Connecticut western news., 1894-03-22
VICTORIOUS GROWTH
REV. DR. TALMAGE SHOWS HOW CHRISTIANITY MOVES FORWARD.

N~-~>~1ANsy 0eod to Live by and ConsolinK to Die By-An Encouraging Discourse by the EloQasnt Pastor.
 BRooKLYN, March 18.-In the Taber- nacle today Rev. Dr. Talmage preached most eloquent and characteristically vigorous sermon in refutation of the oft renewed assertion of the enemies of reli- zion that Christianity is retrograding and the Bible losing its hold upon the hearts and consciences of men. The sub ject of the discourse as announced was "From Conquest to Conquest" the text being taken from Amos K, IS, Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper"
 Picture of & tropical cline, with sea- son % prosperous that the harvest reach e clear over to the planting time, and the swarthy husbandman swinging the sickle in the thick grain almost feels the breath of the horses on his shoulders, the horses hitched to the blow preparing for new crop. Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper" When is that? That is now. That is this day, when hardly have you done reaping one harvest before the blow man is getting ready for another.
 know that many declare that Chris tianty has collapsed; that the Bible is an obsolete book; that the Christian church is on the retreat. I will here and now show that the opposite of that is true.
 An Arab guide was leading French fvnA Al Q oyr6 the Arab guide would get down in the sand and pray to the Lord. It disgusted the French infdel, and after awhile as the Arab got up from one of his prayers the infidel said, ''How do you know there A any God?" and the Arab guide said: "How do know that man and 8 camel passed along our tent last nightf know 1t by the footprints in the sand. And you want to know how know whether there Is any God? Look at that sunset. Is that the footstep of a mani" And by the same process you and have come to under stand that this book is the footstep of God.
 A HEALTHY GROWTH.
 But now let us see whether the Bible is . last years almanac. Let us see whether the church of God is in Bull Run retreat, muskets, canteens and hay ersacks strewing all the way. The great English historian, Sharon Turner, a man of vast learning and of great accuracy, not . clergyman, but an attorney as well as a historian, gives this overwhelm- ing statistic in regard to Christianity and in regard to the number of Christians in the different centuries: In the first cen tury, 50O, 900 Christians; in the second century, 2,000, GOO Christians; in the third century, 6,00O. 900 Christians; in the fourth century, 10000 ,000 Christians; in the fifth century, 15,000, 900 Christians; in the sixth century, 20.0OO,000 Chris tians; in the seventh century, 24,0OO,- 900 Christians; in the eighth cen tury, 8O,0O0, GOO Christians; in the ninth century, 100000 Christians; in the tenth century, 5O,00O, 900 Chris tians; in the eleventh century 70,000, 900 Christians; in the twelfth century, 8O,- 1000 Christians; in the thirteenth cen- tury, 75. .000, 900 Christians; in the four teenth century, 90, ,00O. 900 Christians; in the fifteenth century, 1O0, ,0OO, 900 Chris tians; in the sixteenth century, 125, ,O0O,-
 
 tury, 155, 900 900 Christians; in the eight eenth century, 200, ,000, 900 Christians- . decadence, as you observe, in only one century and more than made up in the following centuries, while it is the usual computation that there will be, when the record of the nineteenth century is made up, at least 300, COX. GOO Christians.
 Poor Christianity What a pity it has no friends! How lonesome it must bel Who will take it out of the poorhouse? Poor Christianity Three hundred mil Hons in one century. In 8 few weeks of tho year 1881 2,5OO, 900 copies of the New Testament distributed. Why, the earth is like an old castle with 20 gates and a park of artillery ready to thunder down every gate. Lay aside all Christendom and zee how heathendom is being sur rounded and honeycombed and attacked by this all conquering gospel. At the beginning of this century there were only 160 missionaries; now there are 25,- 900 missionaries and native helpers and evangelists. At the beginning of this century there were only 50,000 heathen converts; now there are 1,750, 900 con- verts from heathendom.
 There is not 8 seacoast on the planet but the battery of the gospel is planted and ready to march on-north, south, east, west. You all know that the chief work of an army is to plant the batteries. It may take many days to plant the bat teries, and they may do all their work in 10 minutes. These batteries are being planted all along the seacoasts and in all nations. It may take 8 good while to plant them, and they may do all their work in one day. They will. Nations are to be born in One day. But just come back to Christendom and recognize the fact that during the last 10 years as many people have connected themselves with evangelical churches as connected themselves with the churches in the first 90 years of this century.
 A GLORIOUS BOOK.
 So Christianity is falling back, and the Bible, they say, is becoming an obsolete book. I go into a court, and wherever find . judges bench or clerks desk find Bible. Upon what book could there be uttered the solemnity of al oath? What book is apt to be put in tho trunk of the young man as he leaves fol city hfei The Bible. What shall fini in nine out of every ten homes in Brook lyn? The Bible. In nine out of every ten homes in .Christendom? The Bible Voltaire wrote the prophecy that thu Bible in the nineteenth century would become extinct. The century is nearl, gone, and as there have been more Bible published in the latter part of the cen tury than in the former part of the cen tury do ysu think the Bible will becom extinct in the next six years?
 have to tell you that the room il which Voltaire wrote that prophecy no long ago was crowded from floor to cell ing with Bibles from Switzerland. Sup pose the congress of the United State should pass law that there should b no more Bibles printed in America an, no moro Bibles read. If there are 40,