Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-09-15
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE DISCUSSES THE
COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

REV. DR.. TALMAGE DISCUSSES THE
COMMUNION OF SAINTS.
sectarianism, It's Origin. Its Evils and Its
Cures--The Quality of Bigotry Room
1 For All on tho Gospel piatform--A Plea
For Christian Union.
BROOKLYN, Sept. 9.--Rev. DR.. Tai
mage. who is now in Australia, whence
no will shortly sail for Ceylon and In
dia, has selected as the subject for to-
days sermon through the press Com
munion of Saints, the text chosen be-
ing Judges xii, @: 'sThen said they
unto him, Say now shibboleth, and he
said, sibboleth, for he could not frame
to pronounce it right. Then they took
him and slew him at the passages Of
Jordan"
4 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 the difference between life
and death for great many people. The
Lords people, Gilead and Ephraim, got
into a great fight. and Ephraim was
vorsted, and ON the 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
DO found out who were Ephraimites?
They were detected by their pronuncia
tion. Shibboleth was a word that stood
for river.
The Ephraimites had brogue of their
own, and when they tried to say "shib-
i bolethn ALWAYS left out tho sound of
tho "h." When it was asked that they
saw shibboletb. thew said sibboleth and
were slain "Then said they unto him.
saw 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
differencei The Lords tribes in our
time-by which mean the different de-
nominations of Christians-sometime
magnify very small difference, and
the only difference between scores of
I denominations today is the difference
| between shibboleth and sibboleth.
Religious Discussion.
The church Of God is divided into
great number of denominations. Time
would fail me to tell of the Calyinists,
and tho Arninians. and the Sabbatari-
ans. and the Baxterians, and the Dun
kers. and the Shakers. and the Ouakers,
and the Methodists, and the Baptists,
and the Episcopalians. and the Luther
ans, and the Congregationalists, and
the Presbvterians. and the Spiritualists,
and a score of other denominations of
religionists. some of them founded by
very good men, some of them founded
by yery eeotistic men. some of them
founded by very bad men. But as 1 de-
mand for myself liberty of conscience
must give that same liberty to every
other man, remembering that he no
more differs from me than differ from
him. I advocate the largest liberty in
all religions belief and form of worship.
In art in politics, in morals and in re-
lieion let there be no gag law. no NOV
ing of the preyious question. no perse-
cution. no intolerance
You know that the air and the wa
fer keen nure Inv constant circulation
and l think there is a tendency in reli-
gious discussion to notification and
moral health. Between the fourth and
tho sixteenth centuries the church nro.
posed TO mako neonIe think Alright nv
prohibiting discussion. and by strong
censorship of the press and rack and
pibbet and hot lead down the throat
fried 70 make neonle orthodox. Init il
was discovered that Won cannot change
q mans bolief nv twisting off his head
nor make man see differently by put
ting an awl through his ewes There is
something in a mans conscience which
will hurl off tho mountain that Won
threw upon it. and. unsinged of the fire
ont of fine fame will make red wings
on which the MARTYR will mount toplory
T., +h,+ +;,,o oe which T e,,oaI- no
tween tbo fonrtb and sixteentb cen.
tnries nconIo went from the bonse of
Cod into tho r,ost annaIling in;onitv
and r;gbt along Inv consecrated alters
there were tides of drnnkennoss and H.
centiOusnpss such rs the world never
bnord Of and tbe verv sewers If nerdi-
tion brol,a 1ooso and foo5ad tho c,inrcb
Aftor awhile tbo nrintipg nrees was
freed and II broka tho shacl,les Of tbe
brr,a, mind Thep there came a 1oroe
rn,nhor of had hooks aud where there
,yos ono MAJ, hostile n tbo Cbris+;or ro.
ligiop tbor, were % ,na, roadv 70 odvo-
80 = Tb,ro rot ON, ,,o,.v.1,,s,,aS,, i,
regard to tbis bottIo c,oirg ~, bot,r.oo,,
trnth and orror Tho tr,tl, will conoyor
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