The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-01
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVlNES SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Battle Of Creeds."

.Uith strife belonging not to him is like one
that taketh q dog By 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
fights which they ought to shun. They do
no good to others and get damage for them
selves. He compares it to the experiment of
taking dog by the ears Nothing so irri-
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 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 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 or
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 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 as
similate Others ''Shall women preachs"
''Or be sent as delegates to conferences
are questions that have put many OF
our Methodist brethren on 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
hot all day, and clouds are gathering, and
there are lions Of thunder with grumbling
their cloudy lairs, and people are waiting
for the full burst Of the tempest. am not
much OF 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 regard to the Battle of the Creeds,
am every day asked about it. want to
make it so plain this morning what I think
that no one will ever ask again.
Let those who are jurymen in the case-I
mean those who in the different ecclesiasti-
cal 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 cut Of it as good 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 al
most swearing mad. These brethren I notice
always open their violent meetings with
prayer before devouring each other, thus
saying grace before meat. They have moral
hydrophobia 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
MacCueary and Bridgman and Brooks ques-
lions got into full swing. May the rams Of
the sheepfold soon have their horns sawed
OH! Before the controversies are settled a
good many ministers will, through what they
call liberalism, be landed into practical in
fidelity, and others through what they call
and hard as the muinmies Of Egypt which
got through their controversies three thou
sand years ago.
! This trouble throughout Christendom
was directly inspired by Satan. He 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
being dedicated. Too many ministers were
being ordained. Too many philsnthropies
being saved. 1t had been dull time in the
neither world, and the arrivals were too few.
30 Satan one day rose upon his throne and
said, "Ye powers of darkness, hearw And
all up and down the caverns the cry was,
"Hear! Hear" Satan said: There is that
American Board Of Commissioners for For
eign Missions. 1t must either be dem olished
or crippled, or the first thing you know they
will have all nations brought to God. Apo.-
land get the professors to discussing whether
the heathen can be saved without the Cos
pei. Divert them from the work of missions
: and get them In angry convention in
q 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 Youn-
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
Tor hundreds Of years, into splendid PAN
demonium on a small scale. Abaddon the
Third! You 60 up and assault that old EpiS-
: copal Church, which has been storming the
heavens for centuries with the sublimest
prayers that were ever uttefed-church Of
: Bishop Leighton, Bishop White and Bishop
Mc1lvane and get that denomination discuss
ing men instead of discussing the eternitieS.
.Abadden the Fourth! You 60 up to that old
Methodist Church. which has, through her
revival. sent millions to heaven which we
would otherwise have addsi to our popula-
ton: the church of Wesley and Matthew
grudge, and get them 50 absorbed in discuss
ingwhether women shall take part in her
conference that they shall not have so much
time to discuss how many sons and daughters
she will take to glory"
What amazes 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 so ingenious that they
are not easily discovered. But here is a
bold and uncovered attempt of the powers
ministers to take each other by the throat,
to make religion 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
an what quarter OF the month it is best to
plant turnips In word, the effort is to
stop the evangelization Of the world. 1t
seems to me very much like this: There has
wounded and dying. There are several
drug stores near the scene Of casualty. All
the doctors and druggists are needed and
needed right away. Bandages. stimulants
.anesthetics, medicines Of all Sorts What
are the doctors and druggists doing? Dis
.cussing the contents of some old bottles on
the top shelf, bottles of medicine which
some doctors and druggists mixed two or
three hundred years ago. Come doctors"
"Come druggists" cry the people, land help
these wounded AMI dying that are being
brought from the timbars Of the crushed rail
train. In little while it will be too late.
Come for Gods sskel Come right awayT
mo" says the doctor, mot until we have
settled whether the medicine on that top
shelf was rightly mixed. I say there
yEara too MANY drar,s Of lal,dan,lr, In Il and