The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-09-15
RELIGIOUS ADVANCE.
REV DR.. Al.MAGE breaches A SER
NON OF HOPE.

biAtpiSSb III tip tpApNhAlh Iub-
ernacle, The keynote of the service was
ONE 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-
liverance. The subject of the sermon
WAS, 1.-THE Battle Ours" the text being
Kings Xxx, 81, "And the children Of
Israel pitched before them like two little
focks of kids"
With 33 kings drunk in one tent this
chapter opens, They We're allies plot
ting for the overthrow of the Lords Is
rael. 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
ites are few and weak, like two little
hocks of kids Who beat? The lions, of
course Oh, no; the kids, for it all de-
ponds whether God is on the side of the
lions or the kids. After the battle 10O,-
600 Syrians lay dead on the field, and
a7 900, 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
sling? 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 had
appeared in the way, 1t 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
apity is falling back, and that in so years
it will be extinct. They found their
opinion on the assumed fact that the BIZ
BILE is not as much of book as it used to
be, and that portions of it are repulsive
to the people. reply by asking, Which
pne of the publishing houses of New
York, Philadelphia, Boston or Chicago
is publishing the Bible today with the
omission of single verse or chapter?
Are not our publishers intelligen.,men?
And would they contrary to their fnan-
lcial interests continue to publish the BIZ
blewithout the omission of single chap
ter or single verse if it were becoming
an unpopular book and the people did
mot 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 chapter or verse proves that
the Bible is popular, and the fact that
there are more being printed in this dec.
,ade than any other decade proves that
the Bible is increasing in popularity.
| go through the courtrooms of the
country. Wherever find judges bench
Eor clerks desk | find the bible. BY
what other book would they take solemn
bath? What is very apt to be among the
brides prescDts2 The Bible. What is
very apt to be put in the trunk of the
young man when he starts for city lifei
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
its becoming obsolete, but l have to 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 law that no Bibles should
be printed in the United States.
If there are 10000, 900 grown men and
women in the country, then there would
be 0,000,0 people armed against such
a 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
large an army? In other words, there
are, as you know and | know, thou.
sand men who would die for their Bibles
where there are so 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 q
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
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
| auential' | reply to that with the sta
tistic that one denomination-the Meth
odist misunderstanding to statistic
| given me by one of their bishops, dedi
Gates on an average new church every
day of the year. Three hundred ant
sixty five new churches in one denomi
nation in a year and over thousand
new churches built every year in thi!
country Does that look as though thu
church were failing in its power ant
| were becoming a wornout institution
| Around which institution in our com
| munities gather the most ardent affec
| tions? The postofice, the hotel, tn,
| courthouse, the city hall or the churches
| Why, when our old Tabernacle wa
| burning there We're hundreds of me
| ktanding in the streets who never wen
Ito church, tears raining down thei
| cheeks. 1t is because the church of Cox
| stands nearer the sympathies of tn
American people than any other insti
| tuition. Men may caricature the churcl
| and call it a collection of hypocrites, bu
! when their children are swept off witt
! the diphtheria for whom do they send
| To the postmaster, to the attorney gen
eral, to the aldermen, or to the pastor
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 il
| they want music on the sad occasion dc
they select the 'Marseillaise" hymn, OF
God Save the Queen" or our own grand
national air? No, they want the old
hymn with which we sang their ole
Christian mother to sleep. They want