The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-25
SERMON ON SECTARIANISM.
TALMAGE TELLS WHAT 1T Is, ITS
ORIGIN, EVILS AND CURE.

raimtteS-The lnnun crah ME ne
nominations of the Church of God.
Tendency in Religious Discus
sion to Publication and Health.
Much of the Religion of Setarian-
ism or Bigotry Derived From
Wrong.
Washington. July 2l-In his sermon to
day DIT. Talmage elbows what scctauaniem
really is its origin, evils and cure The
text was Judges 1856; Then said they
unto him. say now, Shibboleth, and he
said Sibbo,cth; for he could not frame 70
pronounce it right Then they took him
end slew him al the passages of Jordan
Do you notice the difference Of pronun-
citation between shibboleth and sib5oletn?
"A very small and unimportant difference,
YOU say. And yet. that difference was
the difference between life and death for
a great many people. The Lords people,
Gilead and Ephraim, got into great
fight, and Ephraim was worsted, and on
abe retreat came 10 the
fords of the River jordan
10 cross. Order was given that all
Isphraimites coming there be slain. But
how could it be found out who Were
Ephraimites? They were detected by
their pronunciation. Shibboleth was a
word that stood for river. The Ephraim-
ties had a brogue Of their own, and when
they tried to say "shibboleth" always left
out the sound of the a." When it was
asked that they say shibboleth they said
sibboleth and were slain. Then said
they unto him. say now shibboleth; ana
he said sbboleth for he could not frame
TO pronounce it right Then they took him
and slew him al the passage of Jordan
A very small difference, you say, between
Gnead and Ephraim, and yet how much
intolerance about that small difference!
The Lords tribes in our timely which
mean the different denominations of
Observation-Disclosures magnify very
small difference and the only difference
between scores of denominations to-day Is
the difference between shibboleth and
efbboleth.
The Church Of God Is divided into
great number of denominations. Time
would fail me to tell of the Calvinists and
the Arminlans, and the Sabbatarians, and
the Baxterians, and the Dunkers, and the
Shakers, and the Quakers, and the Metn-
odists and the Baptsts, and the Episco-
palians, and the Lutherans, ana the Con-
gregg tionalists, and the Presbyterldns
and the Spiritualists, and score OF other
denominations of religonists, some CT
them founded by very good men. some OF
them founded by very egotistc men, some
of them founded by very bad men. sui
as / demand for myself liberty OF CON
science, ! must give that same liberty TO
every other man, remembering thaJ ne 10
more differs from me than l differ from
him l advocate the largest liberty IN
all religious belief and form of worship
III art, in politics, in morals, and in re-
lieion let there be no gag-law, no moving
of the previous question, no persecution
no intolerance.
You know that the air and the water
keen pure by constant circulation and /
think there is a tendency in religious dis
cussion to publication and moral health.
Between the fourth and the sixteenth CEN
turtles the church proposed to make people
think Alright by prohibiting discusslon,ahd
by strong censorship Of the press, ana
rack and gibbet, ana hot lead down the
throat tried TO make people orthodox; but
ii was discovered that you cannot change
a mans belief by twisting off his head,
nor make a man see differently by putting
an awl through his eyes, There is some
thing in a mans conscience which VIII
hurl off the mountain that you threw 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 1 speak, between
the fourth ana sixteenth centuries people
went from the house of God into the most
appalling iniquity, and right along by con-
secratcd affairs there were tides of drunk
enness and Righteousness such as the world
never heard Of and the very sewers OF
perdition broke loose and flooded the
church. After awhile the prinung-press
81 he ~, ~1l.a of
the human mind. Then there came a large
number of bad books, and where there
was one man hostile to the Christian re-
ligion, there were twenty men ready to adj
vocate It; so l 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
sceptics shout and transceudentaist's spur
let ii run Gods angels of wrath are in
hot pursuit, and quicker than eagles
beak clutches out a hawks heart, Gods
vengeance viii tear it TO pieces.
i propose 10 speak to you of sectarian-
ism-its origin, its evils, and its cures.
There are those who would make us mink
that this monster, with horns and hoofs,
is religion. l shah chase it to its hiding
place, and drag it out of the caverns of
darkness, and rip off its hide. But I want
10 make a distinction between bigotry and
the lawful fondness for peculiar religious
beliefs and forms of worship. I have no
admiration for a Nottingham.
In a world of such tremendous vicissi-
tude and temptation, ana with a soul that
must after awhile stand before "a throne
of insufferabie brightness, in a day when
the rocking of the mountains and the fam
ing of the heavens and the upheaval Of the
seas shall be among the least of the eN-
elements, 10 give account for every
1cf1af 81 4 a
like-that man is mad who has no relg-
ious preference. But our early education,
our physical temperament our mental con-
stItution. win very much decide our form
OF worship.
a style of psalmody that may please
me may displease you. Some would Ike TO
have a minister IN gown and bands and
surpiice, and others prefer 10 have a min
lister in plain citizens apparel Some are
most impressed when a little child is pre-
scented at the altar and sprinkied of the
waters of a holy benedciion I'm the name
- ITat h.4s 49, 81