The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-03-08
FILLING NEW GROUND
REV. DR.. TALMAGE PLEASED WITH
HIS PRESENT WORK.

liGion-Fields of Usefulness Seldom Oc-
cupied by the Church.
New YORK, March 3.-Public inter
est in the services at the Academy of
Music is something phenomenal. AL
though the arrangement is an innova-
tion in religious methods in New York,
both as to time and place, there is no
,hurch in the city to which so many
people go or where SO much eagerness
to secure admission is displayed, The
usual immense audience was present
this afternoon to hear the famous
preacher Dr. Talmage's subject was
"New Ground" and his text Romans
XIV, 20, LEST l should build upon an
other mans foundation.
After, with the help of others, l had
built three churches in the same city,
and not feeling called upon to undertake
the superhuman toll Of building a fourth
church Providence seemed to point to
this place as the field in which | could
enlarge my work, and / feel a sense of
relief amounting to eXultation. Where
unto this work will grow l cannot
prophesy. 1t is inviting and promising
beyond anything have ever touched.
The churches are the grandest institu
tions this world ever saw, and their pas
tors have no superiors this side of heav-
en-, but there is a work which must be
done outside the churches, and to that
work 1 join myself for awhile, LEST |
build on another man S foundation.
Service In the Open Field.
The church is fortress divinely
built. Now, fortress is for Defense and
for drill, and for storing ammunition, but
an army must sometimes be on the
march far outside the fortress. In the
campaign of conquering this world for
Christ the time has come for an advance
movement, for general engagement,
for massing the troops, for an invasion
of the enemies country Confident that
the forte are we'll manned by the ablest
ministry that ever blessed the church,
propose, with others, for awhile, to join
the cav9ry and move out and on for
service in the open field.
In laying out the plan for his mis-
sionary tour Paul, with more brain than
any of his contemporaries or predeces-
sors or successors, sought out towns
and cities which had not yet been
preached to. He goes to Cornith, a city
mentioned for splendor and vice, and
Jerusalem, where the priesthood and
sanhedrin were ready to leap with both
feet upon the Christian religion. He
feels he has a special work to do, and
he means to do it. What was the result?
The grandest life of usefulness that man
ever lived. We modern Christian work
ers are not apt to initiate Paul. We
build on other peoples foundations. If
We erect a church, we prefer to have it
filed with families all of whom have
been pious. Do we gather Sund-c-
school class, we want good boysand gir4-,
hair combed, faces washed, manners at
tractive. So church in this city is
apt to be built out of other churches.
Some ministers spend all their time in
fishing in other peoples ponds, and they
throw the line into that church pond
and jerk out Methodist, and throw the
li2e into another church pond and bring
ouSa Presbyterian, or there is a religious
row in some neighboring church, and
bhe whole school of fish swim off from
that pond, and we take them all in with
sne sweep of the net. What is gained?
Absolutely nothing for the general cause
of Christ. 1t is only as in an army,
when regiment is transferred from one
division to another, or from the Four
'eenth regiment to the Sixty ninth regi- |
nent What strengthens the army is
,ew recruits.
,.r. This Is Big World. vt
The fact is, this is a big world When
IN our schoolboy days we learned the
diameter and circumference of this
planet, we did not learn half 1t is the
attitude and longitude and diameter and
of want and woe and sin
hat no figures can calculate. This one
spiritual continent of wretchedness
caches across all zones, and if / were
allied to give its geographical boundary
would say it is bounded on the north
md south and east and west by the
yreat heart Of Gods sympathy and love-
)h, it is great world. Since O'Clock
his morning at least 80. 600 have been
'orn, and all these multiplied popula-
ions are to be reached of the gospel
n England or in eastern American cit
es we are being much crowded, and an
'cre of ground is of great value, but out
vest 500 acres is small farm, and co.
400 acres is no unusual possession. There
s vast field here and everywhere unou-
upied, plenty of room more, not build
ng on another mans foundation. We
iced as churches to stop bombarding the
I'D ironclad sinners that have been proof
gainst 30 years of Christian assault,
md aim for the salvation of those who
lave never yet had one warm hearted
md point blank invitation. There are
hurches whose buildings might be
worth 5000, 900, who are not averaging
i've new converts year and doing less
God than many log cabin meeting
Iouse with tallow candle stuck in
wooden socket and a minister who has
ever seen a college or known the diff
erenoe between Greek and Choctaw.
We need churches to get into sympathy
yiththe great outsideworld, and letthem
now that none are SO broken hearted or
ardly bestead that they will not be
1elcomed MOI says some fsstidious
christian: 81 don't like To he crowded |