The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1893-09-15
DRUNKEN KINGS.
They Had High Old Time in Their
Tent
fixing Up Things for the Final Overthrow
The Bible Continues the Most Pop
ular Book-sermon by Rev r.
Dewitt Taimage, ID. ID.

Sunday Rev. II. Dewitt Talmag,
Brooklyn tabernacle The keynote o
the service was one of gladness Many
of the audience had been absent during
the summer and had returned for tbi,
service. The pastor commented or
passages of Scripture depicting the
morning of the worlds deliverauce
The subject Of the sermon was: "The
Battle Ours" the text being I. Kings,
20-27; And the children of Israel
pitched before them like two little
focks of kids"
With thirty-three kings drunk in one
tent this chapter opsIs. sfcis,Sy =ss-<
allies plotting - the overthrow u tn
Lords Israel You know that II lior
roar q flock of kids will SILVER ant
huddle together. One lion could con
quer a thousand kids.
The battle opens There are great
multitude of Syriars under Gen. Ben.
hadad. strong as lions, The Israelites
are few and weak, like two little fiocks
of kids. Who beat? The lions, OF
course Oh, no; the kids. For IL all
depends whether God is on the side OF
the lions or the kids After the battle
100000 Syrians lay dead on the field,
and $1,000 attempting TO fly, came
along by great WALL which toppled
and crushed them TO death.
Which was the stronger weapon
great Goliath's sword or little Davids
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 10
take down four more giants IL they had
happened in the way. IL 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 1t 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 por-
tions of it are repulsive to the people.
i 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 10 their financial
interests, continue to publish the
Bible without the omission of n single
chapter or a single verse If IL were be-
coming an unpopular book and the
people did not want it2 IL Harper's,
or Appleton, or Scribner, or Lippincott
should publish Bible with the omis-
sion of one chapter they would not sell
ten copies in ten years.
The fact that throughout Christen-
dom there are hundreds of printing
presses printing the Word of God with
out the omission of 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 courtrooms of the |
country. Wherever / find judges
bench or a clerks desk find the Bible.
BY what other book would they take
solemn oathP What is very apt to be
among the brides presentsP 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 it's becoming obso-
Iete; but have to tell you that that
rosm-the very room ia 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
II there are thirty million grown men
Ind women in the country then there
would be thirty million people armed 4,
against such law. But suppose the |
congress of the United States should /;
PASS law that Macaulay's history or
'harles Reads novels should not be q
cad, could you get half as large an
Irmy or the fourth as large an army?
N other words there are, as you know q
md / know, a thousand men who {
would die for their Bibles where there I
IRE fifty men who would die for any {
'ther book. The fact that there are c
low more Bibles being printed than
yer before, that publishers find il a {
financial interest for them to continue
he publication of the Bible proves that t
his book is still the most popular book I
m the planet S
But" say those who are antag- I
nistic, Christianity is falling back,
rom the fact that the church is not as y
much respected as it used TO be, and is |
lot as influential" i reply TO that
With the statistic that one denomina- {
ion-the Methodist church-according q
o statistic given me 10y one of their {
bishops, dedicates on an average q new
hurch every day of the year Three I
hundred and sixty-five new churches In {
me denomination in year, and over [
thousand new churches built every year I
n this country. Does that look as though S
he church were failing in its power, =
nd were becoming worn-out institu- 7
ionP Around which institution in our !
gather the most ardent a
ffectionP The post office, the hotel, v
he courthouse, the city hall, or the |
hnrches" Why, when our old taber- 4
acle was burning there were hundreds I
I men standing In the streets who |,
ever went 10 church, tears running II
own their cheeks. II Ia because the a
hurch of God stands nearer the sym d
athies Of the American people than a
ny other institution. Men may carl
ature the church and call II a col c.
'ction of hypocrites, but when their z
hildren are swept on with the diph. il
leria, for whom do they send? To %
he postmaster, 10 the attorney "
neral 10 the aldermen or TO h
lie pastor of the churches, VI
nd II there be not room for Il
lie obsequies in the private house, m
hat building do they solicit? The &C
'ademy of music, the hotel, public 81
I'll, courthouse? No; the churches. Z
nd II they want music on the sad oc. II
sion, do they select the MAR l.
illaise" hymn or God Save the m
ieen" or our own grand national air? su
D; they want the old hymn with m
hich we sang their old Chris m
IN mother 10 sleep; they want the 81
Inday school hymn that their little NJ
RI sang the last Sabbath afternoon "a