Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-09-15
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
lev. DR.. TALMAeE DISCUSSES THE
COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

REv. DR.. TALMAGE DISCUSSES THE
COMMUNION OF SAINTS.
sec.arlanfsn, Its Origin, Its Evils and Its
Cures Tho Quality of Bigotry-Room
For All ON tho Gospel Platform--A Plea
For Christian Union.
BRooEEsN, Sept. Brew. DR.. Tai
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, 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 pro-
nJnciation between shibboleth and sib-
boleth? A very small and rlnimportant
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
iato great fight, and Ephraim was
worsted, and On the retreat came to the
fords 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 Ephraimites2
They were detected by their pronuncia-
ton. Shibboleth was word that stood
for river.
The Ephraimites had brogue of their
own. and when they tried to say ''shib.
boleth" always left out tho sound OF
the 'h. {" Wheni it was asked that they
say .shibboEeth, 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-
nounce it right. Then they took him
and slew him at tho passages of Jor-
dam, A very small difference, you say,
between Gilead and Ephraim, and yet
how much intolerance about that small
diferencel The Lords tribes in our
time-by which I mean the different de-
nominations Of Christians-sometimes
magnify q 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 Sabbatarl-
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
ans, .and the Congregationalists, and
the Presbyterians and the Spiritualists,
and q score of other denominations OF
religionists, some Of them founded by
very good men, some Of them founded
by very egotistio men, some of them
founded by -77c1;e9ry had men. But as 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. I advocate the largest liberty IN
alltael ;2saiens belief and form Of worship:
Ii art in politics, in morals and in re-
ligion let there be no gag law, no NOV
ing Of the previous question, no perse-
cution, no intolerance.
You know that the dir 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 mako people think Alright by
prohibiting discussion, and by strong
censorship Of the press and rack ana
gibbet and hot lead do"n the throat
tried to make people orthodox, but 1t
was discovered that you cannot change
a mans belief by twisting off his head
nor make man see differently by put
ting 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 fame will make red wings
on which the martyr will mount to glory.
In that time of which I 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 IL
centiousness such as the world never
heard of, and the very sewers of perdl-
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-
lipion there were 20 men ready to advo-
cate it, SO Ihave not any nervousness IN
regard to this battle going on between
truth and error The truth will conquer
lust 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 5 shout and transcendenFnl-
lists spur, let it run. Gods angels of
wrath are in hot pursuit, and quicker |
than eagles beak clutches out hawks
heart. Gods vengeance will tear it to
pieces.
Religious Preference.
propose to speak to you of sectarl-
anism-its origin, its evils and its
cures. There are those who would make
us think that this monster, with horns
and hoofs, is religion. I shall chase it
to its hiding place and drag 1t out OF
the caverns of darkness and rip off Its
hide. But want to make distinction
between bigotry and the lawful fond
ness for peculiar religious beliefs and
forms of worship I hare no admiration
for nothingarian.
In world Of such Tremendous yfo'a.
situde and temptation, and with q soul
that must after awhile stand before
throne of insuferable brightness, in
day when the rocking CT the mountains
and the flaming Of the heavens and the
upheaval OF the seas shall be among the
1ao-G of fl,o oyoitopantc t0 give account