The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-03-22
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE .BRooKLYN DIvINE's SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "From Conquest to Con-
quest"

Picture OF a tropical cline. with n sIason
so prosperous that the harvest reachesciear
over to the planting time. and the swhrthy
husbandman swinging the sickle In thelhick
grain almost feels the Breath of the borses on
his shoulders. the horses hitched "a the
plow preparing for new crop. "Bfhold
the days come. saith the Lord. that the blow
man shall overtake the reaper" whsn is
that? That is now. That - this day, when
hardly have you done reaping one harvest
before the plowman is getting ready for
lnother.
know that many declare that Christianity
has collapsed that the Bible Is an obsolete
book that the Christian church is ot the
retreat. I will here and now show that the
opposite of that Is true
An Arau guide was leading n French In
1del across u desert. and ever and anoa the
Arab guide would get down in the sand and
pray 20 the Lord. II disgusted the Frnch
infdel. and after awhile as the Arab gst up
from one OF his prayers the infldel said
"lIow 90 you know there Is my God21 and
the Arab guide said "How do know that
man and n camel passed along our tent last
nighil know II by the footprints in the
sand. And you want to know how l know
whether there IL any God2 Look at that
sunset. Is that the iootstep OF a manp"l And
10y the same process YOU and have cone to
understand that this book is the footstep OF
q God.
But now let US see whether the Bible is n
last years almanac. lie: us see whether the
church OF God Is In n Bull Run retreat.
muskets, canteens and hnversacks s,reving
all tho way The great English historian.
Sharon Turner. u man OF vast learning and
OF erent accuracy. not a clergyman. but an
attorney as well as a historian. gives this
overwhelming statistic ia regard to Chris
,ianity and In regard 20 the number OF C1rls-
tlans In the diHeren. centuries In the first
century, 100000 Christians; In the second
century, 1900. 900 Christians /: In the third
century, 100000 Christians in the fourth
century, 10000. 600 Christians in the ilfih
century, $1,000. 600 Christians in the sixth
century, 0.000. 900 Christians in the seventh
century, $4,000. coo Christians f: in the eighth
century, 10000. 900 Christians In the
ninth century. 40, 900. 900 Christians In the
tenth century. $4,000. 200 Christians; in
the eleventh century. 10000, 900 Christians {:
IN tho twelfth century, s0,000,000 Christians :;
In the thirteenth century. $4,000, 900 Christ
ians in the fourteenth century. sc, ,0O0. 900
Christians in the fifteenth century, 100-
100000 Christians In the sixteenth CEN
ury, l25, 100000 Christians in the seven
teenth century, $1,000, 900 in the eight
eenth century. 200. .00O. 900 Christians---a de-
cadence, rs you observe. In only one century
turtles, while II Is the usual compu-
tation that there will be, when the
record OF the nineteenth century is made up.
ieast 3Uo ,0Oo 200, Christians.
Poor Christianity! What pity II has nc
.ti lriehast HOW lonesome " must be! Who
VIII take II out OF the poorhousep Poor
christianity Three hundred millions in one
century: i In Iew Weeks OF tho year 1881
2.500, coo copies OF the New Testament dis
tributed Why, the earth is like an old cas-
tie with twenty gates and park artillery
ready to thunder down every gate. Lay
hsiue all Chrlstendom and see how heathen-
uom IS beihS surrounded and honeycombed
ana attacked by this all conquering GOSPEL.
AT the negihnihy OF TINS century there were
ohiy lou missionaries; now there are 10000
'sionaries and native helpers and evan
s.-s.s. d. 'he .eginii'.s "a ,his .s,.u,.
tnere were only bO.000 heathen converts now
there are l,feO,OOO converts from heathen-
iom.
There is not seacoast on the planet but
the battery OF the gospel is planted and ready
10 march on-north. south, east. west. You
all know that the chief work OF an army is TO
plant the batteries. IL may take many days
10 plant The batteries. aud they may 10 all
'helr work IN ten minutes. These batteries
are being planted all along the seacoasts and
N all nations. IL may take good while 10
plahs them, and they may do all their work
n one day. They will. Nations arc 10 be
born in one day. But just come back to
'7'Nh'''h "hh ic'oEulAS tho iuSi tutt
during the last ten years as many people
nave connected themselves with evangelical
,hurches rs connected themselves with the
churches IN the iirs, iifty years OF this CEN
Jury.
SO Christianity is falling back, and the
Bible, they sly, is becoming an obsolete
book. 20 into court, and wherever
find judges bench or a clerks desk | fnd
Bible. Upon what book could there be
uttered the solemnity OF nm oath? What
book Is apt TO be put In the trunk Of the
young man rs he leaves for city life? The
Bible. What shall iind in nine out oievery
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 be-
come extinct. The century is nearly gone,
and ms there have been more Bibles pub
lished ia the latter part OF the century than
In the former part OF the century, 40 you
think the Bible will become extinct in the
next six years.
l have 10 tell you that the room in which
Voltaire wrote that prophecy not long ago
was crowded from floor 10 ceiling with
Bibles from Switzerland. Suppose the Con-
gress OF the United States should pass law
that there should be no more Bibles printed
In AmQripa nnH no mOFa Rihlqa rand 10