Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-08-25
"0THER SHEEP | HAVE WHICH ARE NOT
2oif OF THIS FOLD.n

2o'i OF THIS FOLD.'
The above is the text of the sermon de-
1ivered by Rev. DR.. T. De Witt Talma2e
at The Hamptons on the 10th of August.
The following extracts embrace only his
opening and closing remarks
There is no monopoly in religion. The
grace OF God is not a 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 go in and see the deer and the statu-
ary, and pluck the flowers and the fruits in
the royal conservatory. No, it is the Faith
er's 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 ap-
pies, owned by very lame man, who al
thongh there were apples in the place per-
petually decaying and 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'll
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 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 in
fuences, that therefore you have right to
one whole side of the Lords table, spread
ing yourself out and taking up the entire
room? l tell you no. You will have to
haul in your elbows, for shall to-day place
on either side 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"
Mac Donald, 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; they 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 Macdonald |
81 have great many more sheep than that |
Some are here and some are elsewhere |
They are scattered all around about. |
have four or five thousand in my flocks. |
Other sheep I have, which are not in this |
fold"
So Christ says to us: Here is a 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 fold-the only difference
between these last being the mode of sheep
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 a thou |
sand of my flock. They are scattered all |
over the earth, and 'other sheep 1 have,
which are not of this fold.' -
Christ in my text was prophesying the |
of the Gentiles with as much |
as though they were already con- |
verted, anS he is to-day, in the words of my |
text, propbesying the coming of great |
multitude Of outsiders that you never sup
posed would come in, saying to you and say
ing to me. "Other sheep l have, which are
not of this fold"
While l have hoped for all prodigals there
Ire some people for whom I am not so
hopeful. l mean those who have been
all their life, who have main
5ained outward morality, but who, notwith-
standing twenty, thirty, forty years of
thricf Il mt hou ,;olI IoI
heir heart to Christ. They are Gospel
hardened. A sermon has no more effect
lpon them than the shining of the moon
IN the city pavement. AS Christ says:
The publicans and harlots will go into the
zingdom of God before them" They have
esisted all the opportunities of Divine
mercy, and have gone, during these thirty
rears, through most powerful earthquakes
# religious feeling, and they are further
way from God than ever. After awhile
hey will lie down sick, and some day it
will be told they are dead. No hope! But
turn to outsiders with hope that thrills
trough my body and soul. s'Other sheep
have, which are not of this fold." You
re not Gospel hardened. You have not
leard many sermons during the last few
ears. AS You came in to a religious meet
ng to-day everything was novel and all the
ervices are suggestive of your early days.
low sweet the opening hymn sounded in
our ears, and how blessed it is in this place!
Everything suggestive of heaven. You do
ot weep, but the shower is not far off.
1ou sigh, and you have noticed that there
5 always sigh in the wind before the rain
alls. There are those here who would give
nything if they could find relief in tears.
They say, ooh, my wasted life! Oh, the
'itSr past! Oh, the graves over which l
lave stumbled? Whittier shall fly? Alas
or the futurel Everything is dark-so dark,
o dark! God help me! God pity me?"
Thank the Lord for that last utterance.
1ou have begun to pray, and when man
,egins to petition, that sets all heaven fly
ng this way, and God steps in and beats
Jack the hounds of temptations into the
,ennel, and around about the poor wound
ID soul puts the cover Of His pardoning
mercy. Hark! hear something fall.
What was that? 1t is the bars of the fence
round the sheepfold. The shepherd lets
hem down, and the hunted sheep of the
mountain bound in; some of them, their
leece torn with the brambles; some of
hem, their feet lame with the dogs; but
in. Thank God! "Other sheep
have, which are not of this fold.''
Ensilage for the South.
Perhaps there is no other part of the