The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-03-21

BROOKLYN, March lS-In the Ia
bernacle today the Rev. DR.. Talmage
preached a most eloquent and character
istically vigorous sermon in refutation
of the oft renewed assertion of the enc
mics Of religion that Christianity is re-
trograding and the bible losing its hold
upon the hearts and consciences OF men.
The subject of the discourse as an
nounced was. From Conquest to Con-
quest" the text being taken from Amos
tx, Is. Behold. the days come, saith the
Lord. that the plowman shall overtake
the reaper"
Picture of a tropical CLINE with a sea-
son so prosperous that the harvest
reaches clear over 10 the planting time.
and the swarthy husbandpan swinging
the sickle in the thick grain almost feels
the breath of the horses on his shoulders.
the horses hitched TO the pillow preparing
for a 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 harv-
est before the plowman is getting ready
for another
l know that many declare that Chris
tianity has collapsed; that the bible is
an obsolete book that the Christian
church is on the retreat. ! will here
and now show that the opposite of that
is true.
An Arab guide was leading a French
intidel across a desert, and ever and anon
the Arab guide would get down in the
sand and pray 10 the Lord. 1t Disguised
the French infdel and after awhile as
the Arab got mp from one of his prayers
the inhdel said; How do You know
there is any Cod and the Arab guide
said: How do I know that 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 God. Look at that
sunset. Is, that the footstep of man."
And by the same process you and I
have come 10 understand that this book
is the footstep of a God.
Growth of Christianity.
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, muskets. canteens and hav-
ersacks strewing all the way. The
great English historian. Sharon Turner
a man of vast learning and Of great
accuracy. not a clergyman, but an at
torney as we'll as a historian gives this
overwhelming statistic in regard To
Christianity and i'm regard 10 the num-
her of Christians in the different cen
turtles: In the first century. 100000
Christians in the second century. 2O00
900 Christians: in the third century. 3
000 600 Christians: in the fourth century.
10000, 900 Christians; in the fifth century,
15.000,000 Christians; in the sixth cen
fury. 1000 Christians: in the sew
enth century 2tO00000 Christians; in
the eighth century, 30.000.OO0 Christians;
in the ninth century, 40O0OC00 Chris
tians; in the tenth century, 50.000,0O0
Christians; in the eleventh century, 40
100000 Christians; in the twelfth cen
fury. 600 Christians; IN he thlr-
tenth century 100000 Christians; IN
to- fourteenth century, S0.t0 00O Chris
uans; in the fifteenth century, 10000
900 Christians: in the siXt eenrh century,
125.00O0 900 Christians; in the seventeenth
century $4,000. 900 Christians: in the
eighteenth century. 200,000.O00 Chris
tians-a decade, as YOU observe, in only
one century and more than made up in
the following centuries while 1t IS the
usual computation that there will Ee
wren the record of the nineteenth cet.-
fury is made up, AT least 3O0,9O0.OO0
Christians.
Poor Christianity. What pity il has
no friends How lonesome IT must be.
Who will take il out of the poor house?
Poor Christianity Three lunlred mill
ions in one century. In a few weeks of
the year 1881 100000 copies Of The
New Testament distributed. Why the
earth is like an old castle with twenty
gates and a park of artillery ready 10
L l.. IL
Christendom and see how heathendOm
is being surrounded and honeycDmbed
and attacked by this all-conqueTlng gos-
pei. At the beginning Of this century
there We're only $50 missionaries Now
there are $4,000 missionaries and native
helpers and evangelists. At the begin
ming OF this century there we're only
$4,000 heathen converts. Now there are
10000 converts from heathena0m
There is not a seaCoast on the planet
but the battery of the gospel is planted
and ready 10 march on, pOrth. south.
east, west. You all know thai the chief
work of an army is TO plant the bat
teries 1t may take many days 10 plant
the batteries, and they nav do all their
work in ten minutes. These batteries
are being planted all alodg the sea-
coasts and in all nations. II NAV take
a good while To plant them. and taey
may do all their work in one day. They
will. Nations are 10 be born in Jay.
But just come back TO Chrstendom and
recognize the fact that during the last
ten years as many people have con-
nected themselves with evangelical
churches as connected themselves with
the churches in the first fifty years Of
this century.
4 Popular Book.
So Christianity is falling back. and the
bible. they say. is becoming an obsolete
book. / go into court. and wherever
] find a judges bench or "A clerks desk
] find 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 llfe2 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. VOltaire wrote the prophecy
that the bible in the nineteenth century
would become extinct. The century is
nearly gone and as there have been
more bibles published in the latter part
Of the century than i'm the former part
OF the century do you think the bible
will become extinct in the next six
years?
/ have to tell you that the room in
which VOltaire wrote that prophecy not
long ago was crowded from floor TO cell
ing with bibles from Switzerland. Sup
pose the congress Of the United States
should pass a law that there should be
no more bibles printed in America and
no more bibles read. If there are 10
600. 900 grown people in the United States