Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-08-25
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE YTHE NOTED
DIVINE.
sSectarianlsm" 10 tho Subject The
Church of God Divided Into . Great
Number Of fDenoninations-The Causes
of fBigotry-Evils Of Intolerance.

NUMBER Oh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Causes
Of Bigotry-Evils Of Intolerance.
TEXT: "Then said they unto him, Say,
now Shibboleth, and he said Sibboleth;
tor he could not frame to pronounce it
tight. Then they took him and slew him
at the passages Of Jordan."-Judges xii, 6.
Do you notice the difference OF pronun-
station between shibboleth and sibboleth?
A very small and unimportant difference,
you say. And yet, that difference was the
difference between life and death for q
great many people. The Lords people,
Gilead and Ephraim. got into 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 Eph-
raimites coming there be slain. But how
could it be found out who were Ephraim-
ties? They were detected by their pronun-
citation. Shibboleth was word that stood
for river. The Ephraimites had a brogue
''shibboleth'' always left 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" very small differ
ance, you say, between Gilead and Eph-
RAIN, and yet how much intolerance about
that small difference2 The Lords tribes
in our time-by which mean the different
denominations OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
only difference between scores of denomin-
ations to-day is the difference between
shibboleth and sibboleth
The Church of God is divided into great
number of denominations. Time would
fail me to tell of the Calvinists, and the Ar
Baxterians, and the Dunkers, and the
Shakers, and the Quakers, and the Metho-
dists, and the Baptists, and the Episcopal
ians, and the Lutherans, and the Congre-
gationalists, and the Presbyterians, and the
Spiritualists and a score Of other denomi-
nations OF religionists, some of them found
cd by very good men, some of them found
cd by very egotistic men, some Of them
founded by very bad men. But as I 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 advo-
cate the largest liberty in all religious be-
lief 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
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 CEN
turies the church proposed to make people
think Alright by prohibiting discussion, and
by strong censorship of the press, and
throat, tried to make people orthodox; but
1t was 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 conscience which will hurl off
the mountain that you threw upon 1t, 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 I speak, between
the fourth and sixteenth centuries, peo-
pie went from the house of God into the
most appalling iniquity, and right along
by coDsecrated affairs there were tides of
drunkenness and licentiousness such as
the world never heard of, and the very
sewers OF perdition broke loose and food
ed 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 twenty men ready to
advocate it; so have not any nervousness
In regard to this battle going on between
Truth and Error. The Truth will con-
quer 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 skeptic's shout and transcen-
dentRlists spur, let it run. Gods angels
OF wrath are in hot pursuit, and quicker
than eagles beak clutches out a hawks
heart, Gods vengeance will tear it to
pieces.
propose to speak to you of sectarian-
ism-its origin, its evils, and it's cures
There are those who would make US think
that tEis monster, with horns and hoofs,
Is religion. I shall chase it to it's hiding
place, and drag it out of the caverns OF
darkness, and rip off, its hide. But want
to r aka a diet;no<; n X hot ,raan b;nat.u ~, =
the lawful fondness for peculiar religious
beliefs and forms Of worship. Ihave no
admiration for nothingarian.
In world of sucn tremendous vicissi-
tude and temptation, and with soul that
must after awhile stand before throne of
1nsunerable 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 excite
ments, to give account for every thought,
word, action, preference, and dislike-that
man is mad who has no religious prefer
snce. But our early education, our physi-
cal temperament, our mental constitution,
will very much decide our form of wor-
ship.
A style Of psalmody that may please me
may dispease you. Some would like to
have minister in gown and bands and
surplice, and others prefer to have a min
lister in plain citizens apparel. Some are
most impressed when little child is pre-
sented at the altar and sprinkled of the
waters of holy benediction Sin 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 signifies the
washing away OF sin. Let either have his
own way. One man likes no noise in
prayer, not word, not whisper. An
other man, just as good, prefers by gestic-
ulation and exclamation to express his de-
votional aspirations. One is Just as good
as the other. Every man fully persuaded
in his own mind"
George Whitefleld was going over a
Quaker rather roughly for some of his re-
ligious sentiments, and the Quaker said:
"George, am as thou art: am for bring
ing all men to the hope Of the Gospel;
therefore, II thpu wilt not quarrel with me
about my broad brim, will not quarrel
with thee about thy black gown. George,
give me thy hand"
ID t-acing out the religion OF sectarian-
isE or bigotry find that great deal OF it
comes from wrong education in the home
circle. There are parents who do not think
It wrong to caricature and jeer the peculiar
forms OF religion in the world, and de-