The Forrest City times., 1891-06-19
THE BATTLE OF CREEDS.
DR. TALMACE PHILOSOPHERS ON THE PRESENT SITUATION.
He Says Che Ministers Should Go to Work and Teach the Simple Cos. pei and Avoid Hair-SpIitting-SOm Timely Christian Advice.

Talmage dealt in his sermon this morning with the very timely topic, the Battle of Creeds His text was taken from Proverbs % IT: "Ile that passeth by and meddleth with strife belonging not to him is like one that taketh dog by the ears"
 Solomon here deplores the habit of rushing ill between contestants, of talk 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 q dog by the ears. Nothing so irritates the canines 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 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 cars'"
 This is time of resounding eccles.as- tical quarrel. Never within your mem- ory or mine has the air been so full of 1 missiles. The Presbyterian Church has on hand controversy so great that it 1 finds it prudent to postpone its settle ment for at least one more year, hoping that something will turn up. The i Episcopal Church has cast out some re- calcitrants. ''Shall women preach?'' ''Or be sent as delegates to Confer ence?" are questions that have put many of our Methodist brethren on the
 anxious seat" And the waters in some of the great baptistries are l troubled waters. Because of the controversies throughout Christondom
 the air is now like an August afternoon about o'clock, when 1t has been steam ing hot all day, and clouds are gather ing, and there are lions of thunder
 with grumbling voices and flashing i eyes coming forth from their cloudy 1 lairs, and people are waiting for the | full burst of the tempest
 Let those who are jurymen in the
 case, 1 mean those who in the different 1 ecclesiastical courts have the questions put directly before them, weigh and
 decide.
 l This trouble throughout Christendom, i was directly inspired by Satan. He saw
 that too much good was being done.
 Recruits were being gathered by hun- | dreds of thousands to the Gospel stand
 ard 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 i, being fostered. Too many souls were being saved.
 1 What amazes me most is that all peo- l pie do not see that the entire movement
 at this time all over Christendom is Sa- | tanic. Many of the internal attacks are 1 sly and hidden and strategic and so in- 1 genious that they are not easily discov- l cred. But here is bold and uneov- l cred attempt of the powers of dark
 ness to split up the churches, to 1 get ministers to take each other
 by the throat, to make religion a laugh- | ing stock of earth and he'll to leave i the Bible with no more respect or l authenticity than an old almanac of | 1899, which told what would be the 1 change of weather six months ahead i and in what quarter of the moon it is best to plant turnips In word, the l effort is to stop the evangelization of ! the world.
 Now, what part shall you and take in this controversy which fills all Chris
 tendon with clangor? My advice is: Take no part. In time of riot all may
 ors of cities advise citizens to stay at home or in their places of business and in this time of religious riot advise you to go about your regular work for God. You, q man only five or six feet high, ought not try to wade an ocean a thousand feet deep. My own experi- ence has been vivid
 Creeds have there uses. but just now the church is crceded to death, The young men entering the ministry are going to be launched in the thickest fog that ever settled on the coasts.
 You sec God knew as much when he made the Bible as he knows now He has not learned single thing in six thousand years. He knew at the start that the human race would go wrong and that would be the best means of its restoration and redemption. And the law which was thun- dered on Mount Sinai, from whose tops had the two tables of stone in wonder wall transported. is the perfect law.
 
 while dying on that Mount from which l brought that stone in wonder wall and which Paul preached on that hill from which I brought wonder granite, is the Gospel that is going to save the world. Young man, put on that Cos pei armor! No other sword will tri- umph like that. No other shield will protect like that. No other helmet will ylanee off tho battie-axas 1il.a that Now, what is the simple fact that you in the pew and Sabbath school class and reformatory association and we in the pulpits have to deal wlth? lt is this that Gold has somewhere, somewhere, provided that great heaven, great for quietness for those who want quiet, great for vast as- semblage for those who like multitudes, great for architecture for those who like architecture, great for beautiful landsca cape for those who like beautiful landscape, great for music for those who like music, great for pro- armies on white horses and great for anything that one especially ocsires in such rapturous dominion; and through the doings of One who was born about five miles south of Jeru- salem and died about ten minutes walk from its eastern gate all may enter that great heaven for the earnest and heartfelt asking. Is that all? That is all What, then, is your work and mine? Our work is to persuade people to face that way and start thither- ward and finally go in.