The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-03-23
A GLORIOUS GROWTH
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE SHOWS HOW
CHRISTIANITY MOVES FORWARD.

REV. DR.. TAlMAGE SHOWS HOW
CHRISTIANITY MOVES FORWARD.
Some Sturdy Blows at Infideiity-Reiigion
Good to Live by and Consoiing to Die
By-An Encouraging Discourse by the
Eloquent Pastor.
BROOKLYN, March l8.-In the Taber-
naole today Rev. DR.. Talmage preached
most eloquent and Enthusiastically
vigorous sermon in REPUTATION of the Oft
renewed assertion Of the enemies of reli-
gion that Christianity is retrograding
and the Bible losing its hold upon the
hearts and consciences of men. Thes
ject Of the discourse as announced was
From Conquest to Conquest" the text
being taken from Amos tx, 10, Behold
the days come, saith the Lord, that the
plowman shall overtalke the reaper"
Picture of tropical cline, with sea-
son so prosperous that the harvest reach
es 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 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 harvest before the plow-
man 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 French
infidel across desert, and ever and anon
the Arab guide would get down in the
sand and pray to the Lord It disguised
the French infidel, and after aw lille as
the Arab got up from one of his prayers
the infdel said, How do you know there
is any God!" and the Arab guide said:
"How do know that a man and 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. Isthat
the footstep Of a mani" And by the same
process you and l have come to under
stand that this book is the footstep of a
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 hav-
srsacks strewing all the way. The great
English historian, Sharon Turner, man
of vast learning and of great accuracy,
not clergyman, but an attorney as
well as 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
fury, 100000 Christians; in the second
century, 1900, 600 Christians; in the third
century, 100000 Christians; in the
fourth century, 100000 Christians; in
the fifth century, 100000 Christians;
in the sixth century, 20,00O,OOO Chris
tians; in the seventh century, 24,00O,-
900 Christians; in the eighth CEN
fury, 100000 Christians; in the
ninth century, 100000 Christians;
in the tenth century, 100000 Chris
tians; in the eleventh century, 10000, 900
Christians; in the twelfth century, So
10000 Christians; in the thirteenth cen
fury, 100000 Christians; in the four
teenth century, $4,000. 900 Christians; in
the fifteenth century, 100, 900, 900 Chris
tians; in the sixteenth century, 1875 000,-
600 Christians; in the seventeenth CEN
fury, l55, 0O0,000 Christians; in the eight
zenith century, 100000, 600 Christians
a 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 100000. 900 Christians.
Poor Christianity! What pity it has
no friends! How lonesome it must be!
Who will take it out of the poorhousei
Poor Christianity! Three hundred mil.
lions 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 20 gates and a
park of artillery ready toithun.ler down
every gate. Lay aside all Chrisnndom
and see how heathendom is. being sur.
rounded and honeycombed and attacked
by this all conquering gospel. At the
beginning of this century there were
only $50 missionaries; now there are 25,.
600 missionaries and native helpers and
evangelists. At the beginning of this
century there were only $4,000 heather
converts; now there are 1, 100000 con
verts from heathendom.
There is not a 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
1t may take many days to plant the bat
teries, and they may do all their work ii
10 minutes. These batteries are being
planted all along the seacoasts and in al
nations. It may take good willie tx
plant them, and they may do all theil
work in one day. They will. Nation,
are to be born in one day. But JUS
come back to Christendom and recognize
the fact that during the last 10 years az
many people have connected themselves
with evangelical churches as connected
themselves with the churches in the frs
so years of this century.
GLORIOUS BOOK.
So Christianity is falling back, and tn,
Bible, they say, is becoming an obsolet,
book. ! go into court, and wherever
find judges bench or q clerks desk
find Bible. Upon what book coult
there be uttered the solemnity of al
oath9 What book is apt to be put in tn
trunk of the young man as he leaves fol
city life? The Bible. What shall fine
in hire out of every ten homes in Brook
lynl The Bible. In nine out of ever,
ten homes in Christendom2 The Bible
lVoltaire wrote the prophecy that tn
Bible in the nineteenth century woult
Secome extinct. The century is nearl,
gone, and as there have been more Bible
published in the latter part Of the cen
fury than in the former part Of the cen
fury do you think the Bible will becom
extinct in the next six years2
have to tell you that the room i