The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-23


new fields of gospel labor? John Knox led
his gospel mission to the court of Mary.
| Queen of Scots, and he did a great and
good work; but that other mighty Scotch
| man, Alexander Duff, was not content
/ with serving his own country but proceed
ed to cultivate new gospel vineyards, and
went as a foreign missionary to India.
The Bedford allegorist, John Bunyan, was
willing to languish in Jail because they
would not let him preach as noncon-
formist minister; but that other great nom
conformist English preacher, William
Booth. resolves to break away from his
/ Methodist brethren In order TO lead the
| Salvation army in its gospel mission
| among the slums and to the outeasts OF
| the world Abraham Lincoln signed tho
emancipation proclamation for the Amer
| lean slave. Booker 7. Washington re-
solves to take another step forward and
| lead his negro compatriots into the higher
realms of domestic purity and mechani-
cal and agricultural usefulness and Chris
tian citizenship Our Christian mothers
believed as Paul commanded the ancient
disciples in his Corinthian epistle, Let
| your women keep silence in church, for
| it is not permitted unto them to speak;
but their daughters will not be debarred
from service, so they find work for Fran
ces e. Willard and a Frances Havergal
and a Susan b. Anthony and a Maud
Booth, and for thousands upon thousands
of noble women and young girls, who are
pleading for Christ in our midweek prayer
meetings. and who are working in our res
cue missions, and who are the leaders Of
our social settlements. our Christian En-
deavor societies and our Epworth Leagues.
Oh my dear friends our Christian fathers
and mothers did mighty work for Christ
in the times In which they lived. But
what greater gospel work are you doing?
What further missionary fields are you
reaching? Is the social outcast problem
nearer being solved than when your Chris
tian ancestors died? Are the black man
and the yellow man and the red man and
the peasant and the saloon keeper nearer
to Christ than they were half a century
ago? What new vines of gospel useful
ness have you planted for Christ which
are now bringing forth their great clusters
of Eshcol grapes for the heavenly wine
press? Are most of your rich fields, rich
in soils of gospel opportunities, lying fall
low and. useless7
Too often Neglected.
Too often we have not only neglected to
care for the vines which we have Inherit
ed from our Christian ancestors and plant
ed only here and there a stray vine in
the broad, empty fields of gospel opportu-
mites, but our sins of omission do not end
here. After we have neglected our gospel
vineyards we have been too Indifferent ana
lazy to gather the clusters of grapes
which have grown upon our vines in spite
of our neglect. We seem to say to our
Heavenly Father: God, l care so little
for Thee and Thy glory that I would not
even lift a finger to do good to those who
are by my side. Nay, / will not speak
even a word to bring my children to Thee
or my husband to Thee, or my friends to
Thee. l will let my neglected vines grow
their grapes and then drop them TO the
ground There / will let them lie and rot
and rot before 1 win garry even one bunch
Of them to the gospel wine press" How
easy 1t Is to find this sinful indifference to
Christ symbolized in some of the neglected
vineyards of Southern California;
Is not this fact true In your life? You
know your little boy wants to become a
Christian. His very face shows that he
has your godly mothers consecrated blood
in his veins You see her looks there moro
every day. About three weeks ago he
came home from Sunday school and told
you about his lessons. If I remember
Alright 1t was about the parable of the
householder who had rich grape-producing
soil. He planted vineyard therein and
let it out to the husbandmen. Then he
time OF grapes had come these husband
men stole the vineyard from its owner
and killed his messengers who came to
collect the rent. Then at last they killed
his only begotten Son, who WAS Jesus
Christ. -
You will recollect how sweetly the hoy
told you the story. Then with his deep
blue eyes he looked up into your face as
he said Papa, will you let me join the
/ Toe,
| What did you tell him? You quickly an
swered Charlie. you are not old enough
| Wait a few years, and then you can"
Then he looked up a you again. This time
| his face looked more to you like his saint
| ed mothers than ever before. and he said
but papa, you are old enough. Why do
you not join the church and pray as Har-
ry's father prays?" Then he said to you
! Papa do you suppose when | get to be
| a great big man like you are I won't want
to go to church any more than you do?
Then will | want to leave Sunday school
ana STAY home from church every Sunday
morning and read the newspapers as you
do and let mamma go to church alone?"
| Was it the child alone pleading with you
for Christ? Was It your sainted mother?
Tell me, man, are you going to let those
rich clusters of grapes ripen in your gospel
vineyard and not be pucked? o man, will
YOU not learn today the Christ lesson of
the husbandman who planted the Vine
yard and let It out to the husbandmen,
which your little hoy learned in his Sum
dday school?
A Word of Caution.
One other word of caution Some men
are busy in the Sunday school, and we
thank God for such helpers. Some are reg
ularly at church and at the prayer meet
ing and most deyoutly does the pastor re-
joice over such members. But do not neg
lect your own vineyards. When your
children grow up let them not have to say,
my father was never at home: he did
not do anything for my religious train
ing" MAY you never have to say in your
old age my son is a vagabond and a
Wanderers my daughter has forgotten the
covenant of her God They made me
keeper of the vineyards, but mine own
vineyard have I not kept
Would you not like to plant again and
care for your gospel vineyards, which will
bring to you such joy, such peace, such
comfort and such eternal results? All.
yes; the gospel vineyards always bring
forth a sure crop This crop is to be yours
forever If you ask Christ to help you re-
plant and develop your neglected gospel
vineyards
Copyrighted, 1906 by Louis Klopsch)
Warfield's First New York Appearance
David Warfield, though reckoned at
present one of Americas very greatest
loI ael- 70