Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-07-10
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copies of another book are published? \
hundred thousand Which is the more
popular? Why. of course, the one that
has the hundred thousand circulation.
And if this book has more copies abroad
in the world, if there are FIVE times as
many Bibles abroad as any other book
among civilized nations, does not that
show you that the most popular book On
earth to-day is the word of God:
oh. say people, the church is 4 col
lection Of hyp0erites, and it is losing its
power and il is fading out from the
world. Is il? \ bishop of the Method
list church told me that that denomna-
ton averages two new churches eyery
day. In other words. they build $50
churches in that denomination in year,
and there are at least 1900 new Chris
Tian churches built in America every
year Does that look as though the
j Christian church were fading out. as
though il were defunct institution?
| What stands nearest to the hearts of
the American people to-day? | do not
care in what village or what city or what
neighbOrbood you go. Whist is it: Is it
the postoffice? Is it the hotel? Is it the
! lccturiug hall: All, you know it is not
You know that that which stands nearest
| to the hearts of the American people is
the Christian church.
In the Hour If Distress.
You may talk about the church being
collection of hypocrites, but when the
diphtheria sweeps your children off whom
do YOU send for: The postmaster. the at
torney general. the hotel keeper, alder
man? Nc, Yog send for minister 7of
! this Bible religion. And if you haye5net
room in your house for the obseqaies
what building do you solicit? Do you
| say. Give me the finest room in the ho
| tel?' Do you say, Give me thai public
/ building where | can lay my dead for Il
! little while until we say a prayer over
/ itg No. You say, Give US the house
of God" And if there is song to be
sung ut the obsequies, what do you5want?
| What does anybody want? The Mar
| seillaise Hymn "God Save the QueenT'
| Our own grand national air? No. They
want the hymn with which they sang
their old Christian mother into her last
sleep, or they want sung the Sabbath
/ school hymn which their little girl sang
| the last Sabbath afternoon she was out
! before she got that awful sickness which
| broke your heart. | appeal to your com
| mon sense. You know the most endear-
| ing institution on earth to-day, is the
| church of the Lord Jesus Christ 4 man
! is a fool that does not recognize it.
The infidels say: There is great Hber.
| ty now for infdels; freedom of platform.
! lnfdelity shows its power from the fact
| that it is everywhere tolerated, and it
| can say what it will Why, my friends,
! infdelity is not half so blatant in our
| day as it was in the days of our fathers.
! DO you know that in the days of our
! fathers there were pronounced infidels
| in public authority, and they could get
any political position? Let a man to-day
| declare himself antagonistic to the Chris
| tan religion, and what city wants him
| for mayor; what State wants him for
| governor; what nation wants him for
| president or for king? Let man openly
| proclaim himself the enemy of our glOri
| Gus Christianity, and he cannot get Il
majority of votes in any State, in any
| city. in any country, in any WARD of
| America.
| What Christianity Does.
! A distinguished infide! years ago riding
! in a rail car in Illinois said, What has
! Christianity ever donc?" An old Chris
! tan woman said: 1T has done one good
| thing anyhow. 1t has kept an infidel
from being governor of Illinois" As |
| stood in the side room of the opera house
! of Peoria, H.. prominent gentleman
! of that city said, II can tell you the Sc
cret of that tremendous bitterness against
| Christianity" Said /. What is it?'
Why said he in this very house there
was great convention to nominate a
governor, and there were three or four
! candidates. At the same time there was
| in a church in this city Sabbath school
| convention, and it happened that one of
! the men who was in the Sabbath school
| convention was also member of the POI
| litical convention. In the political con
! vention the name highest on the roll at
! that time and about to be nominated was
| the name of the great champion intidel.
| There was an adjournment between bal
| lots, and in the afternoon, when the NOM
| nations were being made plain farmer
got up and said: Mr.. Chairman. that
nomination must not be made The sun
| day schools of Illinois win defeat him"
/ That ended all prospect of his nomina
ton
] know infdeIty makes a good deal
/ of talk in our day. One infidel can
make great excitement, but | can tell
! you on what principle it is II is on the
! principle thar if a man jumps overheard
| from an ocean liner he makes more eX-
element than gil the 500 who stay on
| board But the fact that he jumps over
board does not stop the ship. Does that
wreck the SEQ passengers? 1t makes
great excitement when a man jumps from
! the lecturing platform or from the pulpit
/ into infdelity. but does that keep the
| Bible or the church from carrying mil
lions of passengers to the shores of eter-
/ nal safety?
! These opponents say that science Is
I overcoming religion in our day They
! look through the speetacles of the infidel
/ scientists. and they say: 1T is impos-
sible that this book he true. People are
| finding il out The Eihlc has got 10 20
! overheard. Science = going to throw it
/ overheard Do you believe that the
! Bible account of the origin of life Will
/ be overthrow Dy in6del scientists who
| have 30 Inherent theories about the origin
of life? II they should all come up in
solid phaianx. all agreeing on one senti-
ment and one theory. perhaps Christian
| ity might he damaged. but there are not
/ so many differences of opinion inside the
! church as outside the church. On, it
makes me sick 10 see these literary fops
| going along with a copy of Darwin IN
/ der one arm and ease OF transfxed
! grasshoppers and butterflies under the
| other arm telling about the survival Of
| the fittest" and Huxley's prot0plasm and
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