The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-07-27
.SECTARIANISM
It Is the Cause of Much Trouble
in the Church Of Christ.
Kev. Or. Talmage Calls 1t Blgotry and In
tolerance and Says 1t Is Often the Child
of IgnOrance-The Difference be-
tween Many Scots Trifiing
and UnimpOrtant


mage shows how the different relig-
ious denominations originated and
what he thinks ought to be the atti-
tude of the church in dealing with
them. The text is Judges 12: g.:
''Then 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
sibboleth? A very small and unimpor-
tant differei e, you say. And yet,
that difference was the difference be-
tween life and death for great many
people. The Lords people, Gilead and
Ephraim, got into a great fight, and
Ephraim was worsted, and on the re-
treat 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 Ephriamites? They were de-
tected by their pronunciation. Shib-
boleth was word that stood for
river. The Ephriamites had a brogue
of their own, and when they tried to
say "shibboleth" always left out the
sound of the "h." 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 it right. Then
they took him and slew him at the
passages of Jordan" A very small
difference, you say, between Gilead
and Ephriam, and yet how much in
tolerance about that small difference!
The Lords tribes in our time-by
which mean the different denomina-
tions of Observation-Disclosures mag
Nifty a very small difference, and the
only difference between scores of de-
nominations to-day is 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 Arminians, and the Sabba-
tarians, and the Baxterians, and the
Dunkers, and the Shakers, and the
-Quakers, and the Methodists, and the
,Baptists, and the aEpiscopalians, and
the Lutherans, and the Congregations
alists, and the Presbyterians, and the
Spiritualists, and score of other de-
nominations of religionists, some of
them founded by very good men,
some of them founded by very ego
tistic men, some of them founded by
very bad men. But as 1 demand for
myself liberty of conscience, l must
give that same liberty to every other
man, remembering that he no more
differs from me than 1 differ from
him. I advocate the largest liberty
N all religious belief and form of
worship.
You know that the air and the
water keep pure by constant circula-
tion, and think there is tendency
in religious discussion to purification
and moral health. Between the fourth
and the sixteenth centuries the
church proposed to make people think
Alright by prohibiting discussion, and
by strong censorship of the press, and
rack, and gibbet, and not lead down
the threat, tried to make people Or
thodox; but it was discovered that
you cannot change a mans belief by
twisting off his head, nor make man
see differently by putting an awl
through his eyes. There is something
in mans conscience which will hurl
off the mountain that you threw upon
1t, and, 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 l speak, be-
tween the fourth and sixteenth cen
turies, people went from the house of
God into the most, appalling iniquity,
and right along by consecrated altars
there were tides of drunkenness and
RIGHTEOUSNESS such as the world never
\ heard of, and the very sewers of perdi-
Ation 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 large number of bad
books, and where there was one man
hostile to the Christian religion, there
were twenty men ready to advocate
it; so / have not any nervousness in
regard to this battle going on between
Truth and Error. The Truth will con-
quer 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 transcendentalist's spur, let ii
run. Gods angels of-wrath are in hot
pursuit, and quicker than eagles beak
clutches out hawks heart, Gods
vengeance will tear it to pieces.
propose to speak to you of sectar.
ianism-its origin, its evils, and its
cures. There are those who would
make us think that this monster, with
horns and hoofs, is religion. I shall
: chase it to it's hiding-place, and drag
it out of the caVerns of darkness, and
rip off it's hide. But l want to make
distinction between bigotry and the
lawful fondness for peculiar religious
beliefs and forms of worship. have
no admiration for nothingarian.
A style of psalmody that may please
me may displease you. Some would
like to have a minister in gown and
bands and surprice, and others prefer
to have a minister in plain citizens
apparel. Some are most impressed
when little child is presented at the
altar and sprinlIled of the waters Of
holy benediction 'in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the
Hnlu GhnstI, and others are more i'm