Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-10-04
SEEKING NEW FIELDS
OR. TALMAGE DRAWS LESSONS
FROM PAUL'S ACTIVITY.


to fields of usefulness that are not yet
thoroughly cultivated and shows the
need OF more activity. The text is
Romans XIV, 20, Lest | should build
upon another mans foundation"
In laying out the plan OF his mis-
sionary tour Paul sought out towns
and cities which had not yet been
preached to. He goes to Corinth, d
city famous for splendor and vice. and
Jerusalem, where the priesthood and
the sanhedrin were ready to leap with
both feet upon the Christian re-
ligion. He feels he has especial work
10 do. and he means to do it. What
was the result? The grandest life OF
usefulness that mdn ever lived. We
modern Christian workers are not apt
10 initiate Paul We build on other
peoples foundations. IL We erect a
church, We prefer to have it filled with
families all of whom have been pious.
DO we gather Sabbath school class,
we want good boys and girls, hair
combed faces washed. manners attrac-
tive So church in this day is apt to
be built out of other churches. Some
ministers spend all of their time in fish
ing in other peoples ponds, and they
throw the line into that church pond,
and they jerk out a Methodist and
throw the line into another church
pond and bring out Presbyterian. or
there is a religious row in some neigh
boring church, and a 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 cause of Christ. What
strengthens an army is new recruits,
While courteous to those coming from
other fiocks, we should build our
churches not out of other churches.
but out of the world, lest We build on
another mans foundation.
The fact is. this is a big world.
When, in our schoolboy days. We
learned the diameter and circumfer-
ence 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 con-
tinent of Indebtedness reaches across
all zones, and II | were called to give
its geographical boundary | would say
it was bounded on the north and south
and east and west by the great heart
of Gods sympathy and love. oh. 1t
is a great world, Since 6 o'clock this
morning 60,S00 persons have been
born, and all these multiplied popula-
tions are to be reached by the gospel
In England or in our eastern Ameri-
can cities We are being much crowded,
and an acre OF ground is of great
value, but in western America 500
acres is small farm and 10000 acres
| is no unusual possession. There is a
vast field here and everywhere unoc-
cupied. plenty of room more. not
building on another mans foundation.
The Spirit of Evangelism.
We need as churches to stop bonn
harding the old ironclad sinners that
have been proof against 80 years OF
Christian assault. Alas for that
church which lacks the spirit of
evangelism, spending on one chande-
lier enough to light 500 souls to glory,
and in one carved pillar enough to
have made thousand men pillars in
the house of our God forever" and do
ing less good than many a log cabin
meeting house with tallow candles
stuck in wooden sockets and a min
lister who has never seen a college and
does not know the difference between
Greek and Choctaw. We need as
churches to get into sympathy with
the great outside world and let them
know that none are so broken hearted
or hardly bestead that they will not
be welcomed. MOI" says some fas-
tidious Christian. Il don't like to be
crowded in 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 number assemblies, they
will put so in your pew. What are
the select few today assembled in the
Christian churches compared with the
mightier millions outside of them?
Many of the churches are like a hos
pital that should advertise that its
patients must have nothing worse
than toothache or "runrounds," but no
broken heads, no crushed ankles, no
fractured thighs. Give us for treatment
moderate sinners. velvet coated sin
ners and sinners with a gloss on. II
Is as though man had 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 ont
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 a great battle
there were left $4,000 wounded and dy-
ing on the field and three surgeons
gave ali their time to three patients
under their charge. The major gen.
eral comes in and says to the doctors.
Come out here and look at the nearly
$4,000 dying for lack of surgical at
tendance" NO" say the three doctors.
standing there tanning their patients:
I'VE have three important cases here,
and we are attending to them, and
when We are not positively busy with
their wounds II takes all our time to
keep the flies or" In this awful bat
tie of sin and sorrow. where millions
have fallen on millions, do not let us
spend all our time in taking care of a
few people and when the command
comes, Go into the world" say prac-