Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-06-21
Sermons OF THE DAY.
Preached by Rev. DR.. Talmage.

Preached by Rev. DR.. Talmage.
'ubject: Choice OF Beliefe-Religious Toll
erance Advocated - All Evangelical
Churches Arc Good and Arc Seeking
the Same Praiseworthy End.
Copyright. Louis Klopsch. 1891
WASHINGTON, D. Gin this sermon DR..
ralmage discusses a topic which will in
crest domestic circles everywhere. The
ext is Genesis Kill, 8; "Let there be no
Itrife, pray thee, between me and thee
md between my herdmen and thy herdmen.
Is not the whole land before thee2"
Uncle and nephew. Abram and Lot, both
,ious, both millionaires, and with such
arge focks Of beating sheep and lowing
.attle that their herdmen got into fight,
perhaps about the best pasture or about
he best water privilege or because the COW
II one got hooked by the horns Of the
others. Not their poverty OF opportunity,
out their wealth, was the cause Of con-
:roversv between these two men. To
Abram, the glorious Old MesOpotnmian
,heik, such controversy seemed absurd. II
vas like two ships quarreiing for sea room
IN the middle OF the Atlantic Ocean. There
was vast reach Of country, cornields,
vineyards. harvests and plenty OF room in
''let us agree to differ Here are the noun
tain districts, swept by the tonic sea breeze
and with wide reaching prospect, and there
Is the plain Of the Jordan, with tropical
luxuriance. You may have either" Lot,
who was not as rich as Abram. and might
have been expected to take the second
ohoice, made the first selection and with Il
modesty that must have made Abram smile
said to him:
''You may have the rocks and the fine
prospect; l will take the valley of the
fields and the river to water the flocks and
the genial climate and the wealth i'm
measurable" So the controversy was
forever settled and great-souled Abram
carried out the suggestion Of the text:
LET there be no strife, 1 pray thee, be-
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 q wealth Of religious privilege and
opportunity that Is positively bewildering.
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.
tunityl Now, while in desolat. regions
there may be only one church. in the
opulent districts OF this country there Il
such a profusion that there ought to be nc
difficulty in making n selection. No fight
about vestments, or between liturgical OF
uonliturgical adherents, or as to baptismal
modes. or handful Of water as compared
with riverfui. 1fAbram prefers to dwell
on the heights, where he can get only o
sprinkling from the clouds, let him consent
that Lot have all the Jordan in which to
lmmazse himself. LET there he no strife,
pray thee, between me and thee and be-
tween my herdsmen AMI thy herdsmen. Is
not the whole land before thee2''
Especially is it unfortunate when fami-
lies allow angry discussion at the break.
fast or dining or tea table as to which is
the best church or denomination, one al
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 oi
Episcopacy, 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 biRets. There are hundreds oil
families hopelessly split on eccIesfasticism
such subjects there Is a kindlfng of indig-
nation, and 1t needs some old father Abram
to come and put his foot on the loaded fuse
before the explosion taxes place and say:
Let there be no strife, pray thee, be-
tween me and thee and between my herd
land before thee?'
I undertake subject never undertaken
by any other pulpit, for 1t Is an exceed
ingly delicate subject, and IL not rightly
handled might give serious offense, but ]
approach 1t without the slightest trepida-
tion, for am sure have the divine direc-
tion In the matters I propose to present.
1t Is a tremendous question, asked all over
Christendom, often asked with tears and
sobs and heart breaks and involving the
peace OF families, the eternal happiness of
many souls. In matters OF church attend
Or the husband go with the wife?
First, remember that all the evangelical
churches have enough truth in them &c
save the soul and prepare us for happiness
on earth and In heaven. Twill go with you
into any well selected theological library
ters in all denominations that set forth man
as a sinner and Christ as deliverer from
sin 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 admit, and some denomi
nations we like better than others. But
suppose three or four of US make solemn
agreement to meet each other a 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
goes this way because the mountains are
grander; another takes this because the
cars are more luxurious; another that be-
cause the speed Is greater; another takes
the other because he has long been accus-
toned to that route, and all the employees
are familiar. So far as our engagement to
meet is concerned 1t makes no difference If
We only get there. Now, any one of the
lnnumerable evangelical denominations; IL
you practice its teaching-although some
Of their trains run on a broad gauge and
some on a 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, II one of the mar.
ried couple be a Christian and the other
not, the one Christian is bound to go any
where to q church where the unconverted
companion is willing to go. II he or she
will 90 to no other. You Of the connubia
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 impenitent, or your husband
church relationship Is not the condition
Of your companion for the next quadrillioI
Of years n mightier consideration to yor
than the qualification Of your ecclesiastica
taste for forty or fifty years? A man or {
woman that would stop half minute tt
We1Gn preferences as 10 Wnetuer ne Oh
she had better go with the unconverteo
companion to this or that church or de
nomination, has no religion at all, ant
never has had, and fear never will have
You are loaded up with what you suppose
to be religion, but YOU are like Captain
Frobisher, who brought back from his voy.
age Of discovery shipload of what ht
supposed valuable minerals, yet, instead o.
being silver and gold, were nothing bui
common stones Of ths field, to be hurled
out rs finally useless.
Mighty Godl In all Thy realm Is there
ne man or woman protesting religion. yet
so stolid, so untitled, so far gone unto
death that there would be any hesitancy in
surrendering all preferences before such an
opportunity Of salvation and heavenly re-
union? II you, a Christian wife, are an at.
tendant upon any church, and your uncon.
verted husband does nor go there because
he does not like its preacher, or its music,
or its architecture, or its uncomfortable
crowding, and goes not to any house OF
worship. but would 90 II YOU would accom-.
,any MIN somewhere else, cnange your
.hurch relations. Take your hymnbook
,o,pe with Won tO-dav Saw QOOdby to yOuY