The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-01
DR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
NON-CHURCHGOERS,
Preached at the Hampton., Long Island.l

RI6C9 Oh OOQ u uOU u llbGlo plOlol w lAAu NO
may fence of and have all to ourselves. 1t
b not a kings park, at which we look
through barred gateway, wishing that we
might go in and-ses the deer and the statu-
ary, and pluck thu flowers and the fruits in
the royal conservatory. No; it is the Fa-
Tiers orchard and everywhere there are bars
that we may let down and gates 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 perretually decayiug
by scores and scores Of bushels, never
would allow any Of us to touch the fruit. One
day, in the sinfulness Of 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
after Us at speed reckless Of making his
lameneSS worse, and cried out: boys. drop
those apples, or I'll set the dog on you"
Well, my friends, there are Christian men
who have the church under severe guard.
There is fruit in this orchard for the whole
world, but they have rough and unsympa-
thetic way of accosting outsiders, as though
they had no business here, though the Lord
wants them all to come and take the largest
and the ripest fluit on the premises. HaVe
you an idea that because you wore baptized
at thirteen months Of age, and because you
have all your life been under hallowed infiu-
y -
whole side Of the Lords table, spreading
yourself out and taking up the entire rooms
/ tell you no. You will have to haul in your
elbows, for 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, 50 he says to you and d, me; s,s H0sher sheep
Macdonald, the Scot:hman, has four or
FIVE dozen head of sheep. Some of them are
browsing on the heather, some of them are
living down under the trees, some Of them
are in his yard; they are scattered around
in eight or ten different places. Cameron,
his neighbor, comes over, and says: II see
you have thirty sheep: have just counted
them" "No," says Macdonald, II have
great many more sheep than that. Some
arc here, and some arc elsewhere. They arc
scattered all around about. I have 1900 or
5000 in my fiocks. Other sheep have, which
are not in this fold"
So Christ says to us: Here is knot Of
Christians and there is knot Of Christians,
but they make up small part of the flock.
Here is the Episcopal fold, the Methodist
fold, the Lutheran fold, the Congregational
fold, the Presbyterian fold, the Baptist and
the Pedo Baptist told-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 tho Lords
sheep; but Christ responds: mo, no; you
have not seen more than one out OF thouS-
and of my flock. They are scattered oil over
the earth, and other sheep I have, which
are not Of this fold.'"
Christ in my text was prophesying the
conversion Of the Gcntiles with as much con-
1dence as though they were already con-
verted, and he is to-day, in the words of my
text, prophesying the coming of great mul-
titude OF outsiders that you never supposed
would come In, saying to you aud saying to
me: "Other sheep have, which are not Of
l. In the first place, / remark that the
Heavenly Shepherd will find many Of his
sheep amid the non-churchgoelS. There arc
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 verdure taken OF Of them,
and are left cold and white and delicate,
nothing wanting but a glass case to put over
them. The minister of Christ has nothing to
do with such Christians but to come once
week. and with ostrich feather dust off thu
accumulation. of the last six days. leaving
them bright and crystalline 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
overy applicant: 'Do you want to be on
If so, come to the armory and get equipped.
Here is q bath in which to get cleansed. Here
Is helmet for your brow. Here is a breast
plate for your breast. Here is sword for
your right arm, and yonder is the battlefield.
Quit yourselves like men,"
There are some here who say: 81 stopped
going to church tea or twenty years ago"
My brother, is it not strange that you should
be the first man should talk to to day! I
know all your case; know it very well.
You have not teen accustomed to come into
religious assembly, but have surprising
announcement to make to You. You are
going to become one of the Lords sheep.
"Oh!" you say: sit is impossible; you don't
know how far am from anything of that
kind" know all about it have wan
dered up and down the world and under
ling 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 60 from this service to talk
with some one about your soul People OF
God, pray for that man. '.Other sheep
have, which are not of this fold.n
When the Atlantic went to pieces on Mars
Rock and the people clambered up on the
beach, why did not that heroic minister of
the gospel, of whom we have all read, sit
down and take care of those men on the
beach, wrapping them in flames, kindling
nres for them, set:n, that they got plenty OF
food! All! he knew that there were others
who would do that! He says: "Yonder are
men and women free ling in the rigging OF
now l see the oar blades bend under the
strong pull; but before. they reach the rig
ging woman is frozen and dead. She
was washed or, poor thing. But he says:
There is a man to save," aud he cries out:
Hold on five minutes longer and will
save you. Steady Steady; Give me
T;, your hand % Leap into the lifeboat.
are those here to-day who are safe on the
shore of Coils mercy, but see there are
some who are freezing in the rigging of sin,
and surroun.! lei by perilous storms. Pull
away, my lads Let us reach them. Alas,
one is washed of and gone. There is one
more t. lie saved. Let us push out for that
one. 'Ciutch the rope, o dying man! Clutch
it with death-grin. Steady. now, on the
slippery PAGES. Steady! There, Saved!
declared that there are some still in the
breakers who shall come ashore "Other
sheep have. which are not of this fold"
Christ commands his ministers to be fish
eiman, and when 60 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 of anil dropping net
shore. Yes, there are non. churchgoers here
who will come in. Noxt Sabbath they will
again be in the religion, service. They are
this nome 1t being swept into Christian asSo-
Citations Their voices will be heard in pub.
lie prayer. They will die in peace, their bad
surrounded by Christian sympathies, and be
carrei out by devout men to be b 'ried, and