Connecticut western news., 1891-01-14
TO NON-CHURCHGOERS.
OR. TALMAGE BREACHES TO THE "SHEEP WITHOUT THE FOLD."

OR. TALMAGE BREACHES TO THE
 "sHEEP WITHOUT THE FOLD." All the Christians Do Not Belong to
 Congregations. but There Are Many
 Reasons Why All Persons Should Be
 Christisns-A Word to Unbelievers.
 BROOKLYN, Jan. 1.-The following powerful sermon, addressed to non- "hurchgoers. was delivered by Dr. Tal- mage this morning in the Academy of Music, this city, and again in the even ing at the New York Academy of Music, where services are still being held un- der the auspices of The Christian Her aid. At the latter service the new choir of two hundred voices most eff fectively led the musical exercises. Dr. Talmage's text was John X, 16: Other sheep have which are not of this fold"
 There is no monopoly in religion. The grace of God is not nice little property fenced off all for ourselves It is not a kings park, at which we .eok through barred gateway, wishing S-e might go in and pluck the flowers ana look at the deer and the statuary. It tis a fathers orchard, and there are bars to let down and gates to swing open.
 In my boyhood days, next to the country schoolhouse where l went, there was an apple orchard of great luxuriance. owned by a very lame man who did not gather the apples, and they went to waste by scores of bushels. Sometimes the lads of the school, in the sinfulness of q nature inherited from our first parents. who fell through the same temptation, would climb over the fence and take some of these ap ples. and notwithstanding the fact that there was a surplus. and all going to waste, the owner of that orchard. reck- less of making his lameness worse. would take after these lads and shout,
 Boys. drop those apples or I'll set the dog on you"
 Now there are Christians who have severe guard over the Church of God They have a rough and unsympathetic way of treating outsiders. It is a great orchard into which God would like to have all the people come and take rhe richest and the ripest fruit, and the more they take the better he likes it. But there are those who stand with hard and severe nature guarding the Church of God, and all the time afraid that some will get these apples when they really ought not to have them.
 Have you any idea that because you were baptized at eight months of age. and because you have all your life been surrounded by hallowed influences, you have a right to one whole side of the Lords table. spreading yourself out so nobody else can sit there7 You will have to haul in your elbows, for there will come great multitude to sit at the table and on both sides of you. You are not going to have this monop- oily of religion. 'Other sheep have which are not of this fold"
 Mcdonald, the Scotchman, has on the Scotch hills great flock of sheep. Mcdonald has four or five thousand head of sheep. Some are browsing in the heather, some are on the hills, some arc in the valleys, few are in the yard. One day Cameron comes over to Mcdonald and says: Mcdonald. you have thirty sheep. I have been counting them" "Oh, mol" says Nc Donald. 'T have four or five thou sand" "Ahl" says Cameron, "you are mistaken. I have just counted them. There are thirty" "Why." says Mcdonald, do you suppose that is all the sheep have9 Ihave sheep on the distant hills and in the valleys, ranging and roaming everywhere. Other sheep have I which are not of this fold"
 So Christ comes. Here is group of Christians. and there is a group of Christians; here is Methodist fold. here is Presbyterian fold, here is a Baptist fold, here is Lutheran fold, and we make our annual statistics, and we think we can tell you just how many Christians there are in the world, how many there are in the church. how many in all these denominations We aggregate them, and we think we are giving an intelligent and an ac- curate account; but Christ comes and he says: You have not counted them right. There are those whom you have never seen, those of whom you have never heard. I have my children in all parts of the earth, on all the islands of the sea, on all the continents, in all the mountains and in all the valleys Do you think that these few sheep you have counted are all the sheep have2 There is great multitude that no man can number. Other sheep have l which are not of this fold"
 Christ in my text talks of the con version of the Gentiles as confidently as though they had already been con verted He sets forth the idea that his people will come from all parts of the earth. from all ages. from all circumstances, from all conditions.
 Other sheep have which are not ot this fold"
 in the first place I remark the Heavenly Shepherd will find many oi his sheep among those who are at present non-churchgoers. There are different kinds of churches. Some times you will find church made ul only of Christians. Everything seems finished. The church reminds you o1 those skeleton plants from which by
 chemical preparation all the greenness
 and the verdure have been taken, and they are cold and white and delicate | and beautiful and finished All that i,
 wanted is glass case put over them
 The minister on the Sabbath has only l to take an ostrich feather and brust