Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-08-01

In the following sermon Rev. L. De-
Witt Talmage shows what sectarian-
ism really is, it's origin, evil and cure.
The text is:
Then said they unto him, Say now Shibbo-
1eth, 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
Judges X, H., g.
Do you notice the difference of pro-
nunciation between shibboleth and
sibboleth? A very small and unim-
portant difference, you say. And yet,
that difference was the difference be-
tween 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 re-
treat came to the fords of the River
Jordan to cross. Order was given that
all Ephraimites coming there be slain.
But how could it be found out who
were Ephraimites? They were de-
tected by their pronunciation. Shib-
boleth was word that stood for river.
The Ephraimites had brogue
OF their own, and when they
tried to say ''shibboleth" 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 sibboleth, 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 abont that small
difference! The Lords tribes in our
timely which | mean the different
denominations of Christians = some
times magnify very small difference,
and the only difference between scores
of denominations to-day is the differ
ence between shibboleth and sibboleth.
The church of God is divided into a
great number of denominations Time
would fail me to tell of the Calvinists,
and the Arminians, and the Sabbath
rams, and the Baxterians, and the
Dunkers, and the Shakers, and the
Quakers, and the Methodists, and til e
EpiScopaliaus, and the Lu therans, and
the Congregationalists, and the Presby.
terians, and the Spiritualists, and a
score of other denominations of re-
hgionists, some of them founded by
very good men, some of them founded
by very egotistic men, some of them
founded by very bad men. But as | de-
mand for myself liberty of conscience,
must give that same Thirty to every
other man, remembering that he no
4 II l,44
him. l advocate the largest liberty in
all religious belief and form of wor-
ship. 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
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
gibbet, and hot lead down the throat,
tried to make people orthodox: but it
was discovered that you can not 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 a mans conscience
which will hurl off the noun tain that
you throw 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 centu-
ries, people went from the house of
God into 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 perdi-
ton brooke loose and flooded the
church. After awhile the printing
press was freed, and it broke the
shackles of the human mind. Then
there came q large number of bad
books, and where there was one man
hostile to the Christian religion there
were 20 men ready to advocate it; SO
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 skeptics shout and transcendental-
lists spur, let it run. Gods angels OF
wrath are in hot pursuit, and quicker
than eagles beak clutches out d hawks
heart. Gods vengeance will tear it tc
pieces.
propose to speak to you of sectari.
anism-its origin, it's evils and its
cures There are those who would
make US think that this monster, with
horns and hocfs, is religion. shall
chase it to It's hiding place, and drag il
out of the caverns of darkness, and rip
off it's hide. But | want to make dis
tinction between bigotry and the law.
full fondness for peculiar religious be-
liefs and forms of worship. have nc
admiration for a nothingarian.
In the world of such tremendous vi
ciSSitude and temDtatiOn and with q