The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-07-12

SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY The NOTED
DIVINE.
suhject The Triumph OF Christianity -
The Church Of Christ is the Most En-
dearinx Institution on Earth-Is Un-
surpassed Crowth-Infdelity Refuted.
Icopyrigh, iSi.l

the MOST fn-
dearinx Institution on Earth-Its Un-
surpassed Crowth-Infideiity Refuted.
lcopyrishi isil
WASHINGTON. ID. {. - 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 tx, l3. BE
hold the days come, saith the Lord, that
the plowman shall overtake the reaper"
Unable because OF other important du-
ties 10 accept the invitation 10 take part
IN the great convention OF Christian En-
deavorers al Cincinnati. | preach a ser.
mon ot congratulation tor all the members
OF that magnificent association. whether
now gathered IN vast assemblage or busy
In their places of usefulness, transatlantic
and clsatlantlc. And. as n is now harvest
time IN the fields and slekles are flashing
In the gathering of a great crop, | find
mighty suggestyeness IN my text.
IL ls picture OF a tropical cline, with
season so prosperous that the harvest
reaches clear over TO the planting time
and the swarthy husbandman, busy cut
ting the grain, almost feels the breath OF
the horses on his shoulders, the horses
hitched 20 the plow preparing for a new
crop. Behold the days come, saith the
Lord, that the plowman shall overtake
-
now. That ia 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 | know that in.
tdels 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 3,0OO,0O and 1000, 900 Endeav.
orers sworn before high heaven that they
will do all they can 10 take America for
God, Europe for God, Asia and Africa for
God-are not the signs most cheering? Or,
to return 10 the agricultural figure OF my
text, more than million reapers are over.
taken by more than a million plowmen.
Besides th.s. there are more people who
believe in the Bible than at any time in
the worlds existence.
But now let US see whether the book il
a last years almanac. Let us see whether
the church of God is Bull Run retreat,
muskets, canteens and haversacks strew.
ing all the way. The great English histor-
ian Sharon Turner, a man OF vast learning
and great accuracy, not a clergyman, but
an attorney as we'll as a historian, gives
this overwhelming statistic in regard TO
Christianity and in regard to the number
OF Christians IN the different centuries:
III Aut AllNN century O'NsVfu NfniiHAlduhs III
the second century 1000, 900 Christians, IN
the third century 100000 Christians, in
the fourth century l0.000000 Christians,
IN the fifth century 10000 600 Christians,
in the sixth century 20.00O0 600 Christians,
In the seventh century "a 900 900 Chris.
tians, in the eighth century 100000
Christians, in the ninth century 10000, 900
Christians, in the tenth century $4,000. 900
Christians, in the eleventh century 70,.
000,0O0 Christians, in the twelfth century
0,OOO 900 Christians, in the thirteenth
century 100000 Christians, in the four
teenth century s0,0O0,U0 Christians. in the
fifteenth century 10000, 900 Christians, IN
the sixteenth century l25000,00O Chris.
tians. in the seventeenth century 1856 600.
600 Christians, in the eighteenth century
200.000,0oO Christians-a decadence, as you
observe, in only one century and more
than made up in the following centuries.
while IL IL the usual computation that
there were at the close of the nineteenth
century N0,0O0,000 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 a pity it has
no friends! How lonesome 1t must be-
Who will take IL out of the poorhouse
Poor Christianity Four hundred mill.
ions in one century.
At the beginning Of the nineteenth cen.
tury 80 missionaries; at the close of that
century $4,000 missionaries and native
helpers and evaugelsts At the beginning
OF the nineteenth century there were only
$4,000 converts; now there are over 1000.
600 converts from heathendom.
SO Christianity is falling back and the
Bible, they say. is becoming an obsolete
book! | go into court, and wherever
find judges bench or a clerks desk
find a Bible. Upon what book could there
ha lftara1 tha Co1apntfu nf oath =
What book il apt TO be put in the trunk
of the young man as he leaves for city
life? The Bible What shall | find in
nine out of every ten homes in this city,
The Bible. In nine out Of every ten homes
in Christendomy The Bible Voltaire
wrote the prophecy that the Bible in the
nineteenth century would become extinct.
The century is gone, and j have to tell
you that the room in which Noltare
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 a law that there should
be no more Bibles printed in America and
no Bibles read. III there are co 900 900
grown people in the United States there
would be G0,OO00O people IN an army 20
put down such a law and defend their
right 10 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 go out in such a crusade
Could you get G0,000 900 people to 20 out
and risk their lives IN the defense OF
Shakespeare tragedies or Gladstone 5
tracts or Macaulay's History of Eng
landy' You know that there are a thou
sand men VINO would die IN defense Of
this book where there - 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 is
fading out from the world. IL Is the most
popular book OF the centuries
on" say people, "the church " a col
lection OF hypocrites, and II is losing its
power. and It ~ fading ont from the
world" Is it, A bishop OF the Metho-
dist church told me that that denomlna-
tion averages two new churches every day.
In other words, they build 40 churches
in that denomination m 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, az though 70 were
a defunct institution What stands near
est 20 the hearts OF the American people
Today; | do not care IN what village or
what city or what neighbOrhOo1 YOU 60.
What IL it, j. u the pOstoffcey j. 10 the
hotel? j. IL the lecture hally All, YOU
know 10 is not You know that that
which stands nearest 20 the hearts Of the
American people Is the Christian church.
You may talk about the church being a
collection OF hypocrites, but when the
,liphtheria sweeps your children Of whom
do YOU send for? The postmaster? The
Att0rney-General? The hotel keeper;
Alderman No You send for a minister
OF this Bible religion And u there - a
song TO be sung al the obsequies. what DO
YOU wanty What does anybody want
The "Marseillaise Hymn God Save
tie Queen" Our own grand natiousl air;
No. They want the hymn with which