Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-10-06
SPREAD THE GOSPEL.
Or. TALMAGE URGES CHRISTIANS TO
SEEK NEW FIELDS.
Efforts Of the Churches Should BE
Directed Toward Saving Sinners.
They should Get In sympathy with
Those Outside Their Pale.


They should Get In sympathy with
Those Outside Their Pale.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 30.-In this dis
course DR.. Talmage points 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 mission
ary tour Paul sought out towns and
cities which had not yet been preached
to. He goes to Corinth, city famous
for splendor and vice, and Jerusalem,
where the priesthood and the sanhe-
drin were ready to leap with both feet
upon the Christian religion. He feels
he has especial work to do, and he
means to do It. What was the result7
The grandest life of usefulness that a
man ever lived. We modern Christian
workers are not apt to initiate Paul.
We build on other peoples founda-
tions. II we erect church. we prefer
to have II filed with families all Of
whom have been pious. Do we gather
a Sabbath school class, we want good
boys and girls, hair combed. faces
washed, manners attractive. So
church in this day Ia apt to be built
out of other churches. Some ministers
spend all their time In fishing In other
peoples ponds, and they throw the
line into that church pond and jerk out
a Methodist and throw the line into an
other church pond and bring out
Presbyterian. or there is a religious
row in some neighboring church, and
whole school Of fish swim of from that
pond. and we take them all In with one
sweep Of the net. What is gained7
Absolutely nothing for the cause OF
Christ. What strengthens an army Is
new recruits. While courteous to those
coming from other focks, 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 big world. When
in our schoolboy days we learned the
diameter and circumference Of this
planet, we did not learn half. II Is the
latitude and longitude and diameter
and circumference of want and woe
and sin that no figures can calculate.
This one spirltgsl continent OF wretch
edness reaches across all zones, and II
were called to give its geographical
boundary would say II was bounded
on the north and south and east and
west by the great heart Of Gods SYM
pathy and love. Oh. It Is great worldi
Since 6 o'clock this morning 60.S00 per-
sons have been born, and all these muL
tiplied populations are to be reached
by the gospel. In England or In our
eastern American cities we are being
much crowded. and an acre Of ground
is Of great value. but In western Amer
lea 800 acres IL a small farm. and 20.-
600 acres Is no unusual possession.
There Ii vast leu Iere a1d every /
where unoccupied, plenty Of room
more. not building on another mans
foundation.
Need of Churches.
We need as churches to stop bom-
harding the old ironclad sinners that
have been proof against 30 years Of
Christian assault. Alas for that church
which lacks the spirit Of evangelism,
spending on one chandelier enough to
light50O souls to glory and In one carved
pillar enough to have made thousand
men pillars In the house Of our God
forever" and doing less good than
many a log cabin meeting house with
tallow candles stuck In wooden sockets
and a minister who has never seen a
college and does not know the differ
ence between Greek and Choctaw! We
need az 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. mo-" says
some fastldlous Christian; 81 don't like
to be crowded In church. Don't put |
any one In my pew"
My brother, what will you do In heav-
Ell? When n great multitude that no |
man can number assemblies, they Will |
put 80 In your pew. What are the Sc
lect few today assembled In the Chris |
tian churches compared with the might |
Ter millions outside of them? Many OF |
the churches are like a hospital that |
should advertise that It's patients must
have nothing worse than toothache or
run rounds" but no broken heads, no |
crushed ankles, no fractured thighs
Give US for treatment moderate sim
ners, velvet coated sinners and sinners |
with a gloss on. 1t Is as though man |
had a farm Of 1900 acres and put all |
his work on one acre. He may raise |
never so large ears Of corn, never 80 |
big heads OF wheat-he would remain |
poor. The church Of God has bestow-
ed its chief care on one acre and has |
raised splendid men and women In |
that small lnclosure. but the field 's
the world. That means North and |
South America. Europe, Asia and Az
r.ca and all the islands Of the sea. 1t |
Is as though. after great battle, there
were left $4,000 wounded and dying on |
the field and three surgeons gave all
their time to three patients under their
charge. The major general comes In
and says to the doctors, "Come out
here and look at the nearly $4,000 dy-
Ing for lack of surgical attendance!'
mo" 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
It takes all our time to keep the hies
off," In this awful battle of sin and
sorrow, where millions have fallen on
millions, do not let US spend all our
time In taking care Of few people.
and when the command comes, go in
to the world" say practically: "No;
cannot. | have here few choice cases,
and | am busy keeping Off the flies"