The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-06-18
The Battle Of Clseds
DIR. TALMAGE GIVES LIVE
LY SKETCH OF THE
HERESY HUNT.
There Is an Exciting Puestion
i'm Every Denomination.
ARE THE THEoL0GIANs LOSING
TEMPER In THE DIscUssloR7
NO ONE IS BETTERED BYIT.


dealt In his sermon this morning with |
the very timely topic. The Rattle Of |
Creeds." After 30 long and exhaustive
. discussion in clerical circles and In
the secular press. there seemed nothing
more to be said on the subject DIR.
Talmage. however, has his own way Of
looking at all subjects, and even peo-
pie who thought they knew all that
could be said ON both sides received
light from the fresh and original con-
tribution which he made to :sae contro-
versy. His. text was taken from Prov
erbs xvi, II, "He that passeth by and
meddleth with strife belonging not to
him Is like one that taketh q dog by
the ears"
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. He CON-
pares it to the experiment of taking a
dog by the ears Nothing 30 tritates
tho CANNES as to be clutched by the
lugs. Take them by the back of the
neck and lift them and 1t 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 ken
nels no intelligent or spirited dog will
stand that Now" says Solomon,
''you 60 into quarrels or controversies
that are not yours and you will get lac.
Grated and tern and bitten. He that
passeth by and meddleth with strife be-
longing not to him is like one that
taketh a dog by the ears"
This Is time of resounding ecclesi-
astical quarrel Never within your
memory or mine has the air been so
full of missiles. The Presbyterian
church has on hand a controversy 30
great that it finds it prudent to post
pone its settlement for at least one
moro year, hoping that something will
turn up. Somebody might die or a
new general assembly may have grace
to handle the exciting questions. The
Episcopal church has cast out some re-
caicitrants, and its digestive organs are
taxed to the utmost In trying to aasimi-
late others. Shall women preach T.
'Or be sent rs delegates to confer
encesr are questions that have pat
many of our Methodist brethren on che
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 ar:
August afternoon about 5 O'Clock,
when it has been steaming hot all day,
and clouds are gathering. and there ara
lions of thunder with grunsbling voices
and flashing eyes coming forth from
their cloudy lairs. and people are wait.
ing for the full burst of the tempest.
/ am not much of q weather prophet,
but the clouds look to me mostly Like
wind clouds. 1t may be big blow,
but hope it will soon be over. In ne.
gard to the Battle Of the Creeds. am
every day asked what think about it.
I want to make it so plain this morn
ing what think that no one viii eveI
ask again.
LEAvE 1T TO THE JURYMEN.
Let those who are urymen In tia
case, mean. those In the different &c
clesiastical courts. have the questions
put directly before them, weigh and do
eide Let the rest of us keep out TIN
most damaging thing on earth is reli
gous controversy No one ever come'
out of it as good a man as he goes In
Some of the ministers. In all denomi
nations. who. before the present acer
bity were good and kind and useful
now seem almost swearing mad.
These brethren notice always oper
their violent meetings with prayer be
fore devouring each other, thus sayisi
grace before meat They have mora
hydrophobia that makes us think the.
have taken dog by the ears. The.
never read the imprecatory Psalms o
David with such zest as since th
Briggs and Newton and MacQuear,
, and Bridgman and Books question
, got into full swing. May the rams o
, the sheepfold soon have their horn
!, sawed of Before the controversies
are settled good many ministers will
] through what they call liberalism, b
} landed into practical infideIity, ant
D others, through what they call cor
D servatism, will shrink up into bigot
D tight and hard as the muInmies q
Egypt which got through their contre
D verries three thousand years ago.
This trouble throughout Christer
3 dom was directly inspired of Satan
. He saw that too much good was bein
y done. Recruits were being gathere
by hundreds Of thousands to the Go
pei standard The victories for Go
: and the truth were too near togethel
y Too many churches were being ded
q Gated Too many ministers were b
: ing ordained. Too many philanthropit
> were being fostered. Too many sou
q were being saved. II had been du
q time in the neither world. and the a
o rivals were too few.
AL So Satan one dag rose upon b
6 throne and said, "Ye powers Of dari
2 ness, heari" And all up and down Il
q caverns the cry was. Heart Hear
% Satan said: There 10 that America
A board OF commissioners for foreie
10 missions. Il must either be demolishe
% o. crippled, or the first thing you kno
2 they win have all nations brought
10 God Apollyon the Younger Yours
Y up to Andover and get die rsofessors
% discussing whether the heather can