Connecticut western news., 1894-09-13
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
REV, oR rAlMAGs DISCUSSES THE
 COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

REV, oR rAlMAGs DISCUSSES THE
 COMMUNION OF SAINTS.
 s~~s~rs>Aa.sA. ns. origin. Its Evns and Its
 Car~s-rAe Quality of Bigotry-Room
 Fur All ea the Gospel Platform-A Plea
 Tor Christian Union.
 BRooKLyN, Sept 9.-Thv. Dr. Tal. mage, who is now in Australia, whence he will shortly sail for Ceylon and In- dia, 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, sibbolesh, for he could not frame to pronounce it right Then they took him and slew him at the passages of Jordan. : Do you notice the difference of pro- nunciation 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 people. The Lords people. Gilead and Ephraim. got into great fight, and Ephraim was worsted, and on the retreat came to the lords of the river Jordan to cross Or der was given that all Ephraimites coming there be slain. But how could 1t be found out who were Ephraimites? They were detected by their pronuncia- tion. Shibboleth 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 it was asked that they say shibboleth, they said sibboleth and were slain. "Then said they unto him, say now shibboleth, and be said sibbo- leth, for he could not frame to pro- nounce it right Then they took him md slow him at the passages of Jor- dan" A very small difference, you say, between Gilead and Ephraim, and yet how much intolerance about that small differenoel The Lords tribes in our time-by which mean the different de- nominations 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 a great number of denominations Time would fail me to tell of the Calvinists, and tho 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 Episoopalians. and the Luther anA and the Congregationalists, and tho Presbyterians, and the Spiritualists, Andsa n score of other denominations of religionists, some of ther founded by very good men, some of tbepi founded by very egotistio. men. some of them founded by very bad men. But as de- mand for myself liberty .: conscience l mnst give that same liberty to every okher man. remembering that ho no moro differs from me than differ from him. l advocate the largest liberty in all religions belief and form of worship In art in politics, in morals and in re- ligion let there be no gag law. no mov- ing of the previous question. no perse- cution, no intolerance
 You know that the air and the wa
 
 and think there is tendency in relf- gious discussion to purification and moral health. Between the fourth and the sixteenth centuries the church pro- posed to make people think aright by prohibiting discussion. and by strong censorship of, the press and rack and gibbet and hot lead down the throat tried to make people orthodox. but 1t was discovered that you cannot change Q man's belief by twisting of his head nor make man see differently by put ting m awl through his eyes. There is something in mans conscience which threw upon it, and, unsinged of the fire, out of the flame will make red wings on which she martyr will mount to glory
 In that time of which 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 oonsecrated altars there were tides of drunkenness and H. centiousness such as the world never heard of, and the very sewers of perdi- ton 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- heion there were 90 men ready to advo- cate it, so I 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 skeptio's shout and dtranscendental- ist's spur. let 1t run Gods angels of wrath gre in hot pursuit. and quicker than eagles beak clutches out hawks heart Gods vengeance will tear it to piecea
 Religious Preference.
 propose to speak to you of sectari- anism-its origin, its evils and it's cures. There ara those who would make us think that this monster. with horns and hoofs, Is religion. I shall chase 1t to its hiding place and drag it out of the caverns of darkness and rip on its hide. But want to make distinction between bigotry and the lawful fond nees for peculiar religious beliefs and
 
 forms of worship. have no admiration for nothingarian.
 In 8 world of such tremendous vicis- situde and temptation, and with 8 soul that must after awhile stand before . throne of insunerable brightness, in a day when the rocking of the mountains and the flaming of the heavens and the upheaval of the seas shall be among the least of the excitements, to give account for every thought word, action. prefer enoe and dislike, that man is mad who has no religious preference But our early education. our physical tempera- mant. 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 . minister in gown and bands and surplice, and others prefer to have
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