The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-09-14
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY,
REV, Or. TALMAGe DISCUSSES THE
COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

sectarianism, Its Origin. Its Evils and Its
cures-Tho Quality of Bigotry-Room
For All ON the Gospel Piatform-A Plea
For Christian Union.
BROOKLYN, Sept 0.-Rev, DIR. Tai
mage. who Is now IN Australia, whence
he will shortly sail for Ceylon and In.
tlia, has selected as the subject for to,
days sermon through the press Som
munion Of Saints, the text chosen be.
Ing Judges xii, 6: "Thon said they
unto him, Shy now shibboleth, and he
said, sibboleth, for he could asot frame
to pronounce it right. Then they tool;
him and slew him at the passages of
Jordan.
Do you notice the difference Of pro.
nunciation between shibboleth and sib.
boleth? A very small and unimportant
difference, you say. And yet that diff.
ference was tho difference between life
and death for q great many people The
Lords people, Gilead and Ephraim, got
into a great fight and Ephraim was
worsted, and on tho retreat came to the
fords of the river Jordan to cross Or.
der was given that all Ephraimites
coming there be slain. But how could it
be found out who were Ephraimites?
They were detected by their pronuncia-
tion. Shibboleth was word that stood
for. river.
The Ephraimites had brogue of their
own, and when they tried to say "shib,
boleth" always left out tho sound of
the "h," When it was asked that they
say shibboleth, they said sibboleth and
were slain. "Then said they unto him,
say now shibboleth, and he said sibbo-
leth, for he could not frame to pro.
nounce it right Then they took him
and slew him at the passages of Jor.
dan." A very small difference, you say,
between Gilead and Ephraim, and yet |
how much intolerance about that small |
differencel The Lords tribes in our
time-by which mean the different de- |
nominations of Christians |
magnify a very small difference and |
the only difference between scores of |
denominations today is the difference
between shibboleth and sibboleth.
Religious Discussion.
The church of God is divided into a
great number of denominations Time
would fail me to tell of the Calvinists
and the Arminians, and the Sabbatari-
ans, and the BaXterians, and the Dun
kers, and the Shakers, and the Quakers,.
and the Methodists, and the Baptists
and the Episoopalians, ard the Luther
ans, and the Congregationalists, and
the Presbyterians, and the Spiritualists,
and score Of other denominations of
religionists, some of them founded by
very good mon, some of them founded
by very egotistio men, some of them
founded by very bad men. But as de-
mand for myself liberty of conscience l
must give that same liberty to every
other man, remembering that he no
more differs from me than differ from
him. advocate the largest liberty in
all religious belief and form of worship
In art in politics, in morals and in re.
ligion let there be no gag law, no NOV
ing of the previous question, no perse-
cution, no intolerance
You know that the air and the wa
ter keep pure by constant circulation,
and think there is a tendency in reli-
gious discussion to- publication and
moral health. Between the fourth and
the sixteenth centuries the church pro
posed to make people think Alright by
prohibiting discussion, and by strong
censorship OF the press and rack and
gibbet and hot lead down the throat
tried to make people orthodox, but it
was discovered that you cannot change
a mans belief by twisting off his head
nor make man see differently by put
ting an awl through his eyes. There is
something in mans conscience which
will hurl off the mountain that you
threw upon it, and, unsinged of the fire,
out of the fame will make red wings
on which the martyr will mount toglory
In that time Of which speak, be- !
tween the fourth and sixteenth GEN.
turtles, people went from the house of
God into the most appalling iniquity,
and right along by consecrated affairs
there were tides Of drunkenness and H.
centiousness such as the world never
heard of, and the very sewers of perdi- /
ton broke loose and flooded the church.
After awhile the printing press was I
freed, and 1t broke the shackles of the {
human mind. Then there came large +,
number Of bad books, and where there I
was one man hostile to the Christian re- 8
ligion there were 20 men ready to advo- I
cate it, SO have not any nervousness in {
regard to this battle going OH between i
truth and error. The truth will conquer 9
just as certainly as that God is stronger 3
than the devil Let error run if you .
only let truth run along with it. Urged e
on by skeptic' shout and transcendental- /
lists spur, let it run. Gods angels of g
wrath are in hot pursuit, and quicker r
than eagles beak clutches out a hawks
heart Gods vengeance will tear it to
pieces.
Religious Preference.
propose to speak to you of sectari.
anlsm-its origin, its evils and its
cures. There are those who would make :
us think that this monster with horns r
and hoofs, is religion. shall chase it !
to its hiding place and drag it out of =
the caverns of darkness and rip off its {
hide But want to make distinction =
between bigotry and the lawful fond :
ness for peculiar religious beliefs and q
forms of worship. have no admiration =
for nothingarian.
In world Of such tremendous vicis- =
situde and temptation, and with soul
that must after awhile stand before :,
throne of insufferable brightness, in =
lay when the rocking of the mountains !
and the flaming of the heavens and the :,
lpheaval of the seas shall be among the 3
east OF the excitements, to give account +
for every thought. word, action, prefer. 8,
'nce and dislike, that man is mad who i
has no religious preference. But our a
'arly education, our physical tempera- >
nent, our mental constitution, will very !,
much decide our form of worship h
A style Of psalmody that may please T
ne may displease you. Some would like r
20 have minister in gown and bands :.