Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-11-05

! More and more, the world Is c0mtDi
to feel the Importance Of the personalit
of Christ. More and more men an,
women are coming to feel their need o
the Christ. More and more they ar
coming to believe that there Is nothin.
| In the heavens above, or in the earth be
meath, or in the waters under the earth
that there is nothing dRyrhere, that cal
so satisfy the heart OF man as Chris
himself.
We all know what efforts have beer
made to invent new-a different way
by which man may be saved. Blu
there is no way like this way.
IL has been said that In all probability
at the very moment that Christ uttered
the words, II am the door OF the
sheep" the sacrifcial sheep were pass
ing through the sheep gate Of the city e
the temple. But these sheep were simply
types of Him who was the great sacrifice
the Lamb OF God. This saying of
Christ meant great dealt meant the
breaking down Of Jewish ritualism and
Jewish seclusion, and the breaking down
Of proselytism TO the Jewish faith.
The sheep entering in, implied that
only those who offered such sacrifices to
the Lord, in the shrine Of His appoint
ment, would be accepted by Him. But
when Jesus said, II am the door of the
sheep" he indicated vast enlargement
of the fold, and of the gate. Through
His atoning sacrifice, as the Lamb of
God, lie should take away, not the sins
of the Jews only, but the sins OF the
,cOrld
Hereafter, He would be the door of
the sheep; and the sign by which men
would know that they were HIS sheep,
would not DC circumcision, or any out
ward badge OF ceremonial Observance
but their recognizing Ms voice and fol-
loving HIM. There is one dcor for al.
There is not one door for the Ameri-
can, and another door for the Austrian.
There Is not one door for the En-. l.sh-
man and another door for the African.
There is not one door for the Congrega-
tionalist and another door for III" Meth
odist, and still another door for the
Baptist.
There is only one door. II am the
door" said Christ. by me, II any man
enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go
in and out and lind pasture
The way that men AMI women act
sometimes, one would suppose that
there were good many doors to the
Kingdom Of Heaven.
am reminded of the familiar and
homelv story that has been told Of sir
| saac Newton. Sir l-aac had favo'ite
cat which he liked always 10 have with
him in his study. This cat had little
kitten, and the great man used 10 be
sometimes troubled when he heard the
two mewing on the wrong side OF the
door. wanting % come in. ~ In an absent
mood Of mind IA. ordered Il carpenter Ia
make two holes in the door, a big one Tor
the mother-cai, and "a smaller one for
the kitten. He did not realize at the
till the aS;onished carpenter cx-
plaiued 70 him, that Que hole would snf-
flee for both. that the little kitten could
get in through the same door As its
The story will do 10 explain
that there are Hrt two doors 10 religion.
There is aof one door for the parents and
another for the children. There Is nat
one door for one class Of individuals aud
another door for another class.
There Is MT one door for the 'rhis man.
aud another door for the blart man.
There is net one door for the millionaire,
and another door for the poor beggar.
Whatever We may think about the rich
4nd the poor, II is al the cross where
they meet on common ground. ~ there
i no royal road to learning, so there il no
royal road 10 Heaven. God be merci-
iul to me sinner" is the appropriate
crv for soul under conviction, whether
the suppiiant be queen, or an emperor;
a lady Of high life, or poor
outcast OF the city slums.
There may have been great diversity
of outward experience. The one may
have plunged into depths Of which the
other has hardly dreamed
The other may have met with the uni
yersal evil In forms of which the first,
with all his sunkcnncss, was never cogni-
laut. But the one root essential evil, i
present 10 the heart and memory of both.
And there il ONLY one remedy for each
The cleansing blood-the atouemcnt of
Christ,
The Young lady who said that she
would aerer be saved, If she had 10 be
saved in the same way a her footman,
i typical of hundreds aud thousands to-
iav, who expect that God is going to
satisfy their whims and pride, by in
venting some different way for them 10
get 10 Heaven
But let me quote again the words OF
he honorable magistrate, 10 whom re-
Ierred awhile ago: The public have to
be satisfied with the old-fsshioncd train
which stops anywhere along the route to
axe on u waiting passenger"
| have no other Gospel TO preach
% YOU this morning. | never shall
have any other Gospel TO preach to-
rou than the Gospel OF the grace OF
God. You know we read that on one
occasion when Christ came down from
he mount, the whole multitude soughtjto
ouch Him, for there went virtue out OF
Him and healed them all May We
.ouch Him this morning; and may the
same virtue come down into our very
hearts. o. that we all might touch but
he hem Of his garment this morning
There NAV be some one here to-day
whose life has not vet crystallized in pur-
pose and motiye-some one who is CROP
ng after some sure working principle
hat shall help him TO achieve character
aud fame: The Christ can satisfy that
need, There may be some one here, for
whom life has hitherto been blind mys-
.erv. hopeless and truitless. Why is il
so: Because the Christ-life has not
come into your soul.
q, nv friends, ercrythiHg depends
upon a mans acceptance OF Christ. You
can find no substitute for HIM.
know that TO many men, full OF busi-
ness, it seems difficult TO see how Christ,
who lived centuries ago, can really help
them in their life to-day.
Phillips Brooks in one OF his addresses
TO the business men Of Boston made
reference 10 this same thought. And he
said: There ia no Christ except the
present Christ for every man, unto whom
all the power of the historic Christ Is al
ways appearing, and who is great with
all the sweet solemnity, that comes from
the knowledge of what in the future lie
is be TO the world and TO the soul" To
be a Christian does not mean primarily
10 believe this or that. Ii does not mean
although 1t means necessarily
afterward, to do this or that. But IL
means TO know the presence of true
Christ among US, and TO .folio~!
"Verily, verify, say unto you, am
the door of the sheep"
ssTherc is no other name under Heav-
en-, that is given among men, whereby
we can be saved"
Nv friends, il is with the old, Old
story that | come to you again this
morning. God grant that we may ac-
cept it. God grant that through Christ
we all may find admittauce TO the King
dom above, when the present life shall
close. God grant that even nor we may