Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-09-22
REV. DR.. TALNAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divino'S Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: "The Battle Ours"


With thirty-three kings drunk in one tent
shis chapter opens. They were allies pios.
ting for the overthrow of the Lords Israel.
You know that if lion roar a flock Of
kids will shiver and huddle together. One
lion would conquer thousand kids. The
battle opens There are a great multi.
tude of Syrians under General Ben
hadad, strong as lions. The Israel
, ties are few and weak, like two little focks
of kids. Who beat? The lions, of course.
Oh no the kids, for it all depends whether
God is on the side OF the lions or the kids.
After the battle 100000 Syrians lay dead on
the field, and 27,000 attempting to fly, came
along by great wall, which toppled and
crushed them to death.
Which was the stronger weapon-Sreat
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 surplus OF ammunition. He had
enough TO take down four more giants ifthey
had appeared in the way. 1t all depends up
on whether God is on the side OF the shep-
herd boy or on the side of the giant.
There have been many in our day who
have ventured the opinion that Christianity
Is falling back, and that in 30 years il will be
extinct They found their opinion Oh the
assumed fact that the Bible is not as mu1h OF
book as it used to be, and that portions Of
it are repu!sve to the people. l reply by
asking, Which one of the publishing houses
of New York, Philadelphia, Boston or Chi
cago is publishing the Bible to-day with the
omission of single verse or chapter? Are
not our publishers intelligent men? And
would they, contrary 10 their financial inter.
ests, continue to publish the Bible without
the omission of single chapter or a single
verse if it were becoming an unpopular book
and the people did not want it?
II Harpers or Appleton or Scribner or Lip
pincott should publish O Bible with the
omission OF one chapter they would not sell
10 copies in 10 years. The fact that through
ought Christendom there are hundreds OF
printing presses printing the word Of God
without the omission of chapter or a verse
proves that the Bible is popular, and the
fact that there are more being printed in
this decade than any other decade proves
that the Bible is increasing in popularity.
go through the courlrooms of the cOun-
try. Wherever find Judges bench or
clerks desk find the Bible. By what other
book would they take solemn oath? What
js 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 Votaire predicted
that the Bible during the nineteenth century
would become an obsolete book. Well we
are pretty nearly through the nineteenth GEN.
fury The Bible is not obsolete yet. There
is not much prospect of it becoming obsolete,
but have to tell you that that room--the
very room in which Voltaire wrote that pre-
diction-some time ago was crowded from
floor to ceiling with Bibles for Switzerland.
Suppose the congress of the United States
should pass law that no Bibles should be
printed in the United States.
II there are go 600, 900 grown men AMI
women in the country, then there would be
80, coo, 900 people armed against such law.
But suppose the congress OF the Unite
States should pass a law that Macaulay's
history or Charles Rea les 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,
. thousand men who would die for their
)ibles where there are 80 men who would
lie 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.
Out say those who are antagonistic
"Christianity is falling back from the fact
that the church is not as much respected as
il used II be and it is not as influential" l
reply to that with the statistic that one de-
nomination-the Methodist churcE-accord.
ing to statistic given by one sfthe bishops,
dedcates on an average new church every
day Of the year. Three hundred and sixty
five new churches in one denomination in q
year and over thousand new churches built
every year in this country. Does that look
IS though the church were failing in its
power and were becoming a wornout institu-
fion? Around which institution in our CON-
munities gather tho most ardent affections?
The postoff1cc, the hotel, the courthouse, the
city hall or the churches2
Why, when our old Tabernacle was burn.
ing there were hundreds Of men standing in
the streets who never went to thurch, tears
raining down their cheeks. 1t is becausethe
church of God stands nearer to the Ameri-
can people than any other institution. Men
may caricature the church and call it a col
lection of hypocrites, but when their chill
dren are swept off with the diphtheria for
whom do they send? To the postmaster, to
the attorney general, to the aldermen, or to
the pastors Of the churches2 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 hail.
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 air? No. they want the old hymn
with which we sang their old Christian
mothers 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 awful sickness that
broke fathers heart aud mothers heart. Oh,
you know as we'll as dol shall not dwell
on it any longer--the church of God, instead
of being a wornout institution, stands nearer
the sympathies of the people than it ever
did and ecipses all other institutions.
But our antagonists go on and say that
Christianity is falling back, in the fact that
infdeity is holder now and more blatant
than it ever was. l deny the statement. In
fidelity is not near so bold now as 1t was in
the days of our fathers and grandfathers.
There were times in this country when men
who were openly and above board infldel and
antagonistic to Christianity could be elected
TO high Office. Now, let some man wishing
high position in the State proclaim himself
the foe of Christianity and an intidel, how
many States of the Union would he carry?
how many counties? how many wards In
Brooklyn? Not one.
All, my friends, infldelty in this day is not
half as bold as it used to be. If it comes
now, it is apt to come under the disguise OF
rhetoric or fantastic sentimentality. know
If man with great intelligence does become
an inhdel and begins an attack on Chris
tianity it makes great exctement--of course
1t does, and people come to the conclusion,
weakminded Christians come to the concu-
sion, that everything is going overheard be-
cause some man of strong intellect assails
Christianity.
If man jumps overheard from a Cunard
steamer, be makes more excitement than all
The 300 sane passengers who continue in the
berths OF on the decks, but does that stop
The ship Does that wreck all the 500 pas.
-aot-o