The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-01-14


the world. know why some of you
do not attend Upon Christian services.
go further, and make another an
nouncement in regard to you, and that
is, you are not only to become the Lords
sheep, but you are going to become the
lords sheep this hour. God is going to
call you graciously BY His Spirit; you
are going to come into the fold of Christ
This sermon shall not be so much for
those who are Christians. l have
preached to them hundreds and thou
sands of times. The sermon that I
preach now is going to be chiefly for
those who consider themselves outsiders,
but who may happen TO be in the house,
and the chief employment of the Chris
tian people here to-day will be to pray
for those who are not accustomed to et-
tend upon Christian sanctuaries.
When the steamer Atlantic went to
pieces on Mars Rock, why did the brave
minister of the Gospel, of whom we
have all read, go out in the lifeboatP
Why did he not stay and look after the
passengers that got ashore, wrapping
fannels around them, and kindling fires
for them, and preparing them food?
There was plenty of work to be done on
the shore for those who had already es-
capped. All! that brave man knew that
there were others who would take care
of those, and so he said: "Man the life
boatl Pull away, my lads, pull away
Yonder Is a mani there is a woman
freezing in the rigging. Pull awayl'
l see oar-blades bend in the strong pull
Of the oarsmen. Then they come up tG
the wreck. The woman is frozen. She
drops into the wave-alas! poor woman
and washes out to sea. But then Mr.
Ancient says: "There is a man yet
hanging to the rigging. Pull away, my
lads! pull awayr' They come up, and
he says: "ITold now there five minutes
and we will save you. Steady! steady
Now give me your hand. Leap! Thank
God he is saved! Thank God he is saved!'
SO there are men now in the breakers,
They have made shipwrecls of life
While we come out to save them, some
are swept off-swept off before we can
reach them-and there are others still
hanging on. Steady there among the
slippery places! Steady! Leap into this
lifeboatl Now is your chance for
Heaven! This hour some Of you are 60
ing to be saved. Far away from God,
you are going to be brought nigh.
"Other sheep have ] which are not OF
this fold"
Christ says that ministers of the
Gospel are to be fishers for men. Now
when / go fishing do not want to fish
in anybody else's pond. do not want
to go along Hoholus creek. where there
are ten or fifteen men fishing, and drop
my line Just about whore they are drop
ping their lines. | should like TO get in
Newfoundland fishing smack and push
out TO sea fifty miles beyond the break
ers. do not thinl, the church of God
gains a great deal when You take sheep
from one fold and put them in another
fold. 1t is the lost sheep on the noun
tains you want to bring back-the lost
sheep on the mountains. And they are
coming to-day.
You are now this hour in the tide Of
|
be swept in; your voice is going to be
heard in prayer; yon are going to be
consecratcd TO God; you are going to
live life of usefulness, and your death
bed is going to be surrounded by Chris
tian sympathizers; and dcvout men will
carry you TO your burial when your
work Is done, and these words will be
chiseled for your epitaph: precious in
the sight Of the Lord is the death of His
saints" And all that history is going
to begin to-day. "other sheep have I
which are not OF this fold
Again remark, the Heavenly Shep-
herd is going 10 find many Of His sheep
among those who nre now rejecters of
Christianity. do not know how you
came to reject Christianity. | do not
know whether It was through hearing
Theodore Parker preach, or whether it
was reading Remains Life of Jesus, or
whether Il was through some skeptic in
the store or factory. Or it may be
probably Is the casc--that you were dis
gusted. with religion, and disgusted with
Christianity because some man who
professed TO be n Christian defrauded
you, and he being member Of the
church, and you taking him as repre-
sentative OF the Christian religion, you
said, "Well, II that's religion, don't
want any of it."
do not know how you came TO reject
Christianity, but you frankly tell me
you do reject II; you do not think the
Bible Is the word OF God, although there
are many things in IL you admire; you
do not think that Christ was divine be-
ing, although you think He was very
good man. You say, IF the Bible be
true-the most of the Bible be true-I
nevertheless think the earlier part Of
the Bible Is an allegory." And there arc
fifty things that believe you do not be-
lieve. Nevertheless they tell me in re-
gard TO you that yor are an accommo-
dating, you are an obliging person. II
! should come 10 you and ask Of you a
favor you would grant II, II II were pos
sible. II would be Joy for you TO grant
me favor. II any OF your friends came
70 you and wanted an accommodation,
and you could accommodated them, how
glad you would be.
Now am going TO ask Of you favor,
want you to oblige me. The accom-
modation will cost you nothing, and
will give me great happiness. ofcourse
you will not deny me. want you rs
: an experiment to try the Christian re-
ligion. II Il does not stand the test,
discard II; II II does, receive II.
II you were very sick and you had
been given up Of the doctors and came
10 xot, and I tooL n bottle of inadicine