Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-03-23
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S Sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "From Conquest to Con-
quest

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
plow preparing for new crop. 'Behold
the days come saith the Lord. that the plow-
man shall overtake the reaper When -
that? That is now. That Is this day, when
hardly have you done reaping one harvest
before the plowman is getting ready for
another.
know that many declared that Christianity
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 a French in
! ndel across n desert and ever and anon the
| Arab guide would get down In the sand and
pray to the Lord. II disguised the French
inhdel. and after awhile as the Arab got up
/ from one OF his prayers the inhdel said.
| How DO you know there Is any Cod aud
| the Arab guide said How do know that
! a man and camel passed along our tent last
! night? [ know il by the footprints in tho
/ sand. And you want to know how know
whether there is any God; Look at that
| sunset Is that the iootstep Of a man. And
| by the same process YOU and | have come to
| understand that this book is the iootstep OF
| q God.
But now let US see whether the Bible IS
! last years almanac. Let US see whether the
! church of God is In Bull p IN retreat.
! muskets. canteens and haversacks strewing
all the way The great English historian,
| Sharon TUNER, man OF vast learning and
/ OF great accuracy, not clergyman, but an
] attorney rs well az historian, gives this
/ overwhelming statistic in regard TO Chris
/ tianity AMI in regard to the number Of Chris
| tians in the different centuries In the first
century, SOC. 900 Christians in the second
| nnn - L., . h III rl
I century, 1000 900 CHRISTIANS In the fourth
! century. 10000 900 Christians in the nth
century, Is. 900, 900 Christians in the sixth
! century ~. 000, GOO Christians in the seventh
| century, "a 900 900 Christians in the eighth
| century. 80 600 600 Christians; in the
ninth century. &c, 0O0. 900 Christians in the
| tenth century. 10000. 600 Christians in
/ the eleventh century. 10000. 00o Christians :
! in the twelfth century, 80, 600 900 Christians
/ in tho thirteenth century, - 1000, 900 Christ
ians in the fourteenth century. 80 900, 600
| Christians In the hftecuth century. 100.
! 600 coo Christians in the sixteenth Cen-
| ury. 1875 go 600 Christians in the seven
! tenth century, 1856 900 900 in the eight e
/ zenith century, 200 0JO, 600 Christians "a de-
cadence AS YOU observe in only one century
ana more than made up in the following CEN
/ turtles. while II IS tn usual coInpu-
| tation that there will be-, when the
] RECORD CT the lilttttntn century Is llduF W..
at least 300 600 ,000iC christians.
Poor Christianity What pity it has no
friends How lonesome II must be Who
will take it out Of the poorhouse? Poor
/ Christianity Three hundred millions IN one
! century. In n few weeks Of the year 1881
2 200 900 copies OF the New Testament dis
tributej Why, the earth IL like an old cas-
tie with twenty gates and park artillery
ready TO thunder down every gate. Lay
aside all Christendom aud see how heather
dom i being surrounded and honeycombed
and attacked by this all conQuering gospel
At the beginning OF this century there were
only $50 missionaries now there are IS ,00C
missionaries and native helpers and evang.
elists. At the beginning OF this century
there were only 30, 100 heather converts now
there are $50, 900 converts from heather.
dom.
There Is not u seacoast on the planet bu'
the battery Of the gospel IL planted ant ready
to march on north. south east. west You
all know that the chief WORK OF an army is Il
plant the batteries II NAV take many days
10 plant the batteries. AMI they may do al
their work In ten minutes. These batteries
are being planted all along the scacOasts and
ia all nations. IL may take good while Ia
] plant them. and they may DO all their worS
IN nne day. They will Nations are to be-
born in one DAY. But just come back 10
Christcndom aud recognize the fact that
during the last ten years as many people
have connected themselves with evangelical
churches "a connected themselves with the
churchrs IN the tirst any years ot this cen
fury.
/ So Christianity is falling back, and IN,
Bible, they SAY. Is becoming an ohsOlct,
book. 10 into court, and wherever
lind Judge bench or "A clerks desk nnC
Bible Upon what book could there b,
uttered the -olemnity Of AN oath Wha
look is apt to he put in the trunk OF tn,
young man as he leaves for city life? Tn,
Bible. What shall lind in nine out ofeverl
ten homes III Brooklyn The Bible. la min,
out OF every ten homes in Christeniom2 Tn,
Billie. VOtaire wrote the prophecy that the
Bible in the nineteenth century would be
come extinct. The century is nearly gone
and rs there have been more Bibles pub
lished In the latter part OF the century thar
in the former part Of the century, do yOr
think the Bible will become extinct Ia tn,
next six years
! have 10 tell you that the room in which
Voltare wrote that prophecy not long age
was crowded from floor TO ceiling viii
Bibles from Switzerland. Suppose the Con
gress OF the United States should pass a Law
that there should be no more Bibles printe,
in America and no more Bibles read |
there are 40 900, 900 grown people In Ia,
United States. there would be 40 000. 900 PEG
pie in an army TO put down such n Jaw ant
defend their right TO read the Bible. Blu
suppose the Congress Of the United State:
should make law against the reading o
, the publication OF any other book, how man
people would go out In such a crusade?
Could you get 400. 900 900 people to 20 on
and risk their lives In defense OF Shake
speHre's tragedies or Gladstone's tracts o
Macauiays History OF England" Yor
know that there are 1000 men who woul,
die in defense OF this book where there /
not more than one man who would die IL
defense OF any other book. You try TO in
suit my common sense by telling me tn
Bible Is fading out from the world.
1t is the most popular book OF the century
How do know it? know 1t just as | know
in regard to other books. How many vol
umes OF that book are published2 Well, yo
say, 5000. How many copies OF that boo
are publisher A hundred thousand
Which is the more popular? Why, of cours
the one that has l00. 900 circulation. And
this book has more copies abroad in tn
J world II there are five times as many Bible
,, abroad as any other book, does not tina
: show you that the most popular book on tn
/ planet to-day Is the word OF God?
"0h," say people, the church is a colec
|. ton OF hypocrites, and 1t is losing its power
and it is fading out from the world" Is II
A bishop of the Methodist church told m
: that that denomination averages two net
churches every day OF the year. There ar
ut least 1900 new Christian churches built 4
America every year. Does that look as thong
the church were fading out, as though
were defunct institution? Which institu
ton stands nearest the hearts OF the peopl
ofAmerica to-day do not care in whn
village, or in what city, or what neghbor
hood you go. Which institution is IT, Isl
the postofflce? Is 1t the hotel2 Is II tn
lecturing hall? Alb, you know It is not. 70
know that the institution which stands near
est to the hearts Of tho American people
the Christian church. Ity you have ever see
q church burn down, you have seen thou
sands OF people standing and looking at |
people who never go into a churchill
tears raining down their cheeks. The Who'll
story is told.
You may talk about tho church being
collection NJ ycoorItaa huf uhan tina linl