Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-07-13
Or. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE sYTHE NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject: Choice of Beliefs-EeliCious Toll
erance Advocated = All Evangelical
Churches Are Good and Arc Seeking
the Same Praiseworthy End.
copyright. Louis Klopsch. 1921
WASHINGTON. D. C.-In this sermon DR..
Talmage discusses a topic which will in.
terest domestic circles everywhere The
text is Genesis xiii, s. "Let there be no
strife. pray thee. between me and thee
Is nc the whole land before thee?"
Uncle and nephew, Abram and Lot, both
Pious, both millionaires, and with such
large hocks of bleating sheep and lowing
cattle that their herdmen got into fight,
perhaps about the best pasture or about
OF one got hooked by the horns of the
pthers. Not their poverty OF opportunity.
but their wealth, was the cause of con.
troversy between these two men, To
Abram. the glorious old Mesopotamian
sheik, such controversy seemed absurd. 1t
was like two ships quarreling for sea room
In the middle OF the Atlantic Ocean. There
was vast reach Of country, cornields.
vineyards, harvests and plenty Of room in
illimitabe acreage. "Now," says Abram.
.let us agree to differ. Here are the noun
tain districts, swept by the tonic sea breeze
ana with Wide reaching prospect, and there
Is the plain OF the Jordan, with tropical
luxuriance. You may have either" Lot
who was not rs rich as Abram, and might
have been expected to take the second
choice, made the first selection and with a
modesty that must have made Abram smile
said to him:
"You may have the rocks and the fine
prospect; will take the valley OF the
Jordan, with all its luxuriance of corn
fields and the river to water the nocks and
the genial climate and the wealth i'm
measurable" SoSthe controversy was
forever settled and great-souled Abram
carried out the suggestion of the text:
"Let there be no strife. pray thee, be-
tweenme and thee, and between my herd
men and thy herdmen. Is not the whole
land before thee?'
Well, in this the last decade OF the nine
teenth century and in this beautiful land.
which was called America, after Americus
Vespucius, but should have been called
Columbia, after its discoverer, Columbus,
we have wealth OF religious privilege and
opportunity that Is positively bewllderlng.
Churches Of all sorts of cree1s and Of all
kinds of government and all forms OF
worship and all styles of architecture
what opulence of ecclesiastical oppor-
tunity! Now, while in desolate regions
there may be only one church, in the
Opuent districts Of this country there Is
such q profusion that there ought to be no
difficulty In making selection. No fight
about vestments, or between liturgical or
nonltturgical adherents, or as to baptismal
modes, or handful of water us compared
with rlverful. IfAbram prefers to dwell
on the heights, where he can get only a
sprinkling from the clouds, let him consent
that Lot have all the Jordan in which to
immerse himself. LET there be no strife,
pray thee, between me and thee and be-
tween my herdsmen and thy herdsmen. Is
not the whole land before thee?"
Especially is 1t unfortunate when fami-
lies allow angry discussion at the break
fn - Or. az int 200 knHl L.
the best church or denomination, one at
one end of the table saying he could never
endure the rigid doctrines of Presbyteri.
anism, one at the other end responding
that she never could stand the forms Of
Episc opacy, and one at one side OF the
table saying he did not understand how
anybody could bear the noise In the Metho-
dist church, and another declaring all the
Baptists bigets. There are hundreds OF
families hopelessly split on eccesiasticism,
and in the middle OF every discussion on
such subjects there is q kindllng Of indIg-
nation, and it needs some old father Abram
to come and put his foot on the loaded fuse
before the explosion takes place and say:
LET there be no strife, 1 pray thee, be-
tween me and thee and between my herd
men and thy herdmen. Is not the whole
land before thee?'
undertake II subject never undertaken
by any other pulpit, for 1t is an exceed
iEGly delicate subject, and IL not rightly
handled might give serious offense, but I
approach it without the slightest trepida-
ton, for am sure have the divine direc-
tion in the matters l propose to present.
1t is tremendous question, asked all over
Christendom, often asked with tears aud
sobs and heart breaks and involving the
peace Of families, the eternal happiness of
many souls. In matters of church attend
ance should the wife go with the husband
or the husband go with the wife?
First. remember that all the evangelical
churches have enough truth In them to
save the soul and prepare us for happiness
on earth and in heaven. will go with you
into any well selected theological library,
and will show you sermons from minis
ters in all denominations that set forth man
US sinner and Christ as deliverer from
hin and sorrow. That is the whole Gospel
Get that into your soul and you are fitted
for the here and the hereafter. There are
differences, we ;.dmit, and some denomi-
nations we like better than others. But
suppose three o: four of US make solemn
agreement to meet each other week from
now in Chicago on important business, and
one goes by the New York Central Rail-
road, another by the Erie Railroad. another
by the Pennsylvania Railroad, another by
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. One
goes this way because the mountains are
grander; another takes this because the
cars are mere luxurious; another that be-
the other because he has long been accus-
toned to that route, and oil the employees
are familiar. So far as our engagement to
meet is concerned it makes no difference II
we only get there. Now, any one OF the
innumerable evangelical denominations; If
you practice its teaching-although some
OF their trains run on q broad gauge and
some on narrow guage--will bring you
out at the city of the New Jerusalem.
1t being evident that you will be safe in
any of the evangelical denominations,
proceed to remark, first, IL one Of the mar
ried couple be a Christian and the other
not, the one Christian is bound 10 60 any
where to a church where the unconverted
companion is willing to go, II he or she
will 60 to no other. You OF the connubial
partnership are Christian. You are safe
for the skies. Then IL is your first duty to
secure the eternal safety of your lifetime
associate. Is not the everlasting welfare
Of your wife impeni:ent, or your husband
impenitent, Of more importance than your
church relationship? Is not the condition
of your companion for the next quadrillion
of years mightier consideration to you
than the qualification Of your ecclesiastical
taste for forty or fifty years? maa or
woman that would stop half q minute to