Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-06-15
IALMAGE On THE CREEDS
hE GIVES HIS optsios N ANSWER
90 MANY oUssrioES

I-1-a Hiasaif 10 sas Chief Iassfg.ssr ss
sAs c~.Issssrsy sss k2xfsx ia aA.y
cAsrsh-& sd Eauas.s wss< tor Christ
is the Kennedy.
BlsookLTS. June 14-Dr Talmsgs dealt
Ia A-s sermon tkls Eaorping with the very
timely topsc-the Battle n Creeas After
50 long and exhaustive a discussion IA
clerical eirclss aud Ia the secular press
there srsmed nstning more 70 BE SD On
the subject DE-. IllmAge, however, has
his owe way u looS.n., At ali SUBJECTS. and
even psoo.e who TlJuShG they knew al
tEar codid Do said On both sides received
Light from the fresh AID orisiaa! contrioa-
tl"n Whlch he made u the controversy
It's text wzs taken from Proverbs xxvl, ~
hs THAI pstssstR - and msddietA with
strife bsionging bot 10 BIN - Ike one that
taketh dog by tie ears
solomon here deplorss the habit Of rush
Ing ia between Contestants, OF taking part
ID the antszonisnls OF others, Of joining ia
lights which they ought 10 siiaa They do
no good 70 others and get damage forthem-
selves lie COMPARES Il - the experiment
Of taking . dog BY the ears Nothing 50
irritates the CANNES as to be- eiutched by
neck aud lift them and IL does not seem 70
hurt or offend, but you take the dog by
the ear, and he will take you with his ,eeth-
In ali tho history Of kennels 10 Intelligent
or spirited dog will stand that Now"
says solomon, you go into quarrels or
controversies that are not yours and you
will get l.c~rzxed aud torn and bitten
lilo that pazseth b. and me'idieth with
strife belonging not % him L. ike one that
taketh a dog by the ears"
THIS - TIE Age OF CONTROVERSY
This - a time OF rcsounding eecieslastic-
al quarrel Never within yonr memory or
mine has the air been so full OF missiles.
The Presbyterian church has on hand a
controversy 50 great that IL finds il pru-
dent 10 postpone its settlement for ~ least
one more year. hopinz that something will
turn up. Somebody might die or new
general assembly may have grace 70 han
die the exciting questions. The Episcopal
church hiasc cast out some recalcltrants, and
its digestive organs are taxed to the ut
most Ia trying 90 assimilate others. shall
women preachp "Or lie sent as delegates
o. eonferences'" are questions that have
put many Of our Methodist brethren on the
anxious seat" And the waters In some
Of the great baptistries are troubled wa
tiers. because Of the controversies through
out ChristendOm the air Is now like an
August afternoon about 5 O'Clock, when 1t
has been s5eaning hot all day. and clouds
are gathering. and there are lions of thun-
der with grumoltng voices and flashing
eyes coming forth from their cloudy inirs,
and people are waiting for the full burst of
the tempest am not much of a weather
prophet. but the clouds look to me mostly
IL a. L. -. III
but hope il will soon be over. In regard
10 the Battle Of the Creeds. | an every day
asked what | think about it want 20
make 1t 50 plain this morning. what think
that no one will ever ask again.
Let those who are jurysnen in the case
] mean those tho in the different ecclesi
astical courts have the questions put di-
rectly before them-weigh and decide Let
the rest OF US keep out. The most dam
aging thing on earth Is religious coutro-
versy No one ever comes out Of 10 IA good
"A man rs he goes In. Some OF the ministers
In all denominations who before the pres
snt acerbity were good and kind aud use
full. now seem almost swearing mad.
These brethren l notice always open their
violent meetings with prayer before de-
youring each other, thus saying grace be-
fore meat They have moral hydropho-
bia that makes US think they have taken a
dog by the ears. They never read the inn
predatory Psalms OF David with such zess
as since the Briggs and Newton and Mac
cueary and Bridgman and Brooks ques-
tious got into full swing May the rams Of
the sheepfold soon have their horns sawed
off Before the controversies are settled a
good many ministers will. through what
they call liberalism, be landed into prac-
teal infldelity. and Others through what
they call conservatism will shrink up into
bigOts tight and hard rs the mummies OF
Egypt which got through their contro-
VERSES three thousand years ago,
SATAN STIRRED 1T UP.
This trouble throughout Christendom
was directly inspired by Satan lie saw
that too much good was being done. Re
cruits were being gathered by hundreds OF
thousands to the Gospel standard. The
victories for God and the truth were too
near together. Too many churches were
ieing dedicated. Too many ministers were
being ordained Too many philanthropies
were being fostered Too many souls
were being saved Ii had been dull time
In the neither world. and tie arrivals were
too few. SO Satan ons day rose upon his
throne and said. 'Ye powers Of darkness,
heart And all mp and down the caverns
the cry was, Heart Heart" Satan said:
There is that American Board OF Com
missioners for Foreign Missions IL must
either b. demolished or crippled, or tho
first thing you know they viii have all
nations brought TO God Apollyon the
Nouugeri You go MP TO Andover and get
the professors TO discussing whether the
heather can be saved without the Gospel
Divert them from the work OF missions
and get them In angry convention Ia a
room at Young's hotel. Boston, and by the
time they adjourn tue cause Of foreign
missions will 10 gioriouslv and magnii-
Gently injured. Diabolus the Youngeri
You 20 up ADD get Union Theological
Seminary Of New York and the general
assembly - the Presbyterian church at
Detroit at swords points and diverted from
the work Of making earnest ministers Of
religion. and turn that Old Presbyterian
church. which has been keeping us out Of
customers for hundreds Of years. into a
splendid pandsmonium on a small scale.
Abaeldon the Thir,i You 40 mp aud as-
saalt that old Episcopal church. which his
beea storrnia-. ths heavens for centuries
with the subiinest prayers thar were ever
utterest -charch u Bishop Leighton. Bish
op White and Bishop McIlvaine. sni get
that denomination Discussing men instead
~ discussing the eternities. Abasidoa the
Fourthi You 10 up % that OH Methodist
church, which has. through her revivass,
sens millions - heaven which We would
otherwise have Nidr,l ~ onr population
the church Of We les and Matthew Simp
SEQ. a.x'tinst which We have an especial
srrusisre and xat them 50 absorbed in dis