Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-03-20
Conclusion Of Or. TaImags's Replies
to Col. lngersoll.
The Bible Gods Word Christianity lnereas-
ing-Spfead Of the Gospa-Gro~th OF
the Churches How Ingersoll vas e
Beatea-Patroaizing the
Almighty.
TRIUMPHANT.
Specidl 10 the Register.

p1Cture Oh trOpiCdl CllLnc Will SOeS1AA
30 prosperous that the harvest reaches clear
over the to the planting time, and the
swarthy husbandman swinging the sickle
in the thick grain, almost feels the breath
of the horses on his shoulders, tke harses
titched to the plough, preparatory for a
new crop. "Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that the ploughman shall over
take the reaper" When is that? That is
now. That is the day when hardly have
you done resping one harvest than the
ploughman is getting ready for another. /
know that MIR. Ingersoll and his coadjutors
say in their lectures and in their inter
views and in phrasaolOgy charged
with all venom and abuse and cariCa-
ture. that Christianity has collapsed; /;
that the Bible is an obsolete book
that the Christian church is on the retreat
| shall answer that wholesale charge in this
nv last sermon on infdelity. Vast multi
tudes believe during these sermons have
been persuaded that the Bible is common
sensical book, that it is reasonable book,
that it is an authentic book. Men have
told me that while they have been accus'
toned to receive the New Testament, they
had disbelieved the Old Testament until by
the blessing OF God upon this exposition
they have come to believe that the Old
Testament is lust as true as the New Testa-
meHt, and have had so many encourage
ments to go on that have kept on to this
time with these discourses. And so be-
leve that the people are all going t9 0e
persuaded that the
Bible II Gods Word.
But now let IS see whether the Bible is
last ye2T s almanac. Let Us see whether
the thurch OF God is Oh Bull Run retreat,
muskets, canteens and haversacks strewing
all the way. The great English historian,
Sharon Turner, a man of vast learning and
of great accuracy. not a clergyman, but an
attorney aS well rs q historian, gives these
statistics in regard to Chris
tianity and in regard to the number of
in the different centuries: In
the first century 5OO,O0O Christians; i'll the
second century 100000 Christians in the
third century 100000 Christians i'll the
fourth century 10000, 900 Christians; in the
fifth century 100000 Christians in the
sixth century 200OO,0OO Christians; in the
seventh century 24,0OO,0O0 Christians; in
in the ninth century 10000 900 Christians :;
in the tenth century 50,O00,O0O Christians;
in the eleventh century T0,00O.OO0 Chris
tians: in the twelfth century 10000, 900
Christians; in the thirteenth century
75, 100000 Christians: in the four
teenth century S0.OOO.OOO Christians; :;
in the fifteenth century 100000 900 Chris
tianS. in the sixteenth century l25,00O, 900
in the seventeenth century
l55, 100000 Christians, in the eighteenth
century POI, 900. OOO Christians, deCadence
a. you observe in only one century and
more than made up in the following GEN.
turies, while it is the usual computation
that there will be, when the record of the
Nineteenth century is made up, at least
300. .OOO, 900 Christians.
Poor christianity, Three hundred mil.
lions in the century. In 4 few weeks Of
last year =, ,jOJ,OO copies OF the New Testa-
ment were distributed. Lay aside all chris
tendon and see how heathendom is being
surrounded and honey combed and attack
cd BY this all-conquering gospel. AT the
beginning OF this century there were only
l5O missionaries; now there are 25,OOO mis-
Sionaries and native helpers and evange-
lists At the beginning of this century
there were only 5000 heather converts {;
now there are 1,50,O00 converts from
heathendom. There is not sea coast on
the planet but the battery OF the gospel is
planted and ready 10 march on. Ii may
take good while to plant these batteries
and they may do all their work in one day
They will. Nations are to be born IN day
But come back to Christend0m and reCog-
nize the fact that during the last ten years
as many people have connected themselves
with evangelical churches as connected
themselves with the churches in the first
fifty years OF this century. So, they say,
is falling back and the Bible is
becoming an obsolete book. go into a
court and wherever find judges bench
or a clerks desk find Bible. What shall
] find in
Nine out OF Every Ten Houses
in Christcndom? The Bible. Voltaire
wrote the prophecy that the Bible in the
century would become extinct
The century is gone, all except eighteen
years, and there have been more Bibles
published in the latter than in the former
part 10 you think the Bible will become
extinct in eighteen years? The room in
which Noltaire wrote that prophecy not
long ago was crowded from floor 10 ceiling
with Bibles for Switzerland. Suppose Con-
gress should pass a law that there
should be no more Bibles printed
in America. If there are thirty millions
grown people in the United States there
would be thirty millions ofpcOple in an army
TO put down such a law. But suppose Con-
grc>S should make law against the reading
or the publication of any other book, how
many people would 20 out on'suCh 4 cru
sade? There are thousand men who
would die in defence OF this book where
there is no more than one man who would
die in defence of any other book. The
Bible is the most popular book of the CEN
tury, and the most popular book on the
planet to-day. "Oh, say some. the church
is collection of hypocritcS. and it iS,osing
its power, and is fading out from the world"
l. it? There are at least
One Thousand New Christian Churches
built in America every year. Does that
look as though the church was fading out?
The institution which stands nearest the
hearts of the American people is the
Christian church. | appeal 10 your COM
mon sense. You know the most endearing
Institution on earth the most popular in
on earth to-day is the church OF
the Lord Jesus Christ \ man is fool
that does not recognize it. Let man
openly proclaim himself the enemy of our
glorious nIlSlldnlly ana ne cannot get
majority Of votes in any State, in any city,
in any county. in any ward OF America.
Mr.. Ingersoll, years ago, riding in railway
ar in Illinois Said, What has Christianity
,ver done" An old Christian woman said,
1t has done one thing, anyhow; il has
Kept Mr.. Ingersoll from being Governor of
Illinois," As ! stood in the side room of
he Opera House at Peoria, ILL.,. a prominent
gentleman of that city said, II can tell you
he secret of the tremendous bitterness
against Christianity" Said /, What is
To- why" said he, ''in this very house
here was a great convention to nominate
iovernor. and there were three or four
andidates. At the same time there was in
church in this city Sabbath school con-
'ention. and it happened that one of the
men who was in the Sabbath school con-
'ention was also q member of the political
In the political convention
he name brightest on the roll and about 10
,e nominated was the name OF the
Great Champion InhdeL
There was an adjournment between bal
OTIS in the afternoon. When the nomina-
ions were being made q plain farmer got
I'D and said: "Mr. chairman, that nomina-
ion must not he made; the Sunday ay-schools
# Illinois will defeat him" That ended
IL prospect Of his nomination. The Chris
ian religion is mightier to-day than it ever