The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-03-20
TALMAGE'S SERMON
At THE BROOKLYN TiEERN4CLE
LAST SUNDAY.
"FrOm Conquest to Conquest Formed the
Subject of n Most Eloquent Discourse.
Christianity Not Ketrograding.


Bible losing its hold upon the hearts and
consciences of men. The subject of the dis
course as announced was: Prom Conquest
to Conquest" the text being taken from
Amos 9:13, Behold the days come, saitn
the Lord, that the ploughman shall over
Picture OF a tropical cline with season
prosperous that the harvest reaches
swarths huSbandlnan swinging the sickle
in the thick grain almost feels the breath
of the horses on his shoulders, the horses
hitched to the plough preparing Tor new
crop. Behold. the days come, saith Ghe
Lord, that the ploughman shall overtake
the reaper" When IS that? That is now.
That is this day when hardly nave You
done reaping one harvest before the plough
man is setting ready Tor another.
| know that many declare that Christian
ity has collapsed, that the Bible is an obso-
lete book, that the Christian church is on
the retreat. l will here ana now show that
the opposite OF that is true.
An Arab guide was leading a French
inhdei across a desert and ever and anon
the Arab guide would get down i'll the
SAND and pray to the Lord. 1t disgustcd the
French intdel and after awhile as the
Arab got UP from one of his prayers the
lnhdel said: How do you know there is any
God" ana the Arab guide said: How do
/ know that Il man and a camel passed
along our tent last night? ! know it by
the footprints in the sand. And you want
To know how | know whether there is any
footstep of a man." And by the same
process YOU and | have come to under
stand that this book is the footstep of
God.
But now let us see whether the Bible is a
last years almanac. Let us see whether
the church of God is in Bull Run retreat,
uuSketS. canteenS, and haVerSackS StreW-
ING all the way. The great English EiSto-
ran sharon Turner. a man OF vast tearing
ana of great accuracy. not Il clergyman,
hut an attorney, as well as q historian,
gives this overwhelming statistic in regard
10 christianity and in regard TO the mum
Der of Christians in the different centuries.
IN the first century, 100000 Christians; in the
second century, 2000,oUU Christians; in the
thlfd century. 5,000000 Christians; III the
fourth century, l0,000000 Christians; III the
sixth century 70 900 OOD Christians: IN the
seventh century, 2l.0U0.000 Christians; in the
elSnth century, 30U00,000 Christians; III the
mhth century, 40,oJO,O90 Christians; in the
tenth century, 5O000,000 Christians: in the
eleventh century, 7G,000,000 Christians: i'm the
twelfth century, So,0000GJ Christians: in the
thhlrteenth century, l5,o0o0c0 Christians; in
the fourteenth century, SO000,0O0
oHr'S' "a a5, Coo IN IN" h1teenth cent
teenth century, 125 000000 Christians: in
the seventeenth century. l55 900. 010 Chris
tlans in the eighteenth century 100000 900
Chflstlans-a decadence, as you observe,
- 49, o.4~ ce.4,-..J, -,..t ,4.0l,. tnau lnare
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 $50 900 Christians
Poor Christianity! What a pity it has no
friends. How lonesome it must be Who
VIII take it out of the poor house? Poor
one century. IN lew weeks of the year
1891 25OO,o05 copies of the New Testament
distributed. Why, the earth is like an
old castle with twenty gates and Il park of
artillery ready to thunder down every gate.
Lay aside all ChriStendom and see how
heathendom is being surrounded and honey
combed and attacked by this all-conQuer-
ing gospel At the beginning OF this cen
fury there We're only $50 missionaries;
now there are 5000 missionaries ana
native helpers and evangests At the
beginning of this century <here We're only
o1GOO heather converts; now there are
100000 converts from Leathendom. There
is not seacoast on the planet but the bat
terry 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. Ii may take many
days to plant the batteries and they may
do all their work in ten minutes. These
batteries are being planted all along the
sea-coaSts and in all nations. 1t may take
a good while to plant them and they may
do all their work in one day. They will.
Nations are to be born in "a day. But Just
come back to Christendom and recognize
the fact that during the last ten years
as many people have connected themselves
themselves with the churches in the first
fifty years of this century.
So Christianity is falling back, and the
Bible, they say, is becoming an obsolete
book | so into a court and wherever |
find a judges bench or a clerks desk !
find "a Bible Upon what book could there
be uttered the Solemnity of an oath? What
book is apt to be put in the trunk of the
young man as he leaves for city life? The
Bible. What shall find in nine out of every
ten homes in Brooklyn? The Bible. In nine
out Of every ten homes in Christendom?
The Bible. Noltairc wrote the prophecy
that the Bible in the nineteenth century
would become extinct. The century is near
ly gone, and as there haV- been more Bibles
published in the latter part of the century
than in the former part Of the century
do you think that the Bible viii become
extinct in the next six years | have to
tell you that the room in which Noltaire