The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-10
COMMUNION OF SAINTS.
The Text Of Rev. TalmasG'S Sermon
Taken From Judges xii, E.

70 PUBLICATION ana moral Health.
Bigotry the Result of Wrong Edu-
cation in the Home CircIe-The Day
Coming When All Christians VIII
Join Hands Around the Cross of
Christ.
Brooklyn, Sept. 9.-Rev. DIR. Talmage
who is now in Australia, whence he will
shortly sail for Ceylon and India, has
selected as the subject for to-day's ser
mon through the press: Communion of
Saints, - the text chosen being Judges 70:
6, Then said they unto him, Say now
Shibboleth: 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"
Do you notice the difference Of pronun-
citation between shibboleth and sibboleth7
A very small and unimportant difference,
you say. And yet, that difference was
the difference between life and death for
. great many people. The Lords people.
Gilead and Ephraim, got into a great
fight, and Ephraim was worsted, and on
the retreat came to the fOrds of the river
Jordan to cross. Order was given that
all Epraimites coming there be slain. But
how could it be found out who were Ephra-
mites They were detected by their pro-
nunciation. Shibboleth was a word that
stood for river. The Ephraimites had a
brogue of their own, and when they tried
10 say ''shibbolethn always left out the
sound of the "h. - When it was asked that
they say sbibboleth they said sibboleth,
and were slain. Then said they unto
him, say now shibboleth and he said sib-
boleth, for he could not frame TO pro
nounce it right. Then they took him and
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 difference
The Lords tribes in our timely which
4 mean the different denominations of
observation-disclosures magnify a very
small difference, and the only difference
between scores of denomination to-day s
the difference between shibboleth and
sibboleth.
The church of God is divided into a
Rrdat number of denominations. Time
would fail me to tell of the Calvinists,
and the Arminians, and the Sabbatarians
and the Baxterians, and the Dunkers, and
the Shakers, and the Quakers, and the
Methodists, and the Baptists, and the
Episc0paliaRs, and the Lutherans, and
the Congregationalists, and the Presby-
terians, and the SpiTitualists, and a score
Of other denominations of religionists,
some of them founded by very good men,
some nf them found by very egotistic
men, some Of them founded by very bad
men. But as l demand for myself liberty
of conscience, I must give that same
liberty to every other man, remembering
that he no more differs from me than ]
differ from him. l advocate the largest
liberty in all religious belief and form of
worship. In art, in politics, in morals,
and in religion, 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
think there is tendency in religious dis
cussion to publication and moral health.
Between the fourth and the sixteenth
centuries the church proposed to make
people think Alright by prohibiting dis
cusslon, and 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 mans belief by twisting
on his head, nor make man see differ
emily by putting an anvil through his ewes.
There is something in a mans conscience
which will hurl on the mountain that you
threw upon it, and, unslnged 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, between
the fourth and sixteenth centuries, peo-
pie went from the house of God in the
most appalling iniquity, and right along
by consecrated affairs there were tides Of
drunkenness and RIGHTEOUSNESS such as
the world never heard of, and the very
sewers of perdition broke loose and
flooded the church. After a 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
IgTn
men ready to advocate it; so l have not
any nervousness in regard to this battle
going on between Truth and Error The
truth viii conquer Just as certainly as
that God is stronger than the devil. Let
Error run ii you only let Truth run along
with it. Urged on by sceptic's shout and
Observation-Disclosures spur, let it run. Gods
angels of wrath are in hot pursuit, and
quicker than eagles beak clutches out
hawks heart, Gods vengeance will to ar
1t to pieces.
propose to speak to you 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. l shall chase it to its
hiding place, and drag it out of the cav
ems OF darkness, and rip off its hide But
! want to make distinction between big
otrv and the lawful fondness for peculiar
religious beliefs and forms of worship. |
have no admiration for nothingarian.
In world OF such tremendous vicissi-
tude and temptation, and with a soul that
must after while stand before throne
of insufferable brightness, in 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, preference, and
dislike-that man is mad who has no re-
hgious preference But our early educa-
tion, our physical temperament, our men
tai 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 10 have a
minister in plain citizens apparel Some
are most impressed when little child is
presented at the altar and sprinkled of
the waters Of the holy benediction lin
the name OF the Father, and of the Son,
and Of the Holy Ghost" and others are
more i'm pressed when the penitent comes
up out of the river, his garments dripping
with the waters of baptism which sig
mites the washing away of sin Let
either have his own way. One man likes
no noise in prayer, not a word, not
whisper. Another man, just as good. pre-
fers by ResticulatiOn aud exclamation
to express his devotional aspirations.
One is just as good as the other Every
man fully persuaded in his own mind"