The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-03-06
NEW GROUND.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Tells How It May
be Broken with Good Results.
skeptIcs May be Won to Christ II Dealt
With Very Tenderly-Danger Lies In
Enforcing Fine Distinctions of
Creed-Dead Churches Have
aRepelling Power.

Enforcing Fine Distinctions of
Creed-Dead Churches Have
aRepelling Power.
The subject of Rev. T. Dewitt Tai
IMAGES last sermon, delivered in the
Academy of Music, New York, was
New Ground" and his text Romans
1920: Lest / should build upon an
other mau's foundation" He said:
After, with the help of others, had
built three churches in the same city,
and not feeling called upon to under
take 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 exulta-
tion. Whereunto this work will grow
l cannot prophesy. 1t is inviting and
promising beyond anything have ever
touched. The churches are the grand
est institutions this world ever saw,
and their pastors have no superiors
this side of heaven; but there is work
which must be done outside the
churches, and to that work l join my
self, for awhile, Lest build on an
other mans foundation"
The church is fortress, divinely
built. Now, fortress is for defense
and for drill and for storing ammuni-
tion, but an army must sometimes be
on the march far outside the fortress.
n tha out irrV, Of J., 30
world for Christ the time has come for
an advance movement, for general
engagement" for massing the troops,
for an invasion of the enemy's country.
Confident that the forts are well
manned by the ablest ministry that
ever blest the church, propose, with
others, for awhile, to join the cavalry,
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
predecessors, or successors, sought out
towns and cities which had not yet
been preached to. He goes to Corinth,
a city mentioned for splcndor and
vice, and Jerusalem, where the priest
hood and Sanhedrim were ready to
leap with both feet upon the Chris
tian religion. He feels he has a spe-
cial work to do, and he means to do
it. What was the result? The grand
est life of usefulness that man ever
lived We modern Christian workers
are not apt to initiate Paul. We build
on other peoples foundations If we
erect q church we prefer to have it
filled with families all of whom have
been pious. Do we gather a Sunday
school class, we want good boys and
girls, hair combed, faces washed,
manners attractive. SO q church in
this day 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 line into another church
pond and bring out Presbyterian,
or there is a religious row in some
ncighboring church, and the whole
school of fish swim off from that pond,
and we take them all in with one sweep
of the net What is gained? Abso-
lutely 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
Fourteenth regiment to the Sixty-ninth
regiment. What strengthens the army
is new recruits.
The fact is, this is big world. When
in our schoolboy days we learned the
diameter and circumference of this
planet we did not learn half. 1t is the
latitude and longitude and diameter
and circumference of want and woe and
sin that no figures can calculate. This
one spiritual continent of wretchedness
reaches across all zones, and if / were
called to give it's geographical boundary
| would say it is bounded on the
north and south and east and west by
the great heart of Gods sympathy and
love. o, it is great world. Since 6
o'clock this morning at least $4,000
have been born, and all these multi
piled populations are to be reached by
the gospel. In England or in eastern
American cities we are being much
crowded and an acre of ground is of
great value, but out west five hundred
acres is small farm and twenty thou
sand acres is no unusual possession.
There is vast field here and every
where unoccupied, plenty of room
more, not building on another mans
foundation. We need as churches to
stop bombarding the old iron-clad sim
ners that have been proof against thirty
years of Christian assault, and aim for
the salvation of those who have never
yet had one warm-hearted and point
blank invitation. There are churches
whose buildings might be worth $780,
OOO who are not averaging five new
converts year, and doing less good
than many alog-cabin meeting house,
with tallow candle stuck in wooden
socket, and minister who has never
seen college, or known the difference
between Greek and Choctaw.
We need churches to get into sympa-
thy with the great outside world, and
let them know. that none are SO broken
hearted or hardly bestead that they
will not, be welcomed "Nor' says
some fastidious Christian, II don't like
to be crowded in church. Don't put
any one in my pew" My brother, what
will you do in Heaven? When a great
multitude that no one can number as
sembles they will put fifty in your pew.
What are the select few to-day assem-.
bled in the Christian churches com.
1911 Ia. IL. ...i-.LAi.- M. - -