The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-07-25
ten minutea These Gospel batterie.


But just come back to Christeudom
and recognize the fact that Daring the
last ten years rs many people have con
nected themselves with evangelical.
churches as connected themselves with
the churches in the frst 40 years of last
century. So Christianity is falling
back, and the Bible, they say, is be-
coming an obsolete book. l go into a
court, and wherever l find a judges
bench or a clerks desk l find Bible.
Upon what book could there be uttered
the solemnity of an oath? What book
is apt TO be put In the trunk of the
young man as he leaves for city life?
The Bible. What shall find in nine on,
of every ten homes in this cityp 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 become
extinct. That century is gone, and l
have 60 tell you that the room in which
Foltaire wrote that prophecy not long
ago was crowded from floor to ceiling
= with Bibles from Switzerland.
Suppose the congress of the United
States should pass n law that there
should be no more Bibles printed in
America and no Bibles read? II
there are 60,000,eoo grown people in
the United States, there would be co.
100000 people in an army to put down
such a law and defend their right to
read the Bible. But suppose the con-
gress of the United States should
the publication of any other book,
how many people would so out in
such crusade? Could you get co..
100000 people to 60 out and risk their
lives in the defense of Shakcspeare's
tragedies or Gladstone's tracts or
Maaulsys History of Engisnd?"
You know that there are thousand
men who would die in the defense OF
this book where there is not more
than one man Who would die in the
defense of any other book. You try
to insult my common sense by tell
ing me the Bible is fading out from
the world. 1t is the most popular
DoOk OF the centuries.
How do I know it? know IL Just
as know In regard to other books.
Row many volumes Of that history
ore published? Well. you say 5000.
How many copies Of another book
are published? A hundred Thousand.
Which Is the more POPULAR Why, of
course, the one that has tho hundred
thousand circulatio0. And IL this book
has more copies abroad in the world,
II there are Ave times a. many Bibles
abroad as any other book among civ.
ilised nations, does not that show you
that the most popular book on earth
to-dsy 10 the word of God?
"Oh." say people. "ths church 10 .
collectiSa Of hypocrltes, and II IL los.
ing its power, and IL IL fsdiag out
from the world" 10 itf A bishop
Of the Methodist church told No that
chat denomination averages two new
churches every day. In other words,
they build 73o churches in that de-
nomination in . gear, and there are
at least 1900 new Christian churches
built in America every year. Does
that look as though the Christian
church were fading out. as though 1t
were o defunct tnstitution? What
stands nearest to the hearts Of the
American people to-day? 1 do not
core In what village or what city or
what neighborhood you 40. What is
Il? h it tho posi- odice? Is it the
hotel? Is It tho lecturing hall? All.
you know it 10 not! You know that
that which stands nearest to the
hearts of tho American people 10 the
Christian church.
The infdels say: "There 10 great
liberty now for infdels; freedom OF
platform. Lnfdeiity shows its power
from tho fact that it is everywhere
tolerated, and Il can say what It
win." Why. my friends, inAdelity is
not half SO blatant in our day a. II
was In tho days Of our fathers. Do
you know that in the days of our IA
thefs there were pronounced infidels
in public authority, and they could
get any political position? Lot man
today declare himself antagonistic to
the Christian religion. and what city
wants him for mayor; what state
wants him for governory what ma
Mon wants him for president or for
king? Let NAN openly proclaim
himself the enemy of our glorious
Christianity. and he cannot get a ma
jority Of votes IN any state, in any
city. in any county. in any ward Of
America.
sm nightly encouraged because
I And, among other things, that while
this Christianity has been bombarded
for ceDtnries infdelity has not de-
stroyed one church, or crippled one
minister, or uprooted ono verse of
ono chapter of all the Bible. II that
has been their magnificent record for
tho centuries Of the past, what may
we expect for the future? The church
all the time getting the victory. and
their shot and shell all gone.
And then I find another most en-
coursging thought in the fact that
the secular printing press and the