The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-09-13


was one OF gladness Many Of the audi
ence had been absent during the sum-
nler and had returned for this service
The pastor commented on passages Of
scripture depicting the morning OF the
worlds deIiverance. The subject OF the
sermon was The Battle Ours" the
text being 1 Kings Xxx. q. And the
children OF Israel pitched before them
like two little flooks 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 IL lion
roar a flock of kids will shiyer and
huddle together. One lion could conquer
thousand kids. The battle opens.
There are a 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 lion. OF course on. no; the kids,
for IL all depends whether God is on the
side OF the lion or the kids After the
battle 100 900 Syrians lay dead on the
field. and $1,000 attempting to fly. came
along by a great wall. which toppled
and crushed them to death.
Which was the stronger weapon-great
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 IL they had APP
peared I'm the way. 1t all depends upon
whether God is on the side Of the shep-
herd boy on the side OF the giant.
There have been many In our day who
.Fv,Ta NFaf RE
tlanity Is falling back, and that in fifty
years 1t will be extinct. They found
their opinion on the assumed fact that
the bible Is not as much OF a book as
Il used TO be, and that portions Of II
are repulsive TO the people. 1 reply by
asking which one OF the publishing
houses of New York. Philadelphia. Bos-
ton or Chicago IS publishing the bible
today with the omission OF a single
verse or chapter? Are not our publish
ers intelligent men? And would they.
contrary to their financial interests. con-
tinue to publish the bible without the
omission Of a single chapter or verse IL
IL were becoming an unpopular book and
the people did not want II?
II Harpers or Appleton Of Scribner or
Llppincott should publish a bible with
not sell ten copies In ten years. The
fact that throughout Christendom there
are hundreds OF printing presses print
ng the word Of God without the omis-
sion OF q 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.
Popular Book.
go through the court-rooms of the
country. Wherever l find a judges
bench or a clerks desk 1 find a 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 predicted
that the bible during the nineteenth
century would become an obsolete book.
Well we are pretty nearly through the
nineteenth century: the bible Is not OBJ
solete yet. There Is not much prospect
or It's 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 a law that no bibles
Should be printed in the United States.
II 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 A 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
I md tla,
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 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 antagOnistic
christianity is falling back, from the
fact that the church is not as much re-
spected as 1t used to be and is not as in
fuential' l reply to that with the sta
tistic that one denomination-the meth
odist misunderstanding to a statistic
given me by one of their bishops, dedi-
church every day Of the year.
Three hundred and sixty-fve new
churches in one denomination in a year
and over thousand new churches built
every year in this country. Does that
look as though the church were failing
in its power and were becoming a worm
out Institution? Around which instItu-
ton In our communities gather the most
ardent affections ?-the postofice the
hotel, the court house, the city hall or
the churches?
Why. when our old tabernacle was
burning there were hundreds of men
standing In the streets who never went
TO church, tears raining down their
cheeks. It Is because the church of God
stands nearer the sympathies of the
American people than any other institu-
and call IL a collection Of hypocrites, but
when their children are swept off with
diphtheria, for whom do they send? To
the postmaster. TO the encouragement.
to the aldermen or to the pastors 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, court
house2 No; the churches. And II TIL y
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 mother to sleep. They want
the Sunday-school hymn that their lit
tie girl sang the last Sabbath afternoon
she was out before she was seized with
the awful sickness that broke fathers
heart and mothers heart. Oh, you know
as well az / dol shall not dwell on IL
any longer-the church Of God, instead
of a fnafffuffQ-1 de