Daily Republican., 1879-09-13
l~uuDAY's -.]
BAPTIsT nIxsi0M sERvICEs.

BAPTIbT nlk1lON SERVICks.
The Msas Nissaensry Meeting d
Bethany Last Night-Lecturs ~
DR.. JshnsOo, Secretary Of shs
nOeiesy.
A fair audience greeted DR.. Johnson
Of Philadelphia, las: night, at thu
Bethany Baptist church, whsrs thu
first Of the announced meetings VA
held. Other speakers We're to hav'
been present, but owing to q Sigh
change in the programme, the Rev
Doctor was the only speaker Of th'
evening. The following ia an ideA o
his most excellent address on "Oul
Country and its Evangelization."
He said: "The field Of Our Society
labor is the world, as far as In Provi-
dencs the door Is opened and thu
means for doing can be procured. Bu'
the main field Of our American Baptis
Publication Society's work Is in oul
own country. Here At home is . field
that, to us who dwell here at least, and
very probably to all other peoples o.
the earth, is the most important fol
christian labor that our globe furnishes
Whether We contemplate our ooun.
try in its rslstivS position to the other
nstions'of the earth; the wilde extent Of
its domain; its resources Of soil, miner
ais and climate; its probabilities fol
agriculture, manufactures, commerce,
aud hence for population, or even ita
present population, wealth, advanced
education and military powerit has few
superiors or rivals. That 1t is destined
II the favor Of heaven continue towards
it, early to become the first and CON
trolling civil power Of our globe We con
slider certain.
Now to svangelize and consecrate x
the service of Christ such country u
this Is important beyond all power o.
expression or even Of conception. TG
do it is to possess the strategic point o.
the copquest and subjugation Of all the
earth 10 Christ.
To comprehend the greatness Of thii
country even now, and much more, Il
from its present advance on the past
We would conceive Of its destined and
vastly increased future, We must *
back 100 years or more to 1776;what VA
1t theni
We answer: narrow belt Of l3 pro.
vinOes or States, lying along the Allan
tic shore, embracing about 500, ,00(
square miles Of territory, 5000, 900 o.
people. One hundred years ago Maine
was almost an unbroken solitude, few
huts were scattered here and there
along its rugged shores and Indian
tribes, silent sullen and despsiring were
passing away amid her craggy oovst
and the glooms Of her forests.
Pittsburg was q military post far be
yond the mountains. The morning
sun rising over the Alleghanies spread
its rays over the,boundless and uninhab
tied realms beyond. Even the imagina.
tions of men had hardly travelled sc
far as to the regions beyond the Missis
sippi.
BFrom 13 States and q small contiguou.
territory in the wilderness we hav.
now 3s States and 10 organized terri
toriss--not including Alaska-forty
eight political divisions. From 800, ,00(
square miles We have spread southwark
into Mexico and westward across thu
continent to the Pacific until our domain
covers Z, 900, ,000squareimiles, an increase
of four fold embracing about one
fifteenth part Of the land surface Of tht
globe. From 5000, 900 population We
have advanced to $4,000, 900, an in
crease of fifteen fold.
Dsnominationally we have increased
far more rapidly in proportion than the
population, from %, 900 members in our
churches then we have advanced to over
two millions now. In other words while
the population has increased Is fold in
100 years, the membership in our Bap-
tist churches has multiplied just 80
fold.
The wonderful providences by which
these changes (A the progress of the
last 100 years) have been brought about
are significant. They indicate God g
great purposes and spread before us a
field for religious effort remarkable in
its extent and character.
He then referred to the vastness Of
the country and spoke of the great pro.
liabilities of the future. "Our popula-
tom, he said, has multiplied fifteen
fold in the first century and let this
ratio continue two decades more, or say
till the year 1900, and we shall have
SO, 900. 900 of people in this country,
or continuing to 1876 We should have
over 500, 100000.
In view of this great probability,
the anxious inquiry Of all who believe
in Christ and truly love the Son of
1od is: Shall this nation be truly
Christian?
That terrible evils do exist among us
and threaten us, all we'll know. Greed
for gain and for worldly accumulation,
and, at the same time expensive living
beyOn1 the real ability OF most OF the
people to support, to large degree,
our American population.
Corrupt partizan politics-so corrupt
that few good men ever can touch them
and not be corrupted. Sectional rival
ries and iealousies between North and
South and East and West ; the awful
and | fear increasing vice Of intemper-
ance that curses the whole land, and is
debauching public morals and destroy
ing millions of lives; the certainly
growing disregard Of the Sabbath, with
infidelity and Roman Catholicism from
Europe, and heathenism from Asia,
with A to millions Of ignorant people
just out of the house Of bondage, sud
denly given the right Of citizenship.
The Rev. DR.. then concluded with
dissertation upon the actual necessity
of the people TO make an advance
in the interest Of Evangelical