Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-10-05
SPREAD THE GOSPEL.
Or. TAIMAGE URGES CHRISTIANS TO
SEEK NEW FIELDS.

They should Get Tn 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.
r'Lest l 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
Tor splendor and vice, and Jerusalem,
where the priesthood and the sanhe-
drln 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 result?
The grandest life of usefulness that
man ever lived. We modern Christian
workers are not apt to initiate Paul
We build on other peoples founda-
lions. If we erect a church. we prefer
TO have 1t filed with families all of
whom hive been pious. Do we gather
sabbath school class, we want good
boys and girls. hair combed, faces
washed. manners attractive. So
church in this day is apt to be built
out of other churches. Some ministers
spend all their time i'm fishing in other
peoples ponds. and they throw the
line into that church pond and Jerk out
Methodist and throw the line into an
other church pond and bring out a
Presbyterian. or there is religious
row in some neighboring church. and a
whole school of fish swim Off from that
pond, and we take them all in with one
sweep OF the net. What is gainedY
Absolutely nothing for the cause OF
Christ. What strengthens On army Is
new recruits. While courteous to those
coming from other 1ocks. 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. It 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 IL
were called to give It's 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 ard love. oh. II is n great worldl
Since O'Clock this morning G0.S0O per-
sons have been born, and all these null
tiplicd 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 I'm western Amer
lea 500 acres is small farm. and 90
900 acres is no unusual possession.
There Is vast field here and every
where unoccuplcd. plenty of room
more. not building on another mans
foundation.
Need os Churches.
We need as churches to stop bom-
harding the old ironclad sinners that
have been proof against 20 years of
christian assault. Alas for that church
which lacks the spirit OF evangelism,
spending on one chandelier enough to
lightoo0souls 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
mnny log cabin meeting house with
tallow candles stuck I'm wooden sockets
and minister who has never seen n
college and docs not know the differ
ence between Greek and Choctawl We
need as churches To get into sympathy
with the great outside world and let
them know TINT none are so broken
hearted or hardly bestead that they
Will not be welcomed. "No," saws
BONE fastidious Christian; at don't like
10 be crowded In church. Don't put
any one In my pew
My brother, what will you do In heav-
cnf When n great multitude that no
man can number assemblies, they Will
put 30 In your pew. What are the, Sc
iect few today assembled In the Chris
tan churches compared with the might
Ter millions outside OF them? Many OF
the churches are like hospital that
should advertise that its patients must
have nothing worse than toothachc or
run rounds" but no broken heads. no
crushed ankles. no fractured thighs.
Give us for treatment moderate sim
hers. velvet coated sinners and sinners
with gloss on. 1t is as though n man
had farm OF 1000 acres and put all
bis work on one acre. He may raise
never so large ears OF corn, never so
poor. The church OF God has bestow-
cd Its chief care on one acre and has
raised splendid men and women In
that small Enclosure. but the field In
the world. That means North and
South America. Europe. Asia and AZ
rico and all the islands OF the sea. 1t
Is as though. after great battle there
were left 10000 wounded and dying OF
the field and three surgeons gave all
their time 10 three patients under their
charge. The major general comes In
and says TO the doctors. Come out
here and look at the nearly 10000 dy-
Ing for lack II surgical attendance"
NO" say the three doctors. standing
there tanning their patients: 1--WE have
three important cases here. and we are
attending tn them. aud when we are
not positively busy with their wounds
IT takes all our time To keep the flies
on" 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 tho command comes. "Go in
10 the world" say practically: NO; l
cannot have here few choice cases, |
and ! am busy keeping off the fles"
There. are multitudes today who have |
never Ind any Christian worker look |
tnem III the eye ana Wly.i earDestneSs
In the accumulation say, Gomez or
they would long ago have been in the |
pingdom. My friends, religion is ell |
Their sham or great reality. If it be |
a sham, let us disband our churches |
and Christian associations. If it be q |
reality. then great populations are OF |
the way to the bar of God untitled for |
the ordeal And what are we doing?
Drop Religious TechnicaIfties.
In order to reach the multitude of |
outsiders we must drop all TECHNICAL |
ties out OF our religion. When we talk |