Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-01-23
lcopyrlght. Louis k.ens III. 1aoll


present. The text was, John y, IL,
Other sneep | have which are not OF
this fold"
There is no monopoly in religion. The
grace of God is not Il little property that
we may fence of and have all to our
selves. 1t is not kings park, Of which
we look through "A barred gateway, wish
ing that we might 90 in ana see the statu-
AIRY and the deer and the royal conserva-
tory. No; it is Fathers 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
school house there was an orchard of APP
pies owned by very lame man, who, al
though there We're apples in the place
perpetually decaying and 10y scores and
scores OF bushels, never would allow any
of us to touch the fruit Sometimes the
lads of the scho0l in the sinfulneSs of
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 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 severe
guard. There is fruit in this orchard for
the whole world, but they have rough
and unsympathetic way of accostng out
siders, as though they had no business
there, though the Lord wants all to come
and take the choicest and the ripest
fruit on the premises. Have you an idea
that because You were baptized at s
months of age and because you have all
your life been under halowed Influences
You therefore have Il right to one whole
side OF the lords table, spreading your
self 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 nevel eX-
pected would sit there, for as Christ
said to his people long ago, so he says
to you and to me. Other sheep | 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.
Il 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
h says: Il see you have thirty-six sheep.
! have just counted them" NO" says Nc
/ Donald, Il have u great many more
I sheep than YOU found in this yard. Some
are here. and some are elsewhere.
have 1000 or 5000 in my focks. Other
sheep have which are not of this fold !"
So Christ says to us. Here is knot o.
Chr. -ians and there knot of Chris
tians LIT they make up small part of
the flock. Here is the Episcopal fold. the
Methodist fold, the Lutheran fold, the
Congregational fold. the Presbyterian
4 fold, the Baptist and the pedo- Boptist
fold, the only difference between these
last two being tie way in which they
wash the sheep, and so they are scat
tered all over. And we come with our
statistics aud say there are so many
thousand OF the lords sheep but Christ
responds: mo, no: you have not seen
more than one out of thousand of my
flock. They are scattered all over the
earth. Other sheep l have which are
not of this fold"
We need as churches to get into sym
pathy with the great outside world and
let them know that none are 50 broken
hearted or hard bcset that they will not
be welcomed. NO" says some fastidious
Christian. Il do not like to be crowded in
church. Do not put any one in my pew"
by brother, what will you do in heaven
when a great Multitude that no man can
number assemblies? They will put fifty
in your pew. What are the people as
scmbled in Christian churches compared
with the miShiicr millions outsitleI Some
churches are like hospital that should
advertise that its patients must have
nothing worse than toothache or rua-
rounds, but no broken heads. no crushed
ankles or fractured limbs. Bring there for
treatment moderate sinners. velvet coated
sinners and sinners with gloss on 1t is
as if a man had farm OF 5000 acres
ana put all his work on one acre He
might raise never 50 large ears of corn.
never SO big heads Of wheat, still he
would remain poor. The church of God
has bestowed its chief care on one acre
aud has raised splendid men and women
in that small inclosure. BUT the field is
the world. That means Europe Asia AZ
fica North and South America and all
the islands Of the sea.
It is as though ut Il great battle there
were left lO.0GO wounded and dying ON
the field and three surgeons gave all their
time to a half dozen patients in Il barn
) bhSi1ilstt it i4' 1tt Sftt'lsii fNHt-S III anu
! SAYS to the doctors Come ont here and
loot, at HE 10o0o dying for lack Of sur
1gical attendance No" say the three
doctors standing their flaming their pa
{tients, we have "a half dozen important
leases here, and we are attending to them,
lind when we are not positively busy with
fhcir wo. rds il takes all orr time to keep
The dies OH ~ -. -. ful battle of sin
and sorrow where millions have fallen on
millions. do not let us spend all our time
i'm taking care Of a few people, and when
the command comes, Go into the
world" say practically; No, | cannot
go. | have here a few choicc eases, and
! / am busy keeping oil the flies" We
need. rs churches. To- stop honbariing
the OIL ironclad sinners that have been
proof @ajnst thirty years OF Christian
assault and take aim ia uthe' directions.
Exc.u<iycre-s in Religion.
Years ago I visited New England
3 factory village. | went up ~ the door pr
q factors. and I saw on the outside the
i words No admittancc" OF course l
y ent in. and. coming the second door.
saw the words. No admitt9nec- Get
ttinG clear % into the factors, | saw they
fNvcre making pins. useful pins. and Meth
Eug bur pins so think there Is Sone-
simes aB eIrli sircncss among some 81
hhp churches The outside world comes
pup anil books az the ssoOr. and there is
tomethlaz which seems to- say. No eel
hnistaufe" and the world comes Hp 70 the