The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-08-04
NO SECTARIANISM.

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4 ~ - In the foasowins
~ discourss DR.. Tai.
@N nAss clearly d.
AA fines the reasoni
~ ~ vhy we shoult
- aold In respect q
AE religious beliefs
V That We are not to
~>D think the only road
~ 90 heaven isthrossk
our particular church. The text Ia
Judses XII. 6: "rhen said they unt'
him. Say nov Shibboleth. and he said
sibboieth. for ne could not frame to
pronounce II right. Then they took him
and slew him It the passages Of Jor-
dan >riir'
Do you notice the difference Of pro.
nunciation between Shibboleth and sib.
boleth? A very small and unimportant
difference. you say. and yet that differ
ence was the difference between life
and death for q great many people.
The Lords people. Gilead and Ephra!m,
rot into q 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 com
ing there be slain. But how could IT
be found out who were Ephraimites
They were detected by their pronun-
citation. Shibboleth was a word that
stood for river. The Ephraimites had
brogue Of their own. and when they
tried to say "shibboleth" always LEFT
out the sound of the "h." When 1t was
asked that they say shibboleth, they
said sibboleth, and were slain. Then
said they unto him. cay now shibboleth,
and he saLi sibboleth. for he could not
frame to pronounce 1t 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 difference. The Lords tribes
In our time--by which l mean the diff
ferent denominations Of Christians
sometimes magnify very small differ
ence, and the only difference between
scores Of denominations to-day Is the
difference between shibboleth and sib-
boleth.
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 Sabbatari-
ans. and the Baxterians and the Dun
kers, and the Shakers and the Quak-
ers, and the Methodists and the Bap-
lists. and the Epsccpalians and the
Lutherans, and the Congregationalists
and the Presbyterians. and the spirtu-
alsts and score OF other denomina-
tions OF religionists. 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 l demand for myself lib
erty Of conscience. l must give that
same liberty to every other man. re-
memberng that he no more differs from
me than / differ from him. l advo-
cate the largest liberty in all religious
belief and form of worship. In art, In
politics, in morals, and in religion lei
previous question, no persecution, nC
| Intolerance.
You know that the air and the wa
ter keep pure by constant circulation
and l think there is q tendency in re-
ligious 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 am
gibbet and hot lead down the throat
tried to make people orthodox, but il
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. Their,
will hurl off the mountain that yol
threw upon 1t. and. unsinged by tn,
fire, out OF the flame will make rec
wings on which the martyr will mount
to glory.
In that time OF which ! speak, be-
tween the fourth and sixteenth centu
ries, people went from the house o
God into the most appalling iniquity
and right along by consecrated altar:
there were tides OF drunkenness ant
Righteousness such as the world nevel
heard Of, and the very sewers of per
dtion broke loose and flooded tn,
church. After a while the println;
press was freed and It broke the shack
les OF the human mind. Then ther,
came a large number Of bad books. an,
where there was one man hostile to tn,
Christian religion there were twent!
men ready to advocate It. So hav,
not any nervousness in regard to thi
battle going on between truth and er
TOR. The truth will conquer just as Ger
tainly that God is stronger than tn,
devil Let error run IL you only lie
truth run along with 1t. Urged on b!
skeptic's shout and transcendentalist
spur. let 1t run. Gods angels Of wratl
are In hot pursuit. and quicker thar
eagles beak clutchesss out hawk