Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-01-25
EATESAREWIDEOPEN
NO MAN IS BARRED FRoM RECEIVING
GODS GRACE.

nons-Shurches should De In Sym
psthy With the Outside world.
NEW YonK, Jan. 20.-Ou the occa-
Sion of the twentieth anniversary of
rhe Bowery mission, Jan. Is, DIR. Tai
image preached to vast audience at
the New York Academy OF Music. Min
listers of all denominations were pres
ent. The text was. John X, l6, "Other
sheep 1 have which are not OF this
fold"
There Is no monopoly In religion. The
grace of God is not a little property
that we may fence of and have all to
ourselves. 1t is not n kings park. at
(which we look through barred gate
way, wishing that we might go In aud
see the statuary and the deer aud the
royal conservatory. No; 1t is a Fa-
fher's 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 a 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 speed reck.
less of making his lameness worse aud
cried out, Boys, drop those apples or
4 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
cbard for the whole world. but they
have rough and unsympathetic 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
Uses. Have you an idea that because
you were baptized ut s months OF age
and because you have all your life been
under haiiowed influences you there
fore have q 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. rs Christ
said to his people long ago. so be says
10 you and to me, "Other sheep have
which are not OF this fold
Christ's sbeepfoid.
Mcdonald. the Scotchman. has thou
sands OF head Of sheep. Some Of them
IRE 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
nre scattered all around in many places.
Cameron, his neigbbor, comes over aud
says: IL see you have SO sheep. | 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 else
where. / have 1000 or 5000 In my
hocks. other sheep have which are
not OF this fold.'" So Christ says TO
MS Here is n knot of Christians. and
there a knot OF Christians. but they
make up small part or the flock.
Here is the Episcopal fold. the Metho-
dist fold. the Lutheran fold. the Con-
gregational fold. the Presbyterian fold.
the Baptist aud 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:
No, no; you have not seen more than
one out OF q thousand OF my flock.
They are scattered all over the earth.
Other sheep have which are not OF
this fold.'"
or all the mcrciful institutions which
bless this city not one more thorough
iy enters into the spirit OF the text
than does the Bowery mission. whose
twentieth anniversary we today cele-
brate. During the past year 1900
souls have been saved through its in
strumentality. and during its exist
ence II has put its temporal and spir-
itual benedIctIon upon hundreds of
thousands 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. IL is doing n stu
pendous work. and TO all OF It's patrons
Christ Is saying: IL was hungry, and
ye fed INC; naked. and We clothed me:
sick and In prison, and We visited me.
lnasmuch as We did II unto me, one
or the least OF these. ye did II TO me-"
Welcome the sinner.
We need. as churches. TO go 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 NO" SAYS
some fastidlous Christian. ~ do not
Ike 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 80 In
your pew. What are the people as-
sembled In Christian churches compar-
ed with the mightler millions outside?
Some churches are like a hospital, that
should advertise that Its patients must
have nothing worse than toothache or
runrounds. but no broken heads. no
crushed ankles or fractured limbs.
Bring there for treatment moderate
sinners. viewer coated sinners and sim
ners with n gloss on.
1t was as though at a great battle
there were left 10000 wounded and
dying on the deId. and three surgeons
gave all their time 10 n half dozen IA.
uents In barn hospital. The major
general comes in and says 10 the doc
tors: Come out here and look at the
10000 dying for lack of surgical at
tendance. No" say. the three doc
tors standing there tanning their pa.
tents. I'VE have half dozen impor
tant cases here, and we are attending
TO them, and when we are not posi- |
lively busy with their wounds IL takes
all our time to keep the flies off," In
this awful battle OF sin and sorrow. |
where millions have fallen on millions. |
do not let us spend all our time In TAX.
ing care OF few people. and when |
the command comes, Go into the
world" say practically, mo, can
not go; have here a few choice cases.
and 1 am busy keeping Off the files"
we need, as churches, to stop lombard.