The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-03-29
TALMAGES SERMON.
CHARAC CTERiSTlC AND ELOQUENT
SERMON BY REV. DR., TALMhGC. 4,

SEhMSlN tSf tEV' Ut' ] RLmhc1Gs ;
He Takes For His Subject From Conquest !
to Corqucst--Is Christianity Re,roerad-
Ing and tho n,blo Losing Its Holo?.-An
Encouraging Discourap. |
BRooI<INN, March 18.-In the Tab.
crnacle today Rev. DR.. Talmage preach.
cd a most eloquent and dcharacteristically
vigorus sermon In refutatlon Of The oft
renewed assertion OF the enemies of re
ligion that Christianity is retrograding
and the Bible losing its hold upon tho
hearts and coneciences Of men. The
subject Of the discourse rs announced
was, "From Conquest to Conquest"
tho text being taken f.om Amos TX, 1S,
behold, the days come, saith tho Lord
that the plowman shall overlalie the
reaper"
Picture of O tropical cline with sea.
son so prosperous that the harvest
reaches clear over to the planting time,
and the swarthy husbnndmau swinging
the sickle in tho thick grain almost feols
the breath Of line horses on his shoulders
tho horses hitchcd to The p]ow preparing
for new crop. "Bchold the days come
saith the Lord, that The plowman shall
overtake the reaper" When ia thet?
That is now. That 10 This day when
hardly have you dono reaping one har &.
vest before the pownan ID getting ready
for another.
know that many declare that Christ.
lanlty has collapsed; that the Bible is an
obsolete book; that the Christian church
ls on the retreat. ! will here ard nov
SHOW that the opposite of that is true.
AN Arab guido was leading French
lntdel ACROSS deeert, and ever and amen
the Arab guido would pet down iu the
sand and pray to tho Lord. 1t disgusted
the French infdel, and after awhile Us
the Arab got up from ono Of hs prayers
the infidel SAID, ''How do you know
there Is any God?" and The Arab guide
said: "How do l. know that man au d
a.canel passed alODg our tent last night?
L know it by the footprints in the sand.
And you want 10 know how | know
whether there is any God. Look at
that sunset: Is that the footsiop OF q
man?" And by the same process you
and have come TO understand tha, this
book is the footstcp of a God.
But now let us sec whether the Bible
is last years. almanac. Lot us SEQ
whether the church Of God is III q Bull
Run retreat, muskets, Cnnteeus and
haversacks strewing all The way. The
great English historian, Sharon Turner,
man Of vast learDlpg and Of great ac-
curacY, not Clergyman, but an attor-
ney as we'll ns 4 historian, give this over
Whemin4 statistic in regard TO Christi
anltY and in regard TO The number OF
Christians in the different ccntu,i les. In
the fist century, 100000 Christians; in
the second century, 2,000,0 Christ.
lane; IN the third century, 5000 600
Christians; in the fourth century, 10000
600 Cnristiane; in tho fifth century, 49,
0OO.000 Chrislinns; in the sixth century,
100000 Chris tians; in the seventh
century, 24 900, 900 Chris LIans; in the
eighth century, 10000 600 Christians;
IN the ninth century, 40,000,000 Christ:
lans; in the tenth century, $4,000 900
Christians; in the eleventh cenLury, TO-
0OO, 900 Christians; in tho twelfth cen.
tury, 80, 600 900 Christians; in The thir-
teenth century, rs, 100000 Christians;
in the fourteenth century, 5000 900
Christians; in the if,ccnth century, 100.
100000 Christians; in The Fix eenth cen |
tury, 1875, 100000 Christians; in the
seventeenth century 1856 600, 900 Christ
lans; in the eighteenth century, 200 900,
600 Chrtstians--a decadenco, rs you OBJ
serve, lsg only one century and more
than made up in tho following centuries
while it is the usual computation thai
there will be, when the record Of the
nineteenth is made up, at lcaat 800, 900,
600 Christians.
Poor Christianity! What Il pity it has
no friends! How lonesome it must be!
Who will take it out Of the p0orhousse?
Poor Christi anity! Three hundred NIL I
lions In one century. In n tow weeks Of
the year 1881 $500 900 copies Of the
New Testament distributed. Why, the
earth is like an old castle with 20 gates
and park OF artillery ready to thunder
down every gate. Lay aside all Christ.
endom and sec how heathendom is he.
Ing surrounded and honeycombed and
attacked by this all con1uering gospel.
AT the beginning OF this century there
were only $50 missionaries. Now there
are $4,000 missionaries and native help
ers and evangellsts. At the beginning
OF this century there were only $4,000 |
heather converts. Now thero are $50,
200 converts from heathcndom.
There ls not q 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 tho chief
work Of an army is TO plant The batter
los. 1t may take many days to plant
the batteries, and they may do all their
work in 10 minutes. These batteries are
being planted ali along the seacosts and
ID oil nations. 1t may take good whilo
10 plant them, and they may do all their
work III one day. They will. Nations
are to be born in day, But just come
back to Christendom and RECOGNIZES the
TACT that during the last 10 years as
many people have connected themselves
with evangelical churches as connected
themselves with the churches in the first
so years of this century.
SO Christianity is falling back, and The
Bible, they say, is becoming at obso. (
lete book. L go into court, and where. {
ever find Judges bench or clerks
desk find Bible. Upon what book
could there be uttered the solemnity of {
an oath9 What book Is apt to be put {
IA Inc trunk of the young man as he
l0AVeH nj ifxy 60 |