The Bossier banner., 1894-05-03
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Refutation Of the Charge that
Christianity is Retrograding.
The Religion of Christ is Growing-The
Bible a More Popular Book Than
Eyer-More Churches Built
Than Ever Before.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage'took for the
subject of a recent sermon in the
Brooklyn tabernacle: "From Conquest
to Conquest, basing it on the text:
Behold the days come saith the Lord, that
the plowman shall overtake the reaper
Amos, tx, 13
Picture of a tropical cline with a
season so prosperous that the harvest
reaches clear over to the planting time,
and the swarthy husbandman swing
ing the sickle in the thick grain al
most feels the breath of the horses on
his shoulders, the horses hitched to the
plow preparing for new crop. "Be-
hold the days come" saith the Lord,
"that the plowman shall overtalke the
reaper!' When is that? That is now.
That is the day when hardly have you
done reaping one harvest before the
plowman is getting ready tor another.
known that many declare that
Christianity has collapsed, that the
Bible is an obsolete book, that the
Christian church is on the retreat. 1
will here and now show that the oppo-
site of that is true.
An Arab guide was leading French
inhdel across the desert, and ever and
anon the Arab guide would get down
in the sand and pray to the Lord. 1t
discussed the French infdel, and after
awhile as the Arab got up from one of
| his prayers the infidel said: "How do
| you know there is any God?" and the
| Arab guide said: GLOW do l know
that man and a camel passed along
our tent last night? l know it by the
| footprints in the sand. And you want
to know how l know whether there is
| any God? Look at the sunset. Is that
the footstep of of man?" And by the
same process You and have come to
understand that this book is the foot
step of God
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
haversacks strewing all the way. The
| great English historian, Sharon Tur-
ner, a man of vast learning and of
great accuracy, not a clergyman, but
an attorney, as well as a historian,
| regard to Christianity and in regard to
| the number of Christians in the differ
ent centuries. In the first century,
| five hundred thousand Christians; in
she second century, two million Chris
tlans: in the third century, five mil
lion Christians; in the fourth century,
ten million Christians; in the fifth GEN.
tury, fifteen million Christians; in the
sixth century, twenty million Chris
tians; in the seventh century, twenty
four million Christians; in the eighth
century, thirty million Christians; in
the ninth century, forty million Chris
tians; in the tenth century, fifty mil
lion Christians; in the eleventh CEN
tury, seventy million Christians; in
the twelfth century, eighty million
Christians: in the thirteenth century,
seventyfive million Christians; in the
fourteenth century, eighty million
| Christians; in the fifteenth century, one
hundred million Christians: in the six
teenth century, one hundred and tven-
| ty-fve million Christians; in the sew
enteenth century, one hundred and if
| ty-hve million Christians; in the eight
eenth century, two hundred million
| Christians-a decadence, as you OBJ
serve in only one century, and more
than made up in the following CEN
| turies, while it is the usual computa-
tion that there will be, when the rec
ord of the nineteenth century is made
up, at least three hundred million
| Christians. Poor Christianity! what a
| pity it has no friends. How lonesome
| it must be. Who will take it out of the
| poor house? Poor Christianity! One
| hundred millions in one century. In
a few weeks of the year 1881 two
million five hundred thousand copies
of the New Testament distribut-
ed. Why. the earth is like an
| old castle with twenty gates
and park of artillery ready to thun-
der down every gate. Lay aside all
| Christendom and see how heathendom
is being surrounded and honeycombed
and attacked by this all-conquering
Gospel. At the beginning of this CEN
| tury there were only one hundred and
| fifty missionaries; now there are twen-
| ty-five thousand missionaries and ma
tive helpers and evangelists. At the
beginning of this century there were
only fifty thousand heathern converts;
now there are one million seven hun
dred and fifty thousand converts from
heathendom. There is not sea coast
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 batteries, and
they may do all their work in ten min
utes. These batteries are being planted
all along the sea coasts and in all ma
tions. 1t may take good while to
plant them, and they may do all their
work in one day. They will. Nations
are to be born in day. But just come
back to Christendom and recognize the
fact that during the last ten years as
many people have connected them
selves with evangelical churches as
connected themselves with the churche:
in the first tlfty years of this century
So Christianity is falling BACK, and
| the Bible. they Eay, Ii bacominp an oh