Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-07-25
FORMS OF WORSHIP.
EVILS OF SECTARlANfSM DR.. TAI
MAGE'S THEME.


to Break Down DenomiRationai barriers.
The Man Who Can See Only One Side
Will Always Be Bigot.
ciation-l
WASHINGTON, July 24.-In his ser
mon today DIR. Talmage shows what
sectarianism really is, it's origin, evils
and cure. The text was Judges xii, 6:
<fThen 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.
Do you notice the difference OF pro-
nunciation between shibboleth and sib-
boleth? A very small and uni1nportant
difference, you say. And yet that diff
ference 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 retreat came to the
fords Of the river Jordan to cross. Order
was given that all Ephraimites coming
there be slain But how could it be
found out who were Ephraimities: They
were detected by their pronunciation.
Shibboleth was word that stood for
river The Ephraimites had q brogue of
their own, and when they tried to say
''shibboleth" always left out the sound
of the CHI 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 1T right. Then they took him
and slew him at the passages Of Jor-
DAN" A very small difference, you say,
between Gilead and Ephraim, and yet
how much intolerance about that small
differencel The Lords tribes in our
time-by which 7 mean the different
denominations of Christians = some
times magnify very small difference,
and the only difference between scores
of denominations today is the difference
between shibboleth and sibboleth.
The church of Gcd is divided into
great number Of denominations Time
would fail me to tell of the Calvinists,
and the AIminians, and the Sabbath
rians, and the Baxterians, and the Dun
kers, and the Shakers, and the Quakers,
and the MethOdists. and the BaptistS,
and the Episcopalians, and the Luther
ans, and the Congregationalists, and
the Presbyterians, and the Spiritualists,
and a score of other denominations of
reigionists, 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 / de-
mand for myself liberty of conscience I
must give that same liberty to every
other man, remem bering that he NO
more differs from me than differ from
him. 1 advocate the largest liberty in
all religious belief and form of wor-
ship. In art, in politics, in morals and
in religion let there be no gag law, no
moving of the previous question, no
persecution, no intolerance.
Mans Conscience.
You know that the air and the wa
ter keep pure by constant circulation,
and think there is a tendency in re
Hgious discussion to publication and
moral health. Between the fourth and
sixteenth centuries the church proposed
to make people think Alright by prohib-
iting discussion, and by strong censor
ship of the press and rack and gibbet
and hot lead down the throat tried to
make people orthodox, but it was dis
covered 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 some
thing in a mans conscience which will
hurl off the mountain that you threw
upon it, and unsinged of the fire out of
the fame will make led wings on
which the martyr will mount to glory.
In that time of which l speak, be-
tween the fourth and sixteenth centu-
ries. people went from the house Of God
into the most appalling iniquity, and
right along by consecrated altarssthere
were tides Of drunkenness and licen-
tiousness such as the world never heard
of, and the very sewers of perdition
broke loose and flooded the church.
After awhile the printing press was
freed, and it 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 90 men zeady to adj
vocate it, so have not any nervousness
in regard to this battle going on be-
tween 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 skeptic's shout and trans
cendentalist's 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.
Cure For Sectarianiszn.
propose to speak to you of sectarian-
iSu1-itS 0ripin itS OWLS and 1tS c11roc
There are those who would make US
think that this monster, with horns and
hoofs, is religion. / shall chase it to its