The Banner-Democrat., 1893-11-04
TALMAGE's SERMON.
Christianity Marching Straight
Ahead in Spite Of Obstacles.
The Ammunition of the Enemy Almost
Exhausted - Tho Bible and Its Pre-
cepts Stronger than Ever and
Still Calming Strength.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage chose as the
subject of a recent sermon in the Brook
lyn tabernacle "The Battle Ours" the
| text being:
And the children of Israel pitched before
them like two little nocks Of kids.-I Kings
xx., %.
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 a
lion roar, flock of kids will shiver
and huddle together. One lion could
conquer thousand kids. The battle
opens. There are 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
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-sevcn 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
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 de-
pends 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 it will be extinct They
found their opinion on the assumed
fact that the Bible is not as much of a
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
lishing houses of New York, Phila-
delphia, Boston or Chicago is publish
ing the Bible to-day with the omission
of a single verse or chapter? Are Aot
our publishers intelligent men? And
would they, contrary to their finan-
cial interests, continue TO publish the
Bible without the omission of single
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 Lippin-
colt should publish a Bible with the
omission of one chapter they would
not sell ten copies in ten years The
fact that throughout 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 arc more being printed in
this decade than in any other decade,
proves that the Bible is increasing in
popularity.
go through the court rooms of the
country. Whereve / find judges
bench or clerks desk find the Bible.
BY what other book would they take a
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 who starts
for city life? The Bible. Voltaire
predicted that the Bible during the
nineteenth century would become an
obsolete book. Well, we are pretty
nearly through the nineteenth CEN
turv; the Bible is not obsolete yet;
there is not much prospect of its be-
coming obsolete; but 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 that the congress of the
United States should pass law that
no Bibles should be printed in
the United States If there are thirty
millions of 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 Maculay's history, or Charles
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 l
know, 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 printed than ever before,
that publishers find it a financial in
terest for them to continue the publ
cation of the Bible, proves that the
book is still the most popular book on
the planet.
But" say those who are antagonis-
tic, christianity is falling back, from
the fact that the church is not as much
respected as it used to be. and is not as
influential reply to that with the
statistic that one denomination-the
Methodist Notwithstanding to sta
tistic given me by one of their bishops,
dedicates on an average a new church
every day in the year. Three hun
dred and sixty-five new churches in
one denomination in year, and over
one thousand new churches built every
year in this country. Does this look
as though the church were failing in
its power, and were becoming worm
out institution? Around which insti-
tuition in our communities gather the
most ardent affections? The post
office, the hotel, the courthouse, the
city hall or the churches? Why, W hen
our old tabernacle was burning, there
were hundreds of men standing ia the
streets who never went to church,
tears raining down their cheeks. 1t
is because the church of God stands
nearer the sympathies of the Ameri-