The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-09-19
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Communion of Saints. -


now shibboleth. and he said, sibboleth, for
he could not frame to pronounce II right
Then they took him and slew him at the pas
sages of Jordan. Judges xii, 6.
Do you notice thedifference of pronunc1a-
ton between shibboleth and sibbolethE
very small and unimportant difference, you
say. And yet that difference was the dltier-
ence between life and death for great many
people The Lords people, Gilead ana
Ephraim, got into great hght, ana Eph-
rain was worsted and on the retreat came
10 the fords ofthe river Jordan to cross. Or
der was given that all Ephraimites coming
there be slain. But how could it be found
ont who were Ephraimites? They were de-
tected by their pronunciation. Shlbooleth
was word that stood for river.
The Ephraimites had brogue OF their
own, and when they tried to say snip"
boleth" always left out the sound OF the
Ssh" When it was asked that they say shib-
boleth. they said sibboleth and were slain.
''Then said they unto him, say now shlD-
boleth. and he said sbboletb, for he could
not frame to pronounce 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 differ
ence! The Lords tribes in our timely
which I mean the different denominations
of Observation-Disclosures magnify very
small difference and the only difference be-
tween scores of denominations to-day is the
difference between sh1bboleth and sibboeth.
The church of God is divided into a great
Aumber of denominations. Time would fail
me to tell of the Calvinists and the ArmlnI-
ans, and the Sabbatarians, and the Baxteri-
ans, and the Dunkers, and the Shakers, and
fhe Quakers, and the Methodists, and the
Baptists, and the Episcopaliars, and the
Lutherans, and the Congregationalists, and
the Presbyterians, and the Spiritualists, and
a score of other denominations of religion
lists, some of them founded by very good
men, some OF them founded by veES ego
tistic 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 differs from me than | differ from him.
advocate the largest liberty in all religious
belief and form of worship. In art, in poll
tics, in morals and in religion let there be
no gag law, no moving OF the previous ques-
AiOn, no persecution, no intolerance.
You know that the air and the water keep
pure by constant circulation, and l think
9here is a tendency in religious discussion
10 publication and moral health. Between
the fourth and the sixteenth centuries the
church proposed to make people think
Alright 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 twas discovered
that you cannot change mans belief by
twisting off his head nor make a man see
differently by putting an 'awl through his
eyes. There is something in a mans con-
science 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, between the
fourth and sixteenth centuries, people went
from the house of God into the most APP
Palling iniqufty, and right along by con-
secrated affairs there were tides of drunken
ness and RIGHTEOUSNESS such as the world
never heard OF, and the very sewers of per-
aition 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 religion there were
twenty men ready to advocate if, so /
nave 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 ifyou only let truth run along with
IT. Urged on by skeptics shout and tran
Soendentalist's spur, let it run. Gods angels
OF wrath are in hot pursuit, and quckerthan
eagles beak clutches out a hawks heart
Gods vengeance will tear it TO pieces.
Ipropose TO speak to you of sectarianism
its origin, its evils and its cures. There
are those who would make us think that
this monster, with horns and hoofs, is re-
hgion. l shall chase it to its hiding place
and drag it out of the caverns of darkness
and rip off it's hide. But want to make a
distinction between bigotry and the lawful
Jondness for peculiar religious beliefs and
forms of worship. L have no admiration tor
= nothingarian.
In q Of viz
and temptation, and with soul that must
after awhile stand before a throne of in
BUtferable 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,
10 give account Tor every thought, word,
action, preference and dislike, thar man is
mad who has no religious preference. But
our early education, our physical tempera-
xnent, 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
a minister in gown and bands and surplice.
and others prefer to have minister in plain
citizens apparel. Some are most impressed
when a little child is presented at the altar
and sprinkIed of the waters of holy bene-
Giction Sin the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" and others
are more impressed when the penitent comes
up out of the river, his garments dripping
with the waters of baptism which signifies
the washing away of sin. Let either have
his own way. One man likes no noise in
prayer, not a word, not a whisper. Another
man, just as good, prefers by gesticulation
and exclamation to express his devotional
aspirations. One is just as good as the other.
''Every man fully persuaded in his own
mind"
George Whitefeld was going over a
Quaker rather roughly for some of his re-
ligious sentiments, and the Quaker said
''George, am as thou art. I am for bring
ing all men to the hope of the gospel. There
fore, if thou will not quarrel with me about
my broad brim, will not quarrel with thee