Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-08-13
SABBATH-DAY READING.
coNQuERING AND TocoNQuER.

CONQUERlNG AND TO CONQUER.
DIR. Parkhurst's Answer to the Charge
That ristianity Is Declining-An Ex-
cellent Tonic for Depending Believers.
The article in the North american
RerseW by DR.. c. H. Parkhurst. in an
swer to the question:: us Christianity
declining?" is clear refutation of those
who affirm that it is, and an excellent
tonic for Responding believers. dis
heartened by too ready credence of
the false assertion. The writer shows
that any suspicion of such decline is
unfounded, and is applicable on three
grounds: The avidity of newspapers in
collecting and giving the largest prom
inence to crimes, thus making the i'm
preston that society is becoming more
and more corrupt, and that Christiani-
ty is a failure; meager acquaintance
with the moral condition of society fif-
tv, or a hundred. or a thousand, years
ago; and an elevated moral sentiment
that takes ofiense at what in times past
has been accounted as tolerable or
even unexceptiOnable. AS illustrating
the gross intemperance that prevailed
in New England two centuries ago, it
is recorded that at the funeral of the
pastor of a church at Ipswich, Mass,
one barrel of wine and two of cider were
consumed by the mourners, and that
intemperance among ministers, elders
and deacOns was common. at is a
part of the history of the old church at
Andover that the chief causes of disci-
pline for 125 years were fornication and
drunkenness. The rare occurrence of
either OF these crimes in church circles
at the present time indicates vast adj
vance in the morality of the people.
DIR. Parkhurst gives the following sta
tistics of the increase in the number of
evangelical churches and commune
cants from 1900 to 1880:
In the year 1900 there were in the
United States 5000 evangelical
churches; in 1850, 1902; in 1870, TO-
14S; and in 1880, 97,O9O-a gain of p, 900
in the decade between 10 and 80. In
1900 there were 364, 900 communicates;
in 1850, 1929, 900; in 1870, 6,673, 900;
in 1880, 1O,O65, 900. OF course, during
all this time there was an immense in
crease in population, but the increase
in church membership a good deal
more than kept pace with that of the
population. Taking the whole country
through, there was in 1900 one evan
gelical communicate to every 143; in
habitants; in 1850, one to every 81 in
1870, one to every 50; and in 1880, one
to every 3. In 1915 only five of the
students were church members In
1880, 26 per cent of the students of all
American colleges were protesting
Christians; in 1850, 80 per cent; in
1865, 46 per cent; in 1880, out of r.
063 students in sixty-five colleges, g.
OS1, or little more than half, were
professors of religion. 1t is by such
steps as these that the religion of Jesus
Christ is attempting to die out of the re-
spect and affection of the American
people! So far from Christianity be-
traying the first symptoms of exhaustion,
there has been no time since the Jordan
baptism of Jesus when it has moved
with such gigantic strides, or put forth
efforts so vigorous and herculean. as
during the years of our own century,
when the disciples of Voltaire and Paine
have been most agile in their production
of obituaries.
Ever since Christianity began its enc
mics have prophesied its speedy eXtinc-
ton. They have repeatedly declared it
to be moribund, and fixed innumerable
bygOne dates for its final demise. Vol
taire said: Before the beginning of the
nineteenth century Christianity will
have disappeared from the EARTH" yet
it still survives. and the room in which
Eoltaire uttered these words has since
been used as a Bible repository. 1t is
to~be expected that men who regard
Christ as an impo>tor, and His Gospel
as cunningly-devised fable, will pre-
dict its failure; but believers still find
encouraging evidences of its progress
and final triumph. To them the divine
origin of Christianity is a sure guaranty
that it will accomplish its mission. 1t
is hardly thinkable that the work OF
human redemption, ordained of God,
inaugurated by the gift of His only
begotten Son, and continually enlisting
the energies of Omnipotence, can ever
come to naught. Because Christ is di-
vine, He must conquer. His victory
was the chief theme of prophecy before
His birth: ''He shall not fail nor be dis
couraged till He have set Judgment on
the earth, and the isles shall wait for
His law" 1.-The Government shall be
upon His shoulders, and unto Him shall
the gathering of the people be- "Yes,
all Kings shall fall down before Him;
all nat ons shall serve Him. Christ
Himself promised that this should be
the result of His redemptional work:
And |, if be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men unto Me-"
The progress of the Gospel promises
the fultillment of these prophecies.
Nineteen hundred years ago Christianity
began with the baptist in the wilder
ness and the babe in the manger. HUI
manly speaking. the odds were against
it; most of the world was in heather
darkness. ''Christ dropped like help
less infant into den of wolves, and for
a time it seemed uncertain whether the
angel would transform the wolf, or the
wolf destroy the lamb" With us the
question is practically settled; for we
see Him who ''comcth from Edom, with
dyed garments from Bozrah, glorious in
His apparel, travelling in the greatness
of His strength" from victory to vic
tory; His dominion extending from
sea to sea, and from the rivers to the
ends of the earth" Christianity pre-
walls in all the leading nations of the
earth. The few heather countries that
are left are largely under the influence
of Christian civilization. Old prejudices
are yielding and new doors are open
ing to the Gospel every day. Mission
airy enterprise is extending it every
where. and helping to inaugurate the
universal reign of Christ. when all 1.-THE
heather shall be given to Him for his
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of
the earth for His possession
The perfect adaptation of the Gospel
70 the wants of all claSSoS of roonE;pd