The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-09-13
"THE BATTLE OURS.
Rev. DR.. Talmage breaches Ser
mon of dlad9ess.
The Word of God Becoming More and
More Popular-Inadeiity Not Half
So Bold as Formerly-Rapid
Growth of the Chris
tian Church.

was "The Battle is Ours" the text be-
Ing l. Kings-xxaS7:, ,c.'sAnd the chill
dren Of Israel pitched before them like
two little focks of kids"
With thirty-three kings drunk in one
tent, this chapter opens They were
allies plotting for the overthrow of
the Lords Israel. You know that If
lion roar, a flock Of kids will shiver
and huddlc together. One lion could.
conquer thousand kids. The battle
opens. There are a great army of Syr-
ians under Gen. Ben-hadad, strong as
lions. The Israelites are few and weak,
like two little focks of kids. Vino
beat? The lions, of course. o, no;
the kids. For II all depends whether
God is on the side of the lions or the
kids. After the battle one hundred
thousand Syrians lay dead on the field,
and twenty-seven thousand attempting
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
slingP David had five smooth stones
from the brook. He only used one in
striking down Goliath. He had sur
plus of ammunition; he had enough to
take down four more giants If they ap-
peared in the way. 1t all depends upon
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 fifty years it will be extinct. They
found their opinion on the assumed
fact that the Bible is not as much of
book as it used to be, and that portions
of it are repulsive to the people. re-
ply by asking, which one 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 inter
ests. continue to publish the Bible
without the omission of single
chapter or single verse II 1t were
becoming an unpopular book, and
the people did not want it. II Harpers,
or Appleton, or Scribner, OF Lippincott
should publish Bible with the omis'
sion of one chapter they would not
sell ten copies in ten years. The fact
.. that throughout Christendom there are
1 hundreds Of printing presses printing
the Word of God without the omission
of chapter or verse proves that th'
/, Bible is popular; and the fact that ther,
: are more being printed in this decad,
+ than any other decade proves that tn
Bible is increasing in popularity.
/ go through the court rooms of tn
4 country. Wherever l find a judge
= bench or a clerks desk find the Bible
/ By what other book would they TAX
solemn oath? What is very apt to b
) among the brides presents9 TIL
Bible. What is very apt to be put i
the trunk of the young man when h
I. starts for city lifeP The Bible. Vo
= taire predicted that the Bible durin
y the nineteenth century would becom
= an obsolete book. Well, we are prett
! nearly through the nineteenth Ger
. tury; the Bible Is not obsolete ye
there is not much prospect OF its b'
coming obsolete, but have to tell yo
that that room-the very room /
which Voltaire wrote that prediction
some time ago was crowded from floc
to ceiling with Bibles for Switzerland
; Suppose the congress OF the Unite
! States should pass law that L
, Bibles should be printed in the Unite
States. II there are thirty millio
grown men and women In the countr
then there would be thirty million pc
| pie armed against such law. Bl
i suppose the congress Of the Unit
States should pass law that Maca
| ley's history or Charles Reeds move
!, should not be read-could you get ha
or as large an army, or the fourth
j. large an army? In other words, the
ns are, as you know and | know, tho
- sand men who would die for the
Bibles, where there are fifty men wi
would die for any other book. II
fact that there are now more Bibl
being printed than ever before, tn
N publishers find IL financial intere
y for them TO continue the publication
n the Bible, proves that this book is st
. the most popular book on the planet
AL But" say those who are antagon
De- tic, christianity is falling back, frC
the fact that the church is not as mu
respected as II used TO be, and is not
influential" reply to that with {
ga statistic that one denomtnation-t
Methodist church-according to n s.
iEr. tistic given me by one OF their bishol
dedicates on an average a new chur
every day Of the year. Three hundr
and sixty-fve new churches in one
nomination ina year, and over thu
sand new churches built every year
this country. Does that look as thou
the church were failing in its pow
and were becoming worn out insti
ton? Around which institution in
communities gather the most ard'
affections2 The post Office, the ho'
The court house, the city hall, or
: churchesP Why, when our old Tab
nacle was burning there were hundr
: Of men standing In the streets "
never went TO church, tears rain
down their checks. IL Is because
~. church of God stands nearer the 4,
: pathies Of the American people Il
q any other institution. Men n
caricature the church and call
- collection Of hypocrites;
when their children are sw
ou,e on with the diphtheria, for whom