The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-03-08
WIDER FIELD NEEDED.
The Church Too Exclusive to Prop
erly Fulfill It's Mission.
Too Much Time Devoted to Caring for Vel
Vet-Coated SInners-To Reach the
Multitude TechnlcaIities Must
BE Dropped.


Talmage preached upon the subject,
New Ground" his text being from
Romans XIV, 20: Lest | should build
upon another mans foundation" The
famous preacher said:
After, with the help of others, l had
built three churches in the same city,
and not feeling called upon 20 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
l feel a sense of relief amounting to
exultation. Whereunto this work will
grow cannot prophesy. 1t is inviting
and promising beyond anything have
ever touched. The churches are the
grandest institutions this world ever
saw, and their pastors have no superb
ors this side of Heaven; but there is a
work which must be done outside of
the churches, and to that work 1 join
myself for awhile, ''lest 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 anmuni
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 general
engagement. for massing the troops,
for an invasion of the enemies country.
Confident that the forts are we'll
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 plans for his mis-
sionary tour, Paul, with more brain
than any of his contemporaries, or pre-
decessors, on successors, sought out
towns and cities which had not vet
been preached to. He goes to Corinth,
a city mentioned for splendor and vice,
and Jerusalem, where the priesthood
and Sanhedrim were ready to leap
with both feet upon the Christian re-
ligion. He feels he has a
special work to do, and he
means to do it. What was the
result? The grandest life of useful
ness that man ever lived. We modern
Christian workers are not apt to imi-
tate Paul. We build on other peoples
If we erect a 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 a
church in this day is apt to be built
out of other churches. Some ministers
spend ali their time fishing in other
peoples ponds, and they throw the line
into that church pond and jerk out
Methodist, and throw the line into an
other church pond and bring out a
Presbyterian, or there is a religious
row in some neighboring church, and
the whole shoal of fish swim off from
that pond, and we take them all in
with one sweep of the net What is
gained? Absolutely nothing for the
general cause of Christ.
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 wretch
edness reaches across all zones. and if
/ were called to give its geographical
1 would say it was bounded
on the north and south and east and
west by the great heart of Gods SYM
pathy and love. Oh, it is a great world. |
Since 6 o'clock this morning at least |
so, 600 have been born. and all these |
multiplied populations are to be |
reached by the Gospel. In England, or
in eastern American cities, we are be- |
ing much crowded, and an acre of |
ground is of great value, but out |
west 500 acres is a small farm, |
and 10000 acres is no unusual pos
session. There is vast field here and |
everywhere unoccupied. plenty of room |
more, not building on another mans |
We need as churches to |
stop bonn harding 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 |
invitation. There are |
churches whose buildings might be |
worth S290, 900 who are not averaging |
1--WE new converts a year, and doing |
less good than many a log cabin meet |
ing house with tallow candle stuck in |
wooden socket, and minister who has |
never seen a college, or known the diff |
ference between Greek and Choctaw. |
We need churches to get into sympathy |
with the great outside world, and let |
them know that none are so broken
hearted Or hardly beset that they will |
not be welcomed. The church of God |
has beloved its chief care on one acre, |
and 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.
1t is as though after great battle
there were left $1,000 wounded and
dying on the field, and three surgeons
gave all their time to three patients
under their charge The major-gener-
81 comes in and says to the doctors:
Come out here and look at the nearly /
20, 900 dying for lack of surgical attend
ance." No" say the three doctors,
standing there and tanning their pa
tents, I'VE have three important cases
here and we are attending them, and
when we are not positively busy with
their wounds it takes all our time to
keep the flies off" In this awful battle
Of sin and sorrow, where millions have
have fallen on millions, Go not let us
spend all our time in taking care of
a few people, and when the command
comes: 60 into the world" say prac-
tica LIZ. ..Nn l cannot 90: l have here |