St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-01-01
THE SECTARIAN PRESS.
Possibilities and Powers Of Re-
ligious Journalism.
1t Is Really More Potent, When Properly
Conduct ed, Than the Church-Pui-
pits That Preach by Day
and by hight.

1t Is Really More Potent, When Properly
C0ntuc, ed. Than the Churca-Pui-
pits That Preach by Day
and by hight.
In the following discourse Rev. I.
Dewitt Talmage shows the wonderful
power for good of the sectarian press
of the country. The text is:
Then turned. and lifted up mine eyes, and
looked. ANA behold flying grolL-zechariahv, /
In dream the prophet saw some
thing rolled up advancing through the
Heavens. 1t contained 4 Divine mes
sage. 1t moved swiftly, as on wings.
It had much to do with the destiny oil
nations. But if you will look up you
will see many flying rolls. They come
with great speed aud have messages for
all the earth. The flying rolls of this
century are the newspapers They
carry messages human and Divine.
They will decide the destiny of the
hemispheres.-
There are in the United States about
90, 0hO newspapers The religious
newspaper of which ] am the editor
was born 10 years ago, but born again
seven years ago. Our country was
blest with many religious journals,
edited by consecrated men, while their
contributors were the ablest and best
of all professions and occupations.
Some of those journals for half q CEN
tury had been dropping their benedic-
tions upon the nation, and they live
on, and will continue to live on until
there will be no more use for their
missions, the world itself having be.
come q flying roll on the tempests oi
the last day, gonig out Of existence.
There will be no more use for such
agencies when the world ceases, be.
cause, in the spiritual state, we shall
have such velocity that we can gather
for ourselves all the news of Heaven,
or. seeing some world in confagration.
may go ourselves in an instant TO ex-
anime personally the scene of disaster.
Was there room for another religious
journal in this land. already favored
with the highest style of religious
journalism? Oh, yes. if undenomina'
tional, plenty of room. Nothing can
ever take the placeof the denominations
nj newspaper. When the millennium
comes in, it will find as many denomi-
nations as there are now. People. ac-
cording to their temperanents, will al
ways prefe, this or that form of church
government, this or that style Of wor-
ship. You might rs well ask us all TO
worship in one house as to ask us all
to worship in one denomination. o. to
abolish the regiments of an army in
order TO make them one great host.
But then. there are great movements
in which all denominations wish to
Join, and we want more undenomina-
tional newspapers to marshal and adj
vance and inspire such movements.
Undenominational journalism is abso-
lutely necessary to demonstrate the
unity of the Christian world. Wide
| and desperate attempt is made to show
that the religion of Jesus Christ is only
| q battle-ground of sects; and the cry
has been: IF You want us to accep,
your religion. agree, gentlemen. as to
what the religion really is. This de-
nomination says q few drops Of water
dripping from the end of the fingers is
| baptism, and another demands the
submergence of the entire body. This
one prays with books, and that one
| makes extemporaneOus utterance.
The rector of one delivers his SER
mon in gown, while the backwoods
preacher of another sect addresses the
people in his shirt-sleeves. Some of
your denominations have the majestic
dominant in the service, and others,
spontaneity. Some of you think that
from all eternity some were predes-
tinated to be saved, and that from all
eternity others were doomed" Now,
it is the business of Young Mems
Christian associations and tract
societies aud Sunday-School unions
and pronounced undenominational
Journals, to- show the falsity of the
charge that we are fighting among
ourselves, by gathering all Christian
denominations on one platform OF
launching the unite sentiment of ell
Chrlstendom from one style of religious
printing press.
Unity! Complete unity! Never was
any other army on earth SO thoroughly
united under one flag. and inspired by
one sentiment, and led by one com,
mander, as is the church militant.
Christ commands all the troops of all
denominations of Christians, and-they
are going to shout together in the final
victory when the whole world is re-
deemed.
But we have in all our denominations
got tired of trying to make other peo-
pie think as we do on all points. The
heresy-hunters in all denominations
are nearly ali dead, thank God, and we
are learning that when men get wrong
in their faith. instead of martyrizing
them by arraignmen we do better te
wait for the natural roll of years to re-
move them. Men die, but the truth
lives on. We may not all agree as tc
the number of teeth in the iawbone
with which Samson slew the Philis
tines. or agree as to what the exact
color Of the foxes which he set on fire
to burn up the corn shocks; but. on the
vitals OF religion we all agree.
If we could call into one great con.
ven ton the 645, 566 EpiscopaiianS. the
/, 4a0 905 Lntherans. the /, 406. $40 Pres
byterians, the 4.Is3,S57 Baptists. the
5.653 eS.. Methodists, putting unto them
the following questions we would gel
unanimous answer in the affirmative
Do you believe in God, good, holy,
just, omnipotent? Do you believe in
Jesus Christ as . Saviour? Do you be
lieve in the convicting, converting and
sanctifying power OF the Holy Ghost;
10 you believe that the Gospel is going
to conquer all nations? II you should
put these questions to those assembled
millions on millions. while there wouEd
not be solitary negative. there would
be an aye. aye! loud enough to make
the foundations of the earth trembls
a,.l tho arches pf the hsavs.nS q reS onnd