The Penn's Grove record., 1894-09-14
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN,
DAY SERION.
Subject: "Communion of Saints

he could not frame to pronounce 1t right.
Then they took him and slew him at the pas
sages of Jordan. "-Julgss xii. 6.
Do you notice the difference Of %pronuncia.
tion between shibbo,eth and tlbboleth? A
very small and ~unimportant difference, YOU
say. And yet that difference vas the differ
ence between life and death 70: a great many
people. The Lords people. Gllead n
Ephraim, got into a great fight, and Eph-
rain was worsted. and on the retreat came
to the 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. S~hibho!eth
was a word that stood for river.
The Ephraimites had a brogue of their
own, and when they tried to say "shib-
boleth" always left out the sound OF the
'h." When 1t was asked that they say shib-
boleth, they said sibboleth and were slain.
'Then said they unto him. say now shib-
boleth, 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" A very small difference, you say.
between Gilead and EpNraim, and yet how
much intolerance about that small differ
cree! The Lords tribes in our timN-by
which 1 mean the different denominations
OF Christians-sometimes magnify a very
small difference, and the only difference be-
tween scores of denominati ons to-day is the
difference between shlbboleth and sibboleth.
The church of God is divided into a great
number OF denominations. Time would 1ail
me TO tell OF the Calvinists. and the Armin.-
ans, and the Sabhatarians, and the Baxter'-
ans, and the Dunkers, and the Shakers, and
the Quakers, and the Methodists, and the
Baptists, and the ~Episcopaliars, and the
Lutherans, and the Congregationalists, and
the Presbyterians, and the ~Spiritualists, and
a score of other denominations OF religion
lists, some of them foun Ell fy very cool
men, some OF them founded by very ego
ttstic men, some OF them founded by very bad
men. But as l demand for mysslf liberty of
conscience 1 must give that same libertyt to
every other man, remembering that he no
more differs from me than l differ from him.
| advocate the largest liberty in all religious
belief and form of worship. In art, in poll
tics, in morals and in religion let there be
no gag law, no moving of the previous ques-
tion, no persecution, no intolerance.
You know that the air and the water keep
pure by constant circulation, and l think
there is a tendency in religious discussion
to publication and moral health. Between
the fourth and the sixteenth centuries the
church proposed TO make people think
Alright by prohibiting discussion, AMI 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
| aNtiStihS VII liz hEdl hOI uldhS u mdn Stb
differently by putting an awl through his
Ieyes. There is something in a mans con-
science which will hurl Off the mountain
that you threw upon 1t, 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 1 speak, between the
fourth and sixteenth centuries, people went
nom the house of God into the most APP
palling iniquity, and right along by con-
I ~'ecrated affairs there were tides of drunken
mess and RIGHTEOUSNESS such as the world
never heard o., and the very sewers of per-
1ition broke loose and flooded the church.
After awhile the printing press was freed,
and it broke the shackles of the human
mind. Then thee 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 II, so I
have not any 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
It. Urged on by skeptic's shout and tram
'cendentalist's spur, let it run. Gods angels
u wrath are in hot pursuit, and qu'ckerthan
Eagles beak clutches out a hawks heart
Gods vengeance will tear it to pieces.
propose to speak to you OF sectarianism
its origin, its evils and its cures. There
are those who would make us think that
this monster, with horns anil hoo!s, is re-
ligion. l shall chase it to its hiding pace
and drag II out OF the cayerns of darkness
and rip off its hide But / want to make a
distinction between bigotry and the lawful
.IIondness for peculiar religious beliefs AMI
forms o. worship. Ihave no admiration for
4 ~nothingarian.
In a world of such tremendous vicissitu 10
and temptation, and with a soul that must
latter awhile stand before a throne OF in
l~sufferable brightness, In q day when tho
rocking Of the mountains and the flaming OF
the heavens and the upheaval of the seas
shall be among the least of the excitements,
10 give account for every thought, word,
action, preference and dislike, thai 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.
A style of psalmody that may please me
may displease you. Some would like to have
a minister in gown and bands and surplice,
and others prefer to have a minister in plain
citizens apparel. Some are most impressed
when a little child is presented at the altar
! and sprinkIed OF the waters of a holy bene-
diction Sin the name of the Father, and Of
the Son, and OF the Holy Ghost" and others
are more impressed when the penitent 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 10 noise in
| prayer, not a word, not a whisper. Another
man, just as good, prefers by gesticulation
4 AMI to express his devotional
aspirations. One is just as good as the other.
"Every man fully persuaded In his W
mind"
George Whiteileld was going over q
Quaker rather roughly for some of his re-
: ligious sentiments, and the Quaker said
George, 1 an as thou art. 1 am for bring
ing all men to the hope OF the gospel. There
| fore, If thou will not quarrel with me about
| my broad brlm, l will not quarrel with thee
| about thy black gown. George, give me thy
hand"
In tracing out the religion OF ssctarianlsm
or bigotry l find that a great deal OF 1t comes
from wrong education in the home circle.
There are parents who do not think 1t wrong
to caricature and jeer the peculiar forms OF
religion in the world ami denounce other
| sects and other denominations 1t is very
often the cass that that kind Of education
| acts lust opposite to what was expected, and
the children grow up, and after awhile go
| and see for themselves, and looking in those
churches and finding that the people are
good there, and they love God I'M Keep HIS
com naudments, by natural reaction they go
and Join those very churches. l could men,
lion he names OF prominent ministers OF the
rospel WHO spent their whole life lombard.
ing other denominations, and who lived TO
see their children preach the gospel in thoss
very denominations. But il is often the case
that bi2otry starts in a household, and that
the subject OF il never RECEIVERS. There are
tens OF thousands of bigots ten years old.
think seetariGnism and bigotry also
rss from too great prominence of any one
denominat, on in a community. Allthe other
denominations are wrong. and his denomi-
nation is right because his denomination is
the most wealthy, or the most popular, or
the mos influential, AMI it is Tour" church.
and sour religious organization, and ''our''
choir, and "our" minister, and the man
losses his head and wants other denominI.
tions TO know their places.
1t is a great deal better in any community
when the great demo ninations OF Christians
are about equal in power, marching sid by
side for the worlds conquest. Mere outside
prosperity, mere worldly power, Is no evil
dence that the church is acceptable to God.
Better a barn with Christ in the manger
than a cathedral with magnificent harmo-
MES rolling through the long drawn aisle
and nm Onual frnpn haaN,aN In Nha nu1Rff ~