The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-22
THE OTHER SHEEP OF GOD.
The Good Shepherd to Gather in Many
Positive Rejecters of Christianity.
A Physician Who Has Healed More than All
the Doctors Since Esculapius-The Gospel
Hardened the Ones Beyond Hope.
Rev. DR. Talmage preached last Sunday at The


Hamptons. from John X, 16-"Other sheep
I have. which are not of this world" He said:
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
aud the statuary, and pluck the flowers and the
fruits IN the royal conservatory. No, 1t is the
Fathers orchard and everywhere there are bars
that we may let down and gates that we may
swing open. There are Christian men who have
the church under severe guard. There is fruit
in this orchard for the whole world, but they
have a rough and unsympathetic way
of accosting outsiders. though they
had no business here, though the Lord
wants them all TO come and take the largest and
rpest fruit on the premises. Have you an idea
that, because you were baptized at thirteen
months of age, and because you have ali your
life been under hallowed influences. therefore
you have right to one whole side OF the Lords
table, spreading yourself out and taking up the
entire roomf / tel. you no. You will have to
haul IN your elbows. for l shall to-day place on
either side of you those whom you never ex-
pected 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"
First-ln the first place / remark that the
heavenly Shepherd will find many Of His sheep
amid the non-church goers. There are congrega-
tons 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 aud YER
dure taken off of them, and are left cold, and
white and delicate, nothing wanting but glass
case to nut over them The minister of Christ
has nothing to do with such Christians,
but to come once week. and
with ostrich feather dust off the accumulation OF
the last six days. leaving them bright and crys-
talline as before But the other Kind of church
is an armory with perpetual sound OF drum and
fife. gathering recruits for the Lord of Hosts.
We say to every applicant: do you want to De
on Gods side the safe side and the happy side2
If so, come in the armory and get equipped.
Here is bath in which to get cleansed. Here
are sandals TO put upon your feet Here is
helmet for your brow. Here is reast-plate
for your heart. Here is a sword for your right
arm, and yonder Is the battlefield Quit your
selves l.ae men.
There are some here who say: II stopped go
ing to church ten twenty years ago" My
brother. is it not strange that you should he the
first man / should talk to today 1 know all
your case; know it very WELL You have not
been accustomed to come into religious assem-
bly,. but / have a surprising announcement to
make to you. You are going to be-
come one of the Lords sheep. 'Oh"
YOU say, '.it is impossible; you don't
know how far I am from anything of that
kind | know all about it, / have wandered
up and down the world, and understand your
case. I have still moro startling announce
ment to make in regard to you. You are not
but you will become one to-day. You will go
from this service to talk with some one about
your soul People of God pray for that man!
"Other sheep l have which are not of this
fold"
Christ commands his ministers to be fisher
men. and when go fishing | do not want to go
among other churches, but into the wide world;
not sitting along small creek where eight or
ten other persons are sitting with hook and line,
but like the fishermen of Newfoundland, sailing
off and dropping net away outside, forty or nifty
miles from shore Yes, there are non-church-
goers here who will come in. Next Sabbath
they win again be in the religious
service. They are this moment being
swept into Christian associations. Their
voice will be heard in public, prayer
They will die in peace, their bed sur
rounded by Christian sympathies, and be car
ried ont by devout men to be buried, and on
their grave be chiseled the words: Precious in
the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints"
And on resurrection day you will get up with
the dear children you have already buried, and
with your Christian parents who have already
won the palm. And all that grand and glorious
history begins now. 'Other sheep have, which
are not of this fold.n
Second-I remark again The Heavenly Shep-
herd is going to find great many of His sheep
among those who are positive rejecters OF Chris
tianity. do not know how you came to reject
Christianity. IL may have been through hear
ing Theodore Parker preach, or through reading
Remains Life of Jesus" or through the
infidel talk of some young man in your
store. 1t may have been through the trickery
of some professed Christian man who Disguised
you with religion. / do not ask you how you
became so; but you frankly tell me that you do
reject it, You do not believe that Christ is
divine being although you admit that He was
very good man. You do not admit that the
Bible was inspired of God, although you think
that there are some very fine things IN It,
You believe that the scriptural description
of Eden was only an allegory. There are fifty
things that believe that you do not believe.
And yet you are an accommodating man. Every
body that knows you says that of you. 1t
should ask you to do a kindness for me, or II
any one else should ask of you a kindness, you
would do it. Now / have a kindness to ask
of you to-day. 1t is something that will
cost you nothing and will give me great de-
light l want you by experiment. to try the
power of Christs religion. If I should come to
you, and you were very sick, and doctors had
given you up and said there chance for
you, and should take out little bottle and say:
Here is medicine that will cure you; it has
cured fifty people, and it will cure you" You
would say: 81 have no confidence in it," would
say: "Won'tyou take 1t to obiige meP WELL"
you would say. If it's any accommodation to
you I'll take it." My friend, will you be just as
accommodating in matters Of religion9
There are some of you who have found out
that this world can not satisfy your soul You
are like the man who told me after the service
was over, 81 have tried this world and found it
an insufficient portion. Tell me of something
better" You have come to that. You are sick
for the need of divine medicament. Now come
and tell you of physician who will cure you,
who has cured hundreds and hundreds who
were sick as you are. "Oh,r you say, II have
no confidence in Hint" But will you not try
Himq Accommodate me in this matter; oblige
me in this matter: just try Him. am very GER
tain He will care you You reply: II have
especial confidence in Him; but if you ask me
as matter of accommodation, introduce Him."
So introduce Him-Christ, the physician, who
has cured more blind eyes, and healed more
CHASTITY wounds, and bound up more broken
hearts than all the doctors since the time of
Esculapius.
The Divine Physician is here. Are you not
ready to try Himg Will you not as a pure mat
ter of experiment state your case before Him
now9 Hold nothing back from Him. If you
cannot pray, if you do not know how TO pray any
other way. say: "Oh, Lord Jesus Christ. this is
thing for "a do ] lnazz z,athin. ahar,t