News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-09-14
RELIGIOUS ADVANCE,
REV DR.. TALMAGE breaches A SER
MON OF HOPE.

His Text, 'fThe Battle Ours''-Courage Hi
watchword-More Unity In Religion
Than In Science-The Great Trial o
Past Centuries.
BROOKLYN, Sept. 10.-This forenoon
Rev. T. De Wit Talmage preached to {
thronged audience in the Brooklyn Tab
Ernacle. The keynote of the service wa:
Dne of gladness. Many of the audience
had been absent during the summer and
had returned for this service. The pas
Tor commenced on passages of Scripture
depicting the morning of the worlds de-
liyerance. The subject of the sermon
was, ssThe Battle Ours" the text being
Kings Xxx, 81, "And the children OF
Israel pitched before them like two little
Books of kids"
With 33 kings drunk in one tent this
chapter opens. They were allies plot
ting for the overthrow of the Lords Is
kael. You know that if lion roar flock
of kids will shiver and huddle together.
One lion would conquer thousand kids.
The battle opens. There are a great
multitude of Syrians under General
Ben-hadad, strong as lions. The Israel
ties are few and weak, like two little
hocks of kids. Who beat? The lions, Of
course. Oh, no; the kids, for it all de
bends whether God is on the side of the
lions or the kids. After the battle 100,.
boo Syrians lay dead on the field, and
$1,000, attempting to fly, came along by
d great wall, which toppled and crushed
them to death.
Which was the stronger weapon
great Goliath's sword or little David's
sling? David had five smooth stones
from the brook. He only used one in
striking down Goliath. He had a sur
plus of ammunition. He had enough to
take down four more giants if they had
appeared in the way. It all depends
upon whether God is on the side of the
shepherd boy or on the side of the giant.
THE PUBLISHERS AND RELIGION.
There have been many in our day who
have ventured the opinion that Christi
hnity is falling back, and that in 80 years
It will be extinct. They found their
opinion on the assumed fact that the BIZ
Bile is not as much of a book as it used to
be, and that portions of it are repulsive
to the people. reply by asking, Which
bne of the publishing houses of New
York, Philadelphia, Boston or Chicago
Is publishing the Bible today with the
omission of a single verse or chapter?
Are not our publishers intelligentmen?
And would they contrary to their finan-
cial interests continue to publish the BIZ
4lrr a.,
ter or a single verse if it were becoming
an unpopular book and the people did
hot want it?
If Harpers or Appleton or Scribner
Or Lippincott should publish a Bible
with the omission of one chapter, they
would not sell 10 copies in 10 years. The
fact that throughout Christendom there
are hundreds of printing presses print
ing the word of God without the omis-
sion of a chapter or verse proves that
the Bible is popular, and the fact that
there are more being printed in this dec
Rde than any other decade proves that
the Bible is increasing in popularity.
| go through the ceurtrooms of the
country. Wherever find judges bench
or clerks desk | find the bible. By
what other book would they take solemn
oath? What is very apt to be among the
brides presents? The Bible What is
very apt to be put in the trunk of the
young man when he starts for city life?
The Bible. Voltaire predicted that the
Bible during the nineteenth century
would become an obsolete book. Well,
we are pretty nearly through the nine
teenth century. The Bible is not obso-
lete yet There is not much prospect of
rs becoming obsolete, but have to tell
yotlS that that room-the very room in
which VoItaire wrote that prediction
some time ago was crowded from floor
to ceiling with Bibles for Switzerland
Suppose the congress of the United States
should pass a law that no Bibles should
be printed in the United States.
If there are 80, 200, 900 grown men and
women in the country then there would
be 80, 100000 people armed against such
q law. But suppose the congress of the
United States should pass law that
Macaulay's history or Charles Reade's
novels should not be read-could you get
half as large an army or the fourth as
are. as you know and l know, thou
sand men who would die for their Bibles
where there are 80 men who would die
for any other book The fact that there
are now more Bibles being printed than
ever before, that publishers find it a
financial interest for them to continue
the Bible, proves that this book is still
the most popular book on the planet.
A SOURCE OF COMFORT.
But, say those who are antagonistic,
f'Christianity is falling back from the
fact that the church is not as much re-
spected as it used to be and is not as in
huential" | reply to that with the sta
tistic that one denomination-the Meth
pdist notwithstanding to statistic
given me by one of their bishops, dedi-
Gates on an average q new church every
dav of the year. Three hundred and
six y-five new churches in one denomi-
hation in year and over a thousand
bew churches built every year in this
Eountry. Does that look as though the
church were failing in its power and
were becoming wornout institution?
Around which institution in our COM
munities gather the most ardent affec-
lions? The postofice, the hotel, the
courthouse, the city hall or the churches?
| Why, when our old Tabernacle was
burning there were hundreds of men
ktanding in the streets who never went
to church, tears raining down their
cheeks. 1t is because the church of God
stands nearer the sympathies of the
American people than any other insti-
tuition. Men may caricature the church
bnd call it collection of hypocrites, but
when their children are swept off with
the diphtheria for whom do they send?
TO the postmaster, to the attorney gen
eral, to the aldermen. or to the pastors
of the churches? And if there be not room
for the obsequies in the private house
what building do they solicit? The
academy of music, the hotel, public hall,
courthouse? No; the churches. And if
they want music ON the sad occasion do
they select the "Marseillaise' hymn, or
"God Save the Queen, or our own grand
national airs No, they want the old
hymn with which we sang their old
Christian mother to sleep, They want
the Sunday school hymn that their little
girl sang the last Sabbath afternoon she
was out before she was seized with the
Ewful sickness that broke fathers heart
and mothers heart. Oh, you know as
well as I dol shall not dwell on it any
longer-the church of God, instead of
being a wornout institution, stands near
er the sympathies of the people than it
ever did and eclipses all other institu-
tions.
But our antagonists go ON and say
that Christianity is falling back, in the
fact that infdelity is holder now and
more blatant than it ever was. l deny