The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1891-01-17
Meeklg gnRlligenfer,
OFFICIAL COUNTY PAPER.
GATHERING LOST SHEEP.
DR.. Tahnage Appeals to Those Out
eide the Fold.
No Monopoly In Religion-Diaerent Ways
of GsthSrlnG In Those Outside the Fold
--Aa Appeal to the skepticaI-
Chrlst's Mercy.

HAAo - oAu
A Appeal to the SkepticaI-
Chrlst's Mercy.
In q recent sermon at BROOKLYN DIR.
Talmage appealed especially to non
church-ecers, taking his text from John
4. 10: "Other sheep have l which are not
OF this fold" lie said:
There Is no monopoly in religion. The
grace of God is not a nice little property
fenced Oft ali for ourselves. 1t is not a
Kings park, at which we look through
q barred gateway, wishing we might go
in and pluck the flowers and look at
the deer and the statuary. 1t is a
ather's orchard, and there are bars to
let down. and gates to swing open.
In my boyhood days, next to the
country school house where / 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
sinfu,ness of a nature inherited from
u FIRST parents who fell through the
same temptation, would climb over
the fence and take some of
these apples, and Notwithstanding
the fact that there was a sur
plus, and all going to waste, the
owner Of that orchard, reckless 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 gunrd owe the church of God.
They hore a rough and .unsympathetic
way OF treating outsiders. 1t is a great
orchard into which God would like TO
have all the people come and take the
richest srld the ripest fruits, and the
more they take the better He likes it.
But there ire those who stand with a
hard and V nature guarding the
church of God. and all the time afraid
hat soiae 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 ny hallowed influences, you
have 4 right to one whole side of the
Lords tahle, spreading yourself out so
nobody else can sit there? You will
have to hitul In your elbows, for there
will corse G great multitude to sit at
the table, aud on both sides of you.
You are not going to have this monopo-
ly of religion. "Other sheep have /
which are not of this fold"
Mcdonald. the Scotchman, has on the
Scotch hills a great flock of sheep. Nc
Donald has 1900 or 1000 head of sheep.
Some Gre browsing in the heather.
some arc on the hills, some are in the
valleys, a few are in the yard. One
day Cameron comes over to Mcdonald
and says. 'McDonald, you have thirty
sheep; I have been counting them"
80, MOI says Mcdonald, 81, have 1900
or 5000 'Ahr" says Cameron, ''you
r mistaken have just counted them;
there ara thirty" ''Why," says Nc.
Donald, stdo you suppose that is all the
sheep have? / have sheep on the dis
tant hilts and in the valleys, ranging
and roaming everywhere. Other sheep
haveI which are not of this fold"
So Christ Here is u group OF
Christians, and there is a group of
Christians; here is u Methodist fold,
here Is 3 Presbyterian fold, here is a
Baptist Sold, here is a Lutheran fold,
and ve make our annual statistics, and
we thiug we can tell you lust how
MANI Christians there are in the world.
how mary there are in the Church, how
many OF all these denominations. We
aggregate them, and we think we are
giving an intelligent and an accurate
account, hut Christ comes and He saws:
you have mo- counted them right.
There ma those whom Won have never
seem. Ihave nv Children in all parts
of thss esrth. on all the islands of the
eea. In al ssss continents. in all the
mon1,tassA a;sss IN ALI he valleys. no
vursshfA }8at tbese law sheen Won
hnveeot3ked3r All i zf.een 5,1ves
Theirs * nfsat mrltisucz shat II mar
can number. Other sheen have which
are not a this fold
Christ. Ia nay text, talks of the con.
version Of the Gentiles as confidently as
though they had already been convert
ed. He sets forth the idea that His PEG.
pie will come from all parts of the earth,
from all circumstances, from all ccndi.
tions. ac,ther sheep have / which are
not CT tltts field"
In The FRS. place. 1 emarls the Heav.
enly Shapheri will find MANY of his
sheep among those who are at present
non-church-roers. There are different
kinds of churches. Sometimes you will
find a church made up only Of Chris.
tians. Every thing seems finished. The
church reminds Won of those skeleton
plants from which bv chemical u
ton sill the and the verdure
have been taken, and they are cold, and
white, sal delicate, and beautiful, and
finished All hat is wanted is a glass
case put over them. The minister on
%he Sabbath has only to take an ostrich
feather end brush of the dust that has
accumulated IN the last six days OF ousi.
ness, ana then they are rs cold and
beautiful and delicate as before. Every
thing Is li1ished; finished sermons, Tin
ished every thing.
Another church is like an armory, the
sound of drum and fife calling more re,
cruits to the Cords army. We say to
the applicants Come In in and get
your equipment. Here is the bath in
which yen arc to be cleansed, here is
the helmet yeti are to put on your head
here are the sandals you are to put on
your feet here Is h breast-plate you
are To put over your heart, here Is the
sword You Gre to take in your right
hand and fight His battle with. Quit
yourselves like men,"
l go further and make another an.
nounceinent IN regard 70 you, ana tna'
IL, you are NOT only p" become the
Lords sheep put you are oin 10 DC,