Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-09-21
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: ECommunion of Saints.'

TEXT: "Tt en- said they unto him, Say
now shibbOleth, and he said, sIbEOleth, for
he could not frame to pronounce it right.
Then they took him and slew HIN at the pas
sages Of Jordan. Judges xii, 6.
Do you notice tire difference OF pronuncia-
tiOn between shibbOleth and shhO!etht A
very small and unimpOrtant difference, you
say. And yet that difference was the differ
ence between life and death for great many
people. The Lords people. Giiead and
Ephraim, got into a great fight, and Eph-
rain was wOrsted, ani on the retreat came
to tho fOrds ofthe 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 de-
tected by their pronunciation. ShibSoleth
was n word that stood for river.
The Ephraimites had n brOgue Of their
own, and when they tried to say "shib-
boleth" always left out the sound Of the
"h- When il was asked that they say shib-
| bolUth, they said sibboleth AMI were slain.
'Ihen said they unto him. say now shlb-
bOleth, and he said sibhOleth, for he could
not frame to pronounce it right. Then they
took him and slew lin az the passages OF
Jordan" A very small difference, you say,
! between GileaI and EDtratm. and Yet how
! much intolerance about that small differ
| cree! The LOrd'S tribes in our timely
| which [ mean the different denominations
| of Christians-sOmetimcs magnify a very
| small difference, and the only difference be-
| tween scores of denominations to-day is the
| difference between shibbOleth and sibbOleth.
The church of God is divided into great
number of denominations. Time would tail
me to tell OF the Cdlvinsts. and the Armint-
ans, and the Sabbatarians, and the B&Hteri-
ans and the Dunkers ana the Shakers, and
the Quakers, and the Methodists, and the
Baptists, and the Episcopaliars, and the
| Lutherans, and the COngregatiOnaistS, and
! the Presbyterians, and the Spirituaists, and
q score Of other denominations OF religion
lists, sor of them founded by very good
men, some of them founded by very ego
tistiC men, some of them founded by very bad
men. But as demand for myself liberty of
conscience [ must give that same liberty to
every other m2n, remembering that he no
more differs from me than | differ from him.
l advocate the largest liberty in all religious
belief and form of worship. In art, in poll
tics, in morals ausl in religion let there be
no gag law, no moving of the previous ques-
| ton, no persecution, no intolerance.
You know that the air and the water keep
| pure by constant circulation, and [ think
| there is n tendency in religious discussion
! to publication ana moral health. Between
| the fourth and the sixteenth centuries this
| church proposed to make people think
Alright by prohibiting discussion. AMI by
strong censorship of the press and rack and
| gibbet and not lead down the throat tried to
that you cannot change Il mans belief by
twisting off his head nor make man see
differently by putting an 'aWl through his
eyes. There is something in a mans con-
science which will hurl off the mountain
that you threw upon it. and, unsinged of the
fire, out OF the flame will make red wings
on which the martyr will mount to glory
In that time Of which l speak, between the
fourth and sixteenth centuries, people went
| from the house of God into the most ap-
pallinG iniquity, and right along by cen
secratel affairs there were tides of drunken
ness and licCntiOusnesS such rs the world
never heard Of, and the very sewers of per-
dttiOn broke loose and flooded the church.
After awhile the printing press was freed,
and 1t broke the shackleS of the human
mind. Then these came a large number OF
bad books, and where there was one man
hostile to the Christian religion there were
twenty men ready TO advocate it, SO l
have not %ny nervousness in regard to this
/ battle going on between truth and error.
The truth will conquer just as certainly rs
that God is stronger than the devil. Let
error run if you only let truth run along with
1t. Urged on by shentic's shout and tran
scendentalist's spur, let it run. Gods angels
OF wrath are in hot pursuit, ami QuicGerthan
, eagles bcak clutches out a hawks heart
| Gods vengeance will tear it to pieces.
l propose TO speak to you of sectaranism
its origin, its evils and its cures. There
are 'GOse who would mako us think that
this monster, with horns AMI hOO!S, is re-
hgiOn. l shall chase i to its hiding place
and drag it out OF the cavernS of darkness
and rip off its hide. But [ want to make Il
distinction between bigOtry and the lawful
fondness for peculiar religious beliefs and
, forms OF worship. / have no admiration for
a nOthingarian.
In a world of such tremendous vicissitude
md temptation, and with a soul that must
after awhile stand before q throne of in
[ l. ..l,A
rocking of the mountains and the flaming of
the heavens and the upheayal of the seas
shall be among the least of the excitements.
TO give account for every thought, word,
action, preference and dislike, that man is
mad who has no religious preference. But
our early education, our physical tempera-
ment, our mental constitution, will very
much decide our form of worship.
style of pS..imOdy that may please me
may displeaseyOu. Some would like to have
n minister in gown and bands and surpice,
! and others prefer to have a minister in plain
| citizens apparel. Some are most impressed
when little child is presented at the altar
and sprinlled of the waters of holy bene-
| dictiOn 'fn the name of the Father, and of
! the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" and others
! are more impressed when the pentent comes
! up out of the river, his garments dripping
/ with the waters of a baptism which signifies
| the washing away of sin. Let either have
! his own way. One man likes no noise in
prayer, not a word. not whisper. Another
| man, Just as good, prefers by gesticulation
and exclamation to express his devotional
! aspirations. One is just as good as the other.
"Every man fully persuaded in his own
! mind"
George Whitefleld was going over a
! Quaker rather roughly for some of his re-
| ligious sentiments. and the Quaker said
| George, l am as thou art. am for bring
| ing all men to the hope of the gospel. There
/ fNrn will
my broad brim, will not quarrel with thee
about thy black gown. George, give me thy
/ hand
| In tracing out the religion Of sectar1anism
or bigOtry 1 find that great deal of it CONES
from wrong education in the home circle.
| There are parents who do not think it wrong
to caricature and ieer the peculiar forms o
religion in the world and denOunce othe
sects and other denominations. 1t is very
often the case that that kind of education
| acts Just opposite to what was expected, anC
| the children grow up, ana after awhile g
| and see for themselves, and looking in thos
| churches aud finding that the people arr
good there, and they love God and keep br
| commandments, by natural reaction they g
and Ioin those very churches. l could men
tion the names Of prominent ministers OF th'
| gospel who spent their whole lie bomDarG
ing other denominations, and who lived t
| see their children preach the gospel IN thOS
| very denominations. But it is often the cas-
that bigotry starts in a household. and tina
the subject of it never RECEIVERS. There ar
| tens of thousands of bigots ten years old.
[ think sectarianism and bigOtry ais
rise from too great prominence of any on
denomination in a community. All the othe
| denominations are wrong. and his denomi
nation is right because his denomination
the most wealthy, or the most popular, o
the most influential. and it is 'our" church
and 'four" religious organization, and "our
choir, and "our'' minister. and the mai
tosses his head and wants other denomlna
tions to know their places.
1t is q great deal better in any communit.
when the great denominations OF Christians
are about equal in power. marching sIde oN
side for the worlds conquest. Mere outside
prosperity, mere worldly power, Is no evi
dence that the church is acceptable to God
Better barn with Christ in the mangel