Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-06-19
REV. DIR. TALMAGH.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: The Battle of Creeds."

that toketh dog bg the ears.'-Proverbs
XVI, II.
Solomon here deplores the habit of rush
ing in between contestants; of taking part
IN the antagonisms of others: of joining in
nights which they ought to shun. They do
no good to Others and get damage for them
selves. He compares it 70 heexperiment of
taking dog by the cars Nothing SO irri-
tates CANNES as to be cutched by the Tugs.
Take them by the back of the neck and lift
them and it 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 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 lacerate1 aud torn
and bitten. he that passeth by aud med
dleth with strife belonging not to him is like
one that taketh dog by the ears"
This is the time of resounding ecclesiastical
quarrel. Never within your memory o.
mine has the air been so full of missiles
The Presbyterian Church has on hand con-
troversy so great that 1t finds it prudent to
postpone its settlement for at least one more
year. hoping that something will turn up.
Somebody might die or a new general assem-
bly, may have grace to handle the exciting
questions. The Episcopal Church has cast
out some recalcitrants, and its digestive or
gans are taxed TO the utmost in trying TO es-
simulate Others. 'Shall women preaclT
'Or be sent as delegates to conferences"
are questions that have put many of
our Methodist brethren Oh the anxious
seat" And the waters in some of the great
baptistrles are troubled waters Because OF
the controversies throughout Christendom
the air is now like an August afternoon
about five o'clock, when it has been steaming
hnf all Low md nf0 orR1
there are lions of thunder with grumbling
voices and flashing eyes coming forth from
their cloudy LARS, 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. 1t may
be a big blow, but l hope it will soon be
over. In regard to the Battle of the Creeds,
am every day asked about it. l want to
make 1t so plain this morning what think
that no one will ever ask again.
Let those who are iurymen in the case-I
mean those who in the different ecclesiast.-
cal courts have the gu stions 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 cut of IL as good n man as he
goes in. Some of the ministers in all de-
nominations who before the present acerbity
were good and kind and useful. now seem a
most swearing mad, These brethren | notics
always open their violent meetings with
prayer before devouring each other, thus
saying race before meat They have a moral
hydrophobia that makes us think they have
taken dog by the ears, They never read
the jmprecatory Psalms Of David with such
zest rs since the Briggs md Newton and
MacQueary and Bridgmau AMI Brooks gues-
tons got into full swing. May the rams Of
the sheepfold soon have their horns sawed
off, Before the controversies are settled n
good many ministers will, through what they
call liberalism, be landed Irtu practical i'll
fidelity, and others tltoGgh what they call
conservatism will shrink up into bigots tight
and hard as the mhmmies of Egypt which
got through their controversies three thou
sand years ago.
This trouble throughout Chrsten1on
was directly inspired by Satan. He saw
that too much good was being done. Re
cruits wero being gathered by hundre Is OF
thousands TO the Gospel standard. The
victories for God AMI the truth were too
near together. Too many churches were
being dedicated. Too many ministers were
being ordained. Too many philanthrOp.es
were being foStered. 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 darkness, hearT Aud
all up and down the caverns the cry was,
"Hear Hearr Satan said: There is that
American Board Of Commissioners for For
eign Missions. II must either be dem olishel
or crippled, or the first thing you know they
will have all nations brought to God. Apo
lyon the Younger, You go up 10 Andover
and get the professors to discussing whether
the heather can be saved without the Cos
r.. . r
and get them ih angry convention in
q room at Young's Hotel, Boston, AMI
by the time they adjourn the cause Of
foreign missions will be gloriously and
magnificently injured. Diaboius the Youu-
ger You go up and get Union Theological
Seminary of New York and the general
assembly of the Presbyterian Church at De-
trolt 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 splendid pan,
demonum ON a small scale, AbsddOn the
Third You 90 up ard assault that old Epis-
copal Church, which has been stOrming the
heavens for centuries with the subiimcst
prayers that were ever utterei-churcl of
Bishop Leighton, Bishop White and Bishop
Mcllvane and get that denomination discuss
Ing men instead of discussing the eternities.
Abaddon the Fourth You go ~ to that old
Methodist Church. which has, through her
revival sent millions to heaven which We
woud ot1erw wise have adde 70 or p)Dull-
ton; the church of Wesley anil Matthew
Simpson, against which We have an especial
prudge. and get them 50 absorbed in discuss
ing whether women shall take part in her
conference that they shall no. have 50 much
time 10 discuss how many sons and daughters
she will take to glory
What amaZas me most is that all people
do not see that the entire movement at this
time all over Christendom is satanic. Many
of the internal attacks are sly and hidden
and strategic and 30 ingenious that they
are not easily discovered But hero is q
bold and uncovered attempt of the powers
of darkness TO split up the churcGeS, to get
ministers 10 take each other by the throat
TO make religion a laughing stock Of earth
and hell, to leave the Bible with no more
respect or authenticity than an old almanac
of 1922, which told what would be the
change OF weather six months ahead and
plant turnipS. In WORT, the effort is TO
stop the evangelization of the world. 1t
seems to me very much like this: There has
been q railroad accident AMI many are
wounded and dying. There are several
drug stores near the scene of casualty All
the doctors and druggists are nee1ei AMI
needed right away. Bandages, stimulants
anH.Sthetics medicines of all SORTS. What
are the doctors and druggists doingi Dis;
cussing the contents Of SOME oil bottles Oh
the top shelf, bottles Of MEDICINE which
some doctors and druggists mixel two or
three hundred years ago. "Come doctors~
lone druggistsp cry the people, "and help
these wounded and dying that are being
brought from the tiuibars OF the crushed rail
train. In little while it will BE- too late.
Come for Gods sakel Cone right awayr'
No" says the doctor, mot until we have
settled whether the medicine on that top
shelf was rightly mixed. l say there
were too many drops of laudaniui in it, and
this other man says there were too many
drops OF campfire, we must get this ques-
tiou settled before we can attend to the rail-
road accident"
And one doctor takes another doctor by
the collar and pushes him back against the
counter and one of the druggists says, "If
you will not admit that ] am right aboU.
that one bottle | will smash every bottle III
your apothecary store" and he proceeds 10
smash. Meanwhile on the lower shelf,
plainly marked and within easy reach are
all the medicines needle for tbs helping of
the sufferers by the accident, and in that
drawer, easily opened, are bandages and
spints for the lack Of which fifty people
are dying outside the drug store. Before
apply this thought every one sees its appli-
cation. Here is this old world, AMI 1t Is oil