The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-01-24
'rALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE DOOR OF CHRISTIAN RE-
LlGioN OPEN TO ALL.
Timely Discourse on the Occasion of
the Twentieth Anniversary OF the
Bowery Missions in New York city
Broader sympathy Required

the Twentieth Anniversary OF the
Bowery Missions in New York City
Broader sympathy Required
| Copyright. 1901. by Louis Klopsch. NJ "
New York, Jan. 20.--On the occa-
sion of the twentieth anniversary Of
the Bowery mission, Jan. -, DR.. Tai
the New York Academy of Music. M n
listers of all denominations were pres
ent. The text was, John x. l6, "Other
sheep l have which are not of this
fold"
There is no monopoly in religion.
The grace of God is not little prop
erty that we may fence off and have all
to ourselves. 1t is not a kings park,
at which we look through barred
gateway, wishing that we might go in
and see the statuary and the deer and
the royal conservatory. No; it is a
Fathers orchard, and everywhere
there are bars that We may let down
and gates that we may swing open.
Well, my friends, there are Christian
men who have the church under severe
guard. There is fruit in this orchard
for the whole world, but they have a
rough and unsympathetic way of ac
costing outsiders, as though they had
no business there, though the Lord
wants all to come and take the choic-
est and ripest fruit on the premises.
Have you an idea that because you
were baptized at eight months Of age
and because you have all your life been
under hallowed influences you there
the Lords table, spreading yourself
out and taking up the entire room?
tell you no. You will have to haul
in your elbows, for we will place on
either side of you those whom you
never expected 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"
Sheep of Many Folds.
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 mountains,
some Of them are in his yard. They
are scattered all around in many
places. Cameron, his neighbor, comes
over and says: 81 see you have thirty
six sheep. have just counted them -
NO." says Mcdonald. 81 have a great
many more sheep than you found in
this yard. Some are hsre, and some
are elsewhere. l have 1000 or 5000 in
my 1ocks Other sheep have which
are not OF this fold.'" So Christ says
to us. Here is knot of Christians and
there is a knot Of Christians, but they
make up small part of the flock.
, Here is the Episcopal fold, the Metho-
dist fold, the Lutheran fold, the Con-
gregational fold, the Presbyterian fold,
the Baptist and the Pedo-Baptist fold,
the only difference between these last
two being the way in which they wash
J the sheep. and so they are scattered
all over. And we some with our sta
tistics end say there are so many
thousand of the Lords sheep, but
Christ responds: "No, no; you have
not seen more than one out of thou
sand of my flock. They are scattered
all over the earth. Other sheep l have
which are not of this fold.'"
Broader Sympathy Required.
We need as churches to get into
sympathy with the great outside world
and let them know that none are so
broken hearted or hard beset that they
will not be welcomed. mo" says
some fastidious Christian, 1T do not
like to be crowded in church. Do not
put any one in my pew" My brother,
what will you do in heaven. when a
great multitude that no man can num-
Der assemblies? They will put fifty in
your pew. What are the people as
sembled in Christian churches COM
pared with the mightier millions out
side? Some churches are like a hos
pital that should advertise that its pa
tients must have nothing worse than
toothache or runarounds, but no broken
heads, no crushed ankles or fractured
limbs. Bring there for treatment mod
crate sinners, velvet coated sinners and
sinners with gloss on. 1t is as il a
mar had farm of 5000 acres and put
all his work on one acre. He might
rare never SO large ears of corn, never
so big heads Of wheat, still he would
remain poor. The church of God has
bestowed it's chief care on one acre and
has raised splendid men and women
in that small Enclosure. But the field
is the world. That means Europe,
Asia. africa, North and South America
md all the islands of the sea.
E1cluslveness in Religion.
Years ago l visited New England
factory village. went up to the door
of factory, and saw on the outside
the words, mo admittance. OF course
l went in, and. coming to the second
door, saw the words, mo admit
tance." Getting clear on into the fac
tory saw they were making pins,
useful pins, and nothing but pins. So l
think there is sometimes an exclusive
ness among some of the churches. The
outside world comes up and looks at
the door, and there is something which
seems to say, "No admittance," and
the world comes up to the pew door
and sees written over it, mo admit
tance," and looks at the pulpit, and
there is something there which seems
i RI saw "Nn admittannao whilo wa