Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-03-08
TILLING NEW GROUND
REV. DR.. TALMAGE PLEASED WITH
HIS PRESENT WORK.

EpecIaI Attention Given In His Sermon to
skeptIcs-The Cause of GOethe's IRE
ligion-Fields Of Usefulness Seldom oc-
cupIed by the Church.
NEW YORK, March 3.-Public inter
est in the services at the Academy of
Music is something phenomenal AL
though the arrangement is an lnnoya-
tion in religious methods in New ork'
both as to time and place, there is no
church in the city to which so many
people 20 or where so much eagerness
to secure admission is displayed. The
usual immense audience was present
this afternoon to hear the famous
preacher. DR.. Talmage's subject was
New Ground" and his text Romans
xv. 20, Lest l should build upon an
other mans foundation.
After, with the help Of others, had
built three churches in the same city,
and not feeling called upon to undertake
the superhuman toll of building 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 amountingto exultation. Where
INTO this work will grow l cannot
prophesy. 1t is inviting and promising
beyond anything have ever touched.
The churches are the grandest institu-
tions this world ever saw, and their pas
tors have no superiors this side OF heav-
EN-. but there is a work which must be
done outside the churches, and to that
work Join myself for awhile, Lest L
build on another mans foundation. "
Service In the Open Field.
The church is a fortress divinely
built Now, a fortress is for defense, and
for drill, AMI for storing ammunition, 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 blessed the church, l
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 predeces'
sors or successors, sought out towns
and cities which had not yet been
preached to. he goes to COrnith, city
mentioned for splendor and vice, and
Jerusalem, where the priesthood and
sanhedrin were ready to leap with both
feet upon the Christian religion. DE
feels he has a special work to do, and
he means to do it, What was the result!
The Qrandest life of usefulness that man
ever lived. We modern Christian work
ers are not apt to initiate Paul we
build on other peoples foundations. II
we erect a church, we prefer to have II
filled with families all Of whom have
been pious Do we gather Sunday
school class, we want good boysand girls,
hair combed, faces washed, manners at
tractive. So a church in this city is
ant to be built out Of other churches.
Some ministers spend all their time IL
fishing in other peoples ponds, and they
throw the line into that church pono
and Jerk out Methodist and throw the
line into another church pond and bring
out a Presbyterian, or there is a religious
row in some neighboring church, anc
the whole school Of fish swim of 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 1t is only as in an army
when a regiment is transferred from one
division to another, or from the Four
teenth regiment to the Sixty ninth regi
ment. What strengthens the army Ii
new recruits.
This IL Big World.
The fact Is, this is a big world. WheI
In our schoolboy days we learned tn
diameter and circumference OF thi
planet, we did not learn half. 1t is tn
latitude and longitude and diameter ant
circumference Of want and woe and sil
that no figures can calculate. This on
} spiritual continent Of wretchednes
reaches across all zones, and If | wer
called to give its geographical boundar,
I would say it is bounded ON the nortl
and south and east and west by tn
great heart of Gods sympathy and love
Oh, it is a great world. Since @ o'clocl
this morning at least so, 900 have beel
born, and all these multiplied popula
tions are to be reached OF the gospel
| In England or IN eastern American CIT
les we are being much crowded, and al
acre of ground is Of great value but on
west 500 acres is a small farm, and 20,
600 acres is no unusual possession. Their
Is a vast field here and everywhere unoc
uupied. plenty Of room more, not build
D ing on another mans foundation. w
need as churches to stop bombarding tn
old ironclad sinners that have been proc
+ against so years Of Christian assault
' and aim for the salvation Of those VIII
a have never yet had one warm hearte
- -
,.r.s7-4 =. y