The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-06-17
SATANIC WORK.
The Present a Time Of Resounding
Ecclesiastical Quarrels.
DE-. Taimage Attributes the Religious Dis
turbances Now Prevailing to the In
fuenco Of Satan. and Says the
Church is Creeded to Death
How to Restore Peace.

taken from Proverbs XVI, 10, "He that
passeth by and meddleth with strife be-
longing not to him is like one that TAX
eth dog by the ears" Following is
the sermon:
Solomon here deplores the habit Of
rushing In between contestants, Of TAX
ing part in the antagonisms Of others, of
joining In fights which they ought to
shun. They do no good to others and
get damage for themselves. lie COM
pares it to the experiment of taking a
dog by the ears. Nothing so irritates
the CANNES as to be clutched by the
lugs. Take them by the back Of the
neck and lift them and II does not seem
to hurt or offend, but you take the dog
by the ear and he will take you with
his teeth. In all the history of kennels
no intelligent or spirited dog will stand
that Now" says Solomon, 'you go
into quarrels or controversies that are
not yours and you will get lacerated
and torn, and bitten. He that passeth
by and meddleth with strife belonging
not to him is like one that taketh dog
by the ears"
This is time OF resounding ecclesias-
tical quarrel. Never within your men,
ory or mine has the air been so full Of
missiles The Presbyterian church has
on hand a controversy SO great that it
finds II prudent to postpone its settle
ment for at least one more year, hoping
that something will turn up. Somebody
might die or new general assembly
may have grace to handle the exciting
questions. The Episcopal church has
cast out some recalcitrants, and its d.
gestive organs are taxed to the, utmost
in trying to assimilate others. "Shall
women preach?" "0r be sent as dele
gates to conference?" are questions that
have put many of our Methodist breth-
rem on the anxious seat" And the
waters in some of the great baptistries
are troubled waters. Because of the
controversies throughout Christendom
the air Is now like an August afternoon
about o'clock, when II has been steam
ing hot all day; and clouds are gather
ing, and there are lions Of thunder with
grumbling voices and flashing eyes com
ing forth from their cloudy lairs, 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 like wind clouds. II may be a
big blow, but hope twill soon be over.
In regard TO the battle Of the creeds, /
am every day asked what | think about
it. ! want TO make 1t so plain this morn
ing what think that no one will ever
ash again.
Let those who are jurymen in the
case, me an those who in the different
ecclesiasti ical courts have the questions
put directly before them, weigh and de-
eide. Let the rest OF us keep out. The
most dana ging thing on earth is relig.
ious contro versy, No one ever comes
out of II as good man as he goes in.
Some of the ministers, in all denomina-
tions, who, before the present acerbity
were good and kind and useful, now
seem almost swearing mad. These
brethren notice always open their vio-
lent meetings with prayer before de-
vouring each other, thus saying grace
before meat They have moral hydro
phobia that makes us think they have
taken dog by the ears. They never
read the imprecatory psalms of David
with such zest as since the Briggs and
Newton and McQueary and Bridgman
and Brooks questions got into full
swing. May the rams Of the sheepfold
soon have their horns sawed off. Before
the controversies are settled good
many ministers will, through what they
call liberalism, be landed into practical
infidelity, and others through what they
call conservatism, will shrink up into
bigots tight and hard as the mummies
Of Egypt which got through their con.
troversies three thousand years ago.
This trouble throughout Christendom,
was directly inspired Of Satan. He saw
that too much good was being done.
Recruits were being gathered by hun
dreds OF thousands TO the Gospel stand
ard. The victories for God and the
truth were too near together. Toe
many churches were being dedicated.
Too many ministers were being or
dained. Too many philanthropies were
being fostered. Too many souls were
being saved. II had been dull time in
the Neither World, and the arrivals
were too few. So Satan one day rose
upon his throne aud said, "Ye powers
OF darkness, hearl" And all up and
down the caverns the cry was: Hear
Hearr' Satan said: "There Is that
American Board Of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions. 1t must either be
demolished or crippled, or the first
thing you know they will have all ma
tions brought TO God. Apollyon, the
Youpgerl You go up TO Andover and
get the professors discussing whether
the hcathen can be saved without the
Gospel Divert them from the work OF
missions and get them in angry conven'
ton in room at Young's hotel, Boston
and by the time they adjourn, the cause
of foreign missions will be gloriously
and magnifcently injured. Diabolus
the Youngeri You go up and get Union
Theological Seminary Of New York and
the general assembly Of the Presby'
terian 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 Ike eplng us out of Gus
toners for hundreds Of years, into .
splendid pandemonium on small scale
Abaddon the Third You go up and as
sault that old Episcopal Church, which
has been storming the heavens for cen
turtles with the sublimest prayers tina
were ever uttered--church Of BishoI
Tnt,,htor ptahon VVbita and Riahof