Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-08-10
SERMONS OF THE DAY

'Ssctarisnism" IL the Subject - The
Church Of God Divided Into . Great
Number Of Dsno,ninations-The Causss
Of Bigotry-Evils OF Intolerance.
TEXT: "rhen said they unto him. Say,
for he could not frame to pronouncs 1t
| right. Then they took him and slew him
at the passages OF Jordan."-Judges XIII. 8.
Do you notice the difference OF pronun-
citation between shibboleth and sibbolethi
| A very small and unimportane difference,
| you say. And yet. that difference was the
| difference between life and death for q
Gilead and EphTaim. got into great fght.
and Ephraim was wofsted. and on the re-
treat came to the {ords OF the river Jordan
| to cross. Order was given that all Eph-
raimites coming there be slain. But how
could Il be found out who were Ephrsim-
| citation. Shibboleth was q word that stood
for river. Tho Ephraimites had brogue
OF their own. and when they tried to say
| shibboleth" always left out the sound Of
the .h;" When II was asked that they say
shiPboleth they said sibboleth. and were
shibboleth; and he said sibboleth. for he
could not frame to pronounce II right,
Then they took him and slew him at the
passages OF Jordan" A very small differ
| ance. you Pay. between Gilead and Eph-
rain. and Yet how much intolerance about
that small difference7 The Lords tribes
In our time-by which mean the different
denominations Of Observation-Disclosures
magnify very small difference, and the
only difference between scores Of denomin-
attons to-day 70 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
minians, and the Ssbbatarians, and the
Baxterisns. and the Dunkers, aud the
Shakers, and the Quakers, and the Metho-
dists, and the Bsptists. and the Episcopal
/ ians, and the Lutherans. and the Congre-
gstionalists, and the Presbyterians, and the
| Spiritualists, and a score Of other denomi-
nations Of reliRionists. some of them found
| ed by very good men, soue OF them found
cd by very eRotfstic men. some OF them
founded by very bad men. But as l 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
ties, 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 Q tendency In religious dis
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
| rack. and gibbet. and hot lead down the
| throat, tried to make people orthodox; but
| 1t was discovered that you cannot change
q mans belief By twisting of his head, nor
make Q man see differently by putting an
| awl through his eyes. There is something
| in q mans conscience which will hurl of
lsA uA-l- AI-A
| 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 speak, between
tho fourth and sixteenth centuries, peo-
pie went from the house OF God into the
by consecrated affairs there were hdes Of
drunkenness and nceatiousness such q
the wors,: aver hes~a Of, nod the very
sewers OF perdition broxe loose and food
ed the church. After awhile tho printing
press was freed, and 1t broke the shackles
| Of the human mind. Then there came a
large number Of bad books, and where
there was one man hostile to the Christian
religion. there were twenty men ready to
advocate 1t; 80 have not any nervousness
Truth and Error. The Truth will con-
quer just as certainly as that God Is
stronger than the Devil. Let Error run II
you only let Truth run along with 1t.
Urged on by skeptic's shout and transcen-
dentalist's spur. let It run. Gods angels
than eagles beak clutches out a hawks
heart, Gods vengeance will tear 1t to
~sT:,o.. ~ssiTss: - .n... - von ., s..,.,,., =.
ism-its origin. its evils, and its cures.
There are those who would make us think
Is religion. I shall chase It to Its hiding
place. and drag It out Of the caverns OF
darkness. and rip on its hide. But want
to make distinction between bigotry and
the lawful fondness for peculiar religious
beliefs and forms Of worship. have no
admiration for a nothingariRn.
In world Of such tremendous vicissi-
tude and temptation, and with a soul that
must after awhile stand before a throne Of
insunerable 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 excite
ments. to give account for every thought,
word, action, preference, and dislike-Shat
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 displease you. Some would like to
have minister In gown and bands and
surplice, and others prefer to have a min
|
most impressed when q little child Is pre-
sented at the altar and sprinkled Of the
waters OF holy benediction ''in the name
Of the Father. and OF the Son. and Of the
Holy Ghost. !" and others are moro impressed
when the penitent comes up out Of the
river, his garments dripping with the
waters OF q baptism which signifies the
washing away OF sin. Let either nave his
own way. One man likes no noise In
prayer, not q word. not q whisper. An
other man. just as good. prefers by gestic-
ulation and exclamation to express his de;
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: ! am for bring
ing ali men to the hope Of the Gospel
therefore. II thou wilt not quarrel with me
about my broad brim, I will not quarrel
with thee about thy black gown. George
give me thy hand"
In tracing out the religion OF sectarian.
ism or bigotry find that great deal OF II
comes from wrong education In the home
circle. There are parents who do not think
II wrong to caricature and jeer tho peculiar
forms Of religion in the world. and de-
nounce other sects and other denomina
tions. I could mention the names OF prom.
inent ministers Of the Gospel who spent
their whole lives bombarding other de-
nominations and who lived to see theil
children preach the Gospel in those very
denominations. But 1t Is often the cas'
that bigotry starts In a household, ant
that the subject Of 1t never RECEIVERS
There are tens OF thousands Of bigots tel
years old.
Bigotry Is often the child OF ignorance
You seldom find man with large intellec
who is n bigot, 1t is the man who think
he knows great deal, but does not. Tha
man Is almost always a bigot. The who'll
tendency OF education and civilization 1
tC bring man out Of that kind OF state o
| mind and heart.
So 1 have set before ysu what consider
to be the causes OF bigotry. have set be
fore you the origin Of this great evil
What are some OF the baneful effects
First OF all. 1t cripples investigation. Yo,
are wrong, and am right, and that end
/ Il. No fasfa for axnloration no snirit q