Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-09-20

They Had a High Old Time in Their
Tent
Fixing W Thing. for the Tinai over brow
The Bih'r Continues the Most Pop
uiar Book Sermon 10y Rev. q.
DcNitt Talfnsg.. ID. ID

sunday Rev. r. Dewitt Taimage
preached 20 throngcd audience in the
brooklyn tabernacle The keynote of
the service was one or giadness. Many
of the audience had been absent during
the summer and had returned for this
service. The pastor commented on
passages Of Scripture depicting the
morning Of the worlds deliverance.
The subject Of the sermon was. THE
Battle Ours. the text being Z Kings.
so-25: and the children OF Israel
pitched before them like two little
foclSs 81 kids"
With thirty-thrce kings drunk in one
tent this chapter opens They were
allies plotting for the overthrow OF the
Lords Israel You know that IL a lion
roar a flock Of kids viii shiver and
huddle together. One lion could con
quer thousand kids.
The battle opens There are great
multitude Of syriaRs under Gen. Ben
hndad. strong as lions. The Israelites
arr few and weak like two little hoclss
OF kids Who bcat9 The lions. OF
course. Oh, no; the kids. For il all
depends whether God Is on the side Of
the lions or che kids After the battle
100000 Syrians lay dead on the Geld.
and $1,000 attempting 10 dy. came
along by great wall; which toppled
and crushed them D. death
Which was the stronger weapon
great Goliath's sword or little David's
sling? David had i've smooth stones
from the brook. lie only used one in
striking down Goliath. lie had n sur
plus Of ammunition; he had enough 20
take down four more giants n they had
happened in the way II all depends
upon whether God is on the side OF the
shepherd 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 fifty years IL 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-
lions Oft arc repulsive 20 the people.
reply by asking. Which one of the
publishing houses of New York, Phila-
delphia, Boston or Chicago is publish
ing the Bible to-day with the omission
OF 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 a sinrle
chapter or single verse If it were be-
coming an unpopular book and the
people did not want it? If Harper's,
or Appleton. or Scribner, or Lippincott
should publish Bible with the omls-
sion of ono chapter they would not sell
ten copies in ten years.
The fnct that fbrpnorhp,,f
dom there are hundreds of printing
presses printing the Word of God with
out the omission Of Il 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 increas-
ing in popularity
go through the court-rooms of the
country. Wherever l find a judges
bench or n 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 pre-
dicted that the Bible during the nine
teenth century would become an obso-
lete book. Well, we are pretty near
through the nineteenth century; the
Bible is not obsolete yet; there is not
much prospect of its becoming obso-
lete; but have 70 tell you that that
room-the very room in which Voltaire
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 n law that no Bibles
should De printed in the United States.
If there are thirty million grown men
and women in the country then there
would be thirty million people armed
against such a law. But suppose the
congress of the United States should
pass law that Macaulay's history or
Charles Reads novels should not be
read, could you get half az large an
army or the fourth as large an army?
In other words there are. as You know
and ] know, a thousand '4Sen 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 printed than
ever before, that publishers find it
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" say those who are antaq-
onistic, Christianity u falling back.
from the fact that the church is not as
much respected as It used 10 be, and is
not as influential" I reply TO that
with the statistic that one denomina-
tion-thc Methodist church-according
90 statistic given me by one Of their
bishops, dedicates on an average a new
church every day Of the year. Three
hundred and sixty-hye new churches in
one denomination in year. and over "a
thousand new churches built every year
in this country Does that look as though
the church were failing ia its power.
and we're becoming woru-Out institu-
tom Around which institution in our
communities gather the most ardent
affection? Tho post Office, the hotel
the courthouse. the city hall. or The
churches" Why, when our old taber-
nacle was burning there were hundreds
Of men standing .n The streets who
never went TO- church, tears running
down their -hccks ~ IS because the
church Of God stands nearer the sym
pathies Of the American people than
any other institution Mcn may carl
caturc the church. and call 90 col.
/ lection Of hypocrites. hut when their
/ 81