The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1901-01-26
DOOR OPEN FOR ALL.
There Is Not Monopoly in the
Christian Religion.
DR.. TaImage's Timely on
Occasion of the Twentieth An
niversary of the Bowcry
Mission In New York.
copyright, 1901. by Louis Klopsch.]
New York.

new 10TH. |
On the occasion of the twentieth an
niversary of the Bowery mission, jan
uary 10, DIR. Talmage preached to a vast
audience at the New York Academy
Of Music. Ministers of all denomina-
tons 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 a little property
that we can fence off and have all to
ourselves. 1t is not a 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; it is a Fa-
Tiers orchard, and everywhere there
are bars that we may let down AND
gates that we may swing open.
In my boyhood, mex to the country
schoolhouse there was an orchard of
apples owned by a 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 l 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 I'M
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?
/ 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 Scotchmap, 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 II see you have SO sheep. l have
just counted them" NO." says Nc
Donald, 81 have a great many more
5 sheepthan youfound in this yard. Som'
: are here, and some are elsewhere.
have 1000 or 5000 in my focks. 'Othel
t sheep l have which are not of thil
fold" So Christ says to us. Here i
E 4 knot of Christians and there a kno
D of Christians, but they make up a small
part of the flock. Here is the Episco
S pal fold, the Methodist fold, the Luth
eran fold, the Congregational fold, tn
Presbyterian fold, the Baptist and tn
t Pedo-Baptist fold, the only differenc
e between these last two being the wa,
e in which they wash the sheep, and S
S they are scattered all over. And W
J. come with our statistics and say Their
" are so many thousand of the Lord
t. sheep, but Christ responds: "No, nc
you have not seer more than one on
}. of a thousand of my flock. They ar
scattered all over the earth. 'Othe
- sheep / have which are not of tn
fold.'"
OF all the merciful institutions whic
bless this city not one more thorough
ic ly enters into the spirit of the tie,
W than does the Bowery mission, who's
n. twentieth anniversary we to-day eel
Id brate. During the past year 1900 sou
st have been saved through it's instr
to mentality, and during its existence
Mt has put its temporal and spiritu
d. benediction upon hundreds of tho
lie. sands of the poor and suffering al
It. lost. With the bread of this life in oil
o. hand and the bread of eternal life
the other it is doing a stupendo,
work, and to all of its patrons Chri
is saying: 81 was hungry, and We +,
p me. naked, and ye clothed me, sick al
It's in prison, and We visited me. Inasmu,
as We did it unto one of the lea
at of these, ye did it to me-" 1t is throu,
as this Gospel that New York is to
E. taken for God, and America for &C
and the world for God. There are t,
classes of hearers in this audien
ir. whom / especially address, the frien
es, of this institution who have come O
he to show their interest in the work, a
the other class made up of those w
are astray, but wan to get back, ha
fallen. but want to rise.
M We need as churches to get into sy.
Tor pathy with the great outside VOL
De and let them know that none are
yer broken-hearted or hard beset that tn
rm will not be welcomed. mo" says so
fastidious Christian, 81 do not like
M be crowded in church. DO not put al
Oh n in my pew" My brother, wi
will Won do in Heaven ubap N ur.