The Russellville Democrat., 1885-07-30

and women. More tDan Tour mtlllOns
of persons have joinid the dlfferen'
churches in the last ten years. The
Christian population Of the world
has increased more during the
nineteenth century than it had dur
ing all the years from the crucifyinG
of our Savior down z. u. 1900;
this increase esing two hundred and
ten millions. Fitty-five years ago
all the populations Of Christian gov
ernments numbered only three hun
dred and eighty millions, today
they number more than sessa hun
dred millions.
About $4,000 Christian church
houses have been erected within the
last decade, and still the demand
for new and larger temples of wor-
ship continues. The people seem to
receive the gospel now as when the
three thousand cried out on the day
of Pentecost, "Men and brethren
what snail we do?" They flock to
the cities by thousands to hear ouI
Evangelists. On one Sabbath morn
ing IN st. Louis there were found al
places Of worship $4,000.
Remarkable, indeed, has been the
increase in our sabbath school and
church literature. The annual sub
scription OF the Teachers Journal, a
Sabbath school periodical, is $4,000
copies, and the subscription Of the
Sunday School Advocate, number
100000. Four great Bible socie-
ties; the British and Foreign Bible
Society, the Hibernian Society, the
the National Society of Scotland and
the American Bible society ISSUED
during one year 4,9S9,224 Bibles
and TestamenJs. These are taught
in the Sabbath schools, and from
them your children can learn Histo.
ry, Poetry, Science and PHILOSOPHY.
Do you love history? turn to Gene
sis and read the records of Moses.
Are you lover of narration? turn to
Exodus and view the wanderings OF
the Israeltes in the wilderness.
Do you appreciate poetry? go to the
Psalms, and hear the sweet singer
of Israel. Do you ENJOY philosophy?
90 to Proverbs, and drink of that
fount of wisdom. Do you admire
biography? go to st. John, aud re
cline your head with his on the bo
som of your Savior; view with him
the babe of Bethlehem, the man of
sorrows, the crueitied Redeemer, the
risen Jesus, the ascending Savior.
We of the Sabbath school have
placed in our hands the undevcloped
children of this country. They
without assistance are like the corn
in the bin, helpless, powerless, there
it is subject to mlldew, to fermenta-
tion, to decay; exposed to the in
roads and spoliation of rats, but
within it is an undeveloped princi-
pie whose power is never seen nor
felt until it is placed in the soil and
exposed to heat and moisture and
light; so it is with the children,
they are In the bin OF society; ex-
posed to the mildew of sin, the in
roads of vice, to moral decay itself;
but when placed IN the fertile soil of
the Sabbath school where they re-
ceive moisture from the river OF life,
heat from the altars of Christianity,
and light from the throne of the
Eternal, the immortal principle hid.
den in the grain of fleshly humanity
begins to develop into the full grown
ear of God-lkc divinity. Some Of
you have already realized that you
are shaping your destines of immor-
tai spirits, and are ready even with
tired feet and blistered hands to hew
these spiritual stones and bring
them ready for the temple of Jeho
yah; and when the bright light from
the Great White Throne shall shine
upon the walls of this beautiful tenn.
pie, you, with hands healed, feet rest
ed and hearts happy, can look upon
the mighty fabric containing prec-
ious stones polished by your own
hands.
We should be encouraged to work
more arduously, for we have as CO.
workers men, who like Paul sitting
at the feet of Gamaliel, have sat at
the feet of Jesus and received from
him lessons Of wisdom; women who
like Mary have chosen that good
part which shall not be taken away
from them; those who like Moses
have received and taught the com
mandments of God; they are our
purest women, our noblest men, our
holiest divines, our greatest phi
lanthropists.
We should again be encouraged,
because our cause is so pure, so no
BILE, so exalted. The Sabbath school
makes the homes of our people
brighter, and their lives better. 1t
gives more frequent contact of
>u> nvaYsng .r~A II .