what they call orthodox
faith, ami then they rake it with the mus
kerry OF their denunciatlun. They falsely
what the Christian churches believe.
They take evangelical doctrines and Sc.
them in a harsh AMI repulsive way, and
put them out of the association with other
truths. They are Ike u mad anatom;st
who. des ring TO i what IA man IL, dis
secis n human body and hangs up in one
place the heart. and IN another place III.
two lungs, and IN another place an ansle
bone, and SAYS that is "A man. They are
only fragments of n man wrenched out OF
their God-appointel places.
Evangelical religion is a healthy. syn-
metrical, well-joint,d, r~oseate. founding
life. and the scalpei and the dissecting
knife of the intiicl or the atheist can not
tell you what 1t is. Evangelical religion
is rs different from what Il is represented
To be by these enemies rs the scare-crow
which the farmer puts IN the coTrteld to
keep Of the ravens is different from the
farmer himself.
For instance. these enemies Of evangel.
ism say hat the Presbyterian Church be-
lieves that God is n savage sovereign and
that He made some men just TO damn them
and that there are infants in hell q span
long. These old slanderers come down
from generation 20 generation. The Pres.
byterian Church believes no such thing.
The Presbyterian Church believes that
God l. a loving and just sovereign and that
We are free agents. mo, no, that can not
he. "say these men who have chewsd up the
creed and have the consequent embittered
stomachs THAT is impossible; IL God is
n sovereign we can't DE free agents."
Why. friends We admit this in every
other direction. l. Dewitt Talmage. Am q
free citizen Of Brooklyn. I 60 when I
please. but I have at least four sovereigus.
The church court OF our denomination
that 10 nv eccle<iastical sovereign; the
mayor OF this city-hc is my municipal
sovereign: the Governor Of New York-he
10 nav State sovereign; the President OF
the United States-he IS my National sov.
Four sovereigns have l. and yet
in every faculty Of body. mind and soul. I
Am a free man. SO you zee it 10 possible
that the two doctrines 60 side by side, and
there Is . common sense way of presenting
IL. and there Is way that 10 repulsive.
II you have two doctrines ia Q worldly
Why no; in . religious direction.
II I moose Tomorrow morning to walk into
the mercantile library and improve my
mind. OF to go through the conservatory
Of my friend at Jamaica, who has flowers
from all lands growing under arches OF
glass md b has An aquarium all
ssQuirm with trout and gold fish and there
trees bearing oranges and bananas
IL I want to 60 there I could. am free TO
60 II want TO 60 over to Hobokeu and
leap into . furnace OF an oil factory, IL ! |
want TO Jump from the platform Of the
express train. il want %
leap from Brooklyn bridge. I may. Bot
suppose ] should 60 Tomorrow and leap
into the furnac 1t Hoboken. Who would |
Be 70 blame: That 10 all there 10 about
and free agency. God ruiss
rsiGns n He has Conservatives and
He has blast furnaces. II you want 90 |