Sharp County record., 1891-07-02
BATTLE OF THE CREEDS
Rev T. Dewitt Talmage Reviews
the Prevailing Strife.
DoctrinaI Disturbances n Good Thing for
Christians to steer Clear of-They
Conduce Neither to Brothcrly
Love Nor True ReliTion.

The following discourse touching up
on the prevailing doctrinGI strife was
delivered by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage
in the Brooklyn tabernacle, his text be-
ing:
He that passeth by ard meddleth with
strife belonging not to him, is ke one that
taketh dog by the ears.-PrOyerbs XVI, II.
Solomon here deplUres the habit of
rushing in between contestants, Of taIi=
ing part In the antagohisms Of others,
Of joining in fights which they ought to
shun. They do no good to others and
get damage for themselves. He COM
pares it to the experiment of taking 4
dog by the ears. Nothing so irritates
the CANNES as to be elutehed by the
Jugs. Take them by the back OF
the neck and lift them and il does not
seem to hurt or offend, but 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 Solo
mon, you go into quarreIs or contro-
versies that are not yours and you viii
get lacerated and torn. and bitten.
He that passeth by and meddleth with
strife belonging not to him is Hike one
that taketh a dog by the ears,
This is a time Of resounding ecelesas-
tical quarrels, Never within your
memo,y or mine has the air been so
full Ct missiles The Presbyterian
church has on hand a controversy so
great that it finds it prudent to post
pone its settlement for at least one more
year, hoping that something will turn
up, Somebody might die or a new gem
eral assembly have grace to handle the
exciting questions. Tie Episcopal
church has east out some recalcitrants,
md its digestive organs are taxed to
the utmost in trying to assimilate
others. "Shall women preach?" "Or be
sent as delegates to conference" 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 waters.
Because of the controversies through
Out ChristendOm the air is now like an
August afternoon about five o'clock,
when 1t has been steamiDg hot all day,
and clouds are gathering, and there are
ions Of thunder with grumbling voices
and flashing eyes coming forth from
their cloudy lairs and people are wait
ng for the full burst of the tempest.
am not much of a weather prophet,
but the clouds look to me mostly like
Find clouds. 1t may be big blow,
out hope it will soon be over In re-
gard to the battle of the creeds, l am
every day asked what l think about it.
want to make it so plain this morning
what think that no one will ever ask
again.
Let.those who are jurymen. in gle
case, mean those who in the di ditferent
ecclesiastical courts have the questions
put directly before them, weigh and
decide. Let the rest of us keep out.
The most damaging thing on earth is
religious controversy. No one ever
comes out of it as good a man as he
goes in. Some of the ministers, in all
denominations, who, before the present
acerbity were good and kind and useful,
now seem almost swearing mad These
brethren | notice always open their
violent meetings with prayer before de-
vouring each other, thus saying grace
before meat. They have a moral hydro
Dhobia that makes us think they have
taken a dog by the ears. They never
read the imprecatory psalms Of David
with such zest as since the Briggs and
Newton and MacQueary and Bridgman
and Brooks questions got into full
swing, May the rams of the sheepiold
soon have their horns sawed Off Be-
fore the controversies are settled, a
good many ministers will, through what
they call liberalism, be landed into
practical inidelity, and others thro ugh
what they call conservatism, will shrink
up into bigots tight and hard as the
nummics OF Egypt which got through
Jheir controversies three thousand years
ago
This trouble throughout Christendom
was directly inspired Of Satan, He saw
hat too much good was being done.
Recruits were being gathered by hun.
dreds Of thousands 90 the Gospel stand.
ard. The victories for God and the
truth were too near together. Too
many churches were being dedicated.
FOO many ministers were being or
dained, Too many philantropies being
iostercd, Too many souls were being
saved. 1t had been dull time IN the
Neither world, and the arrivals were too
few So Satan one day rose upon his
throne and said "Ye powers of dark
ness, hear,' And all up and down the
oaverns the cry was: Hear. Heart"
Satan said; There is that American
board Of commissioners for foreign mis-.
sions. IL must either be demolished or
crippled or the first thing you know
they will have all nations brought to
cod, Apollyon the Younger. You no
up TO Andoycr and get the professors
discussing whether the heathen can be
saved without the Gospel Divert them
from the work Of missions and get them
IN angry convention in room at
Young's hotel, Boston, and by the time
they adjourn the cause Of foreign mis-