The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-01-15

the sound of drum and fife calling
more recruits TO the Lords army. We
say to the applicants, Come in and
get your equipment. Here is the bath
in which you are to be cleansed, here
is the helmet you are to put on your
head, here are the sandals you arc to
put OF your feet, here is the breast
plate you are to put over your heart,
here is the sword you are to take in
your right hand and fight his battle
with. OMIT yourselves like men"
There are those here, perhaps, who
say, at is now ten, fifteen years since
was in the habit, the regular habit, of
church going" know all about your
case. am Soingto tell you something
that will be startling at the first, and
that is that you are going to become
the Lords sheep, "Oh, you say, THAT
is impossible; you don't know my case;
you don't know how far lam 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,
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 be-
come 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 Chris
tians, have preached to them hun.
dreds and thousands of times The
sermon that preach now is going
to be chiefly for those who con.
slider themselves outsiders, but who
may happen to be in the house, and
the chief employment of the Christian
people here today will be to pray for
those who are not accustomed to at
tend upon Christian sanctuaries
When the steamer Atlantic went to
pieces on Mars Rock why did that
brave minister OF the gospel, of whom
we have all read, go out in the lifeboat2
Why did he not stay and look after the
passengers that got ashore, wrapping
hannels around them, and kindling
fires for them, and preparing them
food. There was plenty of work to be
done on shore for those who had al.
ready escaped. All! that brave man
knew that there were others who would
take care of those, and so he said :;
Man the lifeboatl Pull away, my
lads, pull awayl Yonder is man;
there is a woman freezing in the rig
ging. Pull away" | see the oar
blades bend in the strong pull of the
oarsmen. Then they come up to the
wreck The woman is frozen. She
drops into the wave-alas. poor WON
an-and washes out to sea. But then
Mr.. Ancient says: "There is man yet
hanging to the rigging. Pub away,
my ladsl pull away" They come up,
and he says: Hold now there five
minutes and we will save you Steady
steady Now give me your hand
Leapl Thank God, he is saved
Thank God, he is savedw
So there are men now in the break
ers. 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 placesl Steady
Leap into this lifeboatl Now is your
chance for heaven! This hour some of
you are going 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 Cos
pei 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 Hohokus creek, where there
are ten or fifteen men fishing, and drop
my line just about where they are drop,
ping their lines. | should like to get in
Newfoundland fishing smack and
push out to sea fifty miles beyond the
breakers. Il do not think 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 mountains you want to bring back
the lost sheep on the mountains. And
they are coming today
You are now this hour in the tide OF
Christian influences. You are going to
be swept in; your voice is going to be
heard in prayer; you are going to be
consecrated to God; you are going to
live life of usefulness, and your death
bed is going to be surrounded by Chris
tan sylnpathizers and devout 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 today. "Other
sheep have | which are not of this
| fold"
Again remark, the Heavenly Shep-
herd is going to find many of his sheep
among those who are 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 il
was reading Remains Life of Jesus, y
or whether it was through some skeptic
| in the store frotor,.. Or IL rnay ha-
probably is the case-that you were
disguised with religion and disguised
with Christianity because some man
who prof, ed to be a Christian de
f-auded you. and he being a member
of the church, and you taking him as q
representative OF the Christian religion
you said, We'll, if that's religion.
| don't want any of it.
do not know how you came to re
jet Christianity, but you frankly tel
NE you do reject it; you do not think
tie Bible is the word of God. although
there are many things in it you admire
You do not think that Christ was a
divine being, although you think he
was very good man. You say, "lf
IL,