The Yale expositor., 1895-03-08


N field in which /
could enlarge nv work, and / feel a
sense Of relief amounting to exultation'
Whereunto this work will grow / can
not prophesy. 1t is inviting and promis-
ing beyond anything l 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 / join my
self for while, Lest 1 build on an
other mans foundation"
The church is a fortress, divinely
built. Now. a fortress is for defense
and for drill and for storing ammuni-
ton, 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 a general
engagement" for massing the troops.
Tor an invasion Of the enemy's country.
Confident that the forts are well man
ned by the ablest ministry that ever
blessed the church, l propose, with oth-
ers, for while TO join the cavalry ana
move out and on for service in the open
field
In laying out the plan for his mission
airy 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 Corinth, city
mentioned for splendor and vice, ana
Jerusalem, where the priesthood ana
Sanhedrim 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 IL. What was the
result? The grandest life of usefulness
that man ever lived. We modern CHRIS
tian workers are not apt to initiate PAU.
We build on other peoples foundations.
II we erect a church we prefer 10 have
IL filled with families all OF whom nave
been pious. Do we gather Sunday
school class, we want good boys ana
girls. hair combed. faces washed, man
ners attractive. SO a 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 a Presbyterian, or
there is n religious row in some neigh
boring 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? Absolutely moth
ing for the general cause OF Christ. 1t
is only as In an army, when regiment
is transferred from one division TO an
other. or from the 14th regiment to the
Goth regiment. What strengthens the
army is new recruits.
The fact Is, this is big world. When,
in our school boy days, we learned the
diameter and circumference Of this plan
ct, we did not learn half. 1t is the lati-
tude and longitude and diameter and
circumference of want and woe and sin
that no figures can calculate. This one
spiritual continent of Indebtedness
reaches across all zones. and II 1 were
called TO give it's geographical boundary
1 would say il is bounded on the north
and south and east and west by the
great heart of Gods sympathy and love.
Oh. ii is a great world. Since six o'clock
this morning at least $4,000 have been
born and all these multiplied popula-
lions are to be reached Of the gospel.
In England or in eastern American
cities we are being much crowded and
an acre of ground is OF much value; but
Out west OOU dGTtS is a. SIIlGll ldIIIl anu
10000 acres is no unusual possession.
There is a vast field here and every
where unoccupied, plenty of room more.
not building on another mans founda-
ton. We need as churches to stop bonn
harding the old iron-clad sinners 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 100000. who
are not averaging five new converts q
year and doing less good than many a
log-cabin meeting house with tallow
candle stuck in wooden socket, and
minister who has never seen n college
or known the difference between Greek
and Choctaw. We need churches to
get into sympathy with the great out
side world and let them know that none
are so broken-hearted or hardly bestead
that they will not be welcomed. MOT!
SAYS some fastidious Christian, II don't
like to be crowded in n church. Don't
put any one in my pew" My brother.
what will you do in heaven? When a
great multitude that no man can num-
Der assemblies they will put fifty in your
pew. What are the select few to-day
assembled in the Christian churches
compared with the mightier millions
outside of them? At least 1900, 900 peo-
pie in this cluster OF seaboard cities. and
not more than 100000 in the churches
Many of the churches are like hospital
that should advertise that it's patients
must have nothing worse than tooth
ache or ''run-arounds," but no broken
heads, no crushed ankles. no fractured
thighs. Give us for treatment moderate
sinners, velvet-coated sinners and sin
ners with a gloss on. 1t is as though q
man had a farm Of 5000 acres and put
all his work on one acre. He may raise
never so large ears Of corn, never so
big heads OF wheat. he would remain
poor. The church of God has bestowed
its chief care on one acre AID has
raised splendid men and women in that
small enclosure, but the field is the
world. That means North and South
America, Europe. Asia and Africa, and
all the islands of the sea.
II is as though after a great battle
there were left $4,000 wounded and dy-
ing on the field. and three surgeons
save. all their time to three patients
under their charge. The major-general
comes In and says to the doctors: Come