Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-03-14
NO MONOPOLY
IN RELIGION. THE GATES ARE OPEN
AND THE BARS
Can be Let Down Into the Lords Orchard
Step Ashore From That Rocking and
Tumultuous Sea - There Still
Remains Another Chance
to be Saved.
SERMON BY T. De WITT TAlhAGe.


SERMON BY T. De WITT TAlhAGe.
The Outsiders-Many OF Them VIII %
sayed-Gospel Hardened Persons
NEW YORK. March l3.
Special Dispatch 10 the REGISTER.
Brooklyn Tabernacle was well h'!ed
this morning with an appreciative audi
ence who desired to hear DR.. Taimage's
excellent sermon. The opening hymn
was:
From the cross uplifted high
Where the savior deignS TO die.
Subject: "The Outsiders"
Text: John L, lG-"Other sheep have which
are not OF this fold"
The Sermon.
There IS no monopoly in religion.
The grace Of God is not little property
that we may fence of and have all to
ourselves, 1t is not kings park at
which we look through barred gate
way, wishing that we might 20 in and
see the deer and the statuary and prune
the flowers and the fruits in the royal
conservatory. No, it is the fathers Or-
chard and everywhere there are bars
that We may let down gates that We may
swing open. In my boyhood, next TO
the country school-house, there was an
orchard OF apples, owned by very
lame man, who, although there were
apples in the place perpetually decaying
and by scores and scores OF bushels.
Rever would allow any OF us to touch
the fruit. One day, in the sinfulness OF
a nature inherited from our first parents,
who were ruined by the same tempta-
ton, some OF us invaded that orchard;
but soon retreated, for the man came
after us with speed reckless OF making
his lameness worse, cried out:
boys, Drop Those Apples,
or I'll set the dog on you" Well,
friends. there are Christian men who
have the church under severe guard.
There is fruit in this orchard Tor the
whole world; but they have rough,
unsympathetic way of accostlng outsid-
ers as though they had no business here,
though the Lord wants them all to
come and take the largest and the ripest
fruit on the premises. Have you an
idea that because you were baptized at
l3 months Of age, and because sou have
all your lie been under hallowed intiu-
ences, that therefore you have a right
to one whole side OF the Lords table,
spreading yourself out and taking up
the entire room? / tell you no. You
will have to haul in your elbows, for |
shall this morning place on
either side OF you those
whom you never expected would sit
there; for, as Christ said to the Jews
long ago, so he says to YOU and to me
this morning: "Other sheep ! have
which are not in this fold.!! Mcdonald,
the Scotchman, has four or five dozen
head OF sheep. Some OF them are
browsing on the heather, some OF them
are lying down under the trees, some OF
them are in his yard; thev are scattered
around in eight or ten different places.
Cameron, his neighbor, comes over and
SAYS 81 see you have thirty sheep, l
have Just counted them" "No," says
Mcdonald, 81 have great many more
sheep than that. Some are here and
some are elsewhere. They are scattered
all round about. | have four or five
thousand in my hocEs. Other sheep l
have which are not in this fold
So Christ says 10 us, here is knot OF
Christians and there is knot OF Chris
tans, but they make up small part OF
the flock. Here is the Episcopal fold,
the Methodist fold. the Lutheran fold,
the Congregational fold, the Presbyter.
ian fold, the Baptist and the Pedo.
Baptist fold, the only difference between
these last two being
The Mode OF sheep Washing
And so they are scattered all over; and
we come with our statistics, and say
there are so many thousand Of the
Lords sheep; but Christ responds:
"No, no; you have not seen more than
one out OF thousand of my flock. They
are scattered all over the earth. Other
sheep have which are not of this fold"
Christ, in my text, was prophesying the
conversion OF the gentiles with as much
confidence as though they were already
converted, and he is this morning in
the words OF my text prophesying the
coming OF great multitude OF outsiders
that YOU never supposed would come
in, saying TO you and TO me:
"Other sheep / have which are not
of this fold" In the first place, re-
mark, that the heavenly Shepherd will
find many Of his sheep amid the non-
church goers. There are congregations
where they are all Christians, and they
seem to be completely finished, and they
remind one OF the skeleton leaves, which,
by chemical preparation, have had all
the greenness and verdue taken oil
and are left cold and white and delicate,
nothing wanting but glass case TO put
over them. The minister OF Christ has
nothing 10 DO with such Christians but
te come once week and with ostrich
feather dust off the accumulation OF the
last six days, leaving them bright and
crystalline asHbeiore. But the other
kind Of church is an army with perpet-
ual sound OF drum and fife, gathering
recruits for the Lord OF Hosts. We cay
to every applicant: "Do yon want to he
on Gods side, the safe side and the
happy side?" Ifso,
Come ia the Armory and Get Equipped.
Here is a bath in which to be cleansed.
Here are sandals to put upon your feet.
Here is helpret to put upon you: brow.
Here is breastplate Tor your heart.
Here is a sword for yoIr right arm, and
wonder is the battle field. Acquit your.
selves like men. There are some here
to-day who say: 81 stopped going to
church ten or twenty years ago. My
brother, is it not strange that you should
be the first man | should talk to to-day?
| know all your case; know it very
we'll. You have not been accustomed
70 come into the house OF God, but /
have surprising announcement to
make to you: you are going to become
one OF the Lords sheep. "Ah," you
sav. at is impossible! You don't
know how far l am from anything OF
that kind" know all about it. have
a still more startling announcement to
make in regard to you; you are not
only going TO become one OF the Lords
sheep, but you will become one to-day.
You will stay after service TO be talked
with about your soul. People OF God,
prav for that man, That is the only
use for You to-day; shall not break off
so much as q crumb for you, Christians,
;. -. 800. -, am rNipr 70