Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-01-26
GATESAREW WIDEOPEN
NO MAN is BARRED FROM RECEIVING
GODS GRACE.

| GOD'S GhACE.
DIR. TnImage Says ChrIst's sheepfol
Contains Flocks of All Denomina
tions-Churches Should BE In Sym
pathy With the Outside World.
New YORK, Jan. 20.-On the occa
sion Of the twentieth anniversary o
the Bowery mission, Jan. 13. DIR. Tai
mage preached to ye4. audience a
the New York Academy ctMusic. Min
listers of all denominations were pres
ent. The text was, John X, 1G. "Othel
sheep l have which are not of this
fold"
There is no monopoly in religion. The
grace of God Is not little prop, gty
that we may fence off and have ~ tc
ourselves. 1t is not a kings park at
which we look through a barred gaze.
way, wishing that we might go in and
see the statuary and the deer and the
royal conservatory. No; 1t is Fa-
thers orchard, and everywhere there
are bars that we may let down and
gates that we may swing open.
In my boyhood next to the country
schoolhouse there was an orchard Of
apples owned by very lame man who,
although there were apples in the place
perpetually decaying and by scores
and scores Of bushels. never would al
low any of us to touch the fruit. Some
times the lads of the school. in the
sinfulneSs of nature inherited from
our first parents, who were ruined by
the same temptation. invaded that or
chard. but they soon retreated, for the
man came after them at a speed reck-
less of making his lameness worse and
cried out, Boys, drop those apples or
| will set the dog on you"
Well, my friends, there are Christian
men who have the church under Sc
we're guard. There is fruit in this or
chard for the whole world, but they
have a rough and unsympathetc way
Of accosting outsiders, as though they
had no business there, though the Lord
wants all to come and take the choic-
est and the ripest fruit on the prem
ises. Have you an idea that because
you were baptized at months of age
and because you have all your life been
under hallOwed influences you there
fore have a right to one whole side Of
the Lords table, spreading yourself
out and taking up the entire roomi |
tell you no. You will have to haul in
your elbows, for we will place on either
side of you those whom you never ex-
pected would sit there; for, as Christ
said to his people long ago, so he says
to you and to me. "Other sheep l have
which are not of this fold"
Christ's sheepfoId.
Mcdonald, the Scotchman. has thou
sands of head of sheep. Some of them
are browsing on the heather some Of
them are lying down under the trees.
some are strolling over the mountallIs,
some of them are In his yard. They
are scattered ali around in many places
Cameron, his neighbor. comes erapd
says; ~ see yon have sc sheep. Itgk kel
lust counted them" NO" SAYS Nc
Donald, 81 have a great many more
sheep than you found in this yard
Some are here, and some are else
where. have 1000 or 5000 in my
docks. Other sheep have which are
not of this fold.'" So Christ says to
is. Here Is a knot Of Christians. and |
here a knot of Christians, but they |
make up a small part of the flock.
Here is the Episcopal fold. the Metho- |
list fold, the Lutheran fold the Con- |
,rega tional fold, the Presbyterian fold. |
he Baptist and the PedO- Baptist fold,
he only difference between these last !
wo being the way in which they wash |
he sheep, and so they are scattered all |
,ver. And we come with our statistics |
md say there are so many thousand of |
he Lords sheep. but Christ responds;
NO, no; you have not seen more than |
me out Of thousand Of my flock.
They are scattered all over the earth.
Other sheep have which are not Of
his fold.'"
OF all the merciful institutions which |
bless this city not one more thorough
y enters into the spirit Of the text
han does the Bowery mission, whose
twentieth anniversary we today cele-
)rate. During the past year 5000
OulS have been saved through its in.
and during its exist
nee it has put its temporal and spir-
tual benediction upon hundreds Of
thousands of the poor and suffering
md lost. With the bread of this life
n one hand and the bread of eternal
ife in the other, 1t Is doing n stu
)endOus work, and to all of its patrons
Jhrist Is saying: 81 was hungry, and
'e fed me; naked. and ye clothed me;
ick and in prison, and ye visited me.
nasmuch as ye did it unto me, one
f the least Of these, ye did 1t to me-"
Welcome the Sinner.
We need, as churches, to go into
with the great outside world I
Uu let lueuu huOW lIdl uOuc are ~
roken hearted or hard beset that they
will not be welcomed NO" says
ONE fastidous Christian. 81 do not
Ike to be crowded in church. Do not
ut any one in my pew" My brother,
What will you do In heaven, when a
reat multitude that no man can num-
er assemblies? They will put 90 in
our pew. What are the people as
embed in Christian churches cOmpar-
d with the mghtier millions outside?
ome churches are like hospital, that
hould advertise that its patients must
ave nothing worse than tOothache or
but no broken heads, no
rushed ankles or fractured limbs.
Bring there for treatment moderate
inners. velvet coated sinners and sin
ers with a gloss on.
It was as though at a great battle
l. IN ON0 ,ro,p1od on6 |