The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-03-28
A CALL TO OUTSIDERS.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Discourses on
the Grace Of God.
The Religion of Jesus is Not a Monopoly
or Hemmed in by Walls and Fences
1t is as Broad as the
Earth We Live Upon.

Dewitt Talmage was delivered In the
Academy of music, New York city, on
the subject: "a Call to Outsiders" be-
ing based on the text:
Other sheep have which are not Of this
fold.-John x, 16.
There is no monopoly in religion.
The grace of God is not little prop
erty that we may fence off and have
all to ourselves. 1t is not a kings
park at which we look through
barred gateway, wishing that we
might go in and see the deer and the
statuary, and pluck the flowers and
fruits in the royal conservatory. No,
it is the fathers orchard, and every
where there are bars that we may let
down and gates that we may swing
open. In my boyhood, next to the
country school house, there was an
orchard of apples, owned by very
lame man, who, although there were
apples in the place perpetually de-
caying by scores and scores of BUSH
els. never would allow any of us to
touch the fruit. One day, in the sim
fulness of nature inherited from our
first parents, who were ruined by the
same temptation, some of us invaded
that orchard; for the man came after
us at a speed reckless of making his
lameness worse, and cried out: Boys,
drop those apples, or I'll set the dog
on you!"
Well, my friends, there are Chris
tian men who have the church under
eouoro ~r,orJ ETboro &c f,,,it
orchard for the whole world; but they
have a rough and unsympathetic way
of accosting outsiders, as though they
had no business here, though the Lord
wants them all to come and take the
largest and ripest fruit on the prem
ises. Have you an idea that because
you were baptized at thirteen months of
age, and because you have all your life
been under hallowed influences, that,
therefore, you have right to one
whole side of the Lords table, spread
ing yourself out and taking up the en-
tire room? l tell You no. You will
have to haul in your elbows, for l
shall place on either side of you those
whom you never expected would
sit there; for as Christ said to
His favored people long ago,
so he says to you and to me: "Other
sheep / have which are not of this
fold" Macdonald, the Scotchman,
has four or five dozen head of sheep.
Some of them are browsing on the
neither, some of them are lying down
under the trees, some of them are in
his yard; they are scattered around IN
eight or ten different places. Cameron,
his neighbor, comes over and says: 81
see you have thirty sheep; I have just
counted them" NO" says MacDon-
aid, 81 have great many more sheep
than that. Some are here, and some
are elsewhere. They are scattered all
around about. I have four thousand
or five thousand in my focks. Other
sheep I have, which are not in this
fold"
SoChrist says to.us. Here is knot of
Christians and there is knot of Chris
tians, but they make up small part
of the flock. Here is the Episcopal
fold, the Methodist fold, the Lutheran
fold, the Congregational fold, the
Presbyterian fold, the Baptist and the
Pedo-Baptist fold, the only difference
between them being the mode of sheep
washing; and so they are scattered all
over; and we come with our statistics,
and say there are so MANY thou
sands of the Lords sheep; but
Christ responds: s'No, no; you have
not seen more than one out of thou
sand of our flock. They are scattered
all over the earth. Other sheep I have
which are not of this fold" Christ, in
my text, was prophesying the conver-
sion of the Gentiles with as much
confidence as though they were al
the words of my text, prophesying the
coming of a great multitude of outsid-
ers that you never supposed would
come in, saying to you and saying to
me: "Other sheep | have which are
not of this fold" In the first place, /
remark, that the heavenly Shepherd
viii, find many of his sheep among the
non-church-goers. There are congrega-
tions where they are all Christians, and
they seem to be completely finished,
and they remind one of the skeleton
leaves, which, by chemical prepara-
tion, have had all the greenness and
verdure taken off them, and are left
cold, and white, and delicate, nothing
wanting but glass case to put over
them. The minister of Christ has
nothing to do with such Chris
tians but to come once a week,
and with ostrich feather dust off the
accumulation of the last six days, leav-
ing them bright and crystalline as be-
fore. But the other kind of church
is an armory, with perpetual sound OF
drum and fife, gathering recruits for
the Lord of hosts. We say to every
applicant: do you want to be on
Gods side, the safe side and the happy
side? If SO, come in the armory and
get equipped. Here is bath in which
to be cleansed. Here are sandals to put
upon your feet. Here is a helmet for
your brow. Here is breast-plate for
your heart. Here is sword for your
rigb. arm, and yonder is the battle
del1. Quit yourselves like men,"
There are some boys here who say: