The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1901-01-25
DOOR OPEN FOR ALL.
There Is Not Monopoly in the
Christian Religion.
DIR. TaImage's Timely Discourse on
Occasion of the Twentieth An
niversary of the BOwery
Mission in New York.


On the occasion of the twentieth an
niversary of the Bowery mission, Jan
uary 13, DR.. Talmage preached to vast
audience at the New York Academy
| of Music. Ministers of all denomina.
lions were present. The text was
John 1916: "Other sheep have which
are not of this fold
There is no monopoly in religion. The
| grace of God is not little property
that we can fence off and have all to
ourselves. 1t is not kings park, at
which we look through a barred gate
way. wishing that we might go in and
| see the statuary and the deer and the
royal conservatory. No; 1T is a Fa-
theirs 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 allow any of us to touch the
| fruit. Sometimes the lads of the
school in the sinfulness of a nature
inherited from our first parents, who
were ruined by the same temptation
| invaded that orchard, but they soon re-
| treated, for the man came after them
at a speed reckless of making his lame
ness worse and cried out: Boys, drop
those apples, or 1 will set the dog on
YOU"
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 TO come and take the choicest
and the 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 un-
! der hallowed influences, you there
fore have a right to one whole side of
the Lords table, spreading yourself
out and taking up the entire room
! l 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"
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.
| 70 = irrll Il
| says Il see you have Sc sheep. l have
| just 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 elsewhere.
have 1000 or 5000 in my flocks. Other
| sheep I have which are not of this
| fold" So Christ says to us. Here is
a knot of Christians and there knot
| of Christians, but they make up a small
part of the flock. Here is the Episco-
pal fold, the Methodist fold, the Luth-
| eran fold, the Congregational 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 the sheep, and so
| they are scattered all over. And we
| come with our statistics and say there
are so many thousand of the Lords
| sheep. but Christ responds: mo, no;
| you have not seen more than one out
of a thousand of my flock. They are
| scattered all over the earth. Other
sheep L have which are not of this
| fold"
Of all the merciful institutions which
bless this city not one more thorough
| ly enters into the spirit of the text
| than does the Bowery mission, whose
twentieth anniversary we to-day cele-
brate. During the past year 5000 souls
have been saved through its instru.
mentality, and during its existence it
has put its temporal and spiritual
benediction upon hundreds of thou
sands of the poor and suffering and
lost. With the bread of this life in one
hand and the bread of eternal life in
the other 1t is doing stupendous
work, and to all of its patrons Christ
is saying: Il was hungry, and We fed
me, naked, and ye clothed me, sick and
in prison, and We visited me. Inasmuch
as ye did it unto one of the least
of these, We did it to me- 1t is through
this Gospel that New York is to be
and the world for God. There are two
classes of hearers in this audience
whom especially address, the friends
of this institution who have come out
to show their interest in the work. and
the other class made up of those who
are astray, but want to get back, have
fallen, but want to rise.
We need as churches to get into svm-
pathy with the great outside world
and let them know that none are so
broken-hearted or hard beset that they
will not be welcomed. NO" SAYS soma
fastidious Christian, 81 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 number as
sembles? They will put so in your
pew. What are the peopIe assembled
in Christian churches compared with
the mightier millions outside? Some
churches are like a hospital, thai
should advertise that its patients must
have nothing worse than toothache or
run-rounds, but no broken heads, no
crushed ankles or fractured limbs.
Bring there fer treetmsat moderate