The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-11
NO MONOPOLY IN RELIGION.
HEv. TAIMAGE breaches on 4
CALL TO OUTSIDERS.

The Grace OF God Vet Little Prop
erty That Can he Fenced In From
the Rest OF ManEind-Many sheer
10 he Found Among Non-Church-
Goers by the shepherd-5iHny In
adeIs 70 Be Brought Into the Fold.
New York. Feb. Io-Three thousand
persons were turned away from the
Academy Of Music this afternoon, being
unable 70 gain admission. a few min
utss after the doors We're opened the audi
forum and galleries were densely
crowded. Rev. DIT. Taimage's sermon for
The sey was ~ CAN 10 outsiders" the
text chosen being John 1915: other
sheep have which are not Of this
fcl5''
There Is no monopoly i'm religion. The
grace Of God is not a little property that
we may fence OF and have all TO our
selves. II IS not kings park at which
We look through barred gateway. wish
ing that We might so in and see the deer
and the statua~y. and pluck the flowers
and fruits in the royal conservatory No,
Il Is the Fathers orchard, and every
where there are bars that we may let
down ana gates that we may swing
open.
In my boyhood. next 10 the country
school-house there was an orchard
Of apples, owned by very lame man,
who. although there were apples in the
place perpetually dccayins, and by scores
and scores OF bushels. never would al
low any Of us to touch the fruit. one
day. in the sinfulness Of a nature III
herited from our first parents, who were
ruined by the same temptation, some
OF US invaded that orchard, but soon
retreated. Tor 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 your
"Wen. my friends. there are Christian
men VINO have the Church under severe
guard There Is fruit in this orchard for
the whole world: but they nave a rough
and unsympathetic way Of accostine out
siders as though they had 30 business
here. though the Lord wants them all to
come ana take the largest and ripest fruit
on the premises. Have you an tuea that
because you We're baptized at thirteen
months Of age. and because you have all
your life been under halloWed influences,
ahat therefore, you have right to one
whole side Of the Lords table, spreading
yourself out and taking UP the entire
ROOM / tell you no. You will have TO
haul in your elbows, for ] 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
and browsing on the heather 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: Il see you have thirty sheep; I have
lust counted them" NO" says MacDon-
aid. i have great many more sheep
than that. Some are here, and some are
elsewhere. They are seated all around
about. ] have four or fve thousand in
my flocks. Other sheep l have, which
are not in this fold"
So Christ says to us. Here Is a knot of
Christians and there Is a knot of Chris
tians. but they make up a 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
these last two 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 thousands of the
Lord sheep; but Christ responds: mo.
no; you have not seen more than one out
of a thousand of my flock. They are scat
tered all over the earth. Other sheep !
have. which are not of this fold
Christ. in my text, was prophesying the
conversion of the Geutiles with as much
confidence as though they were already
converted, and he is now, in the words of
my text, prophesying the coming of
great multitude OF outsiders that you
never supposed would come in. saying to
you and saying to be: "Other sheep have
which are not of this fold"
In the first place / remark that the
heavenly Shepherd will 1nd many OF his
sheep among the non-church-goers
There are congregations where they are
all Christians, and they seem to be COM
pletelv finished, and they remind one of
the skeleton-leaves which, By chemical
preparation, have had all the greenness
and verdure taken off them. and are LETT
cold and white, and delicate, nothing
wanting but q glass case TO put over them.
The minister Of Christ has nothing to do
with such Christians but to come once a
week, and with ostrich feather dust off the
accumulation of the last six days, leaving
them bright and crystalline as before.
But the other kind of a 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 a
bath in which TO be cleansed. Here are
sandals TO put upon your feet. Here is
helmet for your brow Here Is a breast
plate for your heart. Here is a sword for
your right arm, and yonder is the battle
field. Quit yourselves like men"
There are some here, who say: Il
stopped going to church ten OF twenty
years ago. My brother, is it not strange
that you should be the first man l should
talk to to-day? / know all your case;
know it well. You have not been accus-
toned TO come into religious assem-
blage. but have surprising announce
ment to make TO you; you are going to
become one of the Lords sheep. All"
you say, lit is impossible. You don't
know how far ] am from anything of
that kind" I know all about it, l have
wandered UP and down the world, and 1
understand your case. l have still more
startling announcement to make in re-
gard TO you; you are not only going to
become one of the Lords sheep, but you
viii become one to-day. You Will stay
after this service to be talked with about
your soul People of God, pray for that
man, That Is the only use for you mere.
] shall not break off so much as a crumb