Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-09-10

Tor Christian Union.
BRooKLyN, Gopt. 0.--Rev. DR.. Tai
age, who is now in Australia, whence
will shortly sail for Ceylon and In.
Eia, has selected as tho subject for to.
lays sermon through tho press Com.
nsnnion of Saints" the text chosen be.
ing Judges xii, 6: "Then said they
Yfito him, Say now shibboleth, and Inc
1aid, sibboleth, for he could not frame
Ip pronounce it right. Then they took
hiin and slew him at the passages OF
tordan. "
Do you notice tho difference of pro-
nnnciation between shibboleth and sib-
Ilpleth? A very small and unimportant
Reference, you say. And yet that diff
larcnce was the difference between life
nsd death for "a great many people. The
Jord's people, Gilead and Ephraim, got
;nto a great fight, and Ephraim was
WDrsted, and OH the retreat came TO the
lords of the rivor Jordan to cross. Or
1er was given that all Ephraimites
conling there be slain. But how could it
be found out who were Ephraimites?
They were detected by their pronuncia-
Non. Shibboleth was word that stood
for river.
The Ephraimites had q brogue of their
own, and when they tried to say "shib-
boleth" always lett 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 sibbo-
leth, for he could not frame to pro-
nonpce it right Then they took him
and slew him at the passages of Jor-
dam A very small difference, you say,
between Giload and Ephraim, and yet
how much intolerance about that small
siifferencel The Lords tribes in our
time-by which / mean the different de-
Examinations of Christians-sometimes
magnify a very small difference, and
the only difference between scores of
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 Calvinists,
and the Arminians, and the Sabbatari-
ans, and the Baxterians and the Dun
kers, and the Shakers, and the Quakers,
and the Methodists and the Baptists,
and the Episcopalians, and the Luther
anG, and the Congregationalists, and
the Presbyterians, and the Spiritualists,
and score of other denominations Of
reiigionists, some of them founded by
very good men, some of them founded
bF very egotistic men, some of them
founded by very bad men, But as l 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. / advocate the largest liberty in
oil religious belief and form of worship
IN art in politics, in morals and i'll re-
ligion let there be no gag law, no moy-
ing of thu previous question, no perse-
cution, no intolerance.
You know that the air and the wa
ter keep pure by constant circulation,
and / think there is 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
gihbet and hot lead down the throat
tried to make people orthodox, but it
WINS discovered that you cannot change
a mans belief by twisting off his head
nor make a man see differently by put
ting an awl through his eyes, There is
something in a mans conscience which |
will hurl off the mountain that you
fhrew upon it, and, unsinged of the fire,
out of the flame will make red wings
on which the martyr will mount toglory. |
Iii 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 affairs
there were tides Of drunkenness and Ii
cuntiousness such as the world never
heard of, and the very sewers of perdi.
ti0n broke loose and flooded the church.
After awhile 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 re-
lieion there were 20 men ready to advo-
N3IfN ~ hO ANfO HOb ~
regard TO this battle going OH between
truth and error The truth will conquer
Just as certainly as that God is stronger
ihen the devil. Let error run if you
only let truth run along with it. Urged
6Ii BY slIeptic's s shout and transoendental'
ial's spur, let it run. Gods angels Of
wrath are in hot pursuit, and quicker
tAnn eagles beal1 clutches-out hawks
neaft Gods vengeance win tear IL 70
tI4ces.
Religious Preference.
propose to speak 70 You OF sectari'
oi|'1ln--its origin, its evils and its
N0IAt There arc those who would make
~ 'Nink that this monster, with horns
HnH hoofs, is religion. shall chase il
~ ~ hiding place and drag 1t ont Of
W. (aveps Of darkness and rip of its
N'''f But ! want 10 make distinction
N.' Vol bigotry and tho lawful fond
|I# [pr peculiar religious beliefs aud N