The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-09-01
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Discourse on the Sheep Who
Live Outside the Fold.

The Non-Church Goers. Rejecters Of
Christianity and the Victims of Evil
Iiabits-From These the shepherd
will Call Many Of his sheep.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, in recent
sermon at 1.-THE Hamptons," took for his
subject "The Sheep Outside the Fold"
illustrating it from the text:
Other sheep have which are not OF this
fold.-John T., IS.
There is no monopoly in religion. The
grace Of God is not little. property that
we may fence off and have all to ourselves.
1t Is not kings park at which We look
through barred gateway, wishing that
we might 60 in and see the deer and the
statuary, and pluck the flowers and the
fruits in the royal conservatory. No, 1t 10
the Father orchard, and everywhere
there are bars that we may let down and
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, never 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
temptation. some of us invaded that
orchard, but soon retreated, for the man
came inter us at speed reckless Of max
ing his lameness worse, and cried out:
"Boys, drop those apples, or I'll set the
dog on youw
| Well, my friends, there are Christian
men who have the church under severe
guard. There is fruit in the orchard for
the whole world, but they have rough
and unsympathe'ic way Of accosting OUT
siders. 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 thirteen
months of age. and because you have all
your life been under hallowed inhuen ces,
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 Ia your elbows, for l shall to-day
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:
Other sheep have which are not of this
fold.
Macdonald, the scotchman, has four or
five thousand head of sheep. Some of them
are browsing ON theheather, some of them
are lying down under the trees, some Of
them are in his yard; they are scat
tered around in eight or ten different
places. Cameron, his neighbor, comes
over and says: ..
81 see you have thirty sheep; I have just
counted them"
"No," says Macdonald, ~ have great
many more sheep than that Some are
here and some are elsewhere. They are
scattered oil around about. have four
or five thousand in my focks. Other
sheep have, which are not in this fold.
So Christ says to us: Here is knot of
q Christians and there is knot of Christ.
ians, but they make up small part of the
flock. Here is the Episcopal fold, the
Methodist fold, the Lutheran fold, the
Congregational fold, the Presby terrain
fold, the Baptist and the Pedo- Baptist
fold-the only difference between these
last two being the mode Of Sheep wa shing
and SO they are scattered all over, and WI
come with our statistics. and say there are
so many thousand Of the Lords sheep; bu
Christ responds:
mo. no; you have not seen more thar
one out of thousand of my flock. The,
are scattered all over the earth, and 'othe
sheep have, which are not Of this fold.'
Christ In my text was prophesying tn
conversion Of the Gentiles with as mucl
? confidence as though they were already
converted, and he is to-day, in the word
: Of my text, prophesying the coming of
great multitude of outsiders that you neve
supposed would come in, saying to 20,
and saying to me: .-...,s... ..r5I,..
Other sheep have, which are not of Thu
fold. L.tl.
In the first place I remark that tn
Heavenly Shepherd will find many of hi
sheep amid the non.church goers. Their
are congregations where they are al
Christians, and they seem to be complete
ly finished, and they remind one of tn
skeleton leaves which, by chemical prepa
ration, have had all the greenness an,
verdure taken off of them and are left col
and white and delicate, nothing wantin,
but a glass case to put over them. Tn
minister of Christ has nothing to do wit
/ such Christians but to come once a week
and with ostrich feather dust of the &C
emulation of the last six days, leavin
them bright and crystalline as before. Blu
the other kind Of church is an armor,
with perpetual sound Of drum and fife
gathering recruits for the Lord of Hosts
We say to every applicant:
''Do you want to be on Gods side, tn
safe side and the happy sides If so, com
in the armory and get equipped. Here
bath in which to get cl ansed. Here ar
sandals to put upon your feet. Here is
helmet for your brow. Here is a breast
plate for your heart. Here is a sword TO
your right arm, aud yonder is TIE battle
field. Quit yourselves like men,"
There are some here who say: ~ stoppe
going to church ten or twenty years ago.
My brother, is it not strange that 20
should be the first man / should talk to to
dayi I know all your case. know
very WELL You have not been accustome
to come into religious assemblies, but
have surprising announcement to max
to you. You are going to be one of tn
Lords sheep.
"Ohw you say, ait is impossible; yo
don't know how far away am from an