The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-07-01
BATTLE OF CREEDs.
Satanic Movements Aimed at
Chrigt's Work.
Questions Of Divinity which Only the
Judgment Day VIII Settle, when the
Light of Eternity Flashes Upon Our
Splrits-Talmage's Sermon

judgment Day Will SETTLE, Wnen tho
Light of Eternity Flashes Upon Our
Spirits-Talmsge's Sermon
DR.. Talmage's text Sunday was taken
from Proverbs xviii. "He that pass
eth by and meddleth with strife belong
ing not to him is like one that taketh
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 COM
pares it to the experiment of taking
dog by the ears. Nothing so irritates the
CANNES as to be clutched by the Jugs.
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 intelli-
gent or spirited dog will stand that
''Now," says Solomon, '.you 90 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 q dog by
the ears"
This is time of resounding ecclesiast-
ical quarrels Never within your men,
DRY or mine has the air been SO full Of
missiles The Presbyterian Church has
on hand controversy so great that 1t
finds it prudent to postpone its settle
ment for at least one more year, hoping
that something will turn up. Some
body might die or new general assem-
bly, may have grace to handle the excit-
ing questions The Episcopal Church
has cast out some recalcitrants, and its
digestive organs are taxed to the utmost
in trying to assimilate others. 'Shall
women preach?" or ''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 through
out Christendom the air is now like an
August afternoon about o'clock. when
it has been steaming hot all day, and
clouds are gathering, and there are lions
of thunder with grumbling voices and
flashing eyes coming forth from 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 1
hope it will soon be over. In regard to
the battle Of the creeds am every day
asked what think 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 Il mean those who in the different
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 man as he
goes in. Some OF the ministers, in all
denominations, who, before the present
ascerbity were good and kind and use
full, now seem almost swearing mad.
These, brethren, notice, always open
their violent meetings with prayer be-
fore 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 McQueary and Bridg-
man and Brooks questions got into
full swing. May the rams of the
sheepfold soon have their horns
sawed off. Before their controversies
are settled good many ministers
will, through what they call liberal
ism, be landed into practical infidelity.
And others through what they call con-
servatism, will shrink up into bigots
tight and hard as the mummies of
Egypt which got through their contro-
versies 5000 years ago.
This trouble throughout Christian
dom, was directly inspired of Satan.
He saw that too much good was being
done. Recruits 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 or
dained. Too many philanthropies 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: Eye powers
of darkness, hear'' And all up and
down the caverns the cry was: "Hear!
Hear!" Satan said: There is that
American board of commissioners for
foreign missions. 1t must either be de.
molished or crippled, or the first thing
you know they will have all nations
brought to God. Apollyon the Younger
You go up to Andover and get the pro
fessors discussing whether the heather
can be saved without the Gospel Diver
them from the work of missions and ge
them in angry convention in room a
Young's hotel Boston, and by the time
they adjourn the cause of foreign mis-
sions will be gloriously and magnifi
Gently injured. Diabolus the Younger
You go up and get Union Theological
seminary of New York and the genera
assembly of the Presbyterian church a
Detroit at swords points and diverted
from the work of making earnest min
listers of religion, and turn that old
Presbyterian church, which has been
keeping us out of customers for hun
dreds of years. into splendid pande