Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-28
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
EHE ORIGIN OF SeCTARlANlSM AND
ITS EVILS AND CURE.

copyright. 1898. by American Press Asso-
ciatiou1
WASHINGTON, July 24.-In his sermon
today DR.. Talmage shows what scotarian
ism really is, its origin, evils and cure.
Whc text was Judges xii, 6: "Thcn snid
they unto him, Say now shibbulcth, and
he said sbbolcth, for he could not frame
to pronounce it right Then they took
him and slew him at the passages of Jor-
dan
Do you notice the difference of pronun.
pintion between shibbocth and sibboleth?
4 very small and unimportant difference,
You say, and got that difference was tho
difference between llfc and death for
great many people, Tho Lords people,
6ilcad and Ephram, got into great fight,
md Ephraim was worstoG and on the re.
gcat came TO the fords Of the river Jordan
10 cross. order was given that al!
Ephraimitcg coming there be slain. But
Sow could it be found out who were
tphraimtcsf They were detected Ivy their
Recommendations Shibbolcth was a word
hat stood for river. Tho Ephraimtcs
lad n broguc of their own, and when they
Iricd to say 'shibbolcth" always left out
hc sound of the "h " When it was asked
MAT they say shibholcth, they said sibb1-
eth, and were slain. "Thcn said they
INTO him, say now shibbolcth, and he said
bibbolcth, for he could not frame TO pro
nouncc it right. Then they took him and
slcw him nt tho passages of Jordan" a
very small difference, sou say, between
Gilcad and Ephrnim, and yet how much
intolerance about that small difference
The Lord tribes in our timely which |
mean the different denominations of
Christians--somctincs magnify very
small difference, and the only difference
between scores of denominations today is
the difference between shibboleth and sib-
bolcth
The church of God is divided into u
great number of denominations. Time
would fail me to tell Of the Calvinists, and
The Arminans, and the Sabbatariuns, and
tho Baxtcrians, and tho Dunbors, ard the
Shakers. and the QuUlers, and the Meth
odists and the Baptists, and the EpiSco-
palians, and the Luthcrans, and the Con-
Crcgationalists, and the presbytcrians,
and the Spiritualists and u score of other
denominations OF rcligiunists, some Of
them founded by very good mon, some of
them founded by very cgotistic men, some
of them founded by very bad men, But
as / demand for myself liberty Of con.
science must give that Same liberty to ev-
cry other man, remembering that he no
more differs from mo than | differ from
him. advocate the largest liberty in all
religious belief and form of worship In
art, in politics, in morals and i'm religion
let there be no gag law, no moving Of the
previous question, no persecution, no in
tolerance.
You know that the air and tho water
keep pure by constant circulation, and !
think there is n tendency in religious dis
cussion to publication and moral health.
Between the fourth and the sixteenth CEN
turtles tho church proposed to make people
think Alright by prohibiting discussion,
and by strong censorship of the press and
rack and gibh"t and hot lead down tho
throat tried to make people orthodox, but
1t was discovered that you cannot change
mans belief by twisting oil his head,
nor make man sec differently by putting
an awl through his eyes There is some
thing in mans conscience which will
hurl off the mountain that you threw up
on It, and, unslngcd of the fire, ont Of tho
flame will make red wings on which the
martyr will mount to glory.
In that time Of which speak, between
thc fourth and sixteenth centuries, people
went from the house of God into the most
appalling iniquity, and right along by
consccratcd affairs there were tides OF
drunkenness and Righteousness such as
the world never heard Of, and the very
sewers Of pcrGtiOn broke loose and flooded
tho church After awhile the printing
press was freed and it broke the shacklc,
of the human mind. Then there came
large number of bad books, and wher,
there was one man hostile to the Christian
religion there were 20 men ready to advo
cato IL So have not any nervousness il
regard to this battle going on between
truth and error, The truth will conquer
just as certainly as that God is strongc
than the devil. Let error run if You onl,
let truth run along with it Urged on b!
skeptic's shout and transcendentalist'
arc in hot pursuit and quicker than eagle
beak clutches out hawks heart God
vengeance will tear it to pieces
Phases of sectarianism.
propose to speak to you Of scctarian
fsm-its origin, its evils and its cures
There are those who would mako us thinl
shat this monster with horns and hoofs /
religion. / shall chase it 10 its hdinj
place and drag it out of tho cHverns o
darkness and rip off its hide But wan
to make q distinction between bigotry an
the lawful fondncss for peculiar religion
beliefs and forms of worship. | have n
admiration for Nottingham.
In IA world of such tremendous Yiciss
tude and temptation and with n soul tina
must after awhile stand before thron
OF insufferahle brightness, in II day whe
the rocking OF the mountains and tn
flaming Of the heavens and tho uphcayu
of the sens shall be among tho least of III
excitemcnts, to give account for ever
thought, word action, preference and di'
likc-that man is mad who has no r,
ligious preference. But our early educf
ton, our physical temperament, our mcr
tai constitution will very much decide ou
form of worship.
A style of psalmody that may please IN
may displeaso you. Some would like {
have a minister in gown and bands an
surplicc, apd others prefer to have mil
lister in plain citizon's apparel. Some NJ
most impressed when little child is pr,
sented at tho altar and sprinkled Of II
waters Of holy bencdction sin the nan
of the Father, and of the son, and Of tt
Holy Ghost" and others are moro in
pressed when tho penitent comes up ont
the river his garments dripping with II
waters Of n baptism which signifies Il
washing away Of sin. Let either have h
own way. One man likes no noise
prayer-not "A word, not whisper, Al
other man, just as good, prefers by gesti
ulntion and exclamation to express his d
votional aspirations. One is just MS goo
as the other. Every man fully persuade
In his own mind.
George Whiteficld was going over
Quaker rather roughly for some of his r