The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-07-24
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: The Triumph Of Christianity -
Tho Church of Christ is the Most En-
dearinE Institution on Earth-Its Un-
surpassed Crowth-Infdelity Refuted.

surpassed Crowth-Inhdelity Refuted.
Copyright lsoll
WASHINGTON, D. G. - Although Dr..
Talmage was hindered from attending the
great annual meeting of the Christian En-
deavor Society at Cincinnati, his sermon
shows him to be in sympathy with the
great movement; text, Amos *, l3, BE
hold the days come, saith the Lord, that
the plowman shall overtake the reaper"
ties to accept the invitation to take part
in the great convention of Christian En-
aeavorers at Cincinnati, l preach a SER
mon of congratulation for all the members
of that magnificent association, whether
now gathered in vast assemblage or busy
in their places of usefulness, transatlantic
and cisatlantic. And, as it is now harvest
time in the fields and sickles are flashing
in the gathering of a great crop, l find
mighty suggestiveness in my text.
1t is picture of tropical cline, with
reaches clear over to the planting time
and the swarthy husbandman, busy out
ting the grain, almost feels the breath of
the horses on his shoulders, the horses
hitched to the plow preparing for 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 of religious
result than the plowman is getting ready
for another.
In phraseology charged with all venom
and abuse and caricature I know that in
fdels and agnostics have declared that
Christianity has collapsed; that the Bible
is an obsolete book; that the Christian
church is on the retreat shall answer
that wholesale charge to-day.
Between 100000 and 4000,0 900 Endeav-
orers sworn before high heaven that they
will do all they can to take America for
God, Europe for God, Asia and Africa for
God-are not the signs most cheering? Or,
to return to the agricultural figure Of my
text, more than million reapers are over
taken by more than million plowmen.
Besides this, there are more people who
believe in the Bible than at any time in
the world's existence.
But now let US see whether the book is
last years almanac. Let us see whether
the church of God is Bull Run retreat,
muskets, canteens and hayersacks strew-
ing all the way. The great English histor-
ian Sharon Turner, o man of vast learning
and great accuracy, not clergyman, but
ON attorney as well as historian, gives
this overwhelming statistic in regard to
Christianity and in regard to the number
of Christians in the different centuries:
In the first century SOC, 900 Christians, in
the third century 100000 Christians, in
the fourth century 100000 Christians,
in the fifth century 100000 Christians,
in the sixth century 20,000, 900 Christians,
in the seventh century $4,000, 900 Chris.
tians, in the eighth century 100000 600
Christians, in the ninth century 10000, 900
Christians, in the tenth century $4,000, 900
Christians, in the eleventh century TO-
5000 Christians, in the twelfth century
81, 0,00O, 900 Christians, in. the. thirteenth
century $4,000, 900 Christians, in the. four
teenth century 81, 100000 Christians: In: the
fifteenth century 100, 900, 900 Christians. in
the sixteenth century l25, 100000 Chris;
tians, in the seventeenth century l55, ,0O0,'
600 Christians, in the eighteenth century
200 O,0O0, 900 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 were at the close of the nineteenth
century 470,000, 1000 Christians, making us
to believe that before this century is
close the millennium will have started its
boom and lifted its hosanna.
Poor Christianity! What q pity it has
no friends! How lonesome it must be!
Who will take it out of the poorhouse!
fOOr CQrlSCldnlCy. pOuf uuuuIcu uAAlA'
ions in one century,
At the beginning of the nineteenth cen
tury $50 missionaries; at the close of that
century $4,000 missionaries and native
helpers and evangelists. At the beginning
of the nineteenth century there were only
sc. 1000 converts; now there are over 1,000,'
600 converts from heathendom.
So Christianity is falling back and the
Bible, they say, is becoming. an obsolete
book! I 60 into court, and wherever
find a judges bench or clerks. desk
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
nine out of every ten homes in this city:
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
The century is gone, and ! have to tell
YOU that the room in which Voltaire
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 law that there should
be no more Bibles printed in America and
no Bibles read. If there are $4,000, ,ooO
would be 6O,OOO,OOO people in an army to
put down such law and defend their
right to read the Bible. But suppose the
Congress of the United States should
make a law against the reading or the
publication of any other book-how many
people would 60 out in such crusade
Could you get go ,0O0, 900 people to go out
and risk their lives in the defense OF
Shakespeare tragedies or Gladstone
tracts or Macaulays History OF Eng
land" You know that there are. thou.
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 telling me the Bible ls
fading out from the world. 1t is the most
popular book of the centuries.
"Oh," say people, "the church ls col
lection of hypocrites, and it is losing its
power, and it is fading out from the
world" Is it? A bishop Of the Metho-
dist church told me that that denomina-
ton averages two new churches every Day.
In other words, they build 73O churches
in that denomination in a year. 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 it were
a defunct institution? What stands near
est to the hearts of the American. people
:o.day? I do not care in what village or
what city or what neighborhood you CO.
What is it? Is it the postohice? Is it the
hotel? Is it the lecture, hall? An, you
know it is not. You know. that that
which stands nearest to the hearts of the
American people is the Christian church.
You may talk about the church. being,
collection of hypocrites; but when the
do YOU send for? The postmaster? The
Attorney.General? The hotel keeper?
Alderman? No. You send for a. minister
Of this Bible religion. And if there is a
song to be sung at the obsequies, what do
YOU want? What does anybody want?
The "Marseillaise Hymn" God Save
tLe Oueen?" Our own grand national air!