The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-09-12
SECTARTANISM.
DR.. Telmage Discusses It's Origin,
It's Evils, and It's Cures.
He Advocates the Largest Liberty in hell
glous Belief : Intolerance Between
Sects Denounced-The Church of
God Never Intended as
q War Barrack.

selected as the subject for his recent
sermon through the press, Communion
of Saints" the text chosen being Judges
IL, VII:
"Then said they unto him, say now Shibbo-
leth; and he said Sibboleth; for he could not
frame to pronounce 1t right. Then they took
him, and slew him at the passages Of Jordan"
Do you notice the difference of pro-
nuciation 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 peo-
pie. The Lords people, Gilead and
Ephraim, got into q great fight and
Ephraim was worsted, and on the re-
treat came to the fords of the river
Jordan to cross. Orders were given
that all Ephraimites coming there be
slain. Put how could it be found out
who were Ephraimitesp They were de-
tectod by their pronunciation. Shib-
boleth was word that stood for river
The Ephraimites who had to say
"shibboleth" always left out the 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
sibboleth, for he cold not frame to pro-
nounce it right. Then they took him
and they slew him at the passages of
Jordan" 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 differ
ent denominations of Christians-some-
times magnify very small difference,
and the only difference between scores
of denominations to-day is the differ
ence between shibbolcth and sibboleth.
The Church of God is divided into a
great number of denominations. Time
would fail me to tell of Calvinists, and
the Arminians, and the Sabbatarians,
the BaXterians, and the Dunkers, and
the Shakers, and the Quakers, and the
Methodists, and the Baptists, and the
Episcopalians, and the Lutherans, and
the Congregationalists, and the Pres
byterians, and the Spiritualists, and a
score of other denominations of relig-
ionists, some of them founded by very
egotistic 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
man, remembering that he no more diff
fers from me than differ from him. l
advocate the largest liberty in all re-
ligious belief and form of worship. In
art, in, politics. in morals, and in re-
ligion, let there be no gag law, no
moving of the previous question, no
persecution, no intolerance.
You know that the air and the water
keep pure by constant circulation, and
l think there is tendency in religious
discussion to publication and moral
health. Between the fourth and six
teenth centuries the church proposed
to make people think Alright by prohib-
iting discussion, and by strong censor
ship of the press, and rack, and gibbet,
and hot lead down the throat, tried to
make people orthodox; but it was dis
covered that you canot change mans
belief by twisting off his head, nor
make man see differently by putting
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
to glory.
In that time Of which l speak, be-
tween the fourth and sixteenth CEN
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
licentiousness such as the world never
heard of, and the very sewers of perdi-
ton broke loose and flooded the church.
After while the printing press was
freed, and it broke the shackles of the
human mind. Then there came 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 / have not any
nervousness in regard to this battle
going on between Truth and Error.
The truth will conquer just as certainly
as 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 transcendentalist's spur, let
it run. Gods angels of wrath are in
hot pursuit, and quicker than eagles
beak clutches out a hawks heart,
Gods vengeance will tear it to pieces.
propose to speak oyou of sectarian-
ism-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 a distinc-
tion between bigotry and the lawful
fondness for peculiar religious beliefs
and forms of worship. have no ad-
miration for nothingarian.
In world Of such tremendous vicis-
situde and temptation, and with soul
that must after awhile stand before the
throne Of insufferable brightness, in a
day when the rocking Of the mountains
and the flaming of the heavens and the
upheaval of the seas shall be amongst
the least of the excitements, to give ao-
count for every thought, word, action,
preference and dislike-that man is
mad who has no religious preference.
But our early education, our physical
farnnara ynant our rnental constitution