The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-01-28

you don know how lar am from any
thing of that kind" know all about
your case. have been up and down
the world. | know why some of you
do not attend upon Christian services
l 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. / have
preached to them hundreds and tied
sands of times. The sermon that
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 at
tend upon Christian sanctuaries.
When the steamer Atlantic went 70
pieces on Mars Rock, Why did the brave
minister of the Gosr.el, of whom we
have all read, go out in the lifeboat?
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
boat! Pull away, my lads, pull away!
Yonder is man! there is woman
freezing in the rigging. Pull away!'
l see oar-blades bend in the strong pull
of the GA rsmen. Then they come up to
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 man yet
hanging to the rigging. Pull away, my
lads! pull awayw They come up, and
he says: "Hold 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 a shipwreck 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
lifeboat! Now is your chance for
Heaven! This hour some of you are go
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 l go fishing do not want to fish
in anybody else's pond. do not want
to go along Hohokus creek, where there
are ten or fifteen men fishing, and drop
my line just about where they are drop.
ping their lines l should like to get in
a Newfoundland fishing smack and push
out to sea fifty miles beyond the break
ers. do not think the church of God
gains 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
Christian influences. You are going te
be swept in; your voice is going to be
heard in prayer: you are going to be
consecrated to God; you are going tc
live life of usefulness, and your death
bed is going to be surrounded by Chris
tian sympathizers; and devout men vii
carry you to your burial when you
work is done, and these words will bt
chiseled for your epitaph: Precious il
the sight of the Lord is the death of Hi!
saints And all that history is going
to begin to-day. "Other sheep have
which are not of this fold"
Again 1 remark, the Heavenly Shep
herd is going to find many of His SHEEP
among those who are now rejecters O
Christianity. do not know how 20,
came to reject Christianity. I do no
know whether it was through hearing
Theodore Parker preach, or whether i
was reading Remains Life of Jesus, O.
whether it was through some skeptic in
the store or factory. Or it may be-
J probably is the case-that you were dis
gusted with religion, and disguised will
Christianity because some man wh'
: professed to be a Christian defraudet
you, and he being member of thu
church, and you taking him as a repre-
: sentative of the Christ ian religion, yo,
said, swell, if that's religion, 1 dom
5 want any of it."
do not know how you came to rejec
Christianity, but you frankly tell IN
I you do reject it; you do not think tn
Bible is the word of God, although Their
are many things in it you admire; 20,
5 do not think that Christ was divine be
ing, although you think He was yer,
good man. You say, 'If the Bible b
| true-the most of the Bible be true
nevertheless think the earlier part q
e the Bible is an allegory." And there ar
4 fifty things that I believe You do not be
: lieve. Nevertheless they tell me in re
: gard to you that you are an accommo
e dating, you are an obliging person. l
: I should come to you and ask of you
d favor you would grant it, if it were pos
= sible. 1t would be a joy for you to gran
e me favor. If any of your friends cam
e to you and wanted an accommodation
t and you could accommodate them, hoy
9 glad you would be.
: Now am going to ask of you favor
d l want you to oblige me. The accom-
: mediation will cost you nothing, an
will give me great happiness Ofcours