Democratic messenger., 1894-09-15
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
REV DR. TALMAGE DISCUSSES THE
COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

kcctarianisin, Its Origin. Its Evils and Its
Curcs-Thc Quality of Bigotry-Room
For All ON the Gospel Piatform-A Plea
For Christian Union.
BROOKLYN. Sept. 9.-Rcv. 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 Com
munion of Saints, the text chosen be-
ing Judges xii, 6: Then said they
unto him. Say now shibboleth, and he
said. sibbolcth, for he could not frame
to pronounce it right. Then they took
him and slew him at the passages of
Jordan.
do you notice tho 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 great many people. The
Lords people, Gilcad and Ephraim, got
into great fight, and Ephraim was
worsted, and on the retreat came to the
fords of the river Jordan to cross Or
der was given that all Ephraimites
coming there bc slain. But how could it
be found out who We're Ephraimites?
They We're detected by their pronuncia-
tion. Shibboleth was word that stood
for river.
The Ephraimitcs had a brogue of their
own, and when they tried to say ''shib-
boleth" always left out the sound of
the "h." When it was asked that they
say shibbolcth, they said sibboleth and
were slain. "Thcn said they unto him,
say now shibbolcth, and he said sibbo-
leth, for he could not frame to pro-
nounce it right. Then they took him
and slew him Mt the passages of Jor-
dan" A very small difference, you say.
between Gilcad and Ephraim, and yet
how much intolerance about that small
difference! The Lords tribes i'll our
time-by which mean the different de-
nominations Of Christians-sometimes
magnify very small difference, and
the only difference between scores of
denominations today is the difference
between shibboleth and sibbolcth.
Religious Discussion.
The church of God is divided into u
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
kcrs, and the Shakers, and the Quakcrs,
and tho Methodists, and the Baptists,
and the Episcopalians. and 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 men. some of them founded
by very cgotistic 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 i'll politics, in morals and in re-
lision let there be no gag law. no mov-
ing Of the previous question. no perse
cution, no intolerance.
You know that tho air and the wa
ter keep pure by constant circulation.
and think there is u 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
gibbct and hot lead down the throat
tried to make people orthodox, but it
was discovered that you cannot change
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 flame will make red wings
on which the martyr will mount tOglory.
In that time of which l speak, be-
tween the fourth and sixteenth GEN.
turies, people went from the house OF
God into the most appalling iniquity,
and right along by consecrated altars
there were tides of drunkenness and Ii
centiousness such as the world never
heard of. and the very sewers of perdi-
tion broke loose and flooded the church.
After awhile the printing press was
freed, and it broke the shackles CT the
human mind. Then there came large
number of bad books, and where there
was one man hostile to the Christian re-
ligion there were 20 men ready to advo-
cate it, so have not any nervousness in
regard to this battle going on between
truth and error. The truth will conquer
just rs certainly rs that God is stronger
than the devil. Let error run if you
only let truth run along with it. Urged
ON by skeptic's shout and dtranscendental-
lists spur, let it run. Gods angels of
wrath are in hot pursuit, and quicker
than eagles beak clutches out n hawk S
heart Gods vengeance will tear it to
pieces.
Religious Preference.
propose to speak to you of sectari-
anism-its origin, its evils and its
cures. There are those who would make
us think that this monster. with horns
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 u distinction
between bigotry and the lawful fond
ness for peculiar religious beliefs and
forms of worship. have no admiration
for nothingarian.
In u world of such tr, EicIn.onS vicis-
situde and temptation. and with u soul
that must after awhile stand before q
throne Of insufferable brightness, in n
day when the rocking of the mountains
and the flaming of the heavens and the
upheaval of the seas shall he among the
least of the excitements. to give account
for every thought, word, action. prefer
ence and dislike, that man is mad who
has 10 religious preference. But our
early education, our physical tempera-
ment. our mental constitution, will very
much decide our form of worship