Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-09-21
THE GREAT BATTLE Is OURS
CHRISTIANITY GOING AHEAD IN
SPITE OF COMMANDMENT.
The Ammunition of h Enemy Al
most Spent-The Bib and Its Pre-
cepts Stronger Than Ever
Skcpticism LESS Bold.

most Spent-The Bible and Its Pre-
cepts Stronger Than Ever ant
Skcpticism less Bold.
Brooklyn, n. u, Speclal.-Sunda.
forenoon Rev. T. De Witt Talmag'
preached to a thronged audience in th'
Brooklyn tabernacle. The keynote O
the service was one of gladness. MN!
Of the audience had been absent dur
ing the summe- and had returned fol
this service. The pastor commented OF
passages of Scripture depicting the
/! morning Of the worlds delive"ance. The
subject of the sermon was: THE Bat
tie ours" the text being l.. Kings, Xxx.
"a: And the children of Israel pitched
before them like two little fiocks Of
kids"
With thirty-three kings drunk in onc
tent, this chapter opens. They were
allies plotting for the overthrow of the
Lords Israel. You know that If 4
lion roar, n flock of kids will $hi Jcr
and huddle together. One lion could
conquer IL thousand kids. The battle
opens. There are IA great multitude Of
Syrians under Gen. Ben-hadad, strong
as lions. The Israelites are few and
weak, like two little focks of kids.
Who beat? The lions, of course. oh,
no.; the kids, For it all depends wheth-
cr God is on the side of the lions or the
lid ffp,. Tho IottIn 100 nll SurinnS
lay dead on the field, and $1,000 at
tempting TO fly came along by a 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 surplus of
ammunition; he had enough TO take
down four more giants if they had ap-
peared in the way. 1t all depends upon
whether God is on the side of the Shep-
herd boy OH the side of the giant.
There have been many in our lay
who have venturcd the opinion that
Christianity is falling back, and that
in fifty years it will be extinct. They
found their opinion on the assumed
fact that the Bible is not as much Of
n book as it used to be, and that pOr-
tons OF it are rcpulsive to the people.
/ reply by asking. which II of the pub
fishing houses of New York, Philadel-
phia, Boston or Chicago is publishing
the Bible to-day with the omission of
a single verse or chapter: Are not
our publishers intelligent men? And
would, they, contrary to their financial
interests. continue to publish the Bible
without the omission of Il single chapter
or a single verse if it were becoming
an unpopular book, and the people did
not want it: II Harper's, or Appleton,
or Scr.bner, or LippincOtt should pub
HSh i Bible with the omission of one
chapter they would not sell ten copies
In ten years. The fact that throughout
ChriStcndOm there are hundreds OF
printing presses printing the word of
God without the omission of a chapter
or 81 verse, proves that the Bible is
popular; and the fact that there are
more being printed in this decade than
In any other decade, proves that the
Bible is increasing in popularity.
l go through the court rooms of the
country. Wherever l find a judges
bench or a clerks desk ] find the Bible.
BY what other book would they take
solemn oathI What is very apt 10 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. Noltaire predict
ed that the Bible during the nineteenth
century would become an obsolete book.
Well, we are pretty nearly through the
nineteenth century; the Bible is not
obsolete yet; there is not much prospect
of its becoming obsolete; but | have to
tell you that that room-thc very room
in which Noltairc wrote that prediction
some time ago was crowded from
floor to ceiling with Bibles for Swift
zerland. Suppose the congress of the
United States should pass a law that
no Bibles should be printed in the Unit
eel States. Ii there are 100000
grown men and women i'm the country
then there should be 100000 people
armed against such a law. But suppose
the congress Of the United States
should pass a law that Macaulay's His
tory, or Charley Reads novels should
not be read-could you get half as large
an army, or the fourth as large an
army? In other words, there are, as
you know, and ] know, n thousand
men who would die for their Bibles.
where there are fifty men who would
die for any other book. The fact that
there are now more Bibles being print
ed than ever before, that publishers
find it a financial interest for them
to continue the publication of the Bible.
proves that this book is still the most
popular book on the planet.
But u antagonists go on and say
that Christianity is falling back, in the
fact that iniidelity is holder now and
more blatant than it ever was. | DENY
the statement. Infidelity is not near
so bold now as 1t was i'm the days Of
our fathers and grandfathers. There
were times in the country when men
who were openly and above-board in
q and antagonistic to Christianity
could be elected to high office. Now
let some man wishing high position in
h state proclaim himself the foe of
Christianity and an infidel, how many
states Of the Union would he carry?
" many counties? How many wards
in Brooklyn? Not one.
All! my friends, infidelity In this day
is not half so bold as il used TO bc
If 1T IN now, it is apt to come TN
der h disguise of rhetoric or fantastic
sentimentality. l know if a man with