The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1900-10-05
ACTIVITY OF PAUL.
DR.. Talmage Draws Lesson from
Work of the Disciple.
PointA Out Places of Usefulness Not
Yet Fully occupied-Need of
More workers - Church
as LlfebOat.
copyright, 1900, by Louis Klopsch.]
Washington, Sept. 30.

to fields of usefulness that are not yet
thoroughly cultivated and shows the
need of more activity. The text is
Romans 1920: Lest / should build
upon another mans foundation"
In laying out the plan of his mission
airy tour Paul sought out towns and
cities which had not yet been preached
to. He goes to Corinth, a city famous
for splendor and vice, and Jerusalem,
where the priesthood and the sanhe-
drim 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 re-
suit? The grandest life of usefulness
that a man ever lived. We modern
Christian workers are not apt to imi-
tate Paul. We build on other peoples
foundations. If we erect a church, we
prefer to have it filled with families all
of whom have been pious. Do we gath
pr Sabbath 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 all their time in fishing in other
peoples ponds, and they throw the line
into that church pond, and they jerk
out Methodist, and throw the line
into another church pond and bring
out a Presbyterian, or there is a reli-
gious row in some neighboring church,
and whole school 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
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 foun-
dation.
The fact is, this is a 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
l were called to give its geographical
boundary l 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 six o'clock this morning 60,sO0 |
persons have been born, and all these
multiplied populations are to be |
reached by the Gospel. In England or
in our eastern American cities we are
Ias1 a
ground is of great value, but in western
America 500 acres is small farm, and |
10000 acres is no unusual possession.
There is vast field here and every |
where unoccupied, plenty of room
more, not building on another mans
foundation.
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 chandelier enough to
light 500 souls to glory, and in one
carved pillar enough to have made a
thousand men pillars in the house of
our God forever" and doing less good
than many 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
difference between Greek and Choc-
taw. 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. "No!"s
some fastidious Christian, 81 don't like
to be crowded in church. Don't put
anyone in my pew"
Ny brother, what will you do in
Heaven? When great multitude that
no man can number assemblies, they
will put so in your pew What are the
select few to-day assembled in the
Christian churches compared with the
mightier millions outside of them?
Many of the churches are like hospi-
tai that should advertise that its pa
tients must have nothing worse than
toothache or ''runrounds," but no
broken heads, no crushed ankles, no
fractured thighs. Give us for treat
ment moderate sinners, velvet-coated
sinners and sinners with gloss on.
1t is as though a 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 so big heads of
wheat, he would remain poor. The
church of God has bestowed it's chief
care on one acre and has raised splen-
did men and women in that small in
closure, but the field is the world. That
means North and South America, Eu-
rope, Asia and Africa and all the is
lands 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 dying for lack of sur
gical attendance" mo" say the three
doctors, standing there tanning their
patients; 1--WE have three important
cases here, and we are attending to
them, and when we are not positively
busy with their wounds it takes all
Dur time to keep the flies Off" In this
awful battle with sin and sorrow,
where millions have fallen on millions,